Coraggio Consulting
Henrico County School Board Work Session, Thursday, June 12, 2025

Date: Thursday, June 12, 2025
Place: Henrico County School Board, Virginia
Length: 1h 43m (video)
Official meeting video (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioYo-JA-G5w
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 2026-10-25. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:00:03] Good afternoon and welcome to the June 12th, 2025 meeting of the Hamrico County School Board. The first item on our agenda is the Pledge of Allegiance. Would you please stand for 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.

[00:00:35] Please remain standing as you're able for a brief moment of silence.

[00:00:47] that concludes our moment of silence you may be seated thank you dr cashwell the next item on the agenda is the approval of the agenda colleagues is there a motion i move that the school board approve the agenda for today's meeting moved by ms atkins is there a second second second by mr young all those in favor say aye aye any opposed the eyes have it the agenda has been approved the next item on the agenda is to move into closed sessions colleagues is there a motion

[00:01:20] I move that the school board go into closed session for the discussion of matters covered under item A1 of section 2.2-3711 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, pertaining to the assignment, appointment, promotion, performance, demotion, salaries, disciplining, or resignation of specific school board employees, including the discussion of employee case number 24-25-E4 and the evaluation of the superintendent.

[00:01:56] Thank you, Ms. Kinsella. Is there a second? Second. Seconded by Mr. Irving. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? The ayes have it. We will now move into closed session. We will resume the open meeting at the conclusion of closed session. Welcome back to the June 12, 2025 meeting of the Hamilton County School Board.

[00:02:21] Next item on the agenda is a certification of closed session. Colleagues, is there a certification? I move that the school board certify by a recorded vote that to the best of each school board member's knowledge, only public business matters lawfully exempted from the open meeting requirements of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and identified in the motion authorizing the closed meeting were heard, discussed, or considered in the closed meeting.

[00:02:48] Moved by Ms. Kinsella. Is there a second? Second. Seconded by Mr. Young. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? The ayes have it. Closed session has been certified. For the next item, colleagues, is there a motion regarding the recommendation of hearing officer for employee case number 2425-E-4?

[00:03:10] I move that the school board adopt and incorporate the hearing officer's May 28th, 2025 report and recommendation in employee case number 24-25-E4 and dismiss the agreement effective immediately. Further, I move the school board direct the clerk to send a copy of the related resolution to the grievance, counsel for the superintendent, and the chief of human resources.

[00:03:36] Moved by Mr. Irving. Is there a second? Second. Seconded by Mr. Young. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? The ayes have it. The recommendation has been upheld. Thank you, members of the board.

[00:03:54] For the next item, I'm recommending the school board approve the appointment of administrative personnel. Colleagues, is there a motion? I move that the school board approve the appointment of administrative personnel. Moved by Ms. Atkins, is there a second? Second. Seconded by Mr. Irving.

[00:04:13] All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? The ayes have it. The administrative appointments have been approved. Thank you. The board has approved Adria Mayo, principal of the Academy at Virginia Randolph, Aaron Phelps, principal of Virginia Randolph Education Center, Sunday Ray, principal of Highland Springs Elementary School, Angela White, principal of Laburnum Elementary School, and Joel Slater, principal of Pemberton Elementary School. Look forward to working with our new administrators. For the next items, there are a number of policies here as we continue

[00:04:50] our work and policy revision. And you'll note that there are several that are back for a second review and for which we'd be seeking your approval at our monthly meeting this evening. And those are items 6.01 through 6.29. These are related to a comprehensive review of fundraising policies and regulations. Do you have any questions on those? Colleagues, any questions or comments on those

[00:05:16] first 29 policies? Ms. Hushay, I do. 6.16. Let me get to that. And that's review of proposed revisions to policy P6-12-003 clubs or student organizations. My interpretation of this policy

[00:05:53] is that all student clubs and groups are allowed to meet at school, but only during times when classes are being taught. So for example, before or after school would be available for that, for clubs. Is my interpretation of that accurate? So the policy itself creates some different types of definitions for different types of clubs. And it does so for the purpose of providing consistency policy in many other policies as part of the fundraising packages that we have also moved

[00:06:32] through. Don't know that it is exclusive to before or after school, but if you have particular language, I'd be happy to look at it. So as I was walking through it, which is why I was asking for the definition from an equity perspective, trying to understand at which point would you use what part. So when I think about this and to truly support student growth, leadership, and engagement, recognizing that learning doesn't only happen through books and laptops and during instruction, so allowing student organizations to meet during instructional time in a structured and a limited

[00:07:11] way may be appropriate. And so I would love to have a better understanding of what it really means that first sentence all student clubs and groups are allowed to meet at school but only during times of instruction which is what i interpreted it as and your response is well that depends on the situation so i would like to know what the situation would be in order to make sure that it's a policy that's clear fair and equitable because indeed there are times where clubs may

[00:07:45] want to meet during instructional time. I also think it creates a barrier for those who may not be able or a club or organization that can't meet before school or after school because of transportation or maybe other commitments. So I'm really just seeking understanding.

[00:08:03] I see the language here. Thank you for clarifying. That's helpful. In the initial part of the policy, we define co-curricular activities or clubs, some of which may happen during the instructional day given the co-curricular nature of that club, my interpretation would be, and I think we could clarify it, that the other student organizations that are not co-curricular in nature, as well as those that are co-curricular in nature, may also meet on school during non-instruction time.

[00:08:32] So does that seem clear from your perspective in understanding which piece goes with which piece? School premises during non-instructional time. Because this says that all organizations can meet when it is non-instructional time, which would be correct. And I'm going to attempt to provide some clarity with an example.

[00:08:52] And I think what you're wanting to make sure we've emphasized is that there's a place during the school day in which clubs can meet, whether it's co-curricular or not. And I know that does happen, and I think that practice is clear in our schools, but I want to make sure the language here and you are wanting to make sure doesn't preclude that.

[00:09:13] For example, during, you know, an English block, for example, a student may not be excused to hold their poetry club meeting. Well, they might if it's co-curricular, actually. I'm giving a bad example on the fly. It's confusing. But there are structures in the school for clubs to meet during the school day.

[00:09:32] For example, one lunch is a time in some of our high schools. Clubs are meeting. It's not an instructional block. It's a lengthened lunch block. Clubs of all kinds are meeting before school, after school, elementary level. middle school. So we can make sure it's clear here that at the direction of the principal that is able to occur. Yes, Cherche. I'll also add that in the first page of the policy, under definitions, it provides a little more clarity for that, dividing things out to co-curriculars, student interest clubs. For example, under the student interest clubs, it says

[00:10:06] they are voluntary and may take place inside or outside of the instructional school day, but may not interfere with academic programming. So there's some additional clarity some other places as well.

[00:10:22] So I think we have an opportunity, because all the pieces are there, I think we have an opportunity to just clean it up just a bit. We can work to make sure it's clear and make sure that those implementing the policy are clear on that as well.

[00:10:39] Thank you. Anything else, Ms. Atkins, from that first batch of policies? Through 29? Through 29. No, I did not. Thank you. Other colleagues, 329. All right, superintendent.

[00:10:55] Okay, next set of items is a first review, not seeking your approval until our August meeting. So some time to take a look at these. These are items 6.30 through 6.50. These are all instructional in nature and was part of a comprehensive policy review there.

[00:11:16] all right for this next batch questions comments discussions none okay superintendent all right then final batch of policies are all related and responsive to legislative changes and these items again our first review we'd be seeking your approval at the august work session so that they would be able to be implemented for the school year.

[00:11:48] And these are items 6.51 through 6.59. Colleagues, questions, comments on this final batch for today. Ms. Kinsella. Yes, I have a question for Ms. Coy, just for a point of clarity on item 6.55, which is new policy P7-03 math pathways.

[00:12:19] It would seem, now this is a legislative item, right? And it's a new policy. Down in the additional opportunities section, if any of the following are possible, how do we ensure best practice and that students actually have the fundamentals necessary to take the class if any of these are applied?

[00:12:52] Happy to speak to that. So you are correct that this is a new policy required by the legislation that does dictate enrollment of students in accelerated math pathways under certain circumstances based on SOL scores.

[00:13:11] The second portion of the policy that you're speaking to speaks to additional opportunities beyond that requirement in the legislation for students to enroll in advanced or accelerated math based on any of those items. And I think as this is in practice currently and as we look to the new policy, I would certainly defer to the Department of Learning team, but just note that it is intended to be a collaborative conversation.

