Coraggio Consulting
Henrico County School Board Monthly Meeting, Thursday, June 6, 2024

Date: Thursday, June 6, 2024
Place: Henrico County School Board, Virginia
Length: 48m (video)
Official meeting video (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL0JvW5lcBI
Official meeting portal (Henrico County Public Schools, Diligent Community): https://henricoschools.community.diligentoneplatform.com/Portal/MeetingTypeList.aspx

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 2026-10-26. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:00:05] Good evening. Today is June 6, 2024, and it is the last monthly meeting of the 23-24 school year. At this time, I want to note Mrs. Kinsella's physical absence from today's work session.

[00:00:24] Mrs. Kinsella previously notified board members of her request to participate electronically from a remote location due to a personal reason that prevents her physical attendance. Our school board policy, P2-04-006, electronic participation in meetings from remote locations, requires a majority vote of the board members present at the primary or central meeting location to allow a board member to participate in a meeting from a remote location.

[00:00:59] Per the school board policy, is there a motion? I move that the school board approve Ms. Kinsella's participation from a remote location. Is there a second? Second. Thank you, Ms. Shea.

[00:01:15] We will move forward with a roll call vote. Mr. Irving? Aye. Mr. Young? Aye. Ms. Kinsella? Aye. And Ms. Shea? Aye.

[00:01:31] And I vote aye. Ms. Kinsella's request has been approved. This meeting is being live-streamed on the HCPS website. We will begin our meeting with an attendance roll call. Please say present to indicate your presence when I call your name.

[00:01:52] Mrs. Kinsella? Present. Mr. Irving? Present. Mr. Young? Present. Mrs. Shea? Present. And I am present as well. Please let the record reflect that a quorum of the board is physically present and mrs kinsella is participating electronically i ask mrs kinsella to verbally note if she needs to leave the meeting and subsequently verbally note when she returns the next item on the agenda is the approval of the agenda is there a motion to approve the agenda i move that the school board

[00:02:31] approve the agenda for today's meeting is there a second second second all right i'm going to give that one to mr irving we're going to move forward with a roll call vote mr young mr young correct okay all right we'll move forward with a roll call vote mr young hi mr irving hi mrs kinsella aye and mrs shea aye and i vote aye the ayes have it the agenda is approved at this time

[00:03:09] the board would like to take a moment to express our sincere gratitude to all of our vendors we We deeply appreciate your presence and participation in our monthly school board meeting. Your engagement is highly valued, and we are delighted to have you with us this evening.

[00:03:27] Dr. Cashwell. Thank you, Chair Atkins, members of the board. Greetings to our visitors. We'll begin this meeting as we do all others, and that is with the Pledge of Allegiance. So if you would please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, which will be followed by a moment of silence. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

[00:03:58] And to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. And if you would, remain standing as you're able for a moment of silence. And that concludes our moment of silence. You may be seated.

[00:04:24] We have a number of recognition items next, so board members and I will be joining those who are being recognized in just a moment. So first are our VHSL honorees.

[00:05:01] Madam Chair, members of the school board, Dr. Cashwell, colleagues, and guests. Tonight, we are honored to be here to recognize our 2024 Winter State Championship team, continuing Henrico County's tradition of athletic excellence in the state of Virginia.

[00:05:16] I would like to invite swim team head coach Steve Gromling and assistant coach Ryan Densley, along with the members of the 23-24 Douglas Freeman Boys Swim and Dive team, Nicholas Kurger, Nathan Zabota, and Blayne Nelson to come forward.

[00:05:42] It is with immense pride that we stand before you today to celebrate the remarkable achievements of the Douglas Freeman swim and dive team in the 23-24 season.

[00:05:58] In a display of unparalleled skill and dedication, our team emerged undefeated in Region 5C, securing our fourth regional championship title. Not stopping there, we went on to clinch our third VHSL state championship title.

