Coraggio Consulting
Loudoun County School Board, 4th Tuesday School Board Meeting, Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Date: Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Place: Loudoun County Public Schools / School Board meeting (see BoardDocs / LCPS-TV)
Length: 6h 15m (video)
Official meeting video (Vimeo / LCPS-TV): https://player.vimeo.com/video/1074117923?rel=0
BoardDocs (School Board): https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/loudoun/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=DF5M5V59A0F6

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 2026-10-11. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[00:05:53] would be green i forgot this good afternoon i call to order this april 22nd 2025 loudon county

[00:06:32] school board meeting at this time we will read our disclosures and i'll start as a member of this loudon county school board i will make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits and any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for lcps employees specifically as a school board member i am eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee these benefits however affect thousands of employees well in excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may also be affected of which I am included I can and

[00:07:10] will participate fairly objectively and in the public interest this disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years miss Chandler thank you madam chair as a member of the Loudoun County School Board I make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits and any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees. Specifically, as a school board member, I am eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee. These benefits, however, affect thousands of employees

[00:07:48] well in excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may also be affected, of which I included I can and will participate fairly objectively and in the public interest this disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years thank you miss Chandler vice-chair Donohue thank you madam chair as a member of the Loudoun County School Board I make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding employee salaries the budget and or health insurance and any other discussion that may include or affect salary and benefits for LCPS employees. Specifically, my spouse, my minor children, and I are enrolled

[00:08:27] in LCPS health insurance that may be affected by any potential changes to employee salaries, the budget, and or health insurance. Additionally, my sister-in-law is an LCPS employee who does not reside with me and is not dependent on me. These subjects include thousands of employees well in excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may be affected, of which my spouse, my minor children, my sister-in-law, and I am included. I can and will participate fairly objectively and in the public interest. This disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the Clerk of the School Board for five years. Thank You Vice Chair Donohue. Mr. Straffi. Thank You Madam Chair. As a member of the Loudoun

[00:09:06] County School Board I make the following disclosure to the School Board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits and any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees. Specifically as a school board member I am eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee. These benefits however affect thousands of employees well in excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may also be affected of which I am included. I can and will participate fairly objectively and in the public interest. This disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years.

[00:09:38] Thank You Mr. Streffery. Ms. LaBeau. Thank You Madam Chair. As a member of the Loudoun County School Board I make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public excuse me in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and/or health insurance and related benefits or any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees.

[00:10:09] Specifically as a school board member I'm eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits. Just a minute, so sorry. Specifically as a school board member I'm eligible to receive insurance and health related benefits as an LCPS employee these benefits however affect thousands of employees well in excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may also be affected of which

[00:10:43] I am included I can and will participate fairly objectively and in the public interest this disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years thank you miss LaBelle mission off thank you madam chair as a member of the Loudoun County School Board and make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits and any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees specifically as a school board member I am eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee these benefits however affect thousands of employees well in the excess of the

[00:11:21] statutory three employees whose interest may also be affected of which I am included I can and will participate fairly objectively and in the public interest this disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years thank you miss Chernoff um we'll move on to item three approval of the consent agenda board members are there any changes to be made to the consent agenda seeing none before we vote we have four proclamations to read our first proclamation recognizes may 5 through 9 to 2025 as teacher appreciation week and the month of way month of may as educator

[00:11:59] appreciation month and will be read by miss chandler thank you madam chair teacher appreciation Week and Educator Appreciation Month, May 2025, whereas since 1984, the National PTA and the National Education Association have designated the first full week in May as a special time to honor and celebrate teachers for the important role they play in the growth and development of our children, and whereas Loudoun County Public Schools, with its 6,500 dedicated teachers stands as a beacon of educational excellence nurturing the minds of

[00:12:38] over 82,000 students across 100 schools and programs and whereas the tradition of public school education across the United States and Virginia resonates deeply within the halls of LCPS where teachers are the bedrock of our educational system and whereas LCPS teachers impact students beyond the classroom. They instill values, ignite curiosity, and foster resilience, shaping academic success, empathy, and embracing and celebrating the rich tapestry of cultural identities, backgrounds, and experiences found in our community. And whereas Teacher Appreciation

[00:13:18] Week is a heartfelt celebration of the tireless educators who shape the students who are the future of our community. And whereas Educator Appreciation Month celebrates all those who support our students as they reach academic and personal achievements that ensure their bright futures and whereas Loudoun County Public Schools joyfully join school districts across the United States in celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week and Educator Appreciation Month. Now therefore be it resolved that the Loudoun County School Board formally recognizes May 5th through May 9th as Teacher Appreciation Week and be it further resolved that the Loudoun County School Board

[00:13:58] will recognize the entire month of May as Educator Appreciation Month. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Chandler. Our next proclamation recognizes May 2025 as National Mental Health Awareness Month and will be read by Vice Chair Donahue. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[00:14:15] National Mental Health Awareness Month, May 2025. Whereas mental health is essential to everyone's overall health and well-being, and whereas mental health challenges affect one in five children during their school years, yet many children with mental disorders do not receive appropriate treatment, And whereas children's mental health is directly linked to their learning and development and the school and classroom environment provide an optimal context to promote positive mental and behavioral health and to build skills that influence mental health outcomes.

[00:14:46] And whereas mental health awareness and prevention education serve to counter stigma, misunderstanding, fear, and barriers to accessing services and treatment. And whereas strong partnerships with community agencies, families, and private providers help to overcome these public health challenges and promote greater support for those affected.

[00:15:05] And whereas the Office of Student Mental Health Services was formed to advance mental health support for students so that they are healthy, ready to learn, and may positively contribute within their school and community. And whereas school counselors, social workers, psychologists, and student assistant specialists are specially trained to provide a continuum of mental health and behavioral health services in schools that support and strengthen learning and development. And now, therefore, be it resolved that Loudoun County School Board formally recognizes May 2025 as National Mental Health Awareness Month. Witnessed thereof, the Loudoun County School Board issues this proclamation to

[00:15:42] honor and recognize the National Mental Health Awareness Month. Thank you, Vice Chair Donohue. Our third proclamation recognizes May 2025 as Asian American and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month and will be read by Dr. Rashid. Thank you, Chair. Whereas Asian American and Pacific Islander American Heritage, originally commemorated by Congress in 1977, celebrates the rich histories, diverse cultures, and significant contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the United States. And whereas Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made profound and positive impacts in all aspects of society, including education,

[00:16:22] government, business, science, the arts, and community leadership, thereby strengthening the fabric of our commonwealth and our nation. And whereas the contributions of AAPI individuals and communities have been instrumental in shaping the history and development of the United States and their perseverance in the face of adversity serves as an inspiration to all.

[00:16:45] And whereas recognizing and celebrating AAPI Heritage Month in Loudoun County Public Schools supports the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibilities and helps to educate students about the importance of understanding and appreciating different cultures and perspectives.

[00:17:01] And whereas LCPS strives to foster an inclusive environment that acknowledges and celebrates the rich cultural heritage of our diverse student population, ensuring that all students feel valued, seen, and heard. And whereas 26.2% of enrolled LCPS students are Asian American and Pacific Islander Americans and 7.35% of Loudoun County Public Schools workforce has self-identified as Asian American and Pacific Islander American.

[00:17:32] And whereas Loudoun County Public Schools reaffirms a commitment to providing educational opportunities that reflect the histories and contributions of all racial and ethnic groups, promoting unity and combating discrimination. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Loudoun County School Board proclaims May 2025 as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in Loudoun County public schools and encourages students, educators, and the community to learn more about the achievements and legacy of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders through classroom activities, events, and discussion that foster awareness and respect.

[00:18:08] Thank you, Dr. Rashid. And our final proclamation recognizes May 2025 as Jewish American Heritage Month in Loudoun County Public Schools and will be read by Dr. Deans. Jewish American Heritage Month. Whereas Jewish American Heritage Month has its origin in 1980 as Jewish Heritage Week from April 21st through the 28th, 1980, and was designated as Jewish

[00:18:41] American Heritage Month on April 20, 2006. Whereas Jewish Americans have played an essential role in the advancement of civil rights, education, science, the arts, business, government, and numerous other fields, strengthening the fabric of our commonwealth and our nation.

[00:19:06] And whereas the history of Jewish Americans is deeply interwoven with the story of our country, including their perseverance through challenges, contributions to democracy, and commitment to justice and equality.

[00:19:26] And whereas education is a vital role in fostering understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures, traditions, and histories, and recognizing Jewish American Heritage Month aligns with Loudoun County Public Schools' commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.

[00:19:53] And, whereas, it is essential to combat anti-Semitism and all forms of hate through education, dialogue, and community engagement, ensuring that our schools remain places of respect and inclusion, free from hate and prejudice for all students.

[00:20:17] And whereas the school division continues to collaborate and partner with various community-based individuals and organizations to further its efforts of forming strong relationships in a culturally sensitive, responsive, and meaningful way.

[00:20:39] And, whereas, Loudoun County Public Schools reaffirms its commitment to fostering a learning environment where all students feel safe, valued, and empowered to learn about and appreciate diverse cultures and histories.

[00:20:59] And now therefore, be it resolved that the Loudoun County School Board hereby recognizes May 1st through May 31st, 2025, as Jewish American Heritage Month in Loudoun County Public Schools.

[00:21:17] Be it further resolved that the Loudoun County School Board encourages staff and community to observe, recognize, and celebrate the culture, heritage, and contributions of Jewish Americans to our country, the Commonwealth of Virginia, our beautifully diverse county, and our schools during Jewish American Heritage Month, as well as throughout the year.

[00:21:47] Thank you, Dr. Deans. I'll now entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda. Yes, Vice Chair Donohue. I move for the board to approve the consent agenda as presented. We have a motion by Vice Chair Donohue to approve the consent agenda. Do I have a second?

[00:22:05] I have a second by Ms. Chandler. It's been properly moved and seconded to approve the consent agenda. At this time, we will take a vote to approve the consent agenda. Clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote. Clerk, please close and display the vote. And that motion passes with Mrs. Griffiths absent for the vote. We'll move on to our work session

[00:22:38] 4.01 Department of teaching and learning instructional framework update presented by Mr. Neal Slevin assistant superintendent for teaching and learning

[00:22:46] Mr. Slevin good afternoon chair Mansfield board members and dr. Spence.

[00:23:25] I am very excited about our work session this afternoon and to have the opportunity to spend some time with you all talking about instruction and what is happening in our classrooms. We are at a transition point in our development of the instructional framework to where we have developed the instructional framework and we're moving towards supporting the implementation of our framework within our schools.

[00:23:52] And so it's a good time to come to you all to share a little bit about where we have landed with the instructional framework. What do we see it, how do we see it impacting our day-to-day experiences in our classrooms, particularly for our teachers, who I'm very thankful took the time out of their busy schedule to join us this afternoon to share the impact that this document is going to have in their classrooms.

[00:24:15] Go to the next slide. As a reminder, our instructional framework, go back one, is tied both to our strategic plan and the superintendent's post-entry plan. One, we want to make sure that we are enabling core academic excellence by providing rigorous instruction for all students.

[00:24:32] And two, we want to offer high-quality, ongoing growth and development opportunities available to all of our staff. This instructional framework is going to help guide us in decision-making around what's happening in our classroom, as well as the supports that we're providing our staff. And as you know, the development of the instructional framework was one of the initial projects within the superintendent's post-entry plan, and so we're really happy for this opportunity to share where we are with this.

[00:24:58] We have a few things that we'll be going into after this introduction. We will, Mr. Rounsley will introduce our teachers who have been part of the development of the instructional framework, but they will share different components within the instructional framework. We'll have an overview of the student actions, what we hope to see in our classrooms as a result of the instructional framework.

[00:25:18] And then we also will have a debrief and discussion, hopefully getting some feedback from you all and you're thinking about how the instructional framework will live in the classroom visits that you have done and you've seen in our classrooms. So again, we wanna review the instructional framework and the different layers of it.

[00:25:34] We wanna share our teacher classroom practices, and we are looking forward to hearing some dialogue from you all and answering any questions you may have about the framework. So with that, I'm gonna turn it over to our Director of Teaching and Learning, K-12, who has been an instrumental leader in this process, so I wanna thank him, Mr. Jeff Roundsley.

[00:25:52] - Thank you, Mr. Slevin. - Thank you, Chair Mansfield and members of the board. So we have had the opportunity to talk with you a few times about the instructional framework. We want to just do a quick overview of the purpose behind this and why we have dedicated a lot of time and effort and thought and collaboration with various partners and teachers in developing it.

[00:26:10] So first, the instructional framework is meant to be a shared vision of effective instruction, what we want teaching and learning to look like throughout all of our classrooms and provide that support and communication to families, to teachers, to our students about what our classroom should look like and what kind of environment we want that to be.

[00:26:26] Second is that it is student-centered, and so we know that our students come to us with a diversity of needs, strengths, interests, backgrounds, and we wanna make sure that the expectations that we have, the instruction that we provide, is flexible enough to meet the needs of any student that walks into our classrooms.

[00:26:43] Along those lines, it is applicable across all content areas and levels, so it does not have every nuance of what it means to teach AP calculus or kindergarten. We know that those environments are very different. But what it does do is communicate in a large scale and a big picture what instruction, what teaching and learning should look like across any classroom that you may walk into in LCPS.

[00:27:06] And finally, it's the foundational piece that drives daily instructional and assessment practices. This is not envisioned as a binder that sits on a shelf collecting dust in a teacher's classroom. It's meant to be out alongside our curriculum, our standards of learning, our resources, in our CLT meetings, that it's a point that teachers return to and think about as they determine what kind of instruction they want to provide to our students and reflect on what they're seeing so far in their students and how they might adjust and change the instruction that they're providing.

[00:27:38] So this is a little bit different, the way we've talked about this than maybe we have in previous presentations to you, but we're thinking about the instructional framework as a series of layers, and the first one, the first three are actually ones that we have shared with you before. Our key components, so these are the parts of a continuous cycle of effective teaching, the big, broad ideas of what teachers do every day.

[00:27:58] And in the LCPS instructional framework, that is student-centeredness, design, thoughtful design around instruction, purposeful engagement of students, and assessment of student learning. We also have what we call our teacher actions.

[00:28:13] So there are actually 17 of them throughout the entire framework, and those are meant to be the things that we wanna see teachers doing, We want to support teachers in doing every day in their classrooms. They're kind of the daily practices that our teachers are engaging in. And then if you think about this document on the far right side, we have reflect and respond questions.

[00:28:31] So those questions are meant to be used in CLTs. They're meant to be used as self-assessments for teachers. They're meant to be used in coaching conversations or post-observation conversations with administrators. But they're meant to provoke thought and discussion and to think about what happened in that classroom and maybe how we could change or modify or improve the practices that we're seeing and the results that we're seeing.

[00:28:54] And something that's new, which we'll talk more about in more detail that we have not talked about yet are student actions. And just a brief explanation that we'll come back to this is if we see these 17 things done consistently in our classroom, the student actions are meant to define what will we see from our students?

[00:29:10] What are the observable outcomes that we'll see from our students if our teachers are consistently implementing those teacher actions? and we'll share those with you a little bit later in the presentation today. So as Mr. Slevin mentioned, we are thrilled to have four amazing LCPS educators here at the table with us tonight.

[00:29:28] All of these teachers were part of our engaged team that spent time thinking about how we support and implement what's in the instructional framework. We've had meetings with them throughout this year and a host of other educators as well to talk about what this looks like in a classroom and to make sure that what we are sharing and creating is representative of the great work that our outstanding teachers are doing every day in their classrooms.

[00:29:52] So they're each gonna take a chance to talk about one of these key components and what that looks like in their classrooms. And we are going to start with Jessica Mitchell who is an English learner teacher at Kenneth Colbert Elementary School to talk about how student-centeredness, and you'll see on the screen here, these are the teacher actions that we use to define student-centeredness, but how student-centeredness impacts and is a part of her daily instructional practices.

[00:30:16] As an EL teacher, when thinking about student-centeredness and collaborating with classroom teachers, I definitely focus on establishing high expectations for each and every student and assigning accessible and affirming learning spaces for our diverse learners.

[00:30:34] One way I make sure that all students have opportunities for deeper learning is by collaborating closely with classroom teachers to implement structured oral language opportunities with targeted scaffolds for our students. This year, across my school, we've implemented several common structured oral language opportunities across classrooms in kindergarten through fifth grade that establish high expectations for all of our learners as well as give all students an opportunity to engage in critical thinking and share their thinking. This year I have focused on two specific activities with teachers. One is called the question, signal, stem, share, and assess model for student discussions. This model allows

[00:31:12] all of our students to be able to engage in classroom conversations and have all of their voices heard. Another activity I've done this year in classrooms K through five is called a hexagonal thinking vocabulary task and this is a rigorous task in which our students create meaningful connections between vocabulary words they are learning. They have visual supports, they have sentence stems, and they're all able to participate. These structured oral language opportunities promote high expectations for all of our students and they also amplify the voices of all of our students. Thank you Miss Mitchell and our second component is design and how we

[00:31:50] design learning for all of our students and so here to speak about design is Candace King who is a science teacher at Woodgrove High School. When I'm designing learning experiences for my students I always use the biology standards of learning and our LCPS curriculum is the foundation to write learning objectives that are in student-friendly language and that relate to authentic real-world ideas and issues and problems that our students may face.