[00:13:38] parents, teachers, counselors looking at student aptitudes, interests and abilities as noted there that may look at other standardized testing and a student's skills and matching that with their interests in enrollment and coursework moving forward. Anything to add to that? That's exactly correct. Okay, it was just as much as I understand how much the access, right, providing the access and the opportunity is important but if a student if a student can just ask if any of those um

[00:14:17] it just reads like you may not necessarily have to have the fundamentals necessary if any of those are applied yeah we could take a look at the language but i think to your point the the team in teaching and learning has been looking very closely at the coursework to ensure that the curriculum is such that students who are moving up would have an opportunity as always to participate in remediation or differentiation or whatever they would need if they were missing some pieces that they needed for that course to make sure that they were successful we would you know

[00:14:54] do that for any student but particularly a student who might be in this situation but to your point if we had a student that was perhaps seeking the course and that wasn't in the best interest of the child then we would continue to follow through with our academic counseling with the student and the parents to make sure that the student and the parent understood the gravity of perhaps jumping to a course that they might not be ready for or what could we do as a school division to prepare them to fill in any gaps that might prepare them for that pathway all right thank

[00:15:32] you chair shea that's all i had thank you and thank you both for your work on this policy i know when we discussed it on policy committee there were a lot of layers uh and that's why we have a policy committee right to work through this with um the experts in the subject right so these were our building level principals our teachers our specialists these sorts of things who have all of these different lenses and so i know a lot of these policies but particularly this one we brought up a lot of possible pitfalls and working through them within the boundaries of

[00:16:06] the legislation and so i just didn't want y'all's work to go unnoticed there's a lot of can i get a redirect um on that policy how does it differ from current practice so the piece that is new under the legislation is this notion that the the virginia department of education after sols are complete across the entire state we'll look at the upper quartile of student performance across the entire state send that information back to divisions for this automatic enrollment and accelerated math courses as we live into it we will see kind of how that matches students that are already in low

[00:16:43] enrolled in those courses and where it might catch students who are not already enrolled in those courses of course it does as the policy says they are give parents an option and a notification requirement. So if a parent, if a child kind of receives that automatic enrollment, but a parent in consultation with teachers and counselors decides that's not the best fit for their student, they certainly have the option not to opt their student into that placement. Perfect. Thank you. Yep. I have one question actually. Are there any caveats

[00:17:17] within the legislation about this in terms of timing? Because, you know, when we look at quartile, that's not a raw cut score. That means the state has to, I'm using my statistics. It means the state has to compile the scores from across the state and process them, figure out what the upper quartile is and send information back. And so, you know, in the layers of bureaucracy, I don't foresee that being a fast process. And so do we have any idea what the timeline could be on that? That could be a quick turnaround for a

[00:17:54] student, especially if there's those gaps they need to fill in order to jump. And I know our hands are tied because of the legislation. I just want to make sure we're not missing anything in the... We don't have any greater detail, but you are correct that it would only be triggered once all the testing is complete statewide, not just within our own division, and that that notification would happen over the summer and there would be a quick turnaround. And so we'll be working with our schools so that they're equipped to pivot should they need to for any student and change their coursework for the coming year. Well, much appreciation to our Department of Counseling

[00:18:30] and our Instruction Department on the front end for following through on this. Again, this is a legislative change, and so this is our implementation of it. Other questions on these or the other legislative first review policies? Oh, sorry, one more question on that timing. So we're slated to take action on these I believe the first meeting in August that is our next meeting in the if that

[00:19:05] pathway is swift to get that information back and we find some students from this year that fall in that upper quartile prior to this becoming policy would we be able to start contacting parents and talking about options I think so yeah okay okay thank you anything else colleagues all right superintendent thank you next item is a look at and review of our federal grant funding for 25 26 school year as you know annually we uh the team i should say in federal grants applies for our

[00:19:42] grant funding for a number of grants that fall under this federal umbrella totaling a bit over 13 million dollars and so we will hear a review from leslie hughes and tina alsop okay thank you dr cashwell good afternoon chair shea members of the board and dr cashwell as part of our annual update we're bringing today to the board an overview of the federal grant applications for 25 26 school year these grants play a key role in supporting our strategic priorities and ensuring continued investment in student success and staff development at this time tina also director of federal programs and foundational learning will share how

[00:20:20] these applications align with our goals and priorities for the years ahead today's presentation outlines how our 2025-26 federal grant applications align with hcps's strategic plan journey to 2030. each grant is a targeted investment that helps bring our strategic vision to life these strategic investments ensure that every student is prepared for the future and every staff member is supported in their work.

[00:20:52] Our projected total for federal grants is just under $14 million. These funds are more than financial support. They are strategic investments in our students' futures. Final allocations from the Virginia Department of Education will be confirmed in September. For now, Title I, II, and four are based on level funding from last year. Title III funding is projected based only on the English Learner sub-grant as immigrant student funds are not guaranteed annually.

[00:21:29] Title I is one of our largest federal grants projected at $10.8 million for the 25-26 school year. It directly supports 20 elementary schools across the division with the highest needs.

[00:21:47] this grant funds instructional coaches in literacy and math early learning preschool staff and resources mckinney vento services for students experiencing homelessness and family engagement initiatives it also supports school-based instructional programming professional learning and summer literacy resources including books for students this slide shows the 20 title one schools

[00:22:15] back one more title two part a is projected at 1.3 million and is focused on improving the quality of teaching and leadership across the division this grant funds instructional coaches professional learning opportunities stipends for new teacher development and university partnerships including uva wise courses for exceptional education instructional assistance and a math specialist

[00:22:50] pipeline through George Mason University. It also supports book studies, conference attendance, and equitable services for private schools. Title III is projected at just under 600,000 and is dedicated to supporting English learners and their families. This grant funds supplemental instructional assistance, ESL summer school, instructional materials, and field trips for ESL classes. It also supports family engagement through school-based ESL nights, parent English

[00:23:26] classes, and events like family listening sessions. Title IV, Part A is projected at just over $900,000 and is designed to enhance student achievement by expanding access to well-rounded education, improving student school conditions for learning, and increasing the effective use of technology.

[00:23:50] This grant funds McKinney-Vento staff and family advocates with a focus of reducing chronic absenteeism. It also funds science instructional coaches, safety and wellness resources, advanced coursework assessment fees, and enrichment programs like One School, One Book.

[00:24:13] These federal grants are a reflection of our deep commitment to HCPS strategic plan. They help us create inclusive, engaging, and innovative learning environments while supporting the well-being and growth of every student and every staff member. I want to sincerely thank the board, federal grant coordinators, finance staff, and our HCPS and Henrico County partners.

[00:24:35] Preparing these applications requires a high level of collaboration, and we're grateful for the dedication and teamwork that's made this possible. At this time, Mrs. Alsop and I will be happy to answer any questions you might have. Thank you so much. Team, are there any questions about these federal grant applications?

[00:24:55] Ms. Akins? Thank you for the presentation. Both of you are very seasoned in this space, and I have to ask, because of where we are in uncertainty with funds, I think it's important to at least ask the question, how are you navigating if the funds are reduced?

[00:25:19] And if that is not defined, if it's still in discussion, that response is appropriate. But I think we have to have those conversations as well as educate the public that those conversations are happening if they are.

[00:25:36] So we have Plan A and Plan B, if you will. So Plan A is we're continuing as we always would. Every year we prepare the applications based on level funding, so we prepare them based on the money we've received the year before. we wait until the grants are actually awarded and sometimes that money is a little more or less and we adjust as necessary. So that's the plan we're operating on right now. But of course, as you said, with uncertainty and questions that have come our way, Tina and her team have specifically taken a deep dive into what it would look like if some of these grants were to go away. So they know exactly how many employees, how many resources, everything that's covered on every grant. And so we work

[00:26:15] closely with our finance team and of course Dr. Cashwell to say you know sort of what if if you will so if this goes away what do we what would we do so we have a solid plan behind the place I mean behind the scenes we're going with plan A and just really hoping for the best but we're prepared if something were to turn. I just wanted to add absolutely that's the case and you know every year when we're preparing our budget these are always one year grant applications so we know at all times that it's possible that this would be one-year funding only and so we're always we

[00:26:52] have always operated under the assumption that um you know these is perhaps not a guarantee for the next year so we make sure that you know particularly in cases where this has been ongoing for some time and they're critical supports for students and staff and that we have a cushion to make sure as we're budgeting should any of these funds go away that's where reserves are very important so from a big picture budgeting standpoint we have always understood that you know these are not guaranteed to be ongoing funds and are considered annually and can fluctuate as enrollment fluctuates

