Coraggio Consulting
Henrico County School Board Work Session, Thursday, August 27, 2026

Date: Thursday, August 27, 2026
Place: Henrico County School Board, Virginia
Length: 38m (video)
Official meeting video (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqbATQR8v_w
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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[00:00:01] I would like to welcome everyone to the August 27th, 2026 work session of the Henrico County School Board. The first item on the agenda is the Pledge of Allegiance. Dr. Boyd will be leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance and moment of silence.

[00:00:23] Pledge of 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. Please remain standing as you are able for a moment of silence.

[00:00:45] Thank you. All right, colleagues. We'll move on to the approval of the agenda. Is there a motion to approve the agenda? I move that the school board approve the agenda for today's meeting.

[00:01:06] Thank you, Mr. Young. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Ms. Kinsella. All in favor say aye. Aye. The ayes have it. The agenda is approved. The next item on the agenda is a closed meeting. Is there a motion to go into closed session? I move that the board enter in closed session for discussion of matters covered under items A1 of section 2.2-3711 of the Code of Virginia 1950 as amended pertaining to the assignment, appointment, promotion, demotion, salaries, disciplining, or resignation of specific school board employees. Thank you, Mrs. Shea. Do I have a second? Second.

[00:01:43] Thank you, Mrs. Atkins. All in favor say aye. Aye. We will now go into close. The ayes have it. We will all go into closed session. We will reconvene the work session at the conclusion of our closed meeting. All right, we are back from closed session. Colleagues, is there a motion to certify closed session? I move that the school board certified 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

[00:02:21] motion authorizing the closed meeting were heard, discussed, or considered in a closed meeting. Thank you, Mr. Young. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Mrs. Shea. All in favor say aye.

[00:02:35] Aye. The ayes have it. Closed session has been certified. Dr. Cash roll. Thank you, Mr. Irving. Members of the board. Good afternoon. I do want to take a moment as we begin our work session to celebrate the start of another school year. At our last work session, the board received comprehensive presentations focused on efforts to prepare for the new school year. One on our summer programming, including plans for our back to school kickoff, which was a big success with over 3 000 attendees and staff shared the many ways that henrico team was preparing for the

[00:03:13] successful start of the school year from campus operations to transportation to school nutrition to digital wellness to plans for our first staggered start the efforts have been heroic and i am so proud of team henrico as i visited schools this week i saw the many ways these efforts have paid off and lots and lots of back to school smiles i also heard positive feedback ABOUT HOW THE STAGGERED START GAVE STUDENTS IN KEY TRANSITION YEARS OF PRE-K, K, 6 AND 9 EXTRA TIME AND ATTENTION TO BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THEIR SCHOOLS AND OF COURSE TO ESTABLISH NEW ROUTINES.

[00:03:51] THE DIVISION WILL SURVEY OUR STAKEHOLDERS FOR FEEDBACK ON THEIR EXPERIENCES AS WE CONSIDER POTENTIAL ADJUSTMENTS FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. I'D LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE WITH THE MANY CELEBRATIONS AND SUCCESSES OF THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR, WE HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED SOME CHALLENGES.

[00:04:07] A NUMBER OF SCHOOLS HAVE EXPERIENCED VARYING DEGREES OF ISSUES WITH AIR CONDITIONING, WHETHER THE ISSUE IS CONFINED TO AN INDIVIDUAL CLASSROOM OR IT INVOLVES A WING OR COMMON AREAS. WE KNOW THAT WHEN SYSTEMS AREN'T WORKING PROPERLY, THERE ARE IMPACTS TO OUR STAFF AND OUR STUDENTS. WITHOUT A DOUBT, I KNOW IT IS A TOP PRIORITY FOR THE SCHOOL BOARD, it is for me to ensure comfortable and safe learning environments. Significant progress is being made. HCPS technicians and contracted vendors are working extended hours to ensure that systems are assessed and actions are taken as

[00:04:46] quickly as possible. Repairs are happening, systems are being balanced, and needed equipment is being procured. Teams are installing temporary cooling measures as needed where repairs may take longer and actively making long-term repairs to systems that are in need. I want to assure the board and our constituents that in addition to addressing critical mechanical matters I continue to work with the team to take broader action to improve the quality control and of course the reliability of our HVA systems across all of our schools and strengthen our ability to respond to those mechanical challenges.