[00:32:19] From these learning objectives, I carefully choose strategies and resources focused on rigorous, authentic, and student-centered learning. I frequently design instruction that includes specific thinking routines to shift from memorizing to finding connections through similarities and differences.

[00:32:35] For example, instead of asking students to memorize the stages of photosynthesis and respiration, I designed a rigorous thinking task in which students find similarities, differences, and connections between the two processes. By intentionally designing my instruction to include scaffolds, I can ensure that a learning experience is engaging for each and every student.

[00:32:56] For example, during the cell energy thinking task, I design scaffolds for students including sentence stems and collaboration routines. By designing instruction intentionally around a real-world issue or problem, such as ocean acidification, invasive species, and genetic technology, I can also plan for flexible learning paths.

[00:33:16] For example, when designing a lab experience, I plan for students to design components of, or even the entire experiment, as opposed to providing a step-by-step set of instructions. By planning scaffolds like graphic organizers and design check-ins, students can choose how they collect data to solve a real-world scientific problem.

[00:33:38] Thank you, Ms. King. And for Engage and how we engage students in their learning, we have Jamar Brown, who is a specialized instructional facilitator, to talk a little bit more about what this looks like in the classrooms that he supports and the teachers he supports.

[00:33:55] - In my role as a facilitator of specialized instruction, I often support teachers in providing engaging learning experiences. In one fifth grade math class, we tapped into a student's love of Minecraft by having them design their own buildings on grid paper and with each square representing a block.

[00:34:16] They calculated the area and the perimeter of their creations and then discussed their strategies with peers using sentence starters and visual supports. Students who typically struggle to stay engaged were suddenly leading the conversation because the task made sense to them and felt connected to their world.

[00:34:35] For students with disabilities, especially those with executive functioning challenges, language processing needs, or difficulty with abstract reasoning. This kind of engagement is critical. The structured visuals, the opportunity to design and build something personally meaningful, and the guided discussion all helped lower the barriers to participation.

[00:34:57] Instead of being overwhelmed by multi-step problems, students could access the math through something concrete, familiar, and fun. It allowed them to show what they know in a way that felt doable and even enjoyable. And again, most importantly, meaningfully.

[00:35:12] Thank you, Mr. Brown. And finally, to talk about assess, we have Beth Nelson, who is a science teacher at Riverbend Middle School. Hi, I'm Beth Nelson. I'm going to start with saying that we align our assessments with our standards.

[00:35:31] We'll use that as our basis for backwards design. From there, I'm going to talk about how I introduce my units. I introduce them through a driving question. I like to start with a question that the students can't directly answer. Like for example, why is water sticky?

[00:35:49] Then what they'll do is I'll assess their current level of content knowledge by having them discuss at their tables what do they need to know to be able to answer this question. So they'll have a dynamic conversation. They'll come up with their own questions of information they need to be able to figure out why is water sticky?

[00:36:07] And then they'll share those questions out with me. So I can know what do they already know about the topic, what is their interest, what is something that we can maybe dive deeper into. From there, the students will collect notes, information throughout the unit.

[00:36:22] And then before they take the summative assessment, we use this as an additional summative where they actually answer the question. And I can assess there how well did they learn the information. So for our assessments, we're using assessments as a summative assessment, but also a lot of checkpoints in between.

[00:36:46] We will use things as well, like capture sheets and mastery checks to see where students are at and change their pathways and adjust from there. Thank you, Ms. Nelson.

[00:37:01] And so those are just four great teachers who are part of this process. there were many more, 30, over 30, right, who were part of our team, who were working with us throughout the year on developing the instructional framework. And one of the things, you'll have the great fortune to hear from Amanda Kim here in just a second, but we were just talking this afternoon about when we share the instructional framework with teachers, we often are really appreciative of the fact that teachers feel like this is reflective of the work that they do, that it is a part of, that it is challenging, that it is rigorous, that we are asking our teachers to do a lot and serve our students in the ways and meet them where they are, but that it also is representative of the really good things happening

[00:37:41] in our classrooms every day and really can serve as a good foundation for what we do as educators and how we support educators through our curriculum and our professional learning and all of the work that's tied to teaching and learning in LCPS. So that is, I think, a review of some things around the instructional framework that we've talked about before.

[00:38:00] we're moving into a piece that we have not had the opportunity to share with you yet, and that kind of emerged through our work with teachers and administrators and hearing some needs that they had and to implement this effectively, and that is our student actions. And the student actions are really defined by this question, as I mentioned this earlier.

[00:38:19] If our teachers are on a regular basis implementing the 17 teacher actions that are part of the instructional framework, if that's a part of their daily classroom instructional practices, then how would we know? What would we see from our students to indicate that they are receiving the kind of instruction that we want in every classroom in LCPS?

[00:38:40] So I'm gonna have Amanda talk a little bit about our student actions and share with you our final list of what those actions look like. - Good evening. We began the development of the student actions this fall. And we started our process by gathering input from various groups of teachers, from school leaders, and central support administrators.

[00:39:02] The four individuals that are here with us were part of that early iteration of this. And we started this process by developing some classroom look-fors. Our earliest stages of this, we had 20 observable student behaviors.

[00:39:18] We had a very comprehensive, but a rather lengthy list of examples of what success could look like in the classroom. And about the same time, we were also recognizing that many of the ideas that are related to student-centeredness, engage, design, and assess really overlap.

[00:39:35] And we wondered if we could somehow combine these elements from our list of existing student look-fors into a more streamlined set, pulling together ideas from across various components and to make it easier for everyone to understand the student actions that result from the teacher actions contained in the framework.

[00:39:57] After months of iteration, we are pleased to share our final list of 10 student actions. Again, these 10 student actions are all observable student behaviors in a classroom. These are things that you could expect to see when a teacher actualizes the actions outlined in the instructional framework.

[00:40:21] The next slide includes an example. This is an example of the connections that exist between the student and the teacher actions. You will notice at the top of the slide that there is one of our student actions, And then the other pieces on this slide are the teacher actions that are results in or that would result in the student action.

[00:40:45] So you could think of this as if you would observe this student action taking place in a classroom, then you could assume that the teacher was consistently and intentionally doing all of these teacher actions, both while engaging in their classroom, designing, centering student, and assessing.

[00:41:03] Another important noticing in this example is how the teacher actions associated with the student action are a combination from all four of our key components, student-centered, design, engage, and assess. This helps illustrate that interconnectedness between those components.

[00:41:25] Our last piece of this agenda item tonight is to provide some time for you to debrief and to discuss. And the very next slide, if you go to one more, these are some questions that can help guide this discussion so what are some examples that you have seen of teacher and student actions when you visit classrooms what clarifications or additional details would be helpful or what questions do you have I think that's my cue right thank you so that's my cue board members do you have any questions

[00:42:04] or thoughts about this yes dr. she'd thank you chair more of a comment I just think I like how you guys keep the students engaged education has come so far since we were in school what happens when you have a I guess when the student continues to be I guess unengaged that would be that would serve a little bit challenging what would you what would you do to maneuver this situation you have you found those challenges once in a while and if so I think I someone had mentioned something about Minecraft but you know what would you do if you

[00:42:36] had a challenge of the sort something that I do with my students is goal setting and it's very reflective of the student. So I utilize that to gain, like to make a better connection with some of my students and I typically have a group of students every year who just it's really difficult to connect with and I found that the goal setting and reflection has made that difference especially this year to reach those students and during our instructional framework meeting the last one we did a bracketology in my group

[00:43:16] We decided that students feeling like they belong is the biggest impact on the student. And I think that really goes to show. So trying to make them feel like they belong goes the farthest. Thank you so much. I love what you guys are about.

[00:43:34] Dr. Deans. So at what level has this instructional framework been taught across all schools? To what extent?

[00:43:51] Where is the staff development on it, I guess I'm saying? - So I'll start and then I'll let Mr. Roundsley or Ms. Kim jump in. We are at this transitional point where we are presenting this instructional framework as a finished product. And we're moving into our development of a support plan.

[00:44:07] And so as we continue down this road, we're thinking about our launch next year when teachers return and our principals return at Lee Loudon, how this will be supported through our countywide staff development days. We have worked with partners across the division, such as in human resources and talent development, how this could support coaching and evaluation opportunities.

[00:44:30] So we plan on coming back, I believe we have a work session in June, where we'll be providing to the board an overview of our professional learning plans for next year. And while there'll be other topics that we'll continue to support, in addition to the instructional framework, we will be sharing more information about what support for the instructional framework will look like going forward.

[00:44:51] but we are currently planning those supports. So Mr. Roundsley or Ms. Kim, I don't know if you'd add anything. - Just that we hope that this is tied into the daily work of teachers, and so that in things that already exist, in the structures that already exist in our schools, at a school-based level, our county-wide professional development days, our CLT meetings, that there is lots of opportunities for us to align and embed this work.

[00:45:17] And all of us in central office, we were talking about this just earlier today, have some accountabilities and things that we can do to help support teachers. So we are continuing to work on that. And one of the key things that I think will happen when we return in the fall is having these defined lists of teacher actions and student actions allows us to collect some data and to gather that both by, we could do that by school, by level, by grade, by content.

[00:45:43] We've been working on some systems to be able to do that. And so that we really can pinpoint our supports, where are the teacher actions that we know we have a lot of strengths? And where are the ones where we can provide some additional support and help to teachers? What are the student actions that we're seeing regularly in our classrooms?

[00:45:59] And where are we not seeing that? And as Ms. Kim shared in that one graphic where it's unpacked, can we help identify the reason why we might not be seeing that? Because that list is one student action, but you can see it's a very complex task for teachers to be able to do all of that and to kind of recognize this is complex.

[00:46:18] And there might be some facets of this where we need to provide some additional support to our teachers. So a lot of the work when we return in the fall will also be gathering good data and making sure that the professional learning that we are providing is tailored and targeted and specific to the areas of need that we're identifying.

[00:46:36] - Yes, Dr. Deans, one follow-up. So would you roll it out to all schools simultaneously or? - Yes, this is a division-wide instructional framework. - Okay. - And it is going to be used by our schools, but as Mr. Roundsley mentioned, It's also going to have a big impact on the work of the Department of Teaching and Learning and other departments within Central Support and how we talk about instruction in our classrooms and also how we support the needs that we identify.

[00:47:09] Ms. Chandler? Well, I will say Dr. Deans asked my question. So I will just say thank you to the team. It's wonderful to hear about how you're innovating in the classroom, and I feel very heartened to know that our students are having these experiences, And I'll be excited to see how this rolls out across the division.

[00:47:32] And I hope as we progress through full implementation that we'll be able to hear more about how the teachers are assessed as they continue to integrate this new framework. So, thank you. Yes, Vice Chair Donohue.

[00:47:48] Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Slevin, and everyone for the presentation and for everything that you do for our students. As a parent of an 11-year-old fifth-grade boy who loves Minecraft, I was especially excited about your story of how you connected with your students in that way.

[00:48:07] I did want to ask about the reflections that you mentioned and specifically who those are discussed with or when and with whom slash how are those discussed with or responded to.

[00:48:27] are you referring to the reflect and respond questions yeah so for each component we have outlined or articulated two to three questions that are meant to spark either help in the planning process or in the reflection process and I believe that those questions can be used in a variety of different ways I see a world where teachers when they're meeting planning with the CLT, that those are questions that can be used to guide their planning, and then also after they've taught a lesson, they could be used to think about how did it go, and

[00:49:06] where do we want to go next. I can also see those to be helpful questions to an instructional facilitator, an instructional coach, who is helping a teacher grow their practice. Those can be some sample coaching questions that they use that are really targeted to the instructional framework.

[00:49:24] And a third group that could use those questions are our school leaders who evaluate and supervise and observe classroom practices that they can use, again, those questions as a coaching tool. Thank you.

[00:49:41] Ms. Chernoff. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you all for being here, and thank you for the work that you do. And it's been exciting to see this kind of unfold. We've definitely had some previewing committee, too, and just really happy to see almost, it feels almost like we're working backwards.

[00:49:58] in a sense, there's a lot of these things I know you do already, and you're kind of pulling that up into this framework. And so I really appreciate that we're going to have this thread that goes throughout that will kind of be the tie that binds, I think, from kindergarten to AP physics.

[00:50:13] I had a clarifying question about the student actions. Ms. Kim, did you say that each one of these actions is a reflection of all the strands somehow? Can you clarify that for me? Yeah, so when we originally began the development of the student actions, our first step was to articulate some look-fors by component.

[00:50:36] Okay. So in our first iteration for student-centeredness, we had approximately five student actions that related to student-centeredness. We had the same for design and engage, so we had upwards to 20 to 25. And we got some feedback early on from teachers and from school principals.

[00:50:54] And what we also noticed was there was a lot of repetitiveness between those student actions. We were saying similar things in the student actions that related to engage, as we were saying in design. And we felt like that we were actually able to, rather than tying our student actions directly to one component, we were able to say this is one student action and it is a result of something that a teacher might design and engage and during assessment.

[00:51:23] So we could almost map, take one student action, and it is a result of what a teacher is doing during designing of that, when they're engaging students, and when they're assessing and centering students in their classroom. So it became more of a holistic picture of what happens in the classroom as opposed to isolated into those components.

[00:51:46] Thank you. I appreciate that. And is that meant then, as you would maybe use this, I wouldn't envision it necessarily as a check, check, check, but as you're looking at your students and engaging with different content, would you envision that teachers can then anchor back into those pieces to reflect on which piece might be better suited for that student outcome? Absolutely. So in the presentation, there was one example of this connection, and the student action that is listed on the slide talks about students accessing learning intentionally through either flexible pathways or scaffolding and differentiation. And I imagine that if I would walk into a classroom and see

[00:52:25] evidence of, let's say, flexible pathways, then I could assume that this is probably because a teacher has established sound routines in their classroom. And that is one of the teacher actions associated with student centeredness. At the same time, I could also assume that this is hitting the teacher is designing those flexible pathways during CLT practices, and that teacher action is associated with design and so forth i could pull that to a teacher action with engage and assess and it gives a more a broader picture of all of the things that would go into

[00:53:02] a successful classroom environment yeah i like that it's multi-tiered and multiple lenses because it really for each kid it could be it maybe isn't the design piece maybe it's the engagement piece but it could also for another kid that same lesson it could be the design piece so i really love that you kind of merged all of that together. I have one last question. It's back to the professional development piece. I'm sort of thinking back to what you said about being kindergarten through high school, and this is sort of just foundational beliefs and sort of the guiding principles as

[00:53:36] we're planning. In the professional development, do you plan to kind of map out what this practically looks like side by side with different curriculums? I'm thinking particularly with the new curriculum, The reading curriculum in K-5, it's pretty scripted.

[00:53:52] It's pretty prescribed. And so some of those design elements might not be there for a teacher. So are you looking to kind of put things side by side for teachers and help them sort of walk where those decisions can be made? And additionally, with the student actions, would that be unpacked by developmental level?

[00:54:08] Because a student, you know, contributing to a positive and respectful learning environment at age 5 is very different than at age 18. So I'll start, and then Mr. Roundsley can jump in. At a high level, I would actually point back to the presentation we did a month or so ago on our curriculum audit.

[00:54:27] And one of the recommendations was to make sure that our professional learning was curriculum-based. And so one of the conversations we're having between the Division of Teaching and Learning, our content offices, and our Division of Professional Learning is when designing professional learning around the instructional framework, Is there a corresponding curriculum that supports the concept that we're trying to demonstrate to our teachers?

[00:54:52] And if we're not doing the work internally with our own curriculum documents, then we're missing a real opportunity to have influence in our classroom. Much of what you see in the instructional framework reinforces existing practices and beliefs about instruction that we've invested time and attention to over the years.

[00:55:09] But I do think we have an opportunity to better align our curriculum to our professional learning. And so that's the work that will be happening going forward. It has been a center of our conversation around what we're doing with our curriculum documents. But it can't be, in my mind, a conversation over here like here's the instructional framework and then go into your curriculum and do that.

[00:55:28] We need to make sure it's a seamless connection between those two documents. Yeah, absolutely. That's one of those accountabilities that I think in the Department of Teaching and Learning we have is to make sure that the curriculum documents and the materials we're sharing with teachers do offer this alignment to the instructional framework and the teachers see that link and connection between their teacher actions and the resources and materials we provide to them.

[00:55:52] I would also add that I love that suggestion of what this looks like at an elementary school, middle school, high school. Those are the kinds of things that we're thinking through right now. We have an opportunity next week to have a very deep dive into this with our school leaders and principals. And one of the questions that we plan to ask is what do we need to provide to you to make sure that you have what you need to launch this effectively in the fall.

[00:56:14] And what I'm hearing from that, I think that could very well be one of the things that we hear from school leaders as something, a useful resource to have to help teachers understand what this looks like. Those are the kinds of discussions we've started to have, but we really wanna engage with our school leaders in making sure that what we're providing to them and sharing with them is what they need to make sure this is effectively rolled out in August.

[00:56:39] And I'll piggyback on that. I've been doing some reading for some, I have a sickness and I like to read educational research sometimes, but one of the things that I was reading was about project-based and inquiry-based learning and how that's really more appropriate for expert learners, and so one of the things that people are grappling with are the difference between a novice learner, an emerging learner, a skilled learner and an expert learner and so that's kind of how I was thinking about you know

[00:57:13] K through 12 and all of those different curriculum you know how we're going to align all those kinds of things with it so there's that and I also did see the on a slide what was it slide what is the slide it was on with the ropes it looks like Scarborough's rope that was it so anyway I I appreciate all this work, and I'm looking forward to understanding more about it and seeing your process and the finished product and how you're going to implement all of it.