[00:27:30] and that sort of thing but and to your comment about you know the the political landscape and such you know that things do change and we want to make sure we're nimble should that happen thank you for that can you share when we're going to expect how much we're going to receive and the expectation on when we would receive it yes we normally find out from the virginia department of education around september what our final allocation would be for each of the grants they send it out in around september to us and there's been no indication that there's anything

[00:28:06] different with this grant process okay great that was my next question yes and so you know the virginia department of education has opened the grant applications the windows and as they have in other years and we don't anticipate other than there could be small changes to funding amounts and that sort of thing based on the formulas that are used that any of these would not be available to us we don't have any information like that to date perfect thank you that concludes my questions and thank you as always for your work in this space other questions about the grant application

[00:28:41] hearing on thank you i know this is tedious work i know it is detail oriented work but it's important work um miss alsop you are the master of grants and so thank you for all of your attention to detail um to make this happen for our students thank you all right the next items are reports as we do every year as we're wrapping up the school year to get to hear from the board's five advisory committee groups and so you know as you know they're busy at work all year in their advisory

[00:29:18] capacity and this final board meeting of the school year is a time where each group can come forward and share a bit about the membership the work they've engaged in and and what they're looking to for the next year. So we are going to begin with our special education advisory or SEAC as it is lovingly called. I'll turn it over to Dr. Smith. Thank you. The HCPS strategic plan journey to 2030 provides the vision and plan for our division's future. The work of SEAC this year next directly aligns with the plan's focus areas, especially equitable access, collaborative

[00:29:57] partnerships and student growth. It's our effort to ensure every student, including students with disabilities, have instructional resources and supports they need to succeed. This slide previews the structure of today's update, an introduction to officers, new members, a review of SEAC's goals, and how our department is going to support the SEAC. SEAC is comprised of a group of dedicated parents of students with disabilities, Henrico staff, and administrators. The main purpose of of SEAC is to develop plans for improving performance of children with disabilities and identify division priorities. Also to assist the school division in interpreting plans to the

[00:30:37] community designed to meet the needs of children with disabilities and to review the division's Title 6B annual plan. The officers and members elect you see on the screen represent only those who are new to their respective role or terms. The group of members elect would join the other 13 members who were approved last year. SEAC meetings are held at least four times a year. This past year they were held in August, September, January, and March. With the additional members recommended for approval today, SEAC would have at least two members per magisterial district. For the 24-25

[00:31:14] school year, SEAC members identified three goals. Goal one was to establish a special education PTA liaison in every HCPS school as part of SEAC's work in providing an inclusive education opportunity for students with disabilities. This supportive role would offer support to school communities to ensure that PTA activities and events were accessible for all students. We are proud to report that several HCPS schools have added the additional special education liaison position to their board. Additionally, some schools have hosted a sensory hour prior to the start of a PTA-sponsored event to allow all students to participate. Goal 2

[00:31:51] supports retention efforts of new special education teachers and provides a focus for SEAC's outreach efforts to support our new teachers and provide information on how to collaborate and partner with parents to ensure successful parent-teacher relationships. SEAC parents are coming to our novice teacher week training this July to speak with new teachers in Henrico about the importance of collaboration and connection with families. And finally goal three focuses on the work of providing continuing education to families to ensure they have the resource and knowledge needed to best support their students this year the exceptional education expo

[00:32:27] offered our families the opportunity to connect with community and school resources for information supports for their students we had approximately 50 vendors and more than 250 attendees lastly SEAC members also had the opportunity to participate in the strategic plan feedback sessions related to the journey to 2030. these goals will continue for the 25-26 school year exceptional education administrative staff are poised and ready to collaborate with sea acts new officer and membership slate once appointed to support and promote the goals for the 25-26 school

[00:33:04] year we're excited to share and exchange ideas to continue to foster trusting relationships between families and school staff following the board's approval of officers and membership our department will work alongside sea act to continue to work on the goals outlined in the previous slide additionally several several other superintendent committees have started to reach out to plan some collaboration events between the various groups next year we want to encourage cross-committee collaboration as many of our students are also represented in the other school board advisory committees thank you for your time today and at this time i'm happy to answer any questions you

[00:33:40] might have thank you so much and thank you to mr irving for being our representative to serve on SEAC as well. Colleagues any questions or comments about our SEAC presentation, recommendations that were presented? Ms. Atkins. Thank you so much for the presentation. I'm excited to hear about the PTA or PTSA liaison specifically focused on special education. Do you know if that liaison would be a part of each school's executive board or a part of a committee or the general membership?

[00:34:21] I think each school's doing it a little bit differently. We met with the Henrico PTA board who are in support of making this happen. Some schools have made it part of their board. Other schools have made it part of their executive committee. So I think schools and PTAs are making it fit however best works for them individually.

[00:34:39] I wonder as a division, especially in your space, if there could be some level of support around guidance and communication for the liaison. Because this is new to the PTAs and the PTSAs, it may be an opportunity for the division to give guidance on communication specifically.

[00:35:01] And we've started, like I said, some of that. We had the Henrico president and secretary came to the SEAC committee last August to start that process and their full support to understand the ask and what we were looking to accomplish at each school and gave their approval and then send something out as to start that communication at each PTA or PTSA at each school.

[00:35:24] Outstanding, because in that way, the implementation in practice, you could be giving the same message across each school. Absolutely. So what a great way to represent families and communities and then giving the same communication tools in each school.

[00:35:42] So kudos to you and the team for that. Thanks. Colleagues, anything else? Thank you so much. I love hearing about all of the cross-committee collaboration, all of the collaborations between different stakeholder groups. We know in so many spaces when we step out of the silos, there's really some great solutions and some great synergy there. And so I'm really glad to hear that in the focus of CEAC.

[00:36:09] Yeah, absolutely. Thank you. All right. And next we have our Gifted Education Advisory Committee, or GEAC, as it is lovingly called. Before we begin, I'd like to recognize Ms. Jenna Conley, our gifted specialist, who's truly the heart and soul of the gifted department out in the audience.

[00:36:34] Thank you, Ms. Conley, for being here today. Madam Chair, members of the board, Dr. Cashwell, my name is Mike Dusalt, the Director of Teaching and Learning, and I am joined today by our Gifted Education Advisory Committee Chair, Jonathan Hudson. Together, we're pleased to present to you the GEAC Annual Board Report.

[00:36:52] The work of the GEAC this year and into 2025-26 remains rooted in Henrico's strategic plan. The GEAC's collective effort is to ensure every student, including our advanced learners, thrive.

[00:37:10] You probably don't want to do that. Sure. I'll raise you. Thank you.

[00:37:29] Today's GEAC update will include an introduction to officers and new members, 2024-25 goal updates, recommendations for the 2025-26 year, and how the gifted department will respond and align with our gifted advisory committee.

[00:37:45] For those of you who may not be familiar with the gifted education advisory committee, it is comprised of a group of dedicated parents and RICO staff, community members, and students. The main function is to examine, question, and advise gifted department in order to promote mutually beneficial relationships amongst the school board, schools, parents, guardians, and the community, developing each to its maximum potential to address the needs of advanced learners and gifted students.

[00:38:19] The officers and members elect you see on the screen represent only those who are new to the respective roles or terms. Other magisterial districts are represented equally amongst the larger group, but are not shown on this slide. The advisory board is comprised of 20 members across all five magisterial districts, including student voices from middle and high school.

[00:38:43] These individuals bring energy, advocacy, and a shared commitment to gifted education. Officers and members-elect are being recommended for the board's approval today. - This slide represents goals identified in our presentation last year.

[00:39:00] The GEAC members put these goals into action by attending several district and school-level events to help share information about Henrico's gifted program identification process. Ongoing professional learning was highlighted when we hosted Dr. Emily Mofield, author of content-based curriculum for advanced learners to support ongoing best practices for our families. Specific highlights were showcased at each meeting around talent development services and gifted programming in our Title I elementary schools that provided our students with meaningful curriculum and creative thinking opportunities. At another meeting, our GIAC team explored secondary opportunities by touring the ACE Hermitage

[00:39:38] center to further unpack and explore cte offerings in henrico and our group continued to share our advocacy for additional staffing to mirror henrico's expansion of identified students across the district geac recommendations for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year were rooted in our review of gifted programs data local plans goals program needs and committee work each of these components help frame our recommended pathway into next year in the area of talent in the area of talent development, GEAC is excited to build upon our many successful partnerships, family events and

[00:40:16] innovative program efforts for the past year, along with the ongoing exploration of additional secondary opportunities. Updating and revising the local plan for 2026 through 2021 will take place over the next school year, and we invite the Enrico community to participate in this stakeholder process. We will be sharing some dates in the near future to invite all interested and RICO community members to participate in this update.