[00:05:26] These efforts build upon the third-party comprehensive assessment of our mechanical systems, which is being used to prioritize short-term and long-term work. As a result of a joint RFP with the general government, we have expanded our network of service providers through cooperative contracts, increasing our capacity to perform preventative maintenance and to complete much-needed HVAC repairs more efficiently.

[00:05:52] at a September work session the board can expect an update on the progress and of course next steps for these ongoing efforts Mr. Chairman thank you Dr. Cashwell for sharing an update on the first week back to school I know that this board echoes your thanks to the entire Henrico team for ensuring a strong opening to the new school year seeing the many ways our staff have ensured school School environments are welcoming, foster belonging, set students up for success is truly heartwarming.

[00:06:25] On behalf of the entire Henrico School Board, thank you, Team Henrico. And a special thanks in We See You to the maintenance team and HVAC techs who work tirelessly behind the scenes and put in countless hours in the days leading up to the school opening to address those issues as they arose.

[00:06:45] The mechanical challenges we are facing across our system are not lost on this board, and efforts to address those needs in the short term and the long term remain a top priority for us. Each of us is a parent and a professional and we understand the concerns of our families and employees. None of us is sitting ideally by, nor is Dr. Cashwell and her staff. Through our advocacy related to ensuring adequate CIP funding that meets our real needs, leveraging grant fundings and more, this board is committed to making progress on this front. We are encouraged by the technical experience and knowledge of our new

[00:07:22] Chief of Operations that he brings to this role, and we look forward to an update in September on the progress and next steps of much-needed improvements in both our systems and our ability to address and respond to the challenges within them. Dr. Cashwell. Thank you. The first item I've brought forth for review for the board is a review to propose revisions to policy P9-14-03, which is naming of schools and school facilities the revised policy while the revisions are minimal

[00:07:57] was intended to include a clear purpose statement clarify expectations and establish a very clear consistent process for school naming and school identity elements and we've also included the new regulation to establish consistent transparent and a community informed process for the naming of of facilities. And we'd be happy to take any questions that you might have related to this recommendation. Yes. Thank you, Dr. Cashwell. Colleagues, I'll start it off with whomever would like to speak on this first. I know that Mrs. Kinsella and Mrs. Shaba served on the policy committee so that they've seen this. I don't know if they wanted to open up with anything that they

[00:08:36] feel is worth speaking about. I would just say, yes, we do sit on the committee. So we've already weighed in, but I appreciate having a regulation for our building leaders to go to for guidance.

[00:08:52] We really just documented what the actual process is at the building level, but it's nice to have that in writing, to your point, Dr. Cashwell, for the clarity and consistency for the community, our school communities. That's all.

[00:09:09] I echo Ms. Kinsella's thoughts. I appreciate having just very clearly written out what our approach is. Again, the policy is under the purview of the board, but I appreciate the transparency of the division to also add the new regulation that, again, AND SPELLS OUT FOR THE COMMUNITY AND FOR OUR STAFF AND BUILDING LEADERS WHAT THE PROCESS IS AND WHAT'S CONSIDERED, ET CETERA.

[00:09:43] I KNOW WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO, IN THE COMING YEARS, OPENING AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OVER IN MR. YOUNG'S DISTRICT AND THE LIVING BUILDING AND ATKIN'S DISTRICT. AND SO HAVING THIS OUTLINED WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US ON THE BOARD AND OUR STAFF AND THE COMMUNITY.

[00:10:06] Thank you, Mrs. Shea. Colleagues? Yeah, I do just want to opine on this for a moment because I think on this a very philosophical level, I think that this is excellent. I think schools are a place for all of us, and so I think that, you know, as humans, we are very fallible, and I think it's a mistake to, you know, lionize and view people as like these figures of idolatry that we should put their name on a building.

[00:10:37] and I think for us it's kind of recognizing that like these are places for everybody and they should be welcoming to everybody and the name should represent the community um that that inhabits them so I I'm very glad that we're doing this and finally putting it fully in writing for a thing that we've been doing for some time now but just actually reflecting that reality um so I did just want to say that piece great hearing uh no other questions related to that item for our next item we're thrilled to bring an update from our Henrico Education

[00:11:16] Foundation as you know they remain outstanding partners and that you know we'd love to take a minute to hear about their impact and of course their ongoing support of Henrico County Public Schools and also receive a review of their brand-new strategic plan thank you dr. Cashwell mr. chair school board members it is a pleasure to have with me this afternoon miss Jennifer Boyle who the ceo for the henrico education foundation as well as her chair mr adam smith who will present

[00:11:49] to us this afternoon well good afternoon chair irving board members and dr cashwell thank you very much for the opportunity to be here this afternoon i'm here on on behalf of the henrico education foundation along with our board chair adam smith to share two things a look back at the impact we made together in 25-26 and to look ahead at our strategic priorities for 26 through 29.