[00:06:14] marking a historic moment for Douglas Freeman High School. What makes this season unique is the introduction of diving to our program, a first in Henrico County history. At the state championship, Douglas Freeman dominated with a total of 295 points across all events, finishing with an impeccable 16-0 overall record.

[00:06:35] Freeman not only claimed multiple regional and state titles, but also earned the prestigious title of All-American. Our individual Region Champions are, in the 200 medley relay, first place, Nathan Zabota, Nicholas Kuriger, Alex Ayers, Henry Brooks, in the 200 freestyle earning first place, Nathan Zabota, in the 500 freestyle first place, Nathan Zabota, and in the 400 freestyle relay, first place, Leif Martin, Caleb June, Cole Nelson, and Nathan Zabota.

[00:07:07] The individual state championships are in the 200 medley relay, a new state record and an All-American A, Nathan Zabota, Nicholas Kuriger, Alex Ayers, and Henry Brooks. In the 200 freestyle, first place, All-American C, Nathan Zabota.

[00:07:25] In the 100 butterfly, first place, Alex Ayers. And in the 500 freestyle, first place, an All-American A, Nathan Zabota. As well as this, the overall team GPA is a 3.95, displaying academic excellence as well.

[00:07:41] In closing, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to each member of the Douglas Freeman Swim and Dive team, their coaches, their families, and supporters. These achievements are a reflection of the unwavering support and dedication of the entire Freeman family.

[00:07:59] Go Mavs! Good evening, Madam Chair, members of the board, Dr. Cashwell, colleagues and guests.

[00:08:38] I would like to start off by asking the following people to please join me up front before we recognize, so we can recognize this year's Virginia School Board Business Honorable Winners. I would first like to start with, make sure I get them in the right order, Janice Clifton from the Virginia Clifton, Beth LaCasey and Chris Hines representing Carter Myers Automotive,

[00:09:25] and Tyler Sensabaugh representing Colonial Web. Tonight, it's my pleasure to recognize these three businesses that have been instrumental in helping not only career and technical education students, but Henrico County Public Schools students graduate with skills and opportunity to truly be life ready.

[00:09:55] Local businesses have the power to shape community attitudes about public schools, and the Virginia School Board Association Business Honor Roll is a way that local school divisions can recognize the support from these local businesses.

[00:10:10] Their support comes in many ways. It can be in tools, it can be in scholarships, it can be in just general support about the focus. But each one of these companies have gone above and beyond. The business honor roll program helps school divisions say thank you for all these contributions.

[00:10:29] Businesses, large and small, family owned, corporate-owned, play key roles in the support of our communities and local schools. I cannot say enough about these three business partners represented here tonight. They continuously look for ways to support and, more importantly, mentor our students as well as promote the values of graduating life-ready.

[00:10:54] We always talk about partnerships being a handshake, not a handout. I'd like to say a perfect partnership is a 60/40 relationship and if both parties give 60 percent then everybody feels like they're getting more than they give these companies embrace this so please join me in correct congratulating the 2024 virginia school board

[00:11:16] business honor roll winners madam chair members of the board dr cashwell with me tonight is mrs

[00:12:10] shannon wakefield and mrs jessica harris lead gifted teachers and together we are proud to recognize mr rich ashburn region one virginia association for the gifted gifted teacher of the year for 2024 rich has served as the talent development coordinator at henrico county public schools last year he worked at glenly elementary and laburnum elementary as a gifted resource teacher rich is deeply committed to his community and promoting opportunities for underserved gifted learners during his time in henrico rich passionately advocated for educational equity

[00:12:48] and talent development for all students through his leadership of the kids of promise program he has provided enriching learning opportunities to many title one elementary schools in his role as the talent development coordinator rich has been instrumental in growing advanced academic programming within his title one schools and promoting increased awareness and advocacy among fellow colleagues. He demonstrates an unwavering dedication to supporting community relationships and promoting access and opportunity among the populations he serves. Rich's work has

[00:13:24] transformative impact on the lives of students and families in Henrico County Public Schools, exemplifying the positive change that can occur through tireless efforts to champion

[00:13:34] educational equity mr rich ashburn congratulations again to all of our honorees the next item on the

[00:14:23] agenda is the henrico highlight and this month we are proud to celebrate the division's newest life-ready alumni last week more than 3 800 students crossed the stage at the new henrico Sports and Events Center to receive their diplomas. The class of 2024 is an impressive group.