[00:40:41] The GEAC was grateful to the board for the additional positions that impacted our goals this past year, and we once again seek to expand the works towards our goals. We once again advocate for the additional positions to address increased numbers of identified students, increased talent development opportunities, and the ongoing exploration of additional secondary opportunities.

[00:41:01] At this point, I'd like to turn the presentation back over to Mr. DeSalt. Following the board's approval of the slate of officers and membership, HCPS administration will work alongside the GEAC to work towards their goals and recommendations.

[00:41:18] Looking ahead, GEAC is in the process of drafting that local plan for the gifted education for 2026 to 31. This plan does outline our long-term strategies and goals for identifying and nurturing gifted and talented students across the district.

[00:41:33] We are seeking input from our educators, parents, and community to ensure that our plan is comprehensive and meets the needs of all students. The gifted department is poised to expand our talent development programming in elementary schools that provide access to programs that enhance the curriculum and ensure that all students have access to advanced learning opportunities.

[00:41:56] Ongoing successful implementation of these programs and resources will be provided through targeted professional learning opportunities for our educators. Expanded opportunities and partnerships with other Henrico departments will continue, such as our First Annual Chess Night, Game On Night, and our Rubik Cube Showcase.

[00:42:17] The gifted department will continue to maximize our current allocated staffing with the hopes of adding additional complement to provide and deliver direct student services and expand our talent development initiatives and opportunities into the future.

[00:42:34] This concludes our presentation, and at this time we'd be happy to answer any questions you may have. Thank you so much, Mr. Hudson, Mr. Dusall, Ms. Connolly, great to see you. Colleagues, any questions about the GIAC report? Ms. Atkins?

[00:42:51] Thank you for the report. I was just curious with the time frame. I think I saw 2026 to 2031. I was curious as to why that time frame. It's a great question. That's identified by the state, and it redoes itself every cycle.

[00:43:07] So we are getting ready to exit our final 2025 one at the end of next year. Outstanding. Thank you. Thank you. And that local plan is so important. And so, you know, I know GIAC has been talking about how do we get more.

[00:43:27] I know there are opinions about it. And so how do we leverage and hear those voices from stakeholders? And so I know that will be an increased focus as we look towards the next year and getting it approved. So thank you for all of your work. Anything else, colleagues?

[00:43:42] Thank you so much. Thank you all. Thank you. All right, the next group we'll hear from is our School Health Advisory Board, or SHAB. Dr. Hughes is going to give us that presentation. Okay, good afternoon, Chair Shea, Dr. Cashwell, and members of the board.

[00:44:00] This afternoon, I will present the board with the Student Health Advisory's annual report. In direct alignment with Journey to 2030, the Student Health Advisory Board, or better known as SHAB, provides the school board with recommendations on student health, which include nutrition and physical activity.

[00:44:20] Today I will introduce the SHAB's officers and new member, the SHAB's 2024-2025 priorities, and recommendations for 2025-2026, and also share how HCPS will respond and align with those efforts.

[00:44:38] The SHAB is comprised of 20 members, the majority of whom are parents, guardians, who represent all five magisterial districts, along with two HCPS principals, one from the elementary level and one from the secondary level, as well as community members and other professionals.

[00:44:54] All members are appointed to three-year terms. Of the existing membership, three officers are elected and serve a term of one year or until their successors are elected. The officers and members elect you see on the screen on this slide represent only those who are new to their respective roles or terms since the SHAP lasted before you in June.

[00:45:15] Now let's take a recap at the SHAB priorities for school year 24-25. In 2024-25, 19 of the SHAB's 20 members were newly appointed and began to serve the first of their three-year terms. This provided an opportunity for members to initiate collaboration and establish connections around shared purpose and explore resources, consider information, and analyze data to help provide a pathway forward.

[00:45:44] Next, SHAB members identified key health-related focus areas for supporting HCPS students and then formed smaller committees to explore these areas in more depth. This led to the establishment of priority recommendations for school year 25-26 which you will see on the following slide. One recommendation for 25-26 is to leverage and build upon existing data collection systems to guide informed decisions and further strengthen healthy school environments. Specifically the SHAV recommends considering potential areas for enhancement on the HCPS annual stakeholder survey to develop a

[00:46:23] deeper understanding of the challenges facing today's students. Working to boost school survey participation rates that inform the triennial assessment of the local school wellness policy is also a goal. Another recommendation is to explore practical opportunities to support the division's efforts in maintaining and promoting healthy learning environments. And finally, a a recommendation is to enhance existing efforts to engage parents guardians and caregivers and opportunities provided by hcps for strengthening and understanding youth mental health as well as

[00:46:59] the awareness of available resources and supports in hcps following the board's approval of the slate of officers and membership hcps administration will work along with shab to meet their priorities and recommendations. Being intentional and connecting SHAB with key HCPS staff and school board and superintendent advisory committees will be critical to provide clarity and insight as it relates to the work of the school division. Also supporting the strategic alignment of the SHAB subcommittee work with overall goals and initiatives will be integral in further positive

[00:47:36] student health and wellness outcomes. HCPS is poised and ready to continue with the student health advisory board in the 25-26 school year thank you and at this time i'll be happy to take any questions thank you so much dr hughes and thank you miss atkins for being our board representative on shad miss kinsella yes once again i'm glad to see the consistency of committees collaborating with not only hcps staff but also other advisory committees um to mrs shay's point earlier the fact

[00:48:11] that if we unsilo ourselves in every way, I think that will yield meaningful results. But when I looked at the list of 20 members online for us as additional information and board docs, I only see one student as a member, but help me understand how student voice is truly represented here.

[00:48:38] Yes, so Liz Parker and the members of the SHAP, that's one of their goals for this school year, while not specifically called on the slide, is to get more student membership, as well as, to your point earlier, really connecting with the groups who are already, you know, up and running. So we have the student advisory for their superintendent, and a lot of times Liz Parker will attend that meeting, and so she can hear the voice of the students and then bring that back to SHAB. I think it's important to, you know, really take advantage of all the opportunities we have, where we have a captive audience of students who are willing to give us feedback and make sure that that all gets back to SHAB, but with a goal of

[00:49:17] also having more members serve on the SHAB committee, more student members. Okay, thank you so much for that. That's all I had. Chair Shea. Thank you. Other board colleagues? Ms. Atkins? Thank you so much. It is a wonderful group of expertise on this board, and on behalf of SHAB, I know that one of the areas that they have delved into quite a bit is around air quality and I want to take a moment to advocate

[00:49:49] for that and so I have a simple yet urgent appeal to consider as SHAB continues the work in that space and I'm hopeful that we will be proactive and not reactive when it comes to the air our students and staff breathe every single day in our schools. I am very firm in saying that clean air is not a luxury. It should be a fundamental requirement for wellness. So as we face all of the many environmental changes, whether we're talking about respiratory illnesses or allergens,

[00:50:29] There is a real need to monitor air quality in our schools. And so, again, CHAV will be continuing this work. I am a proud supporter of their work, specifically in this space.

[00:50:46] I have said before, we install security systems to protect our kids from harm. We also have to protect them from the invisible threats that we may not see in our hallways and classrooms. And I am talking simply about air, mold, dust, and all of the above.

[00:51:03] So I give that to you, colleagues, because as SHAB continues their work, they will continue to bring this up. I'm going to continue to fight and advocate for their work in this space as well as they come and explore what's possible and deliver that to all of us for consideration.

[00:51:21] So thank you so much. Thank you, Ms. Neckins. - And I wanna note, I'll be sure to make certain that Shab and through our division representative who will report back to the group, you know, the connection to Mr. Pritchard and Susan Moore who oversee our facilities and the work that's done on that air quality side of the house and make sure we're connecting, we're talking and have some opportunities to hear directly from them that Shab does on the efforts and certainly the quality standards that are in place related to air filters and air quality in our buildings and hear from the advisory board, as you said,

[00:52:00] and their expertise and ideas to make sure there's strong collaboration there. So that's a connection that can come from today's conversation. - Thank you. - Anything else, colleagues?

[00:52:15] Thank you so much, Dr. Hughes. - All right, and next we'll hear from our business advisory committee. - Good afternoon, Madam Chair, members of the board, Dr. Cashwell.

[00:52:33] My name is Mac Baten. I'm the Director of Workforce and Career Development, and I'm joined tonight by the Chair of our Business Advisory Committee, Mr. Charles Tilley. Together, we are pleased to present to you the Business Advisory Committee's Annual Report.