[00:12:24] and everything that you're about to see here is possible because of our partnership between the board our schools and our donors and so this is really a story about how the impact of community investment can really positively impact our henrico students so we will start with the direct individual support that we provide to students who need it the most last year we proudly awarded over nineteen hundred dollars in field trip funding giving 141 students full access to enriching learning experiences regardless of cost we provided forty five hundred dollars in competition

[00:13:02] support helping students represent henrico at academic athletic and extracurricular competitions And most significantly, we awarded $65,000 in scholarships to 23 graduating seniors across all of the high schools, funding that directly supports their next steps after graduation.

[00:13:22] Our Innovative Grants program invests directly in our teachers' best ideas. Last year, we awarded over $130,000, reaching almost 14,000 students and teachers. Examples included a learning lab at Pocahontas Middle School, virtual reality headsets to strengthen language skills and deepen understanding of academic content at holiday elementary and entrepreneurship skills building at highland springs high school funding one teacher's idea is rarely a one classroom investment when a project proves

[00:14:01] effective other teachers adopt and adapt extending its reach well beyond where it started our supplemental and direct service programming preschool after school and summer learning keeps young people safe engaged and growing our 21st century community learning centers and learning and discovery program served a total of 1 400 students across 19 sites 92 of those students were children of hcps employees representing over 57 000 in tuition assistance

[00:14:35] we provided to our own school division families and learning didn't stop when the school year ended over the summer we enrolled 500 students and through virginia early learning partners we supported almost 300 students across 25 early learning centers getting our youngest learners ready for kindergarten beyond the classroom we invest in the programs that build a sense of belonging across our schools and have invested over thirty thousand dollars in division-wide events including all henrico reads life ready 26 challenger day and teacher of the year and finally

[00:15:14] donors and grantors give to the foundation because they know we're responsible stewards of their dollars and that shows up in our fund management for the department of family and community engagement support for career and technical education administer administration of mckinney bento funds for students experiencing homelessness and our ongoing partnership with code rba regional high school all in all have provided over four million dollars in direct and indirect funding to henrico county public schools supporting over 17 000 students and teachers last school year

[00:15:48] so that's the story of this past year real measurable impact for henrico students and families but we are not just looking back we are asking ourselves and our constituents how we make that impact bigger more sustainable and more far-reaching going forward so we'd like to shift now from what we've accomplished to where we're headed half board chair adam smith will provide a high-level overview of our 2629 through 29 strategic plan thank you jennifer and thank you for allowing us some of your time today this plan comes from the community from conversations with staff

[00:16:26] with board members educators donors and other partners and reflects what people generally need and genuinely need and expect from the education foundation what we heard was illuminating people know half through their own relationships with us but they rarely see the full picture a donor sees a giving vehicle, a principal sees a grant source, a teacher or parent sees a program.

[00:16:54] Each of those relationships are valuable and very real, however, it doesn't capture everything that TREF truly does for Henrico students every day. That told us that we need a plan for how to work, we need a plan for how to build stronger relationships, to have more visibility, more consistency, and across every relationship that we hold.

[00:17:23] We also considered the core values and focus areas set forth in HTPS's strategic plan, as you were kind enough to bring us in when you developed this plan. We certainly wanted to have the respect to do so for you. One of the first things we did was take an honest look at the mission and vision, and we realized that we were doing the job that we weren't doing the job that needed to be done.

[00:17:46] The old language was unremarkable. It was very required unpacking. So we decided to look at the language and make it just answer a simple question. If someone asked us what we did, we wanted it to say so.

[00:18:04] The answer became our new mission, cultivating relationships and mobilizing resources to expand opportunities for Henrico students. Our new vision, every student has the opportunity, support and resources to shape their own future, puts students at the center as agents of their own lives, and echoes the school's vision of empowering students to take ownership of their education.

[00:18:32] As HEPP's portfolio of services has grown, so is the need to communicate that more clearly. So rather than just a long list of programs, we've narrowed it down to four pillars. Learning Pathways are large-scale programs that directly impact and benefit students.