[00:14:44] 58% graduated with an advanced studies diploma, the highest high school diploma offered by the Commonwealth of Virginia. 82 also earned an associate's degree from J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College while still in high school. 27 participated in our military signing day event and will serve our country and members of the class of 2024 are among the hdps students who are projected to earn an impressive 6 000 industry certifications and credentials through career and

[00:15:19] technical education programs let's take just a few minutes this evening to look back at last week's graduation ceremonies and celebrate these incredible accomplishments i hereby call this commencement ceremony to order. Let's bring that Blue Devil energy. Let's bring that Springer Nation energy. Please rise for the class of 2024. The class of 2024. Graduating class of 2024.

[00:15:54] How lucky are we to have something so good and make saying goodbye so hard. Let's pay it forward and ensure that future generations have the same opportunities that we've been fortunate enough to have so let's not limit ourselves to the sky let's reach for the stars knowing we have the strength

[00:16:30] knowledge and support to get there the students of hba have shown that there is no generation as proactive interconnected and as powerful as ours in the face of adversity let the uncertainty of the world which has marked many of our shared high school experiences encourage you to find your ideal future may we as graduates keep our morals close stand for what is right and stay hopeful wait well future's too bright i i gotta wear my shades let's celebrate take some pictures but more importantly live in this moment congratulations graduates you're officially

[00:17:06] the version of you you always wanted to be our story does not end here congratulations class of 2024 we did it will the candidates for graduation please stand by virtue of the authority vested in me by the commonwealth of virginia and on the recommendation of the faculty and administration i declare these candidates graduates with all rights privileges and responsibilities

[00:17:38] appertaining there too will the graduates please turn your test their students we have been together

[00:19:00] for many years or united under the hba umbrella just recently this graduating class has become

[00:19:06] like a family be great continue to live the legacy make us all proud congratulations again

[00:19:42] to our class of 2024 we cannot wait to see where you go from here moving on now to our heart of henrico recognition this month we honor a staff member who not only goes above and beyond at her job every day. She is literally a life saver. Last month, cafeteria monitor Luzmila Tusik saved the life of a Ridge Elementary School student who is choking on a piece of food. As you can imagine, there were some very scary moments in the cafeteria until the woman known as Mama Chicken

[00:20:16] sprang into action. Take a look. It's Mama Chicken. It's Luzmila. She is our cafeteria monitor.

[00:20:35] She is full of energy, she loves everybody, has the kindest heart, and just a gentle soul. She builds relationships with the students, she makes them laugh, they make her laugh, and it is a joy to have her in the cafeteria with us.

[00:20:53] A lot of people hug her. She's really nice because she gives people stuff when the sink falls. She has a good personality and sometimes on Friday I'll help her like sweep the cafeteria.

[00:21:09] Open your meal, remember, like my chicken, smile. Look at that. Eight years ago, it's exactly, all kindergarten come in the lunchtime and I say, "Oh, you look like a little chicken and blah, blah, blah." And one kindergarten, he turned around and said, "Excuse me, are you mama chicken?"

[00:21:29] "Yes, of course." All my little chicken, back up home, back next day to learn. My sister is an art teacher in Venezuela and I'm making one April in the phase Mama Hen.

[00:21:45] When I start the wedding, that's it, Mama Chicken, Mama Chicken. Nobody call me Mama Hen but Mama Chicken because they are little chicken. You know, she will speak to the students in their native language when they come into the cafeteria.

[00:22:02] And that's a wonderful asset because we have a lot of students that are very diverse and she just fits in with that. She's always looking for everybody and she's watching all of them and she's helping them very good. We had an incident in our cafeteria where a student was choking and she jumped in immediately.