[00:52:53] The work of BAC this year and into the 25-26 school year remains rooted in Henrico's new strategic plan, Journey to 2030. The BAC's collective effort is to ensure that every student has the opportunity to graduate with a plan after high school, enrolled, enlisted, and/or employed.

[00:53:18] Today, BAC's update will include an introduction of the officers and new members for the 24/25 gold updates, recommendations for the 25/26 school year, and how the Workforce and Career Development Department will respond and align our work with the advice of our advisory committee.

[00:53:46] For those of you who are not familiar with the BAC committee, it's comprised of a large group of dedicated parents, Henrico staff, committee members, and business partners. The main function is to advise and help support the needs of CTE programs that provide employees for the future of our workforce.

[00:54:07] The officers and members elect you see on the screen represent only those who are new to their respective roles or terms. Other magisterial districts are represented equally amongst the larger group, but are not shown on this slide.

[00:54:24] The advisory board is comprised of 20 key members across all five magisterial districts, but also has many engaged business partners that attend to ensure that students have the best opportunities and possibilities.

[00:54:39] These individuals bring experiences and connections to ensure we're preparing students for the workplace of tomorrow. Officers and members, members elect, are being recommended for the school board's approval today.

[00:54:56] I will now turn the presentation over to our president, Mr. Charles Tilley. - Good afternoon. These are the goals included in our presentation from last year. The BAC members put these goals into action by attending several division and school level events to help share information about Henrico CTE programs.

[00:55:17] Specific highlights were shared at each meeting around the work done to meet the needs of our students and work towards the goals of the community. As indicated in our overall goals, the committee continues to focus on ensuring everyone is aware of Henrico County CTE opportunities and to provide the connections to relevant business industry partners for our students. We continue to push for new programs to meet the needs of businesses and industry and work to help secure staffing and equipment to serve the students across the division. The BAC's recommendations for the upcoming 25-26 school year reflect the

[00:55:54] goals we believe are critical to the success of programs that serve our students in an ever-changing workplace. Each of these components help frame our recommended pathway into next year. In the area of talent development the bac understands that finding teachers and many other programs offered can be difficult the committee feels that with the connections to the industry that we can promote and encourage people to consider teaching in the cte areas our mission has been to help change the mindset about the value of cte to all stakeholders we continue to support the events

[00:56:30] like the cte letter of signing day letter of intent signing day and the life ready expo to help ensure everyone knows the value the opportunity and the importance of career development programs the bac also understands the value of high quality work-based learning experiences and believes that we can be the conduit to help employers connect with programs i would like to take this opportunity to thank the board for the significant investment in staffing

[00:57:03] and facilities. It truly has made an impact. Our programs are truly state-of-the-art and a model not only for Henrico County, the state, but the country as well. Following the board's approval of the slate of officers and membership, Henrico County Public Schools Administration will work alongside the back committee towards their goals and recommendations. Looking ahead, BAC is in the process of looking at additional ways to help all stakeholders understand and become engaged with their CTE programs. The Workforce and Career Development Department is planning to

[00:57:42] increase their program offerings, especially in the area of health and medical. Ongoing successful implementation of these programs and resources will require input and support from our business community. The Workforce and Career Development Department will continue to maximize our current allocated staff with hopes of additional staff complement as needed as we grow our programs, supporting the students interested in all CTE programs.

[00:58:14] This concludes our presentation, and we'll be happy to answer any questions that we can at this time. Thank you so much. Mr. Tilley, great to have an opportunity to see you. Thank you to Ms. Kinsella for serving as our board representative on the BAC.

[00:58:29] any questions or comments miss kinsella since i said on this committee i really don't have many questions except for staff and alternatives is this partnerships could you just explain a little bit about what that bullet point means as a recommendation that the committee is going to work on well we have been very creative and and first off getting teachers out of the especially especially in the trades areas, is a unique opportunity because, number one, they're not trained to be a teacher.

[00:59:06] And many do not think that that's a pathway that they can go down. I'm going to give you an example. The best example I can give you is last year, working with one of our business partners, as you know, we started the fire sprinkler program, and that is a very unique program, and finding a teacher for that is extremely difficult.

[00:59:26] So one of our companies, ACI, along with VSC, stepped up and loaned us a teacher to work for our students. In doing that, the person that was teaching at the end of last year has now gone to his boss who called me the other day and is applying for the full-time teaching position because he said he has found this truly is his calling.

[00:59:48] So I think the unique opportunities that our Business Advisory Council of bringing people into the opportunity and getting them talking about it that they would have never thought about it is so valuable, especially in the world of CTE.

[01:00:04] Thank you for that. I just wanted all of my board colleagues to hear it from you, exactly what that bullet point meant. We certainly have, I'm so proud of the work, Dr. Cashwell, the board, the committee, the business partnerships, our government counterparts, everybody's just worked together to truly support and expand the CTE opportunities for our students.

[01:00:31] Can you also provide us with a mini update, because I know we're just getting mini updates today from committees, about our summer camp, career camp enrollment? Well, and I'm proud to say that we this year, summer camp, we're over a thousand students, grades six through 12. And it is so enlightening to walk in and feel the excitement and the contagiousness of them wanting to be there. I've been actually meeting with business partners showing around, seeing the summer programs. And I am proud to say, and I think we should all feel

[01:01:06] good about this. The one compliment that I keep getting is, yes, the facilities are wonderful and amazing, but how excited and wonderful the kids are. And that's what we're all in the business. When you see kids loving what they're doing and excited to talk about it to a complete stranger and look in, they said, they look at us in the eyes, they shake our hands and they talk about what they're learning and the value of it.

[01:01:33] That warms my heart. And I'll also say, as we start our summer building trades, we started that program two weeks ago. The first week was OSHA training. This week, we started framing, and we have framed out half of the upstairs of Hermitage Ace.

[01:01:53] And the students are doing the work, correct? They will continue to do the work on the second floor? Yes, ma'am. Of Ace Hermitage. And then if I just may ask you for a point of clarity, the thousand students in our summer camp, grades 6 to 12, is that at capacity?

[01:02:09] We actually filled up about 48 hours after the application opened. We were full. And we actually added some sections to try to accommodate people that came in late. Thank you. And thank you, Mr. Tilly, for your continued service on the BAC.

[01:02:27] I appreciate it. Madam Chair, that's all I have. Chair, may I have a redirect? Mr. Young? I'm not sure. No, ladies first. Okay, I'll take that. So I wanted to piggyback because as you were speaking, it reminded me, I recently had the opportunity to go to a business advisory committee slash vocational foundation.

[01:02:50] Did I get that right? Yes, ma'am. Okay. It was a combined meeting and it was at ECPI. I think it was on June 3rd. I had never been in that ECPI building before, but I also didn't have the opportunity to see it firsthand, all the businesses and the students while we were having a delectable meal, snacks, drinks, and it was a real, it was very insightful because I forgot that

[01:03:24] they were students. That's how seamless it was. And that spoke to the business's investment, not just in the craft, but in the students themselves and the pride that the students had.

[01:03:39] And I really mean that I forgot they were students because as I was standing there, I had some sort of mocktail that was created for me. And when the student came by and she said, are you enjoying your beverage?

[01:03:55] And I said, yeah, I am. And we went into a full-blown conversation about how it was created, the individuals that supported her in getting to the point of where she was. I felt like I was talking to a full-time employee. And it was such a wonderful experience.

[01:04:13] And I'm so grateful to have had the experience and to have laid my eyes on the student, on the educator, on the businesses, and as well as the individuals that we're pushing for more. And so there's certainly a desire to expand it, and I'm hopeful that we will get there soon.

[01:04:32] So thank you so much. Mr. Young. Yeah, Mac, I think we were at GED graduation together when I found out how quick the summer programs filled up. But I just wanted to know, out of the 1,000 students, can you give me a breakdown of middle school, high school? Do you have that? It is actually about 50-50.

[01:04:48] It's about 498 middle schoolers, and the rest are all high schoolers. Perfect. And then just to follow up, if they were in it this year, is it an automatic enrollment next year? How does that? No. Because I'm sure it's going to grow. Yeah.

[01:05:04] We're hoping it will. Gotcha. Thank you. Colleagues, anything else for this team? Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. And next, we'll hear from our Equity Diversity Advisory Committee, or EDAC.

[01:05:21] Good afternoon, Chair Shea, members of the board, and Dr. Cashwell. As the Chief Equity, Diversity, and Opportunity Officer, it is a pleasure to be with you this afternoon to present the EDAC 2024-2025 Annual Update.