[00:18:49] Opportunity in Action encompasses the funding initiatives that expand access. Trusted Sewership describes the fiscal agency we offer to departments within HCPS. And school community initiatives include the division-wide events that we celebrate and engage with.

[00:19:10] Internally, these categories help our staff and leadership align priorities and tell a more cohesive story about how every initiative connects back to supporting you and ACPS. Our first strategic goal is to deepen our engagement with schools and the division.

[00:19:30] HEF can only be as effective as our understanding of what the schools need, and this goal is our commitment to stay close to the ground so that our investment reflects your priorities. We're building this on three levels. First, strengthening relationships with administrative leadership, keeping HEF aligned with division priorities as they evolve. Second, building relationships with individual school leadership, principals, and school teams are the connective tissue between division priorities and the student experience. And third, the long game,

[00:20:05] but building a genuine culture of HEF supporting across the division so teachers, staff, and school leaders feel like we are their foundation. Our second goal is to grow and diversify our community investment. HEF's ability to serve students is tied directly to the strength of our funding base.

[00:20:26] We cannot rely indefinitely on narrow set of relationships or a single revenue stream. This isn't just about raising more money, it's about building the kind of broad deep community ownership of HEF's mission that makes the foundation resilient and sustainable for the long term. The strategy, again, has three interlocking priorities. Better marketing tells our story consistently so that donors can see and feel the impact of their investments. Diversifying our funding streams reduces our dependence on any single source and builds the next generation of

[00:21:04] supporters. And strong stewardship turns one donor into a long-term donor and partner. Our third goal is to strengthen how we evaluate our own programs as have grows its resources and community investments we have a corresponding responsibility to make sure that what we are funding is actually working and can stay working we're building this in four steps establish clear definitions of what success looks like for each program building a data infrastructure that makes evaluation more

[00:21:38] routine rather than exceptional conducting honest structured reviews of our current programs looking at the impact the sustainability and the strategic fit and setting clear standards for how future programs are designed and measured from day one so accountability is built before any dollars spent our last goal is to focus on strengthening the organization that powers our mission the quality of our programs and partnerships great matters greatly but lasting

[00:22:12] impact also requires operational excellence sound stewardship and a healthy organizational culture Our external impact is only as strong as the internal foundation in which that sits on. We're focused on four areas: strengthening our internal operations and communications so our teams work with clarity and coordination; building financial clarity and resilience with diversifying revenue and appropriate reserves; strengthening board governance through intentional recruitment, onboarding, and clear expectation setting; and fostering

[00:22:48] a high-performing culture rooted in trust, accountability, and innovation. Thank you. before we close a little plug we want to invite this board and the broader community to two events that fuel henrico's education foundation's impact on saturday september 19th at 9 a.m we are hosting our inaugural henrico alumni and friends 5k fun run and walk at deep run park hopefully y'all can make that and on wednesday october 7th we're hosting our 28th annual tee off for education

[00:23:24] golf tournament at hunting hot club both events directly fund half programs and we'd love to see you there on behalf of the henrico education foundation thank you to this board dr cashwell and to every teacher and principal who partners with us everything hef does is because of this partnership we are excited to keep building on this momentum and we're happy to take any questions you may have. Thank you both for the presentation. I had the luxury of serving on the Henrico Education Foundation Committee, so I got to see the strategic hand unveiled a little bit ago,

[00:24:03] so I was excited for my colleagues to see it, so I'll open up the floor in terms of who would like to go first. Perhaps Mrs. Atkins? There's not much left to say when you see a slide deck of giving. So thank you so much for the reward and for the partnership and for the impact that you've made for many years now and the impact you'll make in the future. So again, very grateful for your efforts and your team as well. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Atkins. Ms. Consola?

[00:24:40] Ms. Boyle, Mr. Smith, thank you so much for presenting that. As we know as a group, When we work on our strategic plan, evolutions of it, it should not be something that sits on the shelf. So I'm very glad to see really just the complete overview of HEF, because in my time on the board, certainly the involvement and the activities and what you're doing in the community, as well as in our schools, has grown and changed.

[00:25:09] So I really appreciated all of it put together for me and just really support a strategic plan that's actually used and followed and measured and revisited. And I'm very excited and very thankful for the partnership with HEF and the difference that you make with us in Henrico County Schools.