[00:22:22] He was able to conduct CPR on a student who was struggling. Once admin got there, she had already performed the procedure and the student was okay. And so if it wasn't for her, we wouldn't know what would have happened with that student.

[00:22:39] She comes into work every day, excited to be here, happy, hugging, joyous, and she leads that way as well.

[00:22:55] - What an amazing story. And for her quick thinking, swift actions, and overall good nature, Luzmila is more than worthy of our thanks and praise as the heart of Henrico. Madam Chair, that concludes our Henrico highlight for this evening. Thank you, Dr. Cashwell.

[00:23:14] The next item on the agenda is the HCPS mission statement. Mrs. Shea, would you please do the honor? Thank you. Henrico County Public Schools, an innovative leader in educational excellence, will actively engage our students in diverse educational social and civic learning experiences that inspire and empower them to become contributing citizens thank you mrs shea the next item on our agenda is the public forum this is a time when citizens are invited to address the school board

[00:23:48] on any matter of concern about the school division citizens have signed up in advance and will be given three minutes to address the school board speakers speakers will be called to speak in the order in which they signed up and may not relinquish their spot to someone else we ask that each speaker come to the microphone and clearly state your name and school affiliation if applicable also list the subject of your remarks before speaking after stating your name please place the number you were given in the cart near the podium.

[00:24:28] Speakers must present their remarks to the school board, not the audience, and may provide copies of their comments to the school board clerk. The use of obscenity or defamation is strictly prohibited and will be ruled out of order.

[00:24:46] To assist you in tracking your time, there is a timekeeping system displaying the elapsed time on the screen. will also receive a notice from me when the time has expired the school board is here today to hear from you we will not be responding to speakers concerns or questions during the public forum however a member of the henrico county team will follow up with speakers stakeholders have also had the opportunity to provide written comments through an online form in advance of the meeting

[00:25:24] those comments are shared with school board members prior to the meeting and posted in board docs equal consideration and attention will be given to both written and in-person comments to the contributors of written commentary and speakers assembled here today thank you in advance for your participation your presence expertise concerns acknowledgement of progress and engagement enhance our understanding of our community's diverse perspectives your time your energy

[00:26:00] demonstrate a commitment to the well-being and success of our school communities we know your voices are crucial in shaping the direction of henrico county public schools and your input helps us in our decision making once again thank you we will begin with speaker number one speaker number

[00:26:28] one, if you're here, please approach the podium. Moving along to speaker number two. Next, speaker number three. Speaker number four. Good evening. My name is Leticia Jones. Good evening to the

[00:27:02] honorable chairperson, Ms. Atkins, vice chair, Ms. Shea, and my representative, Ryan Young, and other members seated. I am Leticia Jones. I am a contracted school bus driver with tenrico county public schools currently assigned to zone one the verona district on or about may 17 2024 i received a memo from kevin t roy which is the assistant director of people transportation entitled termination fail probationary period after a through review

[00:27:40] of the board's policy regarding this matter i believe the actions taken by the assistant director of pupil transportation mr t mr roy is in direct violation of the adopted policy regarding contract personnel and more specifically school board policies p4-03-002 as a contracted school bus driver employee of the school district mr kevin t roy will be the wrongfully person to terminate my contract slash employment with the school board has wrongfully removed me from my employment

[00:28:15] contracted which was affected until august 31st 2024 he has caused a breached in my contract by informing that i can no longer fulfill my contract effective on may 17 2024. i noted that the school board has accepted separation of employment at its last school board meeting on may 9th after recommendations were presented to the school board but my name was not listed as the school board approval of separation as a contracted employee i am disagreement with the reasons for a failed probationary period as no evaluations were performed on me during this

[00:28:54] probationary period and information outlined in the memo dated on may 17 2024 appeared to be incorrectly stated prejudice prejudice and misleading in one such letter he stated that an alternative contract termination will be provided other claims appear to be misrepresented the dates that represent the violations of the contracts other similar in situation employees aren't treated this way and his actions may be violation of hemrico county public school division of equal opportunities in closing i am requesting to be allowed to return to work place with back