[00:57:49] Yes, Ms. LaBelle, last one. I would like to thank Mr. Slevin and his committee here. I was really impressed that a lot of what I heard you talking about were things that are incorporated in universal design for learning, which is one of my very favoritest ways of teaching children.

[00:58:10] so thank you for that thank you for your time and for your work okay we will move on to 4.02 department of business and financial services fy25 third quarter financial review presented

[00:58:29] by sharon willoughby our chief financial officer thank you i am here to present the third quarter financial review for fy25 that is a part of our regular quarterly updates to the school board

[00:59:06] The third quarter financial review is going to capture actual financial activity from July 1st through March 31st and then a projection for the last quarter of April 1st through June 30th. As always, the full financial report is included in board docs and I will focus on presenting the highlights this evening with a focus on the changes from the second quarter financial review that was presented to the school board in February.

[00:59:35] With the school operating fund, while revenues are continuing to miss the budget, there has been modest improvement from the second quarter as a result of more favorable sales tax collections. Overall, the projected revenues are projected to fall short of budget by $1.9 million, but is still an improvement from last quarter's $2.4 million projected shortfall.

[01:00:01] Expenses are projecting a surplus of $48.3 million, primarily from personnel savings. This $10 million increase in savings from the second quarter is a result from being further through the year and being able to project vacancies more accurately with the shorter length of time remaining in the fiscal year.

[01:00:18] And for example, there are certain positions that we just stop hiring for since we are so close to the end of school. So we're able to really lock in those savings. Operating expenses are fairly steady from the second quarter. This all results in a fund balance projection of $35.1 million after deducting the $12 million for carryover into FY26 that was included in the school board's adopted FY26 budget.

[01:00:45] We are continuing to hold on this fund balance to address any potential disruption to our federal revenue streams. We continue to not anticipate any federal changes. however, we continue to be fiscally cautious to ensure our operations are covered through the remainder of this year. Additionally, as described in the financial report, we are allowed to transfer year-end funds to our health self-insurance fund, similar to what we did last year to help shore up the health fund. That is our intention again this year. Last year, we transferred $13 million from

[01:01:20] year-end operating funds to the health self-insurance fund, and for this fiscal year, we could transfer up to approximately 26 million. I'll share more on this when I present the health self-insurance fund projection. Moving on to our school nutrition fund, it is relatively the same from the second quarter projection. The impact of snow days, though, are shown in this quarter with revenues negatively impacted from the closures due to no sales. So again, if we're closed, we're not selling any meals. We do see a positive impact from being closed related to operating expenses showing less

[01:01:59] spending, however, personnel costs are not impacted as school nutrition staff are still paid regardless if we're open or closed. The projected fund balance in this fund is $18.9 million. The school nutrition program is still running a net loss and will continue to rely on the fund balance to offset revenue shortfalls.

[01:02:18] We will continue to review ways to increase revenues and decrease costs as part of the management of the school nutrition program. Three of the self-insurance funds on the bottom of this slide are workers comp funds, short term disability and the Virginia local disability program fund remain relatively stable with minimal changes from the second quarter projection. Costs continue to be in line with budget expectations and all three funds are projected to maintain its minimum two-month reserve balance. So I've been sharing a concern with the school board for some time now related to the health

[01:02:56] self-insurance fund and it remains the same and that is that our claims expense continues to grow faster than the revenue we bring in through premiums. This This continues to put real pressure on the fund's financial stability. Revenues in this fund reflect an unexpected modest bump from larger than expected pharmacy rebates.

[01:03:15] This brings the revenue projection slightly above the budgeted amount. Expenses though continue to exceed the budget with pharmacy claims in particular having a substantial impact. We are experiencing a 12% year over year increase in pharmacy costs compared to last year.

[01:03:32] To help control these rising costs, we recently issued a pharmacy RFP aimed at achieving more effective cost management plan for both employees and LCPS as the insurer. This is one example of a cost-saving measure that we are working on.

[01:03:48] Last quarter, we projected this fund to go negative by approximately $933,000, and that position has slightly improved to a positive fund balance of approximately $511,000. As 511,000 falls far short of LCPS's target reserve of 17%, we do plan to transfer funds from the school operating fund into the health self-insurance fund.

[01:04:14] As I mentioned earlier, the county's annual appropriating resolution allows LCPS to transfer operating fund balance to the health self-insurance fund in an amount up to 10% of claims expense. Based on this projection and the numbers that we are looking at today, a transfer of $26 million could be made from the operating fund to this fund.

[01:04:40] It is important to note, though, these transfers are only temporary fixes. It's a short-term Band-Aid that uses one-time funds for ongoing expenses and is not a best practice. This all underscores the need for long-term strategies to increase revenues and reduce expenditures.

[01:05:02] efforts include the pharmacy RFP I mentioned earlier and the recently approved 12% premium increase for FY26 and the approved changes to the active employee plans for FY26. Additionally the proposed changes to retiree health benefit to help control costs while preserving choice for retirees would be another helpful action. We continue to manage our self-insured health benefit program for over 13,000 active and retired employees by balancing comprehensive coverage with financial sustainability.

[01:05:35] The last group is our capital funds. The first fund, again, is our capital asset preservation program that holds the funding to address major maintenance and system replacement projects. Projects must have a minimum value of $10,000 in a lifespan of over 10 years.

[01:05:51] The funding is flexible to allow staff the ability to manage emergencies and other high priority needs. You will see in the report that the costs are categorized by work type and when compared Compared to the second quarter report, there are some fluctuations of spending projections between these categories, however, all funds continue to be projected to be fully spent.

[01:06:12] There have been multiple structure repair, replacement, and resurfacing projects completed in this third quarter. A projected $2.2 million in savings will be used to address cost overages, supply chain risk, and new requirements across all projects.

[01:06:28] The other capital fund is the Capital Improvement Program Fund, and this accounts for the expenses related to construction and renovation of facilities land acquisition bus purchases and certain renovations you may recall from the second quarter projected that there were projected cost of overruns that have been addressed in the third quarter by forty nine point seven million of supplemental funding that was received from the county and that has been incorporated into the projection at this time there's a modest seven point two million of savings projected with recently completed projects that will be released once they

[01:07:04] are fully closed out. So that concludes my third quarter financial review. There won't be a fourth quarter. The fourth quarter would actually be the annual comprehensive financial report whenever we close out FY25. That update, along with the annual external audit results, will be presented to the school board later this calendar year. And with that, I'd be happy to take any questions. Thank you, Ms. Willoughby. I was looking through the report as well. There's a lot that you said about the health care insurance fund and things like that that I think you're reading is there any way

[01:07:43] that we could get some of that later like the script that you were reading from so that I can go back and and read through it at another at another time as well just because it was a lot it was a lot yeah I think a lot of it is included in the actual financial report that's in board docs but I will I can provide some additional talking points to the school board yeah that's what I was regarding the highlights I was like I was looking through and I was like where is this

[01:08:09] so okay yeah thanks um yes miss labell could we go back to slide four please um i had a question about revenues and you say that we're not getting revenue back in where would that revenue come from because we are self-insured meaning we run the lcps insurance company it's the premiums so it's the

[01:08:43] employer paid premiums and the employee and retiree paid premiums okay those are the major revenue sources for the health health SI fund we also have pharmacy rebates and there could be some miscellaneous but the vast majority are the premiums okay thank you very much any other yes thank you madam chair thank you miss Willoughby also along the lines of the health insurance fund when you say that we could transfer up to $26 million from the operating budget, are you referring to end-of-year funds?

[01:09:21] Is that the Band-Aid that you're talking about? Yes. So of the 35.1 that we are currently projected to be the fund balance on the operating fund, we could transfer up to $26 million to the Health SI Fund.

[01:09:43] we are limited and we are capped based on the county's appropriating resolution okay there's language in their resolution that um basically affords us the option to transfer funds but not the full like we can't just move all 35 million okay and then do those funds beyond what the county would put in the percentage do those funds have certain requirements they have to meet from where they come from within the operating budget or restrictions or it's just money that we would choose to designate from end of your funds to put in the last part okay appropriated unspent fund

[01:10:20] balance is the funding source thank you so we can send the un but there's still going to be an amount of money probably that that we still need to put in there so where would that money come from if we are capped off do we have to make those decisions in our budget so but again based on the numbers today 35 million and if we transfer 26 million to the health si fund that leaves about 9 million and the the practice has been that we would not return more than one percent of the budget to the

[01:10:59] county and that helps with county planning and we arrived at that number which is roughly about 10 million let's just say of really high numbers a high estimate um to address fluctuating fund balance return so to help stabilize information for the county's perspective we arrived at this agreement that we would return no more than one percent um and that again that has been around 10 i think last year we did nine we would be really on target again of another nine this year and

[01:11:35] that's because in prior years they could have a fund balance return we would return one year maybe $15 million. Another year it could be $700,000. Another year it could be $12 million. And so because it was fluctuating so much, it made it difficult from their perspective to address some long-term financial planning. So this was the agreement that we arrived at to try to have some stability and consistency. Okay, I don't think I understood. So then we would take $26 million

[01:12:08] to shore up the fund but we still have more left so then we would take that from it we would not take it anywhere it reverts to the county in compliance with the virginia code and so would they give it back to us to do we it reverts back to the appropriating body which is the county and it's their prerogative to do what they want with the funds that are returned we do have the opportunity later this calendar year to request usage of the county's fund balance and that's

[01:12:43] where as I mentioned during the capital funds where we were able to you know get a supplemental appropriation of the I think it was 49 million that was out of you know the majority of that was out of the county's fund balance so what we return goes to the county and then it's their prerogative in terms of how they manage it there's no there's no agreement that it comes right back But we do have the opportunity to request usage of the county's fund balance.

[01:13:16] Sure enough. So I guess I'm just wondering, if we know that this health insurance fund is vulnerable, which it feels like it's pretty vulnerable right now, and definitely based on the conversations we're going to have later in the meeting, I know that there's just a lot swirling around this.

[01:13:36] So would it behoove us in future years, knowing that this is a vulnerable account, to front load in the budget process more money allocated towards this self-insurance fund if there aren't restrictions? Rather than do it on the back end where we have to do this give and take with the county, wouldn't it make more sense if we know that things are shaky for us to start planning ahead and put more money in those funds so that the different programs don't have to shift so much?

[01:14:05] is that something that we could consider so by front loading we have to identify where the funds are coming from right and historically the management of this fund as with any operation will fluctuate there's going to be good years and there's going to be bad years and so just a real quick primer of the history of this fund back in fiscal 16 and prior this fund was had a negative fund balance and then also real quickly a fund balance is not like your checking account it's

[01:14:41] not an indication of cash a fund balance is related to governmental accounting and about equity related to revenues expenditures it's an indicator of financial health of the fund and by and by having a healthy fund balance a positive fund balance it helps mitigate long-term short-term risk when we were negative we had and again I wasn't in this role and this actually predates me But the county, there was an arrangement where the county did provide some funding to LCPS's health SI fund to bring it positive.

[01:15:17] Shortly after that, we entered a period where we had really good years. We had really healthy participants. We were increasing the number of employees, and they were participating in the plan, and they were healthy. And so we weren't having a lot of claims.

[01:15:34] And claims costs were moderate. There weren't extraordinary inflation happening. So we built a very large fund balance to the tune of it peaked at 50% of claims.

[01:15:51] It peaked at a dollar amount of $80 million. It was a very large fund balance. For various reasons, the county board of supervisors saw this nice fund balance, and there began conversations of what to do with this fund balance.

[01:16:09] From a business perspective, it would have been to, we wanted to retain the fund balance to address exactly what you are describing, Mrs. Chernow, that the ups and downs, the ups and flows. However, just due to the climate and the situation that we were in at the time, we worked out with the county and we did a series of health premium holidays to bring down the fund balance.

[01:16:33] So we offered a total of seven holidays, meaning employees and LCPS as the employer did not have to pay for health insurance out of their check that you know that squeezed off some of the revenue that was pumping into the fund and that helped draw down the fund balance um down to a level that was more satisfactory to the different boards um at the shortly after that action was taken now we enter a period we have a pandemic we um we start we we lose enrollment

[01:17:10] so we have less employees our demographics are changing in terms of claims the environment that we can't control inflation the cost of claims pharmacy also took off so now we have impacts to our revenue because we have less employees participating in the plan we aren't you know adding more and we have claims begin to increase and that's so now we're back kind of like in in the downslope unfortunately we don't have that fund balance that would have been nice to have

[01:17:46] but that's neither here nor there at this time we are addressing and so years ago even when you look back whenever we started a series of escalating premium increases back when we did a 2% premium increase increase when you look back at the budget at that time we still were over like a 25% fund balance, but we knew, we saw what was happening, and when we looked in the out years, that's why, even though it may not have been popular at the time, it was like, no, we need to start shoring up by increasing some premiums today, and let's do it incrementally

[01:18:23] with 2%, 2%, 4%, trying to shore up the fund, but unfortunately, the claims are still just outpacing the premiums, which is why now for the second year we have the 12% premium increase.

[01:18:40] And as I have been very transparent during the budget process and the questioning, fully expect that next year it will be another premium increase, very likely above 12%. Just to give perspective, Fairfax this year was looking at a 20% premium increase.

[01:18:57] So there's not a quick fix in terms of trying to shore up or address the management of the fund, which is why during the budget process we proposed three changes.

[01:19:14] One was the 12% premium increase across the board that the school board approved. The second was cost management related to the active plan. We increased out-of-pocket costs and the deductible for our active plan. that was approved by the school board and the third one was cost management related to the retiree plan and that obviously as you know is up for vote tonight so it's trying to address all the ways we can to manage this fund because there's not a way to just quickly fix it and we definitely don't want to come back with saying let's do a 50 premium increase I mean that would just be

[01:19:54] devastating so we're trying to make all the adjustments that we can in a way that is sensitive to our employees and retirees, but also fulfills our financial duty to stabilize the fund. Thank you for that.

[01:20:10] I really appreciate that history of the $80 million beforehand and the holidays and that this is not something that was just, as people have said, someone asleep at the wheel, because it's not true.

[01:20:27] And this has been looked at for a long time. And I think it needs to continue to look at, which we're going to talk about later, too. But I do appreciate that knowledge because I don't think that people have that history of, yeah, we did have it, and people were eyeing it, and we had to do something with it.

[01:20:48] It seems very short-sighted nowadays, so I appreciate that. Anybody else have any questions? Yes, Mrs. Griffiths. Thank you, Madam Chair. This health insurance fund, is it audited by outside auditors? I don't know if you mentioned that already.

[01:21:05] Could you just clarify? Every year, all of our funds and financial activity are audited by our external audit firm. I don't think we have a copy of the report, or can you send it to us? Did I miss it? It's presented every year. It's available also on the website in addition to it was posted in board docs when it was presented.

[01:21:24] I think that the presentation was either December, January. So it was in January. So do you know what date that was so I can go back and look? I don't have that really available. But was it one of our first meetings? It's also available, all the financial reports are also available on our website.

[01:21:40] Okay. Under Business Financial Services. All right, thank you. Vice Chair Donahue. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Ms. Willoughby, for the presentation. The fund that you were discussing, is it invested, and if so, how or in what?

[01:21:57] When you mean invested, like does it earn interest income in terms of, so if I understand at your question. I think what you're asking is the county has treasury duties for LCPS, and that's how it's set up in Virginia. So they manage the cash. In terms of what specifically they do with funds related to this health SI fund, I would want to go back and get clarity.

[01:22:29] I know they do have a variety of investments and investment pools. I just don't know specifically how they address this fund and the cash related to it. Any other? No, no more discussion.

[01:22:45] Looking forward to our continued discussion later. Thanks, Ms. Willoughby. Okay, we have 15 minutes, I guess. 4.03, Department of Support Services, School Board Policy 6210, Student Transportation, Annual Review of Walk Zones, presented by Kevin Lewis, our Chief Operations Officer.

[01:23:13] Thank you, Chair Mansfield. As the item says, this is our annual review of our walk zones, the decisions that have been made to change walk zones that we come and present we've also shared these with the Finance Committee last month and so we'll bring them here for your information this evening and I'm joined by Mr. Scott Davies who is going to walk us through the presentation good evening tonight we are presenting this transportation divisions proposed changes for the walk zones to specific schools as part of our annual walk zone

[01:23:51] review process the walk zone review process begins with a field review in November conducted by our lead drivers with field surveys of each school looking for changes and conditions new infrastructure or previously overlooked conditions such as controlled crossings etc we then compile the results and advise the affected principles of the proposed changes and then we present the proposed changes to the Finance and Operations Committee which occurred on April 1st and then follow on to the school board today affected families are then notified successively in advance of the committee meeting and subsequent school board meetings and as you can see we provided out for notifications prior

[01:24:29] to the April 1st meeting. After this meeting, households are then notified by June 30th of their effective change in transportation eligibility. They then have 30 days to appeal that decision ending on July 1st and then the updated walk zone maps are then published for public consumption.