[00:25:31] Thank you. As are we. Chair. Thank you, Mrs. Kinsella. Mrs. Chair. Hef is just such an extraordinary partner for Hamrico Schools, and we thank you for the tireless work y'all do, cheerleading and supporting both emotionally and fiscally our students and our teachers and our community.

[00:25:51] It's a difference maker, and so I think many of us are aware of a lot of the innovation grants and those things you give, as well as these events, the school community initiatives, that really bring the whole county together and let us celebrate our educators and the great things they do. But I think not all of the community knows the important work y'all do filling some financial gaps for individual students in ways such as field trip support, and so that everyone can participate in learning and things, and just making sure students have

[00:26:30] what they need in partnership with the division, but to have what they need beyond the school building to be successful and to have as much stability as possible and that's a difference maker in another way for our classrooms and our students and our teachers so thank you for all of those spaces that you stand in and you support us in and again we really appreciate your partnership thank you thank you mr um mr young yeah thank you for the presentation i echo everything Mrs. Shea just said here and I'll never forget I was in one of my

[00:27:07] suit shops and Mr. Keylon Mayo over at Highland Springs he was pitching this idea of entrepreneurship to me he told me that he pitched it to you all and he submitted everything and I'll never forget how excited he was when you guys approved it and when we went to the health event some of his kids had tables set up so seeing things go from ideas to action knowing that we couldn't do it on this side but you can kind of pick up that burden for us and help us out it's nothing but gratitude. I thank you all. Keep up the good work. The strategic plan matches the action.

[00:27:37] And I'm hoping that Chair Irvin is going to be here on October 7th at the golf club because me and him golfed against each other and he got the best of me at the HEF event. But hopefully we can have round two on October 7th. All right. But thank you all so much. In all seriousness, we appreciate it.

[00:27:53] Thank you. Challenge has been thrown down. Thank you both. As I said at our last HEF meeting, i think i can speak for all of us when we view you as part of henrico county public schools y'all are a valued partner and we look forward to all the great work that you guys are going to continue to do so thank you thank you so much thank you mr chair members of the board that concludes items from me thank you dr cashwell colleagues we will move on to unfinished business at this time does anybody have any unfinished business mrs atkins thank you chair irving under

[00:28:30] old business I just want to follow up on digital wellness during our first week back at school and this is very specific for Varina Sanston and Highland Springs I was very impressed with the observations as I visited many schools this week and to see how thoughtfully staff and students were taking heed to the policy and adjusting to it because it is a big adjustment and I was particularly impressed with the conversations I had with the students.

[00:29:03] And I did ask them, what do you now do with your hands? What are you thinking about when the phone is not in your hands? And what are you thinking about when you're not using the screens? And the amount of feedback I received, we don't have time for me to go through, but what I will do is sum it up.

[00:29:25] They had me just noodling for a while. because they shared something that they would want to have more of is more engagement so that they can learn how to connect again with one another without the phone, especially in the cafeteria.

[00:29:44] Having opportunities that would spark the conversation and whether it's board games or maybe there's notes on the wall with specific words that could trigger conversations. and how do we get back to talking about topics?

[00:30:03] How do we start it and how we, and this is particularly in middle and high school. And I was impressed because one, the level of questions that they were asking me were critical thinking type of questions.

[00:30:19] So what do I do with my hands? One student, she was in the band at Highland Springs High School and I was walking with her to class. And she said, Ms. Atkins, I didn't realize how my two fingers are still moving. Even though I don't have my phone, I'm just so used to it.

[00:30:36] And I was sharing with her exercises she could do with her hands. And it was just another level of awareness of their attention. So now they are thinking through, I have this time, but how do I value my attention?

[00:30:54] And so I'm gonna share some thoughts that I had around that. So certainly we focus on expectations and rules, put the phone away because it is not permitted for Rhino-Sanson and Highland Springs students. However, in thinking about solutions and helping students understand the why, that is something that the division is thinking through and will continue to think through.

[00:31:20] How do we help you in those spaces? And for the division, I do encourage us to think about our messaging, thinking about our marketing, perhaps centered around a message of own your attention.

[00:31:37] What are you doing with the attention that you have now? How do you value your attention? That actually is aligned with empowerment. I think that is a great way to be solution focused on explaining the why. For some, it is an addiction.