[01:05:40] I also want to take this moment to acknowledge the EDAC Chair, Ms. Rochelle Green, who was unable to be with us this afternoon, and all of her hard work and leadership over the course of this year. the hcps strategic plan journey to 2030 serves as our roadmap to success for all providing the framework and vision for our district's future this year the edac participated in a review session of the new strategic plan facilitated by dr phil riddle from the department of assessment research and evaluation this provided an opportunity for the edac to ask questions

[01:06:18] and to offer valuable feedback in the best interest of the hcps school community the work of the EDAC aligns with the plan's core values of being student-focused, fostering a culture of belonging, engaging in meaningful collaboration with students, families, staff, and communities, as well as embracing innovation in academics and committing to equity and removing barriers and creating opportunities. Today, I will submit a new membership slate for your review and approval,

[01:06:51] provide a recap of the EDAC's 2024-2025 goals, share the EDAC's recommendations for the 2025-2026 school year, and explain how HCPS will respond and align with those efforts. The EDAC is comprised of parents, students, professionals, and educators within the HCPS school community.

[01:07:16] This application cycle yielded 72 submissions for the 2025-2028 term. Per the bylaws, the EDAC is limited to 20 maximum voting members, although attendance and participation at scheduled EDAC meetings is open to the HCPS school community.

[01:07:33] Those applicants who are not selected to serve as voting members are encouraged to support the EDAC in a non-voting capacity by attending scheduled meetings and engaging in meaningful dialogue. Meetings are scheduled per school year and are made available to the public via the HCPS website. Should a voting member be unable to fulfill their duties, the EDAC will resubmit a new nominee for board approval.

[01:07:59] After careful consideration, the EDAC recommends the following slate of nominees to Dr. Cashwell and the school board for appointment for the 2025-2028 EDAC membership cycle. This list includes students, parents, HCPS staff, and community members from each of the five magisterial districts. This slide represents a recap of the EDAC's goals for the 2024-25 school year, including recognizing the diversity in students' many gifts and talents by exploring critical

[01:08:37] thinking course opportunities with a focus at the middle school secondary level, communicating guidance for families to navigate pathways from elementary through high school in multilingual digital and print formats and exploring application platform options for students and parents to easily navigate specialty center selection and academic programming to solidify these goals the edac received presentations from hcps subject matter experts we thank the hcps school counseling specialist department and school counseling specialist nicole scalea education specialist

[01:09:15] for specialty centers, Stephanie Lambert, communications specialist, Dylan Garner, and Dr. Tiffany Hinton, and again, Dr. Phil Riddle from the Department of Assessment Research and Evaluation for their time supporting the EDAC in these efforts.

[01:09:31] Their presentations enlightened the committee on existing programming efforts and helpful tools already underway. The EDAC recognizes the work by the board and the HCPS staff to support students and families with guidance to previously submitted recommendations.

[01:09:47] And in addition to these goals, the EDAC has also worked to streamline processes for meetings and to increase modes of communication with the HCPS community. After hearing from HCPS experts and reviewing the new strategic plan, the EDAC makes the following recommendations.

[01:10:10] Continued communication efforts for pathway accessibility and navigation for students and families, including a QR code for quick access to major clarity school course scheduling platform and printed translatable one pagers or quick reference style documents that can be shared with earlier grade level families to assist with long-term pathway planning.

[01:10:38] I wanna thank all of the EDAC members for their careful consideration of equity and diversity issues and for their thoughtful recommendations. On behalf of Dr. Cashwell and school administration, I'm happy to share that HTPS administration is committed to continue collaboration with the Department of Learning, the Division of Communications, and other advisory committees, such as the Gifted Education Advisory Committee, the Student Health Advisory Board, and the Special Education Advisory Committee to share existing pathway guides with families in streamlined formats to ensure they understand where and how to access course information

[01:11:17] and program opportunities. Thank you for your time, and I am happy to answer any questions you may have. Thanks so much, Ms. Lewis, and thank you, Mr. Young, for being our representative on the EDAC committee.

[01:11:33] Colleagues, questions, comments? I will definitely begin. Ms. Lewis, thank you so much for your leadership this year. We were at a point where our membership was low. We're just going to be transparent. And then thanks to Eileen and her team as well. We had 75 applicants.

[01:11:51] That's the reason that if you go to one of these slides, you'll see a brand new 20 selected people on this board. And this board, or this committee rather, deals with tough conversations. It's not an easy board to be a part of, but it is necessary because as I heard SEAC, GEAC, SHAB, everybody talked about equity today.

[01:12:10] So this committee, this group of people, we come together. I didn't know I was going to make it on two slides either as we worked through some things in our first session. But it's amazing that the work that's getting done in this room, even when we had a small group, I can't wait to see what happens with the larger committee now.

[01:12:26] And we continue to find the gaps, making access and opportunity easier. And if we look at even the math pathways that was passed on a state level, we were already doing this work in the committee, trying to figure out how we can discover talent, like I heard Giac talk about earlier.

[01:12:42] But we were already on these pathways of getting our kids and having them have opportunities for advanced coursework, pathway planning, specialty center. So I just know we're headed in the right direction with this committee, and thank you so much for your leadership. Thank you. Colleagues, anything?

[01:12:59] One thing I particularly, let me back up, use my real words. I appreciate the work of the committee and growing it. One thing I want to highlight that you said that applies to all of our board committees is that the attendance to these committee meetings is open to all of Hamrico public.

[01:13:21] And so even if you are not a voting member of any of these committees, you can still participate, you can still attend the meetings, you can still be part of the dialogue, part of the voice of this. And I think that's really important to all of us as board members is to expand the reach of these committees.

[01:13:42] And so I'm really excited. You all had over 70 applicants. That's incredible when we, you know, kind of all look at our committees. But just really want the community to know that even if you're not part of the voting body of these, the majority of the work of these committees aren't votes on minutes or whatever else.

[01:14:03] It's dialogue. And the Henrico community is welcome to these meetings, and they're welcome to be part of this dialogue. And the more stakeholders that participate, the better the outcomes for these committees and our division as a whole. And so, you know, if we end up with a room full of people and we have to kind of restructure how we do meetings, like, that's great.

[01:14:26] That's a great problem to have. And so thank you for highlighting that even though you were only able to select 20 to officially be voting members of the committee, this committee and all of these committees are open to everybody. And we want that.

[01:14:42] We want people to come participate and be part of the conversations for the issues that are important to them. That makes us better. So thank you so much. Thank you. All right. That concludes our advisory committee updates.

[01:14:58] Grateful again for our staff liaisons for the advisory committees, as well as the community members who serve and who were able to be a part of the presentations to the board this afternoon. Our next item, we are very excited and pleased to bring forth a review of the schematic design for the renovation of Johnson Elementary School.

[01:15:19] Good afternoon, Chair Shea, members of the board, and Superintendent Cashwell. We are excited to bring another project before the board for schematic design approval. Joining me today is Stephen Halsey, a principal with Moseley Architects. Also joining us are Jennifer Kotz, the project manager for Moseley, and Katie Vandeway, the principal of Johnson Elementary.

[01:15:42] Mosley is leading our design for this project. We'd like to start with a little background. Charles M. Johnson Elementary was originally built in 1958 with a multipurpose building added in 1997.

[01:16:01] In 2011, the classroom buildings of the school were renovated. However, the administration building and cafetorium were not included at that time. in anticipation of possibly expanding the school at a later date. With changes in enrollment and the expansion of Holiday Elementary School, there is no longer a need to expand Johnson.

[01:16:23] So as part of the 2022 bond referendum, it was decided that we would return to the school and complete the renovation. It was also determined that we will revisit the previously renovated buildings and perform a refresh on each.

[01:16:40] This will be reviewed during the presentation. I will now turn the podium over to Stephen Halsey to review the schematic design. - Thank you, Nicole. And thank you for having me again today. It's good to see you all again. Again, I'm Stephen Halsey, Managing Principal with Mosley and we're excited again for the opportunity to work with Henrico County Public Schools on the renovation of Charles Johnson Elementary School.

[01:17:05] Today, we will be providing you an update on the project, which will include reviewing the project scope of work, site plan, floor plans, and the project schedule. At the conclusion of our presentation, Nicole will discuss our next steps for the project.

[01:17:21] The project includes two main components, improvements to the site and improvements to the school itself and prove safety is an overarching theme of both sets of improvements. Proposed site improvements include relocating and modernizing the bus loop, providing a new main drop-off loop which will align with the location of the new main entry for the school and expanded parking for staff and visitors.

[01:17:44] Safety enhancements will include a new main entrance to the school, which will include a new security vestibule and improved visibility for the school's front office team. Public parking will be relocated to the front of the campus to provide more direct access for visitors to the main office for security screening.