[01:24:51] Walk zone review process is governed by policy 6210 which stipulates measured walk zone routes, walk routes from the front door of the school up to the property line of each residence up to one mile long for elementary and up to one and a quarter mile long for secondary schools. Policy 6210 also provides an exception rule that allows for us to extend the walk route for an additional tenth of a mile for elementary and two tenths of a mile for secondary to cover areas where it would not be cost effective to place a bus stop such as the end of a cul-de-sac. The policy also stipulates

[01:25:26] that any proposed changes be vetted by a committee of the school board, which in this case is the Finance and Operations Committee, and that any households are no longer eligible for transportation be notified by June 1st. That's in the policy. This year, we're proposing changes to expand the walk zone at Woodgrove High School, which would affect 42 students, and Lunsford Middle School, which would affect 103 students. At Lunsford, there's a controlled crossing at Braddock at both Laudan County Parkways and Ticonderoga and Bull Run Post Office Road allowing students to access the neighborhoods on the north side of Braddock adjacent to

[01:26:03] the school the long longest measure route distance is one and a quarter 1.23 miles which is farthest over to the to the right there this will reduce the two this will reduce two of the existing second loads that we still have remaining in the south and our entire network and many of these students are already walking, as you can see in the photo there. At Woodgrove High School, there's a new access road and an accompanying sidewalk connecting with the Crown Mayfair neighborhood, allowing these students to walk, and we're proposing that that be included in the walk zone for Woodgrove. And this

[01:26:43] concludes our presentation. I'm happy to answer any questions. Yes, Dr. Dean's short and to the point. The infrastructure improvements, the reason for the change at Woodgrove. Can you explain that a little? Yes, there's a new access road that's connecting Woodgrove to what's the 690 in Percival and that's providing a secondary access for for for Woodgrove High School right now it only connects to Alder School Road yes

[01:27:20] thank you madam chair thank you both for the information I was going to ask about the numbers of students affected if it's individual students or families but I think you addressed that already individual students so my other question was several parents have reached out with safety concerns related to the change at Lunsford can you comment on safety certainly so whenever we and whenever we propose a walk zone change especially when it's affecting a large

[01:27:56] number of students there are usually folks that reach out to express their concerns so we looked at the traffic volumes at on Braddock Road and and that crossing and we have similar crossings at other middle schools throughout the county at Riverbend trailside Farmwall Station and the traffic volumes that are that are at Braddock are at or below with those other other major roadways that those students cross would be consistent and appropriate so and the fact that it's a controlled crossing, we believe it is appropriate and safe.

[01:28:36] Madam Chair, may I ask a follow-up? Thank you. So you were talking about comparing the amount of traffic at these different intersections. Do you look at the particular times of day when the students are going to be crossing in those areas?

[01:28:54] Do you look at 9 a.m. in both places, or do you look at it at 9 a.m. for a high school and 8.30 for a middle school, for example? We look at, well, the traffic volumes that we get are from VDOT, and they are aggregated, so they're not specific to specific windows of time like rush hour and such.

[01:29:14] But middle school is generally, well, in the morning, it is kind of towards the tail end of rush hour, and in the afternoon, it's before rush hour. And we also observed that. That's where we have, the photo there was taken by our staff member, and we see the students cross there.

[01:29:30] A lot of great volume of students cross there already every single day. Thank you. Any other questions? Okay. Wait, I do. This is going to go back to F&O?

[01:29:55] No, ma'am. No. This will be the... You just presented it in F&O, and then you're presenting it here, and then... Yes, ma'am. Okay. Okay, thank you. I guess at that point... Oh, no. My computer just decided to do something wonky.

[01:30:17] Okay. At this time, we will move on to recess, and the board will be back at 6.30. Thanks.

[02:06:08] - Good evening, the board is coming out of recess at this time. We'll start, we'll continue with item seven, which is the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem. The Tuscarora Orchestra is under the direction of Brittany Dinsmore and is comprised of students in the ninth through 12th grades.

[02:06:31] Before you is their top ensemble, the Chamber Orchestra. This year, the Chamber Orchestra had students selected for the all county and senior regional orchestras and earned superior ratings at the Solo and Ensemble Festival last weekend. Most excitingly, the full combined Tuscarora Orchestra of 50 members earned straight superior ratings at their district concert assessment performance last month, which contributed to the Tuscarora High School being designated by the state as a Blue Ribbon School of Musical Excellence.

[02:07:04] This is the second year in Tuscarora's history that this elite recognition has been earned by the THS Music Department, meaning the orchestra, choir, and band each earned superior assessment ratings this year. The Tuskegee Orchestra is looking forward to hosting the JMU Symphony Orchestra next month for a musical collaboration.

[02:07:24] The chamber ensemble and its director are grateful for the opportunity to share our national anthem with you this evening. Will everyone please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem?

[02:10:57] I was just waiting for a switcheroo to kind of happen because we have a lot of awards coming up and I wanted to make sure that the parents were here for their awards as well. Okay, we're going to move on to item eight, student staff recognitions.

[02:11:13] And we're going to have, I'm going to be down here with Dr. Spence and Vice Chair Donahue. And in the meantime, I'll have Ray Mitchell introduce items 8.01 through 8.04, followed by Lisa Boland, who will introduce items 8.05.

[02:11:31] Thank you, Chair Mansfield. We are going to have Mr. Derek Ferry, Director of Athletics and Extracurricular Activities, to present the intramural and VHSL awards and recognitions.

[02:11:55] Good evening, Madam Chair, Dr. Spence, members of the school board. Tonight presents an opportunity to extend our heartfelt recognition to the outstanding individuals and teams from LCPS who have exemplified excellence by clinching a state championship in VHSL athletics and activities.

[02:12:16] Their unwavering commitment and relentless dedication and tireless efforts accumulated in our remarkable achievements this past winter. We would also like to recognize the county champions in the middle school intramural program.

[02:12:32] We start the presentation with our middle school intramural program recognitions. We have completed two more championships since the last recognition here in the boardroom. First up, the Intramural Volleyball Champions was awarded to the Eagles of Eagle Ridge High School.

[02:12:52] Next, we have basketball. Basketball was our other championship tournament since the last recognition night. Your inaugural all-LCPS middle school champ is the three-on-three basketball team from the Falcons of Farmwell Station Middle School.

[02:14:14] And now we have the pleasure of recognizing our high school programs. In the winter of 2025, LCPS captured three Virginia High School League team state championships. The first of these titles was actually a repeat win.

[02:14:30] The Woodgrove Wrestling Program is being recognized for its second consecutive state championship. Congratulations, Wolverines.

[02:15:13] Thank you. The second team state title was captured out at Heritage High School. The Pride girls basketball team won their first ever district, region, and then the state title and became only the second sports program in the Heritage's 23-year history to raise the state championship trophy.

[02:15:42] We congratulate the girls team and say we're Pride.

[02:16:22] The title was captured by Light Ridge High School.

[02:16:48] They won the VHL Class 5 Scholastic Bowl State Championship, marking the third time in the last four years that they have taken home the gold. Congratulations to the Lightning Bolts.

[02:17:09] Our season is a time for individual athletes to shine.

[02:17:47] With indoor track and field, gymnastics, swimming, and wrestling in competition, the student-athletes can earn individual accolades in the coveted state championship medal. Twenty-six different student-athletes achieved the dream and brought home an individual gold medal across the winter sports.

[02:18:07] We would like to recognize each of them for their achievement tonight. Starting in Class 6, Indoor Track and Field, Josh Johnson became the lone Freedom Eagles to garner the state championship as he plays through the 55-meter dash. Congratulations, Josh.

[02:18:25] Class 5, Riverside High School, Thomas Ray, you may recognize him from state cross-country because he also won the state title in that, completed two different gold medal performances by dominating the 1,000-meter and the 1,600-meter run.

[02:18:53] Congratulations, Thomas. Also in Class 5, the Potomac Falls 4x4 meter relay team of Jack Manfredi, Nathan Short, Carter Dunstan, and Caden Richardson brought home the gold medal with a flawless performance.

[02:19:16] Congratulations to these Panthers. Byron Woods also had a champion in Class 5 as Kelsey Humbert vested a talented field in a 1,600-meter run.

[02:19:40] Congratulations, Kelsey. Stonebridge and Independence High School each had a shot put champion in Class 5.

[02:19:56] At Independence, that title belongs to Ava Jaiarman. Congratulations, Ava. At Stonebridge, the state champion gold medal in the shot put belongs to Corin Rucker. Congratulations, Corin.

[02:20:21] In Class 4, Kim Timaco from Rockridge High School brought home the championship in the 500-meter run. Congratulations, Kim.

[02:20:46] Our final track and field champion went to the distance and bested the field in the 3,200-meter run. Again, you might recognize him from the fall because he also won the state cross-country in Class 4. Congratulations to Loudoun County's Michael Tafe on the win.

[02:21:05] This is his second time honoring this year. We now move on to our wrestlers. We have quite a few athletes who stand on the top of the podium this year across three classifications in which Loudoun schools compete.

[02:21:27] The first of our state champions is a freshman at Heritage High School. Bryson Garofalo brought home the 113-pound title in Class 4 and Heritage's first-ever individual state champion in wrestling. Congratulations, Bryson. Bryson garnered this honor only a couple hours before Heritage High School won their second-ever state medal in wrestling when Kyle DeSantos dominated the bracket to win the 285-pound championship.

[02:22:05] Congratulations, Kyle. Next up is Bryce Schnelster secured a 120-pound title for Loudoun County in Class 4.

[02:22:21] Congratulations, Bryce. A little while later, another Loudoun County wrestler struck gold when teammate Lincoln Kelly won the 132-pound title. Congratulations, Lincoln.

[02:22:40] Soon after, the captains crowned their third champion of the tournament when Justin Lowery won the title at 157. Congratulations to Justin. The Woodgrove Wolverines put two wrestlers on the top of the podium en route to their team state champion.

[02:23:06] At 150 pounds, it was Sawyer Jones bested in the bracket. Congratulations, Sawyer. At 215 pounds, Ibram Zaki dominated the competition to win another title for the Wolverines.

[02:23:30] In Class 4 at the Girls' State Tournament, Broad Run's L.J. Peters was the champion at 235 pounds. Congratulations, L.J. Independence High School Luke Johnson had his hand raised in the 226-pound championship final in Class 5.

[02:24:02] Congratulations, Luke. Also in Class 5, Will Brooks brought home a state title in the 165-pound weight class for the Stonebridge Bulldogs.

[02:24:17] Congratulations, Will. LCPS also saw a number of swimmers crowned as state champions. Omar Murad of John Champ High School blazed past the field in the Class 4 championship to win the 50-meter freestyle event.

[02:24:42] Congratulations, Omar. Omar, because we would like to recognize the John Champ, sorry, Omar, stay still.

[02:24:58] We'd like to recognize the rest of the John Champ 200-meter freestyle relay team that was secured the Class 4 gold medal. These boys are Omar, Cole Wegley, Cal Rice, and Ibrahim Murad. Congratulations, boys.

[02:25:19] Our final state champion to recognize tonight comes from the world of gymnastics. Gymnastics state champions are determined in one meet, representing all six VHL classifications combined.

[02:25:34] This year, the best athlete to perform the floor routine in the state of Virginia is Ari White of Broad Run High School. Congratulations, Ari. Thank you and congratulations to all our winter season champions.

[02:26:03] Slide down. Slide down. You're going to slide down behind me. Scoot up. There you go. Slide up. Slide up. Come on.

[02:27:49] Ladies and gentlemen, Athletics and Activities has one more recognition to perform this evening. We are privileged tonight to honor a lifetime's worth of work with our young people in the athletic setting. Coach Jenny Obel began her gymnastics career coaching at Broad Run High School in 1984.

[02:28:11] While working as a teacher and coach at Broad Run from 1984 to 2002, she led the Spartan gymnastics team to the state title in 1991. It was the first sport state team title ever achieved at that school. Ms. Obel later moved to Heritage High School in 2002, where she continues to coach to this day.

[02:28:33] She concurrently coached the Heritage and Loudoun County High School gymnastics team for many of those same years. Along the way, Ms. Obel coached multiple region and state place winners, as well as individual all-around state champions, and led the Heritage team to a Virginia High School League state runner-up finish in 2020.

[02:28:55] Coach Abel not only continues to coach gymnastics at a high level despite being retired from teaching, she also works as a gymnastics and cheer official and has been the point person for LCPS when hosting the VHL state gymnastics meet.

[02:29:11] Her career coaching is nothing short of fantastic. Eight district championships, five region championships, a state championship, and 416 wins as a VHL gymnastics coach. She is the current Virginia High School League all-time record holder for career victories.

[02:29:33] It is with great pride that we are pleased to announce to everyone tonight that Jennifer Abel will be inducted into the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame on April 27th as the sixth ever LCPS coach or athlete to achieve this honor.

[02:29:50] Congratulations, Coach Abel.

[02:30:36] Okay, I think it's my turn now. Thank you. So tonight, the Department of Human Resources and Talent Development is thrilled to share some exciting news with the school board. LCPS has been honored with several highly regarded regional employee recognition awards, an achievement that speaks volumes about the exceptional talent and dedication of our staff across the division.

[02:31:03] These awards are a testament to the incredible work happening every day in Loudoun County Public Schools and the people who make it possible. To share more about these recognitions and the individuals being honored, I am pleased to turn it over to Carrie Sims, our supervisor of employee recognition.

[02:31:21] Dr. Spence, board members, cabinet members, colleagues, and esteemed guests, what an absolutely incredible day for Loudoun County Public Schools. As you are aware, LCPS has a robust annual awards program in which all school-based employees and a majority of non-school-based employees are eligible for nomination.

[02:31:41] This includes our Teacher and Principal of the Year awards. Last spring, I stood before you and introduced Jeff Joseph and Kimberly Poole as the 2024 LCPS Principal and Teacher of the Year. As is our practice, these division winners become our nominees for the following year for the Washington Post Principal and Teacher of the Year awards.

[02:32:02] We gather tonight with immense pride and joy to celebrate the announcement today of the 2025 Washington Post Principal of the Year, the remarkable Jeff Joseph, the 2025 Washington Post Teacher of the Year, the inspiring Kimberly Poole.

[02:32:39] Along with the title, they will receive a $7,500 monetary award, signature trophy, a feature in a half-page ad that runs in today's paper, and a profile in today's printed newspaper as well as online.

[02:33:02] There are also a few more surprises, Jeff and Kimberly, that our own Department of Communications and Community Engagement has up its sleeve in the next few weeks. Jeff and Kimberly, please know that this honor is so richly deserved. Your dedication, your passion, and your unending commitment to our students shine brightly for all to see.

[02:33:22] Jeff. Your leadership as a principal creates a nurturing and empowering environment where both students and staff can thrive. You embody the qualities of an exemplary principal. Vision, empathy, and the ability to inspire a shared sense of purpose within your school community.

[02:33:41] In his nomination packet, a parent remarked, he does just jump in wherever needed. I once saw him riding a little tiny excavator around the blacktop moving snow out of the way for all the walkers to get through. Assistant Principal Janet Lewis wrote, "One of Mr. Joseph's standout qualities is his commitment to maintaining a continuous and open dialogue with students, parents, faculty, and staff. He excels at creating an atmosphere where communication is not only encouraged but valued as an integral

[02:34:10] part of the educational process." Kimberly, your impact in the classroom is profound. You possess that special gift of igniting a love of learning in your students fostering curiosity and providing the guidance they need to reach their full potential you exemplify the heart of a master teacher knowledge patience and unwavering belief in the power of education to transform lives evidence of those transformed lives were seen in kimberly's nomination packet a former student says this of her time in mrs pool's

[02:34:49] classroom mrs pool did so much for me in sixth grade but what's truly incredible is that she She has continued to be a mentor for me in the years since. In seventh grade, I joined the yearbook staff because I knew she was the advisor. She taught me how to find an angle to tell a story and how to make that story come to life on the page.

[02:35:08] When schools shut down at the beginning of the pandemic, Mrs. Poole kept us on track and moving forward. Through hours of Google Meets, dozens of emails, and in a measurable amount of dedication, she helped me and my co-editor-in-chief see the yearbook through to publication, a creation of which we were beyond proud.

[02:35:25] Five years later, I am the editor-in-chief and layout editor of my high school newspaper. The love of writing, designing, editing, and sharing community stories that began on that yearbook staff with Mrs. Poole has become one of the most valuable parts of my high school career.

[02:35:41] While we celebrate these individual achievements today, it's important to acknowledge that Jeff and Kimberly's success is also a powerful reflection of the extraordinary work happening every single day across Loudoun County. Every day our principals and teachers pour their hearts and souls into creating exceptional learning experiences for our students.

[02:36:00] This recognition for Jeff and Kimberly speaks volumes about the collective dedication and excellence that defines Loudoun County Public Schools. And let's take a moment to truly appreciate the significance of this honor. Never before has any county had both the Washington Post Principal and Teacher of the Year in the same year.

[02:36:31] This unprecedented achievement is a testament to the caliber of educators we have here in Loudoun. It underscores the innovative spirit, the collective culture, and the unwavering focus on student success that is Loudoun County Public Schools. Jeff and Kimberly, your accomplishments are a source of absolute pride for all of us.

[02:36:49] You inspire us with your dedication, your leadership, and your commitment to our students. Congratulations again on this well-deserved honor.