[00:29:31] pay as well as transfer to another zone so that i am able to complete to satisfy my contractual obligations the school board i am continuing to request this recommendation to termination my contract based on up sustained claims be resolved respectfully submitted leticia jones thank you

[00:29:53] mrs jones next speaker number five good evening honor of our chair members of the board and superintendent my name is xavier stokes i am a um substitute bus driver for zone five now

[00:30:22] previously Zone 1. I have recently had a meeting with my Zone 5 supervisor, Kevin T. Roy, and Angel, the HR, I can't think of her name right now, and also Richard Hurdle. And in that meeting I was informed that I would be terminated as well and in that in doing that school board

[00:31:02] violate school board policies were violated excuse me I'm very nervous it's my first time before you all and also national guidelines and OSHA violations through a third party was also violated. On or about May 20th, I was at home and received a phone call to go take a random drug

[00:31:29] test. Now, in our school board policy, let me see, that would be section P4-06-007, where it states that I would need to be in the workplace at that time, and I was not in anywhere defined by our school board policy in a workplace.

[00:32:00] Therefore, as a result of the ending of that meeting, Kevin T. Roy, along with our HR representative, went on ahead and went forward with violating that school board policy in terminating me. Right now, I've been trying to get in contact with members above them to resolve the issue. And right now, as of now, I am left in the dark. I am asking the school board to

[00:32:36] reconsider separation from Henrico County Public Schools. And I will add that my Zone 5 supervisor did chime in and speak highly that I go above and beyond for HCPS, and that is my goal and dream, to go above and beyond for this school system, as I am greatly appreciated for the opportunity to be a part of the HCPS family.

[00:33:08] Thank you for your time. Thank you. Speaker number six. To the Honorable Chairperson Atkins.

[00:33:34] um vice chair sheer or shea members of the dias and superintendent cashwell my name is yolanda stokes and i'm an advocate and have been that's been my life work um i sat on the eeoc commission nationally appointed by the allen administration and worked as the fair housing equal opportunity person for the city of Petersburg. I'm also certified and have a law degree. These two

[00:34:06] persons asked for my help with this situation. Interestingly enough, there are school bus drivers, and you all are advertising for school bus drivers to the degree that you're paying $3,000 in sign-on bonuses, and I have a CDL, but, and this young lady here, she didn't wrap up and say she just completed and received her full package. Now, if you're paying that type of money, which is taxpayer money in this county, you don't want to lose your good bus drivers because your

[00:34:43] staff is not following your policy. Your policy written for the workplace, in the workplace on drugs was written in 2014. Effective July 2021, the General Assembly passed laws legalizing THC or marijuana for personal consumption for persons 21 and up. So if a person is not in the workplace, you wouldn't bring them in on a drug testing for something and state that it's illegal

[00:35:20] when the General Assembly has legalized, so I was concerned with that. I was granted the opportunity to sit in the meeting yesterday, and when you as a supervisor recognize that you made an error, these persons are in the street without pay. She has a family of four, and Xavier Stokes is out in the street. They're not working, but you all haven't accepted no recommendations for termination. And staff at that level is not authorized to terminate. So I found that quite

[00:35:56] interesting. So I told them that at this point, and she's contractual, and based on your policy, she's entitled to a grievance. But he put her in a probationary status. I didn't understand that as a full contracted person. When she's entitled to grievance, he appeared to have taken away her due process right to a grievance. So I suggested that they come forward because in the past, that's what I would have done. I would ask that you extend their contract and I'm running out of time. Extend their contracts so that they will get their due process rights. Thank you for

[00:36:35] this opportunity this afternoon. Thank you. Speaker number seven. Speaker number eight. Good evening. My name is Jared Arnold. I'm a teacher formerly at an Achievable Dream Academy Secondary. In the fall, I'll be at Cuyacuson Middle School. I live in the Fairfield District

[00:37:11] and work in both the Verina and Fairfield Districts. I stand before you today to voice my concerns regarding the collective bargaining in our educational system. The practice of collective bargaining has a significant impact on both the school autonomy and teacher autonomy.