[01:18:01] Individual toilets are proposed for the classrooms in the classroom buildings, which will eliminate the need for students and teachers to leave those rooms to go outside to access existing toll locations. In the site plan before you, you can see the proposed location of the new bus loop on the east side of the campus, which is there on the right, with access to the multipurpose building for students before the school begins.

[01:18:27] The new parent drop off and pick up loop is located in the center of campus with a new access to the campus off Bethlehem Road, which will provide additional and expanded queuing space for cars during drop off and pick up times. An expanded visitor and staff parking located before that and below that new drop-off and pickup loop. The number of existing parking spaces around 82 and we'll be expanding the total number of parking to account somewhere between 100 and 145 parking spaces. Improvements to the school will include a full renovation to the administration building, the

[01:19:04] library, and the cafeteria building. This renovation will include new windows, new doors, new ceilings and lighting, mechanical and electrical system replacement and space reconfiguration and changes to the internal layouts. So again, a small main entry additional will be added to the administration building to approve security measures for the main entry to the school.

[01:19:26] Other campus buildings will receive a refresh which will include the replacement of ceilings and lighting, the lighting will be LED lighting which provide energy efficiency and also improved control for teachers for the instructional environment. We'll be updating mechanical systems and mechanical fixtures and also doing some painting.

[01:19:45] Again, individual toilets will be added to the classroom to eliminate the need for teachers and students to leave those classrooms to access existing toilets from the exterior of the building. These images are a good visual description of student and visitor access points to the existing school where the entry checkpoint and detection system are located outside of the building under a canopy.

[01:20:08] These functions will occur within the new main entry addition. These images provide a good indication of the existing conditions of the cafetorium building, which include the original window systems, a series of window HVAC and AC units there you see on the bottom left, outdated toilets and outdated ceilings and lighting fixtures.

[01:20:34] The condition of the existing library is noted in these images, which includes existing lighting and uninviting access to the space and bookshelves which are fixed in place, which do not provide mobility of these units, which provides limited flexibility in how the library can be configured for various instructional activities.

[01:20:56] The plan presented here shows the levels of construction currently planned for the school. The dark olive color there in the middle indicates the location of the small entry addition to the administration building. Trying to get the colors right, sometimes it's green or blue. So I guess in this screen, kind of the dark turquoise building color indicates those areas to receive a comprehensive renovation, which will include the administration building, the library, the kitchen, and classroom toilets.

[01:21:24] and the light turquoise color indicates areas to receive that refreshed level of renovation. This slide is an enlarged plan of the administration building which will show the proposed reconfiguration. This slide indicates the extent of renovation proposed for the administration building which includes a general reconfiguration of the existing space to provide a more efficient working environment for the school administration team.

[01:21:50] The new entry addition includes space for the new main office workroom, the administration conference room, and the main office and front entry space for the front office team. By relocating these spaces to the new addition, this provides us flexibility in reconfiguring the existing building to meet the needs of the school.

[01:22:09] So with that, I'll turn it back over to Nicole. - Thank you, Stephen. As a reminder, our project budget is $26.5 million and it is funded through the 2022 bond referendum. Mosley will be completing design this fall with bidding occurring in the late fall, and school board approval just after the first of the year.

[01:22:31] As this is a phased and occupied renovation, the construction schedule will continue to be evaluated and adjusted. We will be happy to address any questions you have regarding this project. Thank you so much. It's always exciting to see projects from the bond referendums start moving closer and closer on the timeline to start, And hopefully soon we'll have some moving into the complete budget, so our bucket.

[01:22:59] So excited to see Johnson. I'll let Ms. Kinsella start as this is her district. Thank you so much, Tiershe, and thank you for being a partner on this project and being with us today to present the schematic. Since I have not walked around the campus, I've just looked at what was shared with us.

[01:23:21] I do have a few questions. I see our new vestibule, which is where I know our guests will enter. What about the students, the students like during the school day, right?

[01:23:39] I mean, I realize that drop off, they'll be dropped off in the car loop or the bus loop. How will students access the building now that the vestibule is really going to be on the other side? So the administration building?

[01:23:58] Yes. If you look at the overall campus map, there would be student access at the back of that building. There are several doors. It's just not one door, one main entrance. I know currently the back door of the building is just for staff.

[01:24:16] Is that the same door we're talking about? I think we're talking about there's a door. There are several doors in and out of the building. With a cursor. I think students who will be coming to campus later in the day, if they had a doctor's diploma or something, they would still come in the main entry to get checked in.

[01:24:31] And we provided an accessible route to get through that kind of corner of the building, down this ramp, and then they would be able to enter campus kind of along what is essentially the main path to the end of the campus now. Would students coming from campus to the office, as sometimes they do, use the same, they wouldn't use the same route.

[01:24:54] So they would have to walk. How would they access, for example, parents coming to pick them up for an early dismissal, a doctor's appointment? They would enter the building either from this kind of back door here or they could come through this pathway between admin and the catheter building up the ramp and then back into the office in this way.

[01:25:16] The clinic is located in this corner, so most likely if parents are coming to retrieve their sick child, all those activities kind of what happened in kind of this main circulation area in that corner of the building. But they're going to have access from the back. Or they could come through this vestibule here. Essentially, we'll evaluate it so students will not have to come around to the bus loop or around in the public area to get back into the building. Yeah, that's

[01:25:49] public access drop off and if it's a I mean I'm just worried about safety and I couldn't tell I couldn't really tell um based on the schematic and then it seems like an earlier version where I was looking at on the conference room the only way to access that conference room really is already from an internal space right there's no external door that's right okay um so take that went off my list um let me see what is the time like i see your timeline um for working on the

[01:26:28] project is and having been a parent um that was part of construction during instruction and being so excited about um moving of the bus loop and additional parking spaces and so forth and understanding the logistics of johnson um is there any way um parking could be done construction maybe over the summer or end of year, beginning of summer. I mean, I have in my mind, oh, please, not January, right? That is, hopefully y'all can hear me. That is not the plan. I'll use

[01:27:06] the cursor again. So the existing asphalt area will most likely be utilized in past projects for the temporary classroom complex to cycle students in and out. What is good about this project is the substantial work in the four classroom buildings was done 15 years ago. So this work is going to be primarily related to lighting, ceilings, refresh, replace the instructional technology, and the addition of those individual toilets in those classrooms.

[01:27:34] So we're anticipating right now work to happen in each classroom building to take about three months as opposed to four or five months, which is good. And then I think that right now the plan is for the site work to occur primarily over the summer of 26 for the parking for the parking for the parking in the bus loop yes okay um that that needs to really be contained outside of the school year just because uh there there's so few access points to the site so thank you for that thank you for that that was uh um i just wanted

[01:28:09] to confirm that that was your plan because that's what i had in my mind yes again having gone through this as a parent and of course watched it before as a board member on other projects and then my My last question would be, when you come from the parking lot to the cafeteria, is there going to be an extension of the sidewalk?

[01:28:32] Yes, there will be sidewalk improvements and also canopy replacement. And then canopy replacement and/or extension to accommodate the different pathway, if you will? Absolutely. The entire canopy system right now is planned to be refurbished.

[01:28:52] in original condition so and then that will be restructured along the main entry of the building to provide additional coverage. Will there be any kind of barrier from the parking lot to the cafeteria? Again just thinking as we renovate safety, accessibility, visibility, lines of sight but just think because it is a campus style school. So we are actually we work closely with the school safety office to determine what is needed in the campus style schools.

[01:29:27] Okay. We did a visit to several campus style schools just this week and we're in the process of evaluating what those safety measures will be. Okay. This is a great project since it's going forth in the bond and it's happening now. Yes. To start to look at those measures and what will be.

[01:29:43] Mosley has sept ed experience and training, which is... Crime prevention through environmental design. Yeah. So the state legislature passed legislation four or five years ago about all public school projects must go through a CEPTED review.

[01:30:01] I know you all do a great job because you all have internal safety specialists as well. So we have two architects who are CEPTED certified. So we'll be supporting Nicole and the facilities team in really evaluating additional security measures for a campus style school. Thank you so much for answering more detailed questions because I really, as a member, I'm trying to stay in my lane, but I'm so excited about this renovation coming to Johnson.

[01:30:26] So thank you. That's all I have, Madam Chair. Thanks so much, Ms. Kinsella. Anybody else have questions? To the safety piece, I just wanted to kind of piggyback off and ask a question. And you may not have the answer, but I know outdoor campuses present challenges, and I know the principals here as well.