[02:36:56] for all you do for the students and community of Loudoun County that was a

[02:38:41] lot of celebration it's very exciting alright we will now move on to item 9 our student school board representative comment tonight our first student school board representative is Delora Youssef Delora is a senior at Dominion high school with a strong passion for global affairs and diplomacy. Inspired by her transformative trip to Egypt, she aspires to become a U.S. diplomat for the United Nations, dedicating herself to leadership and service. She has accumulated 192 volunteer hours through impactful

[02:39:19] roles with the Student Council Association, the Red Cross, girls basketball management, and as a Sunday school teacher for third graders. As the 2023-2024 Vice President of the Student Council, she played a key role in strengthening student advocacy and engagement. This fall, Delora will further her commitment to international relations by attending Virginia Tech to study political science. Beyond her academic and leadership pursuits, she loves to try new food, stay active, and read poetry. She also enjoys exploring Washington, D.C., where she finds

[02:39:55] inspiration in its rich history, culture, and global influence, as she hopes to make a significant impact on both her community and the world. Welcome, Ms. Youssef, and the floor is yours. Thank you, and good evening. My name is Delora Youssef, and tonight I have the honor of sharing a reflection of a journey that has changed me forever. I'm filled with gratitude, nostalgia, and a deep appreciation for the place that has shaped me into the person that I am today.

[02:40:26] Dominion High School has not just been a school to me. It has been a guiding light and a place where I discovered my voice, my strength, and my purpose. As an Orthodox Christian Egyptian, I brought with me not just a different culture, but the stories, values, dreams, and generations before me. At Dominion, I was able to honor where I came from while discovering who I wanted to become. And that beautiful duality of holding on to my roots while building a future is the most powerful part of my growth. I faced many challenges, such as adapting to a new culture,

[02:41:01] navigating the education system, facing adversity, and sometimes feeling like I had to carve out my own space to feel like I belong. But what I found at Dominion was more than just a place to learn. I found a community that embraced me, teachers who believed in me and opportunities that helped me grow.

[02:41:21] The school has given me so much. From hosting an international summit that connected students from around the world to watching our gymnastics team make history and seeing the incredible investments made in our school's future. I have witnessed firsthand of what it means to be part of something great.

[02:41:39] I've seen our school come together for important initiatives, like the Song for Charlie campaign for fentanyl and opioid overdoses. I am so grateful for this awareness, reminding us all of the importance of being proactive in protecting each other, whether we know each other or not.

[02:41:57] I felt the energy from our pep rallies, the happiness from our student body, the pride of our theater productions, and the unwavering dedication of our safety team in making Dominion the best it can be from being awarded the highest safety rating in all of Loudoun County Public Schools.

[02:42:14] All these initiatives, from global exchange programs to safety measures and sports achievements, contribution to making Dominion High School not just a school, but a community where students grow, thrive, and make a real impact to hopefully find themselves doing something unimaginable.

[02:42:31] For all of this, I am incredibly thankful. Dominion has guided me through my transformation, providing me with the resources and support to reach new heights. These moments, big and small, reminded me that I wasn't just a student. I was part of something greater, a community where students aren't just taught, they're empowered, where potential doesn't just exist, it's nurtured and transformed into impact. And that made all the difference. As I prepare to move on to the next chapter of my life at Virginia Tech, I do so with a heart full of gratitude, and I'll carry everything that Dominion gave me, strength,

[02:43:08] hope, vision, and the unshakable belief that I belong everywhere that I go. To LCPS, keep believing in students like me, the quiet ones, the uncertain ones, the ones with stories that you haven't heard yet. Sometimes all it takes is one person to believe long enough for us to believe in ourselves. There was a time when I wondered if I would ever be seen. But Dominion didn't just see me. It illuminated me. It turned fear into bravery and dreams into reality and potential into something so radiant, giving me the space to grow, the chance to lead,

[02:43:48] and the courage to become. So thank you for everything and go Titans. Thank you Ms. Yousef for being here and for your comments. And we have our second student representative for this evening, Taylor Keys. Taylor Keys is the president of the Loudoun County High School Student Council Association. She has been an active and impactful member of the Student Council since her freshman year. Throughout her time at Loudoun County High, Taylor has been deeply involved in various clubs

[02:44:26] and organizations, showcasing a strong commitment to leadership and community service. She's a dedicated member of the Future Business Leaders of America, Sources of Strength, Finance Club, Educators Rising, Walking for Water, Morgan's Message, and the National Honor Society. Taylor's dedication and hard work have paved the way for her next academic journey. In the fall, she'll be attending Cox Business School at Southern Methodist University. Go Mustang! When she plans to further develop her skills and pursue her passion for business and entrepreneurship. Welcome Ms. Keyes

[02:45:04] and the floor is yours. Thank you. Good evening everyone. I would first like to thank the school board, my principal, and Loudoun County High School's administration for giving me the opportunity to speak with you all today. My name is Taylor Keyes and I've had the privilege of serving as a member of the student council at Loudoun County High School for the past four years and I'm currently honored to serve as our SCA president. It's been a year full of traditions, memories, and achievements that make me incredibly proud to be a captain. It's the spirit of unity, creativity, and hard work that defines us and I can't wait to walk you through everything we've

[02:45:43] done together. Our student council kicked off the year by welcoming our incoming freshmen with High School 101, an annual event designed to help them feel at home, get to know the school, and see what their next four years will look like. It's always so rewarding to see our newest students settle in and start their high school journey. This year was especially exciting because we celebrated our 70th year anniversary. In honor of that, we brought back the beloved tradition of a homecoming parade. It was a truly beautiful event that united alumni, parents, and students introduced a fun new tradition with Rochambeau, a school-wide rock, paper, scissors tournament that

[02:46:22] got the entire student body involved during our homecoming spirit week. This spirit week featured dress-up spirit days along with a thrilling homecoming pep rally with exciting games and incredible performance by our cheerleaders and even relay races involving our homecoming court.

[02:46:37] Our pep royalties have always been a huge hit with the student body and our staff. Our homecoming football game was another highlight where we crowned our homecoming royalty and honored our Athletic Hall of Fame inductees, Courtney Campbell, Michael Anderson, Stephen Graham, Patrick Joseph, Dude Moxley, and Lisa O'Donnell.

[02:46:55] These individuals set the bar high for future captains. One of our big wins this year was making our 70th year homecoming dance free to all students, which led to our most well-attended dance in years. This was something we felt very passionate about, and we were thrilled that the attendance reflected just how much our community values coming together and celebrating.

[02:47:15] Beyond homecoming, we also saw the return of FCCLA's annual trunk retreat, which had an amazing turnout from local elementary schools and family and friends of our fellow captains. Our winter spirit week, full of fun and creative spirit days, was another success.

[02:47:30] We ended the week with our winter pep rally, giving our students a break from their academics and a chance to have some fun before we sent them off on winter break. Loudoun County's Polar Punch team participated in their plunge this winter, raising nearly $4,000 for the Special Olympics, reinforcing how much our students care about giving back.

[02:47:52] Additionally, last month, SCA hosted our third annual Rowdy Rough Tournament, full of fierce competition and school spirit. This event is a favorite amongst our students and always gets a great turnout. Our athletics have had an outstanding year. Loudoun County High School sports teams have truly shown this year, demonstrating not only skill and talent, but also unwavering dedication and teamwork.

[02:48:16] Each team has represented our school with pride and determination, making us all incredibly proud of their accomplishments. Whether on the field, court, or track, they've shown that with passion and commitment, no goal is out of reach. This year, our Loudoun County High School football team made an unforgettable run, securing a spot in the region semifinals and showcasing their determination and grit every step of the way.

[02:48:40] Meanwhile, our girls varsity volleyball team had an outstanding season, securing the regional championship and earning a well-deserved spot in the state semifinals. This year, our team won a state championship and got the chance to participate in this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

[02:48:55] On to track, Michael Taff secured the state championship in the 3,200-meter run. In wrestling, we saw incredible individuals' performances with Bryce Schnellser, Lincoln Kelly, and Justin Lowry, each claiming state championship titles.

[02:49:14] Both our boys' varsity basketball team and girls' varsity basketball team made impressive runs to the regional semifinals, showcasing their talent and determination on the court. The girls' swim team made waves at the regional championship with Isabel Boyle, Ellie Smith, Anna Gillidis, Reese Leach setting a new school record in the 400-meter freestyle relay, finishing with an impressive time of 347.46.

[02:49:43] The marching captain secured the Group 5 Open State Championship and placed second at nationals with a near-perfect score of 96.8. They finished fourth out of 58 bands at MetLife Stadium. Our NJROTC orienteering team also had a stellar year.

[02:50:00] They not only won the regional championship, but also placed third at the NJROTC National Orienteering Championship, a remarkable accomplishment that showcases their discipline and teamwork. The drama department took home first place at the VHSL One Act Regional Championship, proving once again that our students' talent is top-notch.

[02:50:20] Our orchestra and chorus teams also traveled to Orlando for the Festival Disney competition, where both groups earned superior scores, the orchestra was awarded the honor of best overall performance. We also had standout students like Pearson Lee and Felicity Banner who gave phenomenal performances with the North Central Senior Regional Orchestra. These students are a testament to the amazing talent that our school cultivates and we couldn't be prouder of them. In addition to these feats, our school has been buzzing with pride over these outstanding performances. Our students exemplify the spirit of dedication and excellence that defines Latin County High School. Looking

[02:50:59] ahead, the rest of the year promises to be just as exciting. This Friday, the junior class will be hosting a secret garden-themed prom, and we can't wait for a night of magic and memories. After that, we'll kick off our Spring Spirit Week, an opportunity for our entire school to come together and show off our school pride. The following Friday, we'll celebrate with our Spring Pep Rally, featuring a lively student versus staff basketball game that is continuously a crowd favorite.

[02:51:26] As part of our SCA's initiatives, we're continuing our senior handprints tradition where seniors will leave their mark on our school before they graduate. We'll also be hosting a family game night, another fun event designed to bring our community together for some friendly competition. SCA has also teamed up with Tri-M and the ASL Club to host a talent show that will showcase the incredible talents of our students.

[02:51:49] Lastly, our seniors are gearing up for Captain's Outreach where they'll have the chance to give back to the community. Experiences from their outreach will be shared at our Captain's Outreach Banquet, a heartfelt way to celebrate their high school journey and contributions. In conclusion, I stand here today with immense pride in everything we've accomplished as a school this year.

[02:52:10] From our school-wide events to our athletic victories, from the outstanding performances in the fine arts to our community service efforts, we've truly come together to create something special. And I know that this is just the beginning. Thank you for your continued support of our students, our programs, and our school.

[02:52:26] I'm incredibly proud to be a part of Loudoun County High School, and I can't wait to see what else we will achieve together. Thank you.

[02:52:43] - Thank you, Ms. Keyes, for joining us tonight and also for your comments. Before we move on to the superintendent's report, Mrs. Griffiths, would you mind doing your disclosure, please? - Thank you, Madam Chair.

[02:53:00] As a member of the Loudoun County School Board, I make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and our health insurance and related benefits in any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees. Specifically as a school board member I am eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee. These benefits however affect thousands of employees well in excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may also be affected of which I am included. I can and will participate fairly, objectively, and in the public's interest. This disclosure will be reflected in the

[02:53:37] public records of the clerk of the school board for five years. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Griffiths, and we will now move on to item 10, the superintendent's report, presented by Dr. Aaron Spence, our superintendent. Thank you, Madam Chair, and as always, it is my pleasure to share some good news from around our school division this evening. I'd like to start by asking Jonathan Bonner to stand.

[02:53:58] I'm pleased to note that Mr. Bonner has been named the next principal of Tuscarora High School. Most recently, Mr. Bonner was the assistant principal at Independence High School.

[02:54:18] Previously, he served as assistant principal at John Champ High School and the dean of Simpson Middle School. Mr. Bonner began his career with LCPS as a math teacher at Lunsford Middle School. Mr. Bonner, congratulations, and we welcome you to your new role. Next, if I could ask Carlene Lydic to stand.

[02:54:41] Ms. Lydic has been selected as the next principal of Hutchison Farm Elementary School. Ms. Lydic has been the assistant principal at Hutchison Farm since 2013.

[02:54:57] Previously, she was assistant principal of Cedar Lane Elementary School and Ashburn Elementary School. She started her career here in LCPS as a fourth-grade teacher at Catoctin Elementary School. And we welcome you to your new role and congratulate you as well. This evening, we'd also like to congratulate Potomac Falls High School for being named a model school by the Center for Model Schools.

[02:55:21] Potomac Falls is one of only 13 high schools nationwide and the only school in Virginia to receive this distinction. Through a rigorous application and interview process, the school was selected for its sustained commitment to student success, innovative practices, and collaborative high-quality instruction.

[02:55:37] This June, Potomac Falls will present at the National Model Schools Conference, sharing its journey of continuous improvement and student-centered learning with more than 5,000 educators from across the country. This recognition speaks to the dedication of the entire school community, students, staff, leadership, and families in their ongoing pursuit of excellence.

[02:55:54] We are proud to see their work celebrated a national stage so congratulations to principal dr brandon wolf and the entire potomac falls high school team earlier this month the freedom high school hope club hosted its annual hope dance the hope club and hope stands for helping people every day provides connection and engagement for students with intellectual and emotional disabilities over the past decade participation in the dance has steadily grown with this year marking a milestone as all lcps high schools and and approximately 300 students participated in the dance.

[02:56:33] The theme of this year's dance was "Glow Your Own Way," and students wore glow-in-the-dark bracelets and necklaces and enjoyed music, food, and the opportunity to be themselves while connecting with friends from across the county. Many thanks to the students and staff who supported this event, both at Freedom on High School and across LCPS.

[02:56:51] Next, as we celebrate Earth Day, students across the division have been developing and participating in projects to protect the environment. I'd like to take a moment to highlight one project undertaken by the seventh grade students at Farmwell Station Middle School. These students identified the drop in the pollinator population as a serious issue facing the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

[02:57:11] To address the problem, students developed a project to grow pollinator meadows. Prior to spring break, students got their hands a little dirty as they rolled soil, clay, and native seeds into balls. And this week, the students distributed these seed balls on the borders of the school's property in the hopes that these seeds will grow into pollinator meadows.

[02:57:30] This project has earned the students a spot as finalists in the Caring for Our Watershed contest, which asks students to develop a plan that answers the question, what can you do to improve the watershed? Not only was this project creative and fun, but it also helps students connect with the seventh grade science curriculum to better understand the concept of ecosystems.

[02:57:51] Recently, the Academies of Loudoun Auto Mechanics students visited the LCPS Transportation Division for theoretical and practical lessons, specifically connected to the mechanics of medium and heavy duty machinery. During their visit, first-year auto mechanic students disassembled a diesel engine and reviewed key engine parts, and second-year auto mechanic students learned about full-floating rear axles and drum brakes on a medium-duty truck. I'd like to thank the Transportation Division for opening up their space and their team to the students and for providing this unique experience. We also want to congratulate Stonebridge High School librarians Laura Channing

[02:58:27] and Erin Curry. Laura and Erin were named 2024 Public Educators of the Year by the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area. This award recognizes their outstanding efforts in bringing history to life for students and educators throughout Loudoun County. Ms. Channing and Ms. Curry developed a series of artifact trunks chronicling multiple areas of American history, with each trunk containing original and reproduction artifacts, primary documents, lesson plans, and digital resources, all offering students hand-on learning experiences covering topics ranging from the American Revolution to the Vietnam War. And we're pleased to note that these trunks will now be

[02:59:07] available to educators across the county. Finally, I would like to share some great news about the work LCPS staff have achieved in addressing the bus driver shortage, which has been a very serious issue in Loudoun County for nearly a decade. For the past several years, the LCPS Human Resources and Training and Development Department and the Transportation Training Office have been working tirelessly to address this issue and in early april chief operations officer kevin lewis and transportation director scott davies recognized a significant milestone in these efforts noting that the division has employed now sufficient drivers to cover all daily routes and field trips

[02:59:43] while there will be expected retirements at the end of the school year this accomplishment reflects the tenacious hard work towards the achievement of a major division objective so many thanks to the teams and staff who've worked to achieve this milestone and many thanks to those drivers who are out on our roads keeping our kids safe every single day. And Madam Chair, that concludes my report. Thank you, Dr. Spence. And that now brings us to item 11, which is public

[03:00:22] comment. Thank you for engaging with the school board through the public comment process. The school board welcomes comments from Loudoun County residents and believes that a strong community engagement and outreach are important components of a successful school system. Speakers must limit comments to the time allotted. Based on the number of speakers and the agenda this evening, all speakers have been allotted one minute each for public comment please be advised that speakers who miss their time slot will not be called at a later time all audience members shall maintain

[03:00:58] civility decorum and respect for the functioning and dignity of the school board at all times please remain seated unless arriving departing speaking at the podium or during a break violations of civility decorum and respect include shouting heckling jeering applause or other noise which disrupts or delays the meeting, obstructing speakers from being able to see the school board, and vice versa, interrupting speakers, attempting to speak when not called to do so by the chair, and approaching a speaker otherwise attempting to intimidate, disparage, or distract a speaker,

[03:01:33] staff member, or other meeting attendees. Speakers should refrain from vulgarity, obscenities, defamation, profanity, and other like breaches of respect, nor may speakers target, criticize, or attack individual students and or individual division employees during public comment.

[03:01:51] As a reminder, school board policy 2520 states speakers may not target, criticize, or attack individual students during public comment. Speakers should communicate those concerns to their school principal or an appropriate school official. The school board requests that comments on an individual student or employee related matter not be shared at public meetings where the disclosure could violate applicable confidentiality requirements. Speakers should face the dais and direct their comments to the school board. Per LCPS policy 25-20, members of the school board will not answer questions or respond directly to the public during the public

[03:02:30] comment period. Violations of decorum or civility by any meeting attendee may result in the chair directing staff to remove the attendee from the remaining of the meeting. Repeated or persistent violations of decorum or civility by the audience may result in, on the decision of the chair, public comment being tabled until a later point in the meeting's agenda, limiting the number of attendees in the meeting room during public comment for safety reasons, or the public comment period ending for the evening. Copies of materials for board members should be given to the public information officer in the media box at the back of the boardroom before the start of the meeting.