[00:37:27] It is crucial to recognize that each school has a unique and individual needs that must be addressed independently. By imposing collective bargaining agreements, we risk undermining the ability of the schools to tailor their approaches to best serve their students and teachers.

[00:37:46] Let us uphold the autonomy of our schools and teachers by reconsidering the implications of collecting bargaining in our educational system. Many of our schools are struggling due to cookie-cutter restraints imposed by the county and we are not always doing what's best to meet the needs of our students due to being bound by policies and directives from central office. Every learner is different from east to west and shouldn't be boxed in. Thank you for considering these important points. Thank you.

[00:38:21] Speaker number eight. Speaker number nine. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of the board, Superintendent Cashwell, and any other stakeholders of concern. My name is Michael Farley, and I am here representing J.R. Tucker High School as a rising senior, specifically our drama

[00:38:55] department. In my opinion, the fine arts at J.R. Tucker are dying, and we need to do something about it. As some of you may have heard, many of the drama teachers in Henrico County are unhappy with the stipend they receive for their extended responsibilities contract and their tireless dedication to directing, managing, and producing shows. The issue was originally presented to Students at Tucker by Mrs. Lisa Dyer. And many drama, excuse me, many drama teachers take two

[00:39:29] to four hours out of their evening during a show season to stay with students away from their families and on top of their regular day of teaching, which can be over seven hours. For their 300 plus hours of work during the school year for this extracurricular, they earn a measly $2,800, which is less than $5 an hour. An assistant sports coach under contract for a single season of 45 to 50 days has a similar stipend as the position of drama head of high school,

[00:40:06] which goes under contract for the entire school year. On top of all of that, high schools receive little aid and direction from Henrico County for managing performance spaces. For example, Mrs. Dyer has been our director for 19 wonderful years, and she has handcrafted a place for all students to perform or enjoy the arts. We received the unfortunate news that she was not planning to renew her extended responsibilities contract for the upcoming school year due to the lack of fair compensation. I can't speak from experience for any other directors at other high schools, but I'm sure they've experienced similar. As a result, many students may not have

[00:40:46] an after-school activity they can belong to, and the desire for children to be creative with the arts will start dying out. I know many people who want to study performing arts in college who will not have an opportunity to gain experience or build a portfolio. Especially after an extremely successful show season this past school year, that's even more of a reason to uphold the arts. I urge Henrico County to act and treat our drama department with more care and attention and to pay our teachers what they deserve. This issue has gone on long enough and

[00:41:18] it's time to put it to rest the right way. Thank you. Thank you. Speaker number 10. Hello, my name is Marlene Sherlock and our family lives in the Fairfield District. We're zoned for Brooklyn and we're now down to just one attending high school and three chopped. For the past few months you've heard me speak on a variety of things. Hopefully I have provided some suggestions too and didn't just express the critical. This evening I'd like to pass out a few kudos. Last week we had the very

[00:41:55] distinct pleasure to watch, either in person or online, you know, kind of like the start of their high school careers, we got to see our oldest child and many of her friends graduate from several different Henrico County public schools at the new Henrico Sports Expo Center. Even though there were a few times and protocols that had to change, the communications and expectations were clear.

[00:42:17] It was very obvious the division staff and each school administration put in countless hours to make them all come off seemingly without a hitch. Hats off, too, to the Henrico County Police Department, the Hanover Sheriff's Department, and VDOT for having things under control.