[01:30:48] Where are the scanners going to be set up for the kids to walk through? Is there going to be a set of scanners at the bus loop and then at the car drop-off as well? I might just note, we don't publicly disclose a lot of safety measures for many reasons, but we do make sure that each campus, whether they're indoor or outdoor, the safety team examines all of the locations and then determines the placement of the scanner in conjunction with the principal and the school security officers and the way they're designed and set up.

[01:31:18] - And one of our goals is to limit access points to the school. As we're looking at this renovation, we will limit the number of points to get in or out of the campus. - Awesome, and to that point, I'm sorry, to that point, I know I have a couple outdoor campuses and they constantly complain about standing outside as the students are coming through our scanners.

[01:31:45] Is there any way to design heaters while we are renovating this school our scanners will be at to make it a little bit more comfortable on our staff that has to stand out there in the rain snow icy cold conditions while we're renovating i just wanted to throw that out there maybe it can or cannot be done but i have been getting advocacy from outdoor campuses around this i see the principal smiling a little bit but just as a you know if that's something we could potentially put in i see lenny looking at me as well so thank you no further questions i made made a note of that as we work through the security measures for the school, that's something that we can definitely think about. It's a good idea. I also wanted to share some thoughts for

[01:32:24] consideration regarding outdoor campuses as well. I wanted to understand what's the plan for windows. I know Johnson is in dire need of new windows across the entire campus. Is that built into the budget and is that in the schematic here? Yes. So windows were replaced back in 2010 or 2011 are the last renovation for the four classroom buildings. So those windows still have considerable service life left. The other three buildings, the multi-purpose building, the cafetory building, and a new administration will all receive new windows. Wonderful. Also, can you talk to me a

[01:33:02] little bit about the landscaping? It's incredibly important, the trees, the bushes, the grass for outdoor campuses, and that is one advantage at Verona High School, and it is something that the kids do enjoy when the weather's great is, number one, being able to have that space of trees and bushes and anything else in the natural habitat. Can you talk to me about the landscaping?

[01:33:25] So this project will require going through a plan of development review with the county. So we'll be working with the county for landscape requirements for the project, both along Bethlehem Road and also internally. So there's considerable landscaping that the county ordinances require for institutional projects. And then we will look for opportunities to enhance some outdoor learning spaces. Specifically, I'll use my cursor kind of in this area in here, which is a large outdoor learning space. And again, those may be some things that we look at in terms of providing

[01:34:04] some bid alternates so that we understand what those might cost on bid day to see where there's some areas that we could provide some enhanced landscaping and outdoor learning opportunities. Outstanding. I'll advocate for using, the word has escaped me, but using Virginia native plants and Virginia native trees. What happens oftentimes is if you go out and use plants or trees that aren't native especially in scale on campuses they are hard to maintain but

[01:34:41] if you stick with natives the maintenance is less and I find on campuses that use the more inexpensive bushes or trees then oftentimes it may be expensive in the beginning but it actually costs you more over time with maintenance and also the types of insects that they attract. So these are, they sound small, but they're big on outdoor campuses if you're dealing with insects and flies and everything else. So using natives is incredibly important, not only to the environment, but to the beautification

[01:35:18] of the school itself. I also wanted to talk about solar. Are there any plans for solar on this building um we have a solar initiative that we work uh with the county on and that is included in all our renovation projects so i'm not we'll do the connection possibilities here and then revisit that under our county contracts can you share with me where the discussion is on where those solar panels would be um or have you gotten to that point yet we haven't gotten to that point will develop it more but it will likely go on top of most likely on top of the four classroom

[01:35:56] buildings with slope roofs um perfect it's not towards the um the public setting the parking correct it's going to be towards the back okay that's great and then the last thing i want to ask about is the lighting within the building all the way down to the light bulbs again they start expensive but over time you actually are saving more money so is that a part of the discussion and the type of lighting that's going to be used within and outside of the building itself.

[01:36:23] At the end of this renovation, all the lighting within the school will be all LED lighting, which will significantly reduce energy consumption. And in addition to that, and maybe as important to that, is also will provide dimmability and customization of the instructional environment for teachers.

[01:36:39] So they'll be able to dim classroom lighting for either nap time for the little ones or for instructional activities that may require different levels of lighting. So all LED lighting will be on campus once we're done. And it will be a system similar to what we used at Holiday or in our new high schools.

[01:36:58] So these classrooms will receive the same treatment. And then I can't see from the schematic here, but is that main road beside the parking lot, Is that the main road where you would have your traffic lights and all those things?

[01:37:15] Or is there traffic lights along that road there? There are currently no traffic lights planned on Bethlehem. I think the nearest traffic light is down where Bethlehem meets Stickens Road. So what does traffic look like if there's no traffic lights?

[01:37:31] And that's why I was asking because I didn't see traffic lights, but it looked like a long road. I'm not as familiar, so that's why I'm asking the questions. Because if there's an opportunity to contain traffic while you're looking through this, that may be just a thought for consideration. With the configuration of the new drop-off loop and staff and visitor parking, we're significantly improving the length of queuing space for cars during morning drop-off and pickup.

[01:37:59] So any traffic congestion that is on Bethlehem now will be significantly reduced at the end of the project. Thank you so much. Yep, thank you. Colleagues, anything else? Thank you so much. We're excited for another bond project.

[01:38:16] Thank you. Thank you. All right, members of the board, Madam Chair, that concludes items from me. Thank you so much, Dr. Cashwell. Oh, and I'm sorry, I want to recognize that our principal is here as well for Johnson.

[01:38:31] I know she was recognized earlier, but I know you will be an integral part of conversations about the details, but also helping this distract our learners as little as possible. So, I know you have a big task ahead of you the next couple years, but going to be certainly worth the payoff.

[01:38:48] So, thank you for being here and your support for the process as well. Colleagues, the next item on the agenda is unfinished business. Does anyone have any unfinished business they would like to attend to? Hearing none, the next item is new business.

[01:39:04] Any new business items? Ms. Atkins. Thank you, Ms. Shea. So I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude and admiration for the East End Choir, which is a combined choir of Verena High School and Highland Springs High School students.

[01:39:23] And it's led with passion and purpose by the extraordinary Miss Mitchell and her ability to innovate and adapt and inspire really is nothing short of phenomenal. And with that, I want to specifically speak to community members that have voiced their hopes for greater support and attention to our choir programs.

[01:39:49] I simply want to say thank you for bringing some things to my attention. And I want you to know that your courage and your advocacy matter and that you are being heard. Dr. Cashwell, I wanted to also have an ask for you.

[01:40:05] i know that this topic is in beginning discussion around what we can do to better support the choir program and to strengthen and invest in the choral music academy programs or academic programs that's probably the better way to say that and also the thought or the request if possible is for an additional full-time position or a strategic way in which one educator doesn't have to split herself in point seven point eight or whatever it is so

[01:40:42] that these two choirs can have adequate instruction at both schools. Thank you. Certainly appreciate your advocacy and support for the choral programs the schools mentioned and of course across our system and you know certainly that is a priority for us as we are supporting and staffing programs with academic and for all of our performing arts and you know we continue to earn one of the best communities and music awards and part of that is how we staff fund and support our programs across our secondary schools we have continued to

[01:41:21] have some challenges with students being interested in those and enrolling in those programs and I would say it's not just chorus but other areas as well and so making sure that you know staffing is based on student interest and so that is something we're always monitoring but how do we create that pipeline of student interest too and I know that's something the team has been working really hard on making sure there's access and opportunity to spark that passion so that students go on to enroll in that in high school and then we can continue to staff appropriately. So thank you for bringing special attention to the very talented East End

[01:42:00] Choir and the unique challenges around enrollment and staffing there. We'll continue to work with the team on supporting them. Colleagues, any other new business? I'll give just a shout out on the other side of extracurriculars to the many Hemrico teams that are still dancing in the state tournaments this weekend. A big thank you to the coaches who invest the time and energy in our students. But also a really big thank you to the directors of student activities who've built these programs. But especially this year, Henrico is hosting the state tournaments. And so they are

[01:42:37] going above and beyond to make sure that we show Henrico hospitality to teams all over the state. And so that continues into this weekend across multiple school campuses. And so if you want to see some really exceptional athletes, including Himraiko's own. Check out some of our high schools this weekend for, I think they're down to the semifinals tomorrow and then championships on Saturday. So anything else? All right, hearing none, that brings us to the end of our work session. And so our next meeting will actually be the monthly meeting here, right here at 630

[01:43:16] here in New Bridge Auditorium. This meeting's adjourned.

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