[03:03:06] please provide 12 copies of the materials. Under no circumstances may a speaker approach the dais. The public is reminded that access to school board meetings is available through LCPS-TV on Comcast Channel 18 and 1070 HD and Verizon Fios Channel 43.

[03:03:23] The live stream of the meeting may be viewed on the website. We look forward to hearing your comments. We'll start with our virtual public comment. Our first speaker is Howard Cook, followed by Lynn Davis. Hi, thank you for allowing me to speak to you tonight.

[03:03:42] My comments are on the proposed rezoning JML Middle School walker zone beginning this fall. As a JML parent and 20-year resident of the area, there are several concerns. Braddock Road, with a speed limit of 45 mph, continues to increase as an alternative to Route 50. In the past five years, the stop sign at Cox Farms was changed to a roundabout.

[03:04:03] Braddock itself was widened when the new PVI High School was built and for new development north of Gumspring Road, all to facilitate current and future traffic. With the proposed changes, children will navigate two stoplights, which are considered control stops, which don't get crossing guards, and cross over an access road between JML and CRE, all without a continuous sidewalk.

[03:04:23] Conversations with neighbors indicate not all impacted families at JML or Cardinal Ridge Elementary Seary will be notified of this potential change. We witness drivers disobeying traffic laws, including passing other cars in the intersection. Thank you for considering these concerns as you put the safety of our children first.

[03:04:41] Thank you. Lynn Davis, followed by Chris Stevenson. Hi, this is Lynn Davis, and I am speaking on behalf of the group who wants to rename the schools.

[03:04:59] And I spoke a couple weeks ago, and I didn't have enough time to relate a story. That morning, I had gone to a breakfast for the ARC of Northern Virginia, and the ARC used to be an acronym, and the R was a word that was found to be not in the best spirit for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

[03:05:21] So they changed and just became ARC. And it's not an acronym anymore. And I say that to show that organizations make changes to names all the time. They do it because it's in the best interest of the people that they serve.

[03:05:37] And it's not done in a manner that's not well thought out. And this has been very well thought out. And I thank the committee for the hard work that they did. Please rename the schools. Thank you. Chris Stevenson, followed by Venkata Prati.

[03:05:54] Thank you, Madam Chair, and the entire school board for your dedicated service. Donald Trump lies incessantly about a historical fact that he lost the 2020 election. He lies about a historical fact that on January 6, 2021, there was an attack on the Electoral College proceedings, which he encouraged, trying to stay in power after losing a free and fair election by subverting the Constitution.

[03:06:22] He is a convicted felon and sexual predator, and now he silences speech and disappears people without due process. Our children are living in an America destabilized by dishonesty and lawlessness from the president himself and thousands who, because he demands it, also lie without constraint.

[03:06:40] I urge you to shore up the foundation of truth for our children in your schools and issue a statement protecting teachers and staff who dare to speak the truth. Thank you very much. Thank you, Venkato.

[03:06:56] So Prati, followed by Dave Minnenberg. We do not have a virtual speaker by that name. Dave Minnenberg, followed by Helen DeGroote. Hi, I just want to say thanks for the time.

[03:07:17] I have two issues. The first is please don't change the insurance. As a former teacher, we were made a promise. And if you break that promise, it's not going to hurt us. But the teachers that are there today are going to see that.

[03:07:34] and we'll know that it can't count on promises. Second is the truth in education, and I'll piggyback on Mr. Stevenson. I talked to old friends of mine, and they are nervous about saying the wrong thing and getting a parent angry and not being protected, which means they're not teaching honestly.

[03:07:55] And I do think that is a clear and present danger to the future of the democracy, And that's what education for, in large part, is to help us have informed citizens. Thank you. Thank you.

[03:08:11] Helen DeGroote.

[03:08:27] Is there a Helen DeGroote? That attendee is in the room and unmuted.

[03:09:04] There appears to be a technical issue on the attendee's side that we cannot rectify from the booth. Okay, we'll move on to the in-person speakers.

[03:09:21] We'll start with Thomas Wickett, followed by Kelly Wagner. Thank you for your time.

[03:09:45] Why we deserve what we were promised. When I started in Loudoun County Public Schools, we had custodians covering classrooms because we had to find a way. We found our way to helping children to become accepted to Ivy League schools and graduate from nationally ranked public schools. We found our way to continue to help children.

[03:10:02] I helped children win National Geographic. I watched a kid I threw a football to every day at recess return a kickoff for a national championship. We helped package for the military. We helped homeless children. We helped the animal shelter.

[03:10:17] We help feed families during Christmas, Thanksgiving, who don't have money to do so. All of these things continue. That's why we packed classrooms like sardines to shortages of teachers and no raises for many, many years. In the end, all of us in this room have stayed and served Loudoun County Public Schools through our good times and bad and found a way for our community.

[03:10:37] Well, now it's time for you to find a way to keep your contract, promise, and regain honor, respect, and decency amongst the people of our community that we represent. thank you thank you thank you uh kelly wagner followed by hold your applause please um kelly wagner followed by todd fielding good evening i was hired in july 2012 i drive 90 miles round trip because the salary and the significant promise of supplemental health insurance upon retirement policy 7628 adopted in 1972 and revised this past april says employees hired into

[03:11:14] a full-time position prior to july 1 2013 are eligible for retiring medical dental vision and prescription insurance so as long as they have 15 cumulative years of full-time service with LCPS. When I retire, I will be Medicare eligible and will have all the boxes checked that LCPS requires.

[03:11:30] Anyone hired after that date knew they had to plan differently for retirement. Those of us who hired before that date have counted on this benefit. LCPS will now yank the rug out from under us. I am six years from retirement. How can I possibly retro plan for myself and my spouse who should have been included in the health insurance.

[03:11:47] RHRA falls drastically short of replacing what we were promised, and it won't pay for much at all. And 14% is hardly a majority. LCPS was fiscally irresponsible by letting the reserves get below the required amount. This should not be resolved on our backs.

[03:12:03] - Thank you. - Honor your commitment to us. - Thank you, please, thank you. Please hold applause, or I'm gonna have to clear the room, thank you. Todd Fielding, followed by Natalie Hulesman.

[03:12:19] Hi, I'm Todd Fielding, LCPS parent, teacher, and member of the LEA Board of Directors. Look, I just want to talk to you tonight. Either vote this down or send it back to committee. This is an issue that needs to be carefully researched, carefully planned, and you need to make this decision with open eyes.

[03:12:40] You need to make this decision with all the information, even more information that I believe you have now. I urge the preservation of retiree benefits for our dedicated Loudoun County employees. These individuals devoted years of service to our community and the retirement benefits are a promise we all must honor.

[03:13:00] At the recent board meeting, you discussed many important issues, but we cannot lose sight of the commitments LCPS made to those who built this county into what it is today. Cutting these benefits would not only undermine the security of our retirees, but also send a message that we do not value the service people who have given so much to Loudoun.

[03:13:20] Thank you so much. Thank you. Natalie Heelsman, followed by Stephen Meyer. My name is Natalie Heelsman. I retired in 2009 after teaching for 30 years at Loudoun Valley High School.

[03:13:38] Up until now, I have been happy with my health care and have felt secure in my coverage through Cigna True Choice Medicare Advantage, which has kept my costs manageable. I am very concerned about the future of our health care, since there isn't money available to support our health care problems.

[03:13:55] I worry that the board will take the easiest and least expensive choice for our health care. I would like to ask some questions. First, we were told that we can continue with True Choice Medicare Advantage through another health care manager. Is this truly the case?

[03:14:11] If so, have you found another health care manager and a plan with comparable quality of coverage and cost to the policyholder and spouse as we currently have? Second, will our spouse be able to continue on our plan? If not, that will create hardship.

[03:14:28] Three, we all have a choice to stay on True Choice Medicare Advantage or switch to RHRA if that plan looks better for us. Thank you. Please cut the mic. Please. Thank you. Please sit down. I'm sorry. It's a one minute. Sorry. Stephen Meyer followed by Sandy Sullivan. So I'm a casualty and I don't want my colleagues to be casualties too. I spent 12 years teaching at Harper Park to students with disabilities and when I started teaching you needed 10 years of service to

[03:15:03] receive retiree health care benefits. It was a show of appreciation and it was rightly deserved. An overzealous school board decided to change requirements to 15 years of service. So my wife and I spend our out-of-pocket, in order for a Medicare supplement plan, and a lousy dental and vision plan, we spend $600 a month.

[03:15:30] That's $7,200 a year, and if we live to 85, I'm going to do well past that, it's a hundred and fifty thousand dollars that we're spending so i urge you to vote no tonight the four hundred dollars will not cover it and those people that are going to thank you accept that please please you guys i understand mr meyer please you guys it's one minute please stop at one

[03:16:07] minute sandy sullivan followed by daryl dawson school board members end the confusion angst and and anger tonight. School board members vote down the proposals regarding retiree health care.

[03:16:27] Send this complex issue to committee. Committee where the school board hashes out issues so they're able to make sound decisions. Where stakeholders learn about and come to understand proposals and share how your decisions impact their lives. School board members send this complex issue to committee. Thank you. Daryl Dawson, followed by Jeannie Jens. We are here today because LCPS is enforcing retirement changes with a lack of transparency, fairness, and respect for educators.

[03:17:04] Instead of providing clarity, they have sown confusion. Instead of engaging in meaningful discussions, they have opted for rushed timing. LCPS claims that 14% of employees supported this change? Let's question that logic. Would I discard grades because 14% of my students didn't turn in a grade? The decision is not only poorly prepared, but also poorly executed. I urge the school board to reject this retirement change and instead refer it to the appropriate committee for proper

[03:17:35] consideration. Thank you. Thank you. Jeannie Jens, followed by Tim Rush. Good evening. I'm here tonight to express my profound concern for regarding the proposed transition to the retiree Health Reimbursement Arrangement effective January 1st, 2026. I started as a new teacher at Potomac Falls High School in 1999, and I remained here my entire career. I've been approaching retirement with the expectation of the benefits package that was consistently communicated to employees throughout my tenure. It is particularly distressing that these

[03:18:11] significant changes are being proposed at this late stage in my career. This is not a mere policy adjustment. It is a severe breach of the implicit and explicit promises made by those of us who have devoted our professional lives to the students of Loudoun County. I implore you to carefully consider the trust that many of us have placed in LCPS when we made the commitment to serve this district long term. I respectfully urge you to vote against the proposed changes and allow us to proceed with the retirement plan we were promised and led to expect. Thank you for your time and your dedication to our students and our staff. Thank you. Tim Resch, followed by

[03:18:47] Jennifer Travis. Thank you. A quick note on the Mercer change issue, just to summarize what you have from some materials I got to you a few weeks ago. Mercer was one of the most outstanding figures in American history fighting for what was called the American system of economy.

[03:19:13] That was launched by Alexander Hamilton, centered on the promotion of infrastructure, Constant technological improvements in industry and agriculture, improved skills of the workforce, and a banking system designed to funnel credit to these priorities. It was the great adversary of the slave system of the South.

[03:19:31] Whatever the vote of the school board tonight, our nation will be well served by retaking American system policies. Instead of directing credit to pumping up and then bailing out speculators on Wall Street, let us again channel credit to industry, family farms, and infrastructure.

[03:19:48] This will do more to strip systemic racism of its fuel in a despairing country which believes its children will be worse off than their parents than perversely changing the name on a school of a man whose every policy fought the slave interest. Thank you. Thank you. Jennifer Travis, followed by Julie Caciola.

[03:20:09] I'm here tonight as a concerned parent to urge you to look into the situation unfolding at Rockridge High School's theater program. Students are struggling emotionally and academically, especially those enrolled in the dual enrollment theater classes, which are now in jeopardy.

[03:20:26] Students have reported their concerns to counselors and administration, but nothing has changed. Instead, they're being yelled at during rehearsals by an assistant director who has overstepped her role, re-blocking scenes, undoing student-led choreography, and further destabilizing the production.

[03:20:42] Crucial technical elements remain incomplete, making it nearly impossible to rehearse properly. The students are heartbroken and unheard. I'm asking you to take this seriously, investigate what is truly happening, and prioritize students' well-being, and please restore our program.

[03:20:58] Our kids deserve better. Bring him back. Thank you. Julie Caciola, followed by Celeste Lukowski. Good evening, board members.

[03:21:14] I have been teaching in this county for 24 years, and I love my job, as to many of the people behind me. I'm here to speak tonight about the retirement benefits. I believe there's a vote tonight. I beg you, please vote no. there has not been enough time there has not been enough transparency there are a lot of frightened and confused people out there and for every one of us in this room we have 20 colleagues that just don't have the time to come to a school board meeting because they're driving an hour or two and they've got children and they've got lives we do not need one more thing to be worried about

[03:21:46] with our future so please i am asking you vote no thank you thank you celeste lukowski followed by Chris Countryman. I am a retired LCPS teacher and a Loudoun County homeowner. First, I am requesting that you delay voting on the retiree health care until more and correct information can be shared with the public and the school board. At this time, there are still more

[03:22:22] questions than answers. Secondly, I am requesting that when you do vote, that you vote to honor the commitment of providing an equivalent health plan to what I had when I retired. I would like all retirees to be able to choose between a zero premium advantage plan and a stipend funded Medigap plan of their choice. Thank you. Thank you. Chris Countryman followed by Terry Graves.

[03:22:59] Good evening. First, I want to share progress made today at Collective Bargaining. We have cleared the first hurdle and have signed a ground rules agreement. Earlier tonight, though, there was a presentation that praised the results when students are involved in teacher planning. So why is it so hard to understand that you will have better results when you include employees in administrative planning? Not a survey, not a listening session, but a genuine conversation to share perspectives and information to promote understanding. You know, one of my least favorite

[03:23:37] phrases from growing up is because I said so. When the appropriate time comes, I'm asking you to approve the transfer, the full amount of the $26 million that Ms. Willoughby spoke about earlier today, to the self-insurance fund. I believe the need for that transfer has been clearly identified.

[03:23:56] But I'm also asking you to vote no tonight to make... Thank you, Ms. Countryman. Terry Graves, followed by Stacey Perkins.

[03:24:14] I've proudly served LCPS for over 20 years. Like many of my colleagues, I stayed not just for the salary, but because of the promise of long-term support, including retiree health care. That promise was clear and consistent, and it shaped the decisions my family made. My husband, also a lifelong educator, has been covered under my plan. Together, we planned our future based on what LCPS told us we could count on, but now, just as he and I approach the age when we're supposed to rely on the benefits we've earned, the rug is being pulled out from under us. The original plan was quietly

[03:24:53] replaced with a Medicare Advantage plan, and now that plan is being dismantled in favor of a reimbursement model that removes spousal coverage completely. This isn't just a change, it's a breach of trust. It's rewriting the terms after we've already upheld our end of the agreement. We can't go back and save more or undo the decisions we made in good faith. We honored our commitment and we're asking you to honor yours. Thank you. Thank you. Please stop clapping. Stacey Perkins followed

[03:25:28] by Victoria Rashid. Good evening. My name is Stacey. My daughter is a sophomore at Rockridge and I'm to express my deep concern and disappointment regarding the recent events taking place at the theater program there. I understand that this is often referred to as a personnel matter, but I want to make it clear that this is not a personnel matter for my family.

[03:25:50] Most of all, my daughter, excuse me, whose academic and emotional well-being has been impacted. My student, who is currently preparing to perform a lead role in the upcoming production, has been left without guidance and the support she needs. As a sophomore and a new student, sorry, she is carrying a very heavy load, and neither she nor I have received any communication from the school regarding the support for the students.

[03:26:14] I have raised these concerns with the principal who has assured me that steps would be taken, but none of that has happened. I respectfully urge the board to revisit this decision with a comprehensive understanding on the impact it's having on our students, families, and community who have built their academic journeys around this exceptional program.

[03:26:33] Thank you. Victoria Rashid, followed by Haley Countryman. There's a troubling level of condescension from leaders here, and a recent post by a school board member caught my attention, arguing about Richard Loving's heritage while criticizing the committee for not doing their research.

[03:27:00] Here's the thing. Richard Loving defied his Confederate slave-owner ancestry, made a personal choice, and changed the future for interracial marriage rights. Unlike those who supported monuments to the Confederacy, symbols of the lost cause, loving represents a break from the past, choosing equality over oppression.

[03:27:19] I'd like to remind everyone that Loudoun County is diverse. Its leaders should reflect and celebrate that, not cling to outdated ideals. Our job is to engage, empower, and enrich all communities. We should honor the right history, celebrate those who fought for equality, and ensure we never glorify those who sought to keep others subjugated.

[03:27:42] Thank you. Haley Countryman, followed by Erin Krumblis. Good evening. Before you cast your vote on retiree health care, I ask you to please keep these points in mind. As a student, it seems to me that every single day, teachers, custodians, office staff, etc., all show up to work with a smile on their face.

[03:27:59] It doesn't matter how they're feeling that day or what's going on in their personal lives. everyone is truly selfless and dedicated. Personally, if it weren't for the positive environment in my school, I wouldn't love learning like I do. I doubt there's a single education employee who has ever come to school after a mess up and decided to let the kids suffer because of it. They figure out some way to make it work. Overall, it appears LCPS has forgotten one of the big principles of being young. When you make a promise, you do everything in your power to keep it. It's time for LCPS to keep to their promises and acknowledge the fact that their employees ready to retire have given so much to their community and that it's finally

[03:28:28] time to give back to them. Thank you. Thank you. Erin Krumblis, followed by Meredith Ray. Hi. I'm here to talk to you about retirement, but I'm really here to talk to you about your strategic plan for excellence. You all were very excited about passing that, and one of the big parts of

[03:29:04] it was your goal in retaining exemplary staff. And I have to tell you, the actions of the administration of taking changing the retirement doesn't do that you need to think about what this staff that has been with you since 2013 has been through see we've been through numerous changes navigated policies face national scandals we've been through COVID post-COVID we've had all kinds

[03:29:36] of different initiatives Patrick Williams Spence Smith I'm missing one there's somebody else in there. I don't know. Anyway, five superintendents. We've been through all these things. Thank you.

[03:29:54] We deserve. Thank you. Meredith Ray, followed by Kristen Washington.

[03:30:15] Hi, good evening. I am a Loudoun County resident and taxpayer. I am the mom of two kids that actually attend LCPS schools. I served on the LEAF committee for two years and I am an advocate for equitable public education and those who champion it because I was the first generation of my family that was born with and afforded equal access to education in this country. I support the renaming of both Francis Hazel Reed Elementary and Mercer Middle School, and I ask you to as well. Sometimes mistakes are made, and sometimes those mistakes cost money, in this case 0.0035% of the LCPS budget. It doesn't

[03:30:54] mean that we don't take accountability for mistakes and fix them. Those who say this was rush seem to forget that this action actually started in 2019 with an investigation into the unequal treatment of LCPS students. In addition, I find any increased costs passed on to LCPS retirees for their health plan unacceptable. In the current environment, with all the attacks on public sector workers, we have to support those who have dedicated their lives to public service.

[03:31:19] Thank you. Kristen Washington, followed by Jeremy Wright.

[03:31:24] It's as painful for you all as it was for me. That's my seven-year-old first-grader.

[03:32:27] Going to school day after day, week after week for years, while being unable to read or read well, is frequent and repetitive trauma for the student. Thank you. Jeremy Wright, followed by Princess Maribel. Princess Maribel, followed by Corrie Brunet.

[03:33:08] Good evening. My name is Princess Maribel. I'm here on behalf of my daughter, a senior at Dominion High School. And every child who walks into a school named after someone who believed they were less than human.

[03:33:25] No one would name a school after Joseph Gables just because he supported literacy. Then why are we honoring Frances Hazel Reed, a woman tied to the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the same group responsible for embedding pro-slavery propaganda in our schools and monuments?

[03:33:44] This is not about erasing history. This is about refusing to celebrate oppression. Francis, Hazel, Reed, Selden, Belmont, Mercer, Dominion. We know what these names mean, and so do our children.

[03:34:00] Let's be clear. Hugh Mercer didn't fight for slavery like the Confederate generals, but he lived off of it. He owned black bodies. He built his legacy on their unpaid labor. Naming a school after him sends a clear message that white supremacy, comfort matters more than black.

[03:34:18] Thank you. Corey Brunet, followed by Jude Armstrong. My name is Corey Brunet, and I'm an English learner teacher at Broad Run High School.

[03:34:35] Transparency continues to be the biggest problem with LCPS. Parents, school-based staff, and community members have been saying this to school board members since long before you all were elected, and you are now feeling it with regard to the proposed changes to retiree health insurance benefits.

[03:34:52] But this is nothing new to you. You have all been left in the same dark as we have been. So I ask that you vote no on the proposed changes and request that this issue be taken up and disclosed in committee and tell them to make educated decisions based on true data.

[03:35:07] Many of you were elected because of a promise you made for transparency, and I can only imagine what it feels like to be sitting where you are and swimming in the LCPS imposed dark. We are in this together. LCPS will never outperform its educators.

[03:35:25] Thank you, Jude Armstrong, followed by Katie Rivers. Hello. Prioritizing the solvency of the Retirement Health Benefits Program should have been the plan from the beginning. I'm disappointed to hear that the proposal is to just change it to reduce costs, so I'm asking you to please send it to committee.

[03:35:48] About renaming the schools, I sent you an email about heroic actions. Tonight, you'll have the opportunity to follow your fellow community members and constituents who have been doing the right thing, their own heroic actions, to come together and make things right. I'm here to support and celebrate those of you who are rising to the occasion tonight. No matter who comes up here and threatens legal action, we cannot obey in advance. If they do come for you, they come for us, because you will not be alone. Please rename the schools.

[03:36:27] Thank you. Katie Rivers, followed by Victoria Gaylor. And I'm just going to remind real quick that we can't criticize or attack or target not only individual students but also staff so I'll have to redirect if if that happens thank you thank you how many of you have children in

[03:37:03] public school how many of you expect your child will be safe in their schools both physically and emotionally I do at Rockridge High School my senior travels 42 miles daily to get her education from the nationally recognized theater teacher at her school. She has worked with him since she was nine years old, and I have never been worried about her safety. He has taught her 21st century life skills, compassion, leadership, resilience, commitment, timeliness, and advocacy, and so much more. He's recognized her strengths and her challenges and pushed her to do better like any coach would. But as a director, on April 1st, he was ripped from the school,

[03:37:42] leaving his students grieving and asking what next. In the middle of two shows that he's directing, and he is now gone, administration has not even acknowledged their grief. My child will be going to college for performing arts in New York in the fall to pursue her dream because of the dedication of this man, her mentor, her director, and her coach.

[03:38:01] Our children need your help because they are being criticized. Thank you. Victoria Gaylor, followed by Jackie Harbolik. Good evening.

[03:38:19] The administration of LCPS has failed us, the employees. They have failed us by allowing the self-insurance fund to fall below established guidelines. They have failed us by being deceptive and sly about this massive change to our retirement health care benefits. They have failed us by betraying us and not valuing us.

[03:38:35] I cannot think of anyone who goes into teaching or any of the related jobs to get rich or for fame or glory. We do it because we love working with children. Our paychecks do not reflect the passion with which we do our jobs, but we do it anyway, And we count on the benefits which make up for the salaries which do not reflect our education, our experience, and the time we put into this job.

[03:38:55] Now that my husband and I are a year or two from starting the retirement process, LCPS proposes taking the most crucial benefit away from us with little warning and no discussion. This isn't about flexibility and choice. Those are just buzzwords to take the sting out of an unacceptable situation. I ask you, the school board, to vote no on this proposal.

[03:39:13] At the very least, delay your vote until every possible avenue has been explored. And more importantly, every question has been answered completely and honestly. Find a way to keep this program intact. Thank you. Thank you. Jackie Harbalick, followed by Michelle Rausch.

[03:39:36] As a veteran teacher, I hope that all of our school board members will vote no to any changes or reductions in our retirement health care plan. HRTD cannot be permitted to visit their mistakes on us, the people they work for.

[03:39:56] and they need to now correct course without shipwrecking the rest of us. To renege on the promises we count on is inexcusable, and to try to pass off such action as some kind of gift to us in terms of flexibility or choice is insulting and feels tantamount to theft.

[03:40:15] It's the betrayal of explicit assurances upon which we have based our work lives and our retirement, and this cannot be permitted. We are counting on your support. The idiom is, don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining.

[03:40:32] Well, don't steal a significant piece of my retirement and tell me you're doing it for my own good. We don't believe that, and the school board shouldn't support it. Thank you. Michelle Roush, followed by Mike DeVille. Good evening.

[03:40:59] I wanted to talk to you tonight about the Lunsford walking zone. As mentioned before, there are quite a few concerned parents about that, and instead of dismissing those concerns, I'd like you to seek to understand those concerns. Braddock Road is a major commuter road. Traffic there is crazy during the times in which children are going to be crossing those roads.

[03:41:19] There is a crosswalk there, but the adults driving the vehicles don't follow the traffic laws. They run red lights. They pass school buses that are stopped. They drive well over the speed limit. Our children are not experienced enough and are not mature enough to anticipate the bad behavior of the adults and respond accordingly if we have the amount of children crossing that road during the times in which we have high traffic someone will get injured and we can prevent that by not doing this so i would urge you guys to seek to understand these concerns prior to moving forward thank you

[03:41:59] thank you mike deville followed by heather salberg good evening i'm an lcs parent and a resident and I'm concerned. I've seen the health care changes for our LCPS retirees, and they're unacceptable.

[03:42:24] School board members, we are asking you to, one, determine how and why this change was made. Two, tell us how you will keep it from happening again. And three, vote no to these changes. Send this back to committee and find a plan that allows you to keep your promises. Thank you.

[03:42:46] Thank you. Heather Salberg followed by Zina, looks like Zayana Agbao. I should have. Hello, school board members. My name is Heather Salberg. I am a teacher at FHR, a proud parent of two FHR alumni, and I served on the renaming committee. I am here to urge you to rename our school Loving Elementary, the name our committee proudly recommends. I was stunned by the comments made on April 8th dismissing Richard Loving's name. As educators, we should inspire students, not shy away from powerful stories out of fear that students may joke.

[03:43:25] We trust our teachers every day. Why not now? I am disappointed that some school board members, who are educators themselves, do not. The loving name stands for love, courage, and justice. In a county as beautifully diverse as ours, what better message to send our kids than love is strength and love wins.

[03:43:42] Imagine students walking into Loving Elementary each morning, knowing that that name reflects hope, equality, and belonging. Let's be bold, let's be proud, and let's name it Loving. Thank you. Zyena Agbo.

[03:44:00] Can you tell me? Agbo. Agbo. I'm sorry. Thank you. All right. My name is Zyena, and I served on the committee to evaluate the renaming of Mercer. While the school may not have been directly named after Charles Fenton Mercer, it was named after the Mercer District, which was named after him.

[03:44:17] The Mercer name is tied to a man that believed black Americans like me were unworthy of citizenship and should be removed from this country entirely. That belief that we don't belong or aren't equal still echoes today. Since moving to Loudoun, one of my daughters has been called the N-word by a classmate in elementary school.

[03:44:35] I've had people in parked vehicles hurriedly lock their doors as I walk by. And most recently, someone told me they had a high IQ and were unable to explain something to me because they assumed I didn't. These stories aren't part of the past. They're part of our present reality. Our school names should reflect progress and not oppression.

[03:44:54] I fully support renaming Mercer to Gum Springs Middle School and renaming Frances Hazel Reed to Loving Elementary School. The Loving's courage didn't just change laws, it shaped lives, mine included. Their story is one of justice, love, and belonging. When you know better, you do better. We know better now. We should and can do better.

[03:45:12] Thank you. Michael McPoland, followed by Jeffrey Dunn. Hi, I'm Mike McPoland.

[03:45:42] I urge the board to vote no on the renaming of the schools, including Francis Hazel Reed and Mercer. The reasons are numerous. The costs exceed $100,000 to $200,000 per school. You're talking about the teachers needing health care in retirement.

[03:45:58] Why don't you use that money toward their care, in long-term care, in their retirement? It's not supported by the general public. I recommend a referendum in November with a listing of the cost. You need to look at the totality of the individual's lives, particularly their accomplishments, and recognize the times in which they lived.

[03:46:17] I think the name changes was an effort by a small group, specifically the NAACP. I don't think it represents the community at large, hence the referendum. I want to bring it to your attention that Abraham Lincoln was a member of the American Colonial Society, as was people like Madison Monroe, Daniel Webster, Francis Scott Key, and Bushrod Washington, who was the nephew of George Washington.

[03:46:43] And so thank you. Jeffrey Dunn, followed by Tanya Williams. Good evening. My name is Jeff Dunn.

[03:46:58] I am Delora's government teacher at Dominion High School. I began teaching at Loudoun County in 1998, but left in 2006 for a higher-paying job in the private sector so my wife could quit work and stay home with our young daughters.

[03:47:14] In 2011, when my wife returned to work, I decided to return to teaching. That decision wasn't easy. I gave up higher-paying private sector job, but I did it because I love teaching. It's my life's calling. And because LCPS offered long-term security, including retiree health insurance for employees and their spouses.

[03:47:36] That benefit made the trade-off possible. My wife and I made major life decisions based on the promise of that benefit. Now, as I near retirement, the promise of that benefit is being threatened. Please don't take it away. Thank you. Thank you. Tanya Williams, followed by Brenda Bankson.

[03:48:02] School names and mascots matter. They directly impact the students you serve. I'm here as a taxpayer and a mom, but also I'm a teacher at William Obadiah Roby High School. I'm grateful to be able to wear this shirt, knowing he worked to ensure his students were educated members of this community.

[03:48:19] Because school names and mascots matter. In 2019, my son was a senior at John Champ High School wrestling in the state championship finals. He should have been relishing his momentous achievement, but my 18-year-old felt as though he was wrestling for each of our black ancestors because he was wrestling a kid whose school mascot was the Confederate.

[03:48:42] School names and mascots matter. In Loudoun, we can do better. We deserve better from those of you suggesting that loving elementary should not be utilized because Richard has a nickname that's a euphemism. The phallus is a distraction from the fact that some of you would rather have the school name associated with a white woman who would prefer to erect a confederate.

[03:49:06] Thank you. Please, please, Ms. Williams, please sit down. Brenda Bankson, followed by Carla Wallace. First, please support the committee's renaming suggestions.

[03:49:35] History that exposes the horrors of slavery and segregation is honest. If heritage is humiliation of and hatred for fellow humans, we've more than lost the cause. Second, retirees are worried whether RHRA will provide adequate benefits to us, spouses, and dependents.

[03:49:59] Look at a Cigna EOB and ask how can $400 per month possibly cover emergencies, surgeries, medications, equipment? Even with a commitment to well-being, retirees face age issues. Some say diamonds are a girl's best friend, but I say my health is my wealth.

[03:50:22] Please study retiree health plans further to quell our doubts. Vote no. Thank you. Carla Wallace followed by Cheryl Dominique. Good evening.

[03:50:39] And Dr. Spence, thanks for sharing all of the amazing things that our students and our faculty are doing in Loudoun County because it's important for us to recognize that pushing through these huge benefit changes to our retirees is a betrayal to that faculty that supports and gives everything to our students.

[03:50:59] I'm concerned that these decisions are driven by financial mismanagement and that where's the accountability and the oversight that let these funds drop so low that it is at the brink of insolvency. We have a teacher shortage. We cannot afford to alienate teachers who will want to leave and we have nothing to attract them with anymore because we aren't the county with the best benefits these days. So please I encourage the board to vote no or at least look more fully

[03:51:37] into this before making any decisions. Thank you. Thank you. Cheryl Dominique followed by Amy Riccardi. Good evening. I'm a proud Loudon educator of 25 years. What set us apart and what kept many of us here, was the promise of a defined retired benefit program. Many came to Loudoun. Many stayed because of this commitment. In the past, we had Medigap coverage, no network, no referrals, no surprise denials. It worked across states, then stripped away and replaced with Medicare Advantage.

[03:52:12] Now, a 400 reimbursement. That's not coverage. That is a cost burden. Loudoun made a promise. Retirees will scramble to make up this difference for something that was promised in return for dedication to Loudoun. Still comparing us to other counties, Fairfax may have higher premiums, insurance premiums.

[03:52:31] That's because they have a comprehensive retirement package of VRS combined with ERFC. Fairfax employees have more, excuse me, Loudoun relies on VRS and Social Security, so there is no match for our 403B and spouses dropped at 65.

[03:52:48] Bottom line, $400 reimbursement. Thank you. This is not flexibility. This is about caution. Amy Riccardi, followed by Marie Livesey. As you've heard tonight from at least about 20 speakers just on the retiree health care issue alone, it's a huge issue and a huge promise to your employees that you all need to make sure that you ensure for the long haul.

[03:53:20] Our teachers are absolutely an absolutely critical and essential element to learning here in LCPS, and they are extremely valuable. And the promises that you make to them in their entirety of their employment is absolutely important.

[03:53:36] I highly recommend and suggest that you all not only take this back to committee, but that you all bring in some third-party advisors to help you understand how these programs work and help come up with some other solutions that will help you guys get to the end goal of funding the self-insurance fund as comprehensively as you possibly can.

[03:53:57] There's all this money left over at the end of the year that keeps going to pet projects. And perhaps this year, we need to invest that money back in our teachers and into that retirement fund. Thank you. Marie Livesey, followed by Susan Cox.

[03:54:19] I stand today in support of the proposal by Chris Stevenson, expressed earlier in the evening, to support teachers teaching historical truth. I fell in love with history growing up as a Navy brat and was fortunate enough to see history play out right in front of my eyes.

[03:54:35] This love of history eventually led me to teaching American history 7th graders until having my two sets of twin boys. It truly was an incredible experience, and I hope at some point to return to that, although, to be honest, the current climate makes me very hesitant because I'm afraid I would get in trouble teaching truth.

[03:54:53] So I cannot stand by and watch even as lies are pushed as factual history while truth is repudiated. As Alexander Hamilton famously said, if you stand for nothing, then you will fall for anything. I ask the school board to stand for truth and not a distorted lie. Thank you. Thank you. Susan Cox?

[03:55:15] Common sense tells me that FHR was honored for her contributions to the community, not for her shortcomings. However, if you read some op-eds, she has been demonized, her accomplishments negated, and she has been compared to murderer. She was not.

[03:55:32] Presentism is not wise. It will throw the baby out with the bathwater. To really get rid of racism, we need to change people's hearts. Changing names does not do this. Changing names leads us down a costly, divisive, slippery slope. I recommend forgiveness and learning from history.

[03:55:50] Realizing all people are flawed, but when we honor their accomplishment, that can be uplifting. We don't have endless time and resources. We are taking away from a focus on literacy, preventing bullying and suicides. Committees should be formed on these pressing issues.

[03:56:08] When the school board can do whatever it wants, regardless of what the naming committees recommend, it is at worst a dictatorship and at best a facade of community engagement. Loudon deserves better. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, with that, we have ended our public comment.

[03:56:27] And the board will go into recess for 10 minutes to be back at 8.30. The board's now in recess.

[04:03:43] Hello.

[04:08:27] It's time to start the board meeting back. She'll come. Okay the board is back from recess. We are now going to move on to action items starting with 12.01 Finance and Operations Committee request to name the J.L. Simpson Middle School Auditorium the Beth Paquette Fine Arts Center School Board Policy 6510 presented by Arbin and Struffy Chair

[04:09:04] Finance Operations Committee and Mr. Kevin Lewis Chief Operations Officer. Actually Mr. Struffy do you have a base motion? Yes, Madam Chair, can you just give me a moment? I move that the school board approve to name the JL Simpson Middle School Auditorium after Ms. Beth Paquette, therefore name the Beth Paquette Fine Arts Center for a period of 10 years. I have a motion by Mr. Struffy.

[04:09:39] Do I have a second? Second. I have a second by Vice Chair Donohue. It's been properly moved and seconded. Mr. Struffy, do you want to speak to your motion or give us a little background? Yeah, So I will just summarize what we talked about when this was an information item at the last school board meeting.

[04:09:56] Dr. D. Nicola, principal of J.L. Simpson Middle School, with the support of Ms. Chernoff, and the school community has requested that the school's auditorium be named the Beth Paquette Fine Arts Center in honor of Ms. Beth Paquette. The proposed naming does not have a significant fiscal impact aside for the cost of the signage.

[04:10:15] Per the policy, a full background and social media check was conducted through Castle Branch, Inc., with no concerns found. There was some discussion last school board meeting around philosophies related to naming of spaces in schools per the policy.

[04:10:31] The Finance and Operations Committee reviewed this request on March 18th, and we advanced it to the school board. Thank you. Mr. Streffi, is there any other discussion? Yes. Mrs. Griffiths. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[04:10:47] just to be clear I'm also on the Finance and Operations Committee I just would like the Loudoun County our Loudoun County constituents to see my perspective on the matter of naming schools and anything else after people I went to a couple schools where there were lovely plaques recognizing past faculty Loudoun Valley High School has a display in its library honoring form a former principal on November 21st 2004 the library was formally dedicated to to Mr. Gerald Shipp, a past principal who was an avid reader and strong supporter of the library several years after he passed away.

[04:11:22] Ms. Paquette just retired last year. We have social media now. While I appreciate all the letters and Ms. Chernoff's support, we should not be making decisions on emotion or naming anything after people. I am always good with plaques and murals to appreciate great staff members.

[04:11:41] We also do staff recognitions and awards that are set aside for teachers and staff. I think if Ms. Paquette was nominated for awards, that would be great. I'm not sure if she was already. It is my feeling that Ms. Paquette should have received an award if she didn't receive one from this dais, but we gave an award to a former school board member instead.

[04:12:00] The priorities of this board are completely misguided. We now have set a precedent for school board members to receive awards over much-deserved teachers. I would be remiss if I didn't point out that we will vote today for the renaming of Francis Hazel Reed Elementary School and Mercer Middle School.

[04:12:19] We are going back over 100 years trying to find anything, I mean anything, to make excuses to rename these schools with a cost significantly higher. What's to stop someone from having a problem with Ms. Paquette in the near future over comments on social media, which is what we have now?

[04:12:37] I think this naming, renaming is being done without proper changes to the current policy. We really shouldn't be naming anything after anyone at this time. Thank you. - Thank you, Mrs. Griffiths. Any other discussion? Seeing no more discussion, we'll go for the vote.

[04:12:54] Clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote. Clerk, please close and display the vote. And that motion passes eight to one with Mrs. Griffiths opposing the vote.

[04:13:13] We'll continue with the Student Behavior and Accountability Committee, revised policy 8280 corporal punishment prohibited presented by carrie labelle chair student behavior and accountability committee miss labelle do you have a base motion i move that the board pass

[04:13:51] policy 8280 the revised corporal punishment prohibited policy uh last oh i have a motion by miss labelle do i have a second i have a second by mr astreffy it's been properly moved and seconded. Ms. LaBelle, would you now like to speak to your motion at all? Just briefly, I want to remind everybody that that policy has been around. It's pretty much the same policy, no major changes. We just took the pieces and reorganized them in a more readable fashion so that it followed one step after the other. Other than that, there are no changes. Corporal punishment has been

[04:14:29] prohibited here for a long time. Thank you, Ms. LaBelle. I, since we're having discussion, I would agree with vice chair uh donahue last time as as we talked about it and i have a motion to move i move that the words or seclusion on line 45 of the red line version of policy 82 20 82 80 be struck given the board's recent amendment to policy 53 45 do i have a second second my vice chair donahue is there any discussion and and really i'm just speaking to it it's just we um

[04:15:09] We don't have it in the restraint and seclusion anymore, and so it's just kind of a cleaning up of that line. Any other discussion? Okay, seeing no more discussion, we'll move forward with the vote on the amendment. Clerk, please open the vote.

[04:15:26] Board members, please record your vote. Clerk, please close and display the vote. That amendment passes. Unanimously, we'll go back to the base motion as amended. Clerk, please open the vote.

[04:15:45] Oh, is there any discussion? Clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote. Clerk, please close and display the vote. And that motion passes unanimously.

[04:16:04] Moving on to item 12.03, Department of Student Services Special Education Annual Plan Application Approval for 2025-2026. Ms. Richardson, would you like to remind the board of this item really quickly?

[04:16:24] Absolutely, Chair Mansfield. Thank you. As you may recall, at the last meeting, Dr. Paige Carter, our Director of Special Education, presented the SPED annual plan application, which is our assurance through the state of the Virginia Department of Education for the application of federal funds.

[04:16:44] LCPS is slated to receive a little over $14.8 million for school-age and preschool students with disabilities, which makes up about 5.7% of our total operating budget, with the majority coming from state and local funding in service to students with disabilities.

[04:17:01] In accordance with the annual plan regulations, we did receive feedback from SEAC. The most substantive change was, it came out of their subcommittee last evening for the school division to revise and expand the language in the proportionate share calculation section.

[04:17:21] Currently, we capture transition services and consultative services. It was the recommendation of the SEAC committee that we expand that to direct services as well as consultation, contingent upon the availability of staffing, whether that be LCPS staffing or whether we're able to provide services through contracted staff.

[04:17:44] So should it be the will of the board, it is the recommendation of staff that we work to amend the language. We will provide the board the updated language, but the plan be approved this evening. So now I'm a little confused. Do we need to do an amendment first before that, or are you going?

[04:18:02] Since the plan has not been approved, we can update the language based on the feedback from SEAC coming out of the committee last evening and provide the board with the revised language later this week. So it would be taking action to approve it with the amended language.

[04:18:22] Okay. So we haven't even said the base motion yet. so can we add that to the base motion right now yes please so it would be that the loudon county school board adopt the 2025-2026 annual plan for special education application for federal funds as amended by what you want to give me some language it would be as amended to expand the language for the proportionate share calculation so that is the amount of money that we set aside

[04:18:59] on an annual basis to serve students that are parentally placed or homeschooled that are eligible for special education services. Okay, as amended to expand the language for services and the proportionate share set aside. Proportionate share set aside. So then it would be the Loudoun County School Board adopt the 2025-2026 annual plan for special education application for federal

[04:19:33] funds as amended to expand the language for services and the proportionate share set aside doesn't sound right in the proportionate share set aside section of the plan share set aside section of the plan okay i'm just going to go ahead and make that motion then um is that all right uh i move that the loudon county school board adopt the 2025-2026 annual plan for special

[04:20:09] education application for federal funds as amended to expand the language for services in the proportionate share set aside section of the plan i have a motion do i have a second second oh i have a second by miss handler um it's been probably moved and seconded now is there any discussion seeing none we will move forward with the vote clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk please close and display the vote and that motion passes unanimously

[04:20:47] we'll continue to 12.04 department of teaching and learning carl d perkins career and technical education grant funding application is mr is dr grubbs here dr grubbs would you mind giving a little summary real quickly i'm happy to do so chairman or mr slevin so as a reminder the perkins funding grant is submitted annually to the virginia department of education's office of career and technical education for the release of funds to the local school division these funds are used to support career and technical education programs throughout the school division.

[04:21:20] Examples of how grant funds are currently used are to support CTE administrators, counselors, teachers, and special ed colleagues to attend professional learning sessions. Support for CTE advisory related career and technical student organization travel. So for example, a DECA competition where teachers would attend to support students in this competition.

[04:21:39] Support for curriculum and instructional development, student organizations, industrial credentials, and work based learning experiences in CTE. So we are asking that the school board endorse the signature of the chair on this plan as well as the superintendent with this action.

[04:21:56] - Thank you, Mr. Slovin. Do I have a base motion? Someone, Ms. LaBelle. - I move that we accept the, now I lost the word.

[04:22:12] - Look at the little recommendations on there that it usually has. - Yeah, I'm looking at it. That we approve the 2025-26 local plan for Career and Technical Education, or CTE, Perkins funds, and endorsed the school board chairman and LCPS superintendent to sign the local plan.

[04:22:30] - I have a motion by Ms. LaBelle, do I have a second? - Second. - Ooh, I have a second by Ms. Chernoff. It's been properly moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Seeing no discussion, we'll go ahead with the vote.

[04:22:45] Clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote. Clerk, please close and display the vote, And that motion passes unanimously. Okay, we're going to move on to 12.05, Finance and Operations Committee, revision of Policy 6530, changing school attendance zones.

[04:23:11] Mr. Struffy, do you have a base motion? Yes, Madam Chair. I move that the Loudoun County School Board approve the Finance and Operations Committee approved revisions of Policy 6530, changing school attendance zones. I have a motion by Mr. Struffy. Do I have a second? Second. I have a second by Ms. Chernoff.

[04:23:27] it's been properly moved and seconded. Mr. Streffi, would you like to speak to your motion or do you want to let Mr. Lewis? - I'll just be brief. This policy was brought forth. The intention was to clarify the different attendance zone changes.

[04:23:44] And we did that specifically by pulling in aspects of elements from the regulation back into the policy. We also tried to capture revisions that were required by the USDA that relate to the provision of socioeconomic data school populations there was some discussion around that chairman's feel I believe you might have an amendment as well the committee ended up moving forward with those proposed changes and there was also an amendment in committee that would require a comprehensive review of all school attendance zones at

[04:24:18] least every five years so that's just a quick update okay I will is there any discussion before i know so i have two uh amendments um the first one and i previewed them last time last school war meeting um amendment to the base motion i moved to amend the the motion to insert by the school board in the red line draft to policy 6530 on line 25 after the word reviewed and it would read however all school attendance zones will be comprehensively reviewed by the

[04:24:58] school board every five years to assess student enrollment and school capacity imbalances do i have a second second i have a second by miss shernoff it's been properly moved and seconded and i'll speak to it the only reason is i really just wanted to make sure the wording was in there that the school board has eyes on it every five years to be certain um any other discussion no okay um seeing no more discussion we'll go ahead and vote on this amendment clerk please open the

[04:25:28] vote board members please record your vote clerk please close and display the vote and that motion passes unanimously um we go back to the base motion as amended and i have an another amendment and does anybody other have any discussion so my second amendment is moved to revise the sentence beginning on line 225 to read other factors that may be considered regarding changing a school attendance zone include impact on students, families, and neighborhoods that we would cross

[04:26:05] out as well as, and then long range capital plans and socioeconomic characteristics of school population where data is available and usage is permitted by law. Do I have a second? I have a second by Ms. Chandler. So it's been properly moved and seconded. And the reason for this change was because I do agree with MSAC's recommendations that socioeconomic characteristics of the school population are important to consider when changing school attendance zones.

[04:26:41] And Mr. Lewis, could you say a little bit about how we could do that without the, I guess it was the free and reduced lunch kind of thing? Thank you, Chair Mansfield.

[04:26:59] Yes, we are, as you mentioned, we have some restrictions with the free and reduced meal information that we used to provide in years past. And so we are working with the RASI group in teaching and learning to try to come up with some other data that we could use that would provide some information to the board to be able to consider for these purposes.

[04:27:21] So we are hopeful that we can come up with some income information by the school areas that would help the board assess those situations. Thank you, Mr. Lores. - Are there any other discussion?

[04:27:37] Seeing no discussion, we will move forward with the vote on this amendment. Clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote. Clerk, please close and display the vote.

[04:27:52] That motion passes unanimously, and now we'll go ahead and vote on the base motion as amended by the two amendments. Clerk, will you please open the vote? Oh, first, is there any discussion? Clerk, please open the vote.

[04:28:08] Board members, please record your vote. Clerk, please close and display the vote. And that motion passes 8 to 1 with Mrs. Griffiths in opposition.

[04:28:26] Okay, moving on to 12.06, Department of Support Services, School Name Review, Mercer Middle School. Mr. Lewis, do you want to remind the board of this item first?

[04:28:41] Sure. So before the board this evening, we have a number of potential recommendations based on the committee's recommendation to the board. As you know, it was a committee appointed by the board, and they have met on a number of occasions and provided, and you see under the recommendation area, we have a number of potential recommendations.

[04:29:08] The first one, the committee was tasked by the board to come up with a recommended name or a preferred name, and then two alternates. So you'll see those in the first recommendation that the committee recommended Gumspring Middle School as their first preference for the name of the school.

[04:29:26] Their second name was Stone Ridge Middle School the third choice was John Mercer Langston Middle School Then you'll see another potential Recommendation for the board to insert name here for if the board were to choose to do go a different way And I failed to mention that the board is not bound by the committee's recommendation So you do have that option by policy to choose a different name and then the policy also allows for the board to Maintain the existing name which is the last recommendation you see there in the item. So those are the

[04:30:04] Options open to the to the board at this point and we are happy to entertain any other questions you may have. Thank you for that recap Do I have a I'll now entertain a motion. Yes, vice chair Donahue Thank you madam chair. I move that the Loudoun County School Board renamed Mercer Middle School located at four two one four nine greenstone drive in aldi gumspring middle school to be effective july 1st 2025 i have a motion do i have a second i have a second by miss chandler um so it's been properly moved and

[04:30:39] seconded is there any discussion yes mrs griffiths thank you madam chair um i just wanted to go through um the process of mercer middle school this was basically partisan politics um this board pushed renaming through, and it really isn't a necessity for our students. Not a winner. We continue to live in the past and not move forward. I will remind the people of Loudoun County that while Title I schools suffer and beg for renovations and playgrounds, the fact that name changes are even at the school board astounds most. A complete waste of money that does not

[04:31:16] help our children achieve in any way. I am not concerned about the partisan committees putting their time and to push new names. We should not have had them in the first place. We have to focus on what is going on inside the schools, not cosmetic fixes outside the schools. Mercer Middle is not named after anyone. There are no plaques, pictures, anything stating the school is named for anyone. The Mercer name is associated with so many successes and achievement. I will mention them again, most recently partnerships with Microsoft under the Mercer name. The Mercer name gives the

[04:31:51] students pride. Did you know that Mercer was 2012 to 2014, the national school to watch? 2015-2018 in Virginia, most distinguished school. 2024, Latin Public Schools, Principal of the Year and Washington Post Principal of the Year nominee for Mercer, Nikisha Deal. Countless science and math Olympiad Awards since its opening in 2004, Superior Musical Programming Awards 2015-2024,

[04:32:25] Current, Striving for, and AMLE School of Distinction. So these are all the achievements they have done under the Mercer name. Again, this shouldn't be a partisan issue. Changing the name wipes the achievements away and ultimately hurts the current students and alumni. Most of the county does not want their tax money wasted on the renaming of schools.

[04:32:47] We are looking at up to $200,000 per school, nine schools. The people of Loudoun County would like to see money helping our students to achieve and having up-to-date conditions in their schools. Our constituents put us up here to make common-sense decisions, reasonable decisions.

[04:33:04] That's why the survey results for the entire county should be considered more than results from two zip codes, not to mention the cost will fall on the entire county. again this should not have been partisan but has been biased and partisan from the very beginning if this board goes against the town halls and surveys this is a decision that will not only affect the community of mercer but will affect the people running for school board for re-election in november excuse me mrs mrs griffiths a point of order excuse me i'd like to continue no i think

[04:33:35] that um it's really um to bring up elections at this particular and campaigning from the dais is not really important important is not really um appropriate well point of order i would like to continue and say my and say what i wrote excuse me redirect your comments well that's kind of hard but um if you change the name of this school it's not a winning issue issue only winning issue for the democrat party of loudon anyone that votes to change the name in my eyes doesn't care about our students you wipe away pride and successes of the school under the mercer name

[04:34:13] thank you but also i i do want to point out last week when we had our two weeks ago when we had our last school board meeting there was a mercer multicultural event during the same time as our meeting and everybody from the committee most of the people on the committees were here speaking instead of attending a multicultural event so i wanted to point out as well that they have those events at the school and they have many other successes you're damaging the community thank you

[04:34:42