[00:42:34] And I'll offer a very special acknowledgement to Dr. Cashwell for literally shaking thousands of hands. One additional thought came to mind as I saw so many walk across that stage and hug their principals and administrators. Back in my day, most students diligently avoided interacting with those types because that usually meant you were in trouble. It's clear to me, though, that thankfully times have changed and that so many of the people in charge of the daily lives for our young people really care and really make a difference. Our personal list is long, longer than the number

[00:43:09] of fingers I have of the ones who played such pivotal roles in our students' career. But just because I can, I'll name a few. You might know them, you might not, but our family will never forget them. Principal Art Raymond, Sergeant Major Scott Cawley, Lieutenant Colonels Christopher Gatins and Brent Reifer of the Marine Corps JROTC program, Mr. Austin Frank, band and orchestra director, and Senora Janine Rodkey, Spanish teacher. They are all top tigers in our opinion.

[00:43:44] But it wouldn't be me if it didn't say something about the student code of conduct. I'm still disappointed you're treating possession of over-the-counter medication worse than tobacco, but I've said my piece on that one. I am encouraged though by a somewhat tougher stance on cell phones and their smart watch equivalents. I urge you to begin your PR campaign now with students, parents, teachers, and admin that you're serious about it. Be consistent, be firm, and we will all reap the rewards. And when parents complain to you, remind them they had a chance

[00:44:18] here now tonight to make their concerns heard. So have a great summer. Be ready for the fight in the all over collective bargaining and I'll throw out this final thought that the word no, as short as it is, is one of the most powerful words in the English language. Thank you. Thank you. Speaker

[00:44:40] number 10. All right. Well, speaker number 11. Good evening. My name is Allie Daughtry and I'm a rising senior at J.R. Tucker High School. I am here today to express my disappointment with the school board and Henrico County's decision to disregard the issues brought to their attention by fine arts teachers.

[00:45:12] Since 2022, the central office has been made aware of the issue regarding the stipends given to theater directors who are titled as dramatics heads. Theater instructors have many duties, both during and after school, that can add up to over 300 hours of commitment to their art. They spend countless hours away from their families to provide additional support to the students that they mentor.

[00:45:30] And despite this, theater teachers receive less than $5 an hour for their extended responsibilities and all that they do for our school's theater arts department within their contracted time of 184 days. Their pay is comparable to the stipend given to assistant coaches for school sports who are only contracted for a single season, which is 45 to 50 days.

[00:45:49] As the head of a department, theater teachers should be paid similarly as other head positions, such as football or basketball coaches, and not their assistants. And adding to this, theater directors often do not have assistants, meaning that they are solely responsible for their department. And if teachers are not compensated for the time and effort that they put into their productions, Extracurricular theater is no longer an option for students.

[00:46:10] Performing arts programs at school are such an important space for the development of social skills such as public speaking and teamwork. And without fair pay for teachers, us students are left without the space available to develop these skills. And in the absence of these activities, we also lose chances to build portfolios for college applications and scholarships.

[00:46:27] The opportunity to be involved in performing arts is a special part of my school life and many others. And it hurts me and my classmates to see how underappreciated our teachers of the arts are. Hope that you understand these issues and act accordingly to properly respect theater directors. Thank you. Thank you.

[00:46:44] Thank you, everyone, for your comments. Dr. Cashwell. Thank you, Madam Chair, members of the board. The next items are consent items, and therefore they can be taken in a block. Colleagues, we've heard Dr. Cashwell's recommendation to approve items 8.01 to 8.41.

[00:47:08] Is that correct? That's correct. Is there a motion? i move that the school board accept adopt approve and or award items 8.01 through 8.41 on the consent agenda as presented is there a second second we'll take mrs kinsella we'll move forward with a roll call vote mrs shea aye mrs kinsella aye mr irving aye and mr young

[00:47:43] aye and i vote aye the eyes have it items 8.01 to 8.41 on the consent agenda are approved next item is unfinished business colleagues are there any follow-ups discussion on old business items hearing none we'll move forward to new business items colleagues do you have any new business

[00:48:18] Hearing none, we will move on to announcements. The last agenda item again is announcements of meeting dates. The school board's next meeting will be a work session scheduled for Thursday, August 8th, 2024 at 3 p.m. at the Newbridge Learning Center.

[00:48:39] The meeting times may be adjusted as needed. This meeting is adjourned.

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