[00:31:53] And so really going deeper into that for students, think would be a win for us and i also want to encourage us to talk about self-regulation with our students that was brought up by students around self-regulation and how do we control those things and so i just wanted to give that feedback in old business because we recently talked about digital wellness absolutely and i have another one i have a second for old business i wanted to talk about a few of my visits around back-to-school week. I had the

[00:32:31] opportunity to visit with Fair Oaks Elementary, Mayford Elementary, Seven Pines Elementary, Ward Elementary, John Roth Middle School, Elko Middle School, Verina High School, and Highland Springs High School this weekend. Yesterday is just Thursday. And so I am incredibly impressed by the leadership I've seen in in these buildings.

[00:32:56] And our principals certainly continue to advocate for students and staff, but I wanna talk directly to the communities of Irina, Sandston, and Highland Springs and let you know you have committed principals and dedicated teams in these buildings.

[00:33:12] And the way that I saw our principals lead and stand up and advocate this week for whether it was a desire and a want or a urgent need, they were standing on business, and I could not be prouder as a school board representative to see these champions in the building.

[00:33:37] I also want to reinforce the importance of continuing to address our mechanical and facility needs. Thank you, Dr. Cashwell. Thank you to the leadership team. Also, thank you to Chair Irving for the statement, well we all want our children to be in rooms that that are comfortable so I'm just very grateful for Dr. Boyd Dr. Grant and all of the late nights the folks that worked over the weekend the folks that were working when they were supposed to be resting and even though they were in a bed this was still on their minds

[00:34:15] and I just wanted to share that I do have a few questions and thoughts for consideration as the progress continues and Dr. Cashwell as you working through with the leadership team on next steps that I want to share because I do want to better understand them and hopefully will be a part of your future presentation in September there are only three this is not lengthy but the first one is how are we expanding and strengthening preventative maintenance how are we transitioning from a reactive sort of this break and replace model to

[00:34:51] more proactive and sustainable facility strategy. So from plan to strategy and then to implementation and then to measurement and then also how are we strengthening accountability for vendors and contractors and this is the one that I would love to see a lot of detail on because we buy a lot of product and I want to know that the warranty that we get with them, that the obligations are being fulfilled with the warranty.

[00:35:21] I think fiscally, I would like to see that as well. And then I also want to, let's see, acknowledge that there are some schools that I have not gotten to. They are on the calendar for Rhino, Sandstone, and Highland Springs, and so I will see you.

[00:35:38] Over the next two weeks, I am encouraged. This has been a wonderful start to the school year, and I am grateful for everyone in however you contributed to this wonderful week. - Thank you. - Thank you, Ms. Atkins.

[00:35:54] Anything else from the colleagues? We will now move on to new business. Colleagues, do we have any new business? Ms. Atkins. - Thank you again. I shared that I was visiting schools, and so I was enlightened about something I saw in the cafeteria, and I just want to share and better understand the new integrated software that was recently implemented into the cafeteria.

[00:36:20] If I could, at some point, doesn't have to be now, but if you could share with me the cost associated with implementing that system and how the division plans to measure the success and just the overall impact to instructional time as schools are adjusting to it and i know that it's for improving efficiency accuracy and an overall student experience but with the schools in the cafeteria and i stood in line because i wanted to kind of experience it for myself because i was hearing about it And so it has created longer wait times because now the cafeteria workers

[00:37:00] have to scan each individual item. And so now that they have to scan each individual item after the kindergartner or first grader scanned their badge, I'm just wondering if I could just get a little bit more detail on the why the switch.

[00:37:17] And as time goes on, I am hopeful that the lunch lines do get smaller but it's something on my radar so that it doesn't impact their instructional time because in some cases students were still in line where classes were beginning and so if you could just provide detail now or at a later moment that would be great absolutely happy to follow up with some specifics to your question but would absolutely say that with any new system as we saw when the weapon scanners came in the ID badges scanning onto buses and

[00:37:51] And sometimes cafeteria lines, even with our previous system, with kids remembering their number to punch in or scanning their badge, does take some time. So certainly as we're living into the new system, want to make sure that it's functioning for the end result and isn't having any unintended consequences.

[00:38:07] And we'll be happy to provide you an update. Thank you so much. That's all I have. Thank you, Mrs. Atkins. Anything else? Okay. All right. We will go on to the announcement of meeting dates. The school board's next meeting is here at 6:30 for our monthly meeting.

[00:38:27] And then our next work session is on Thursday, September 10th, 2026 at 3:00 PM. The meeting time may be adjusted as needed. This meeting is adjourned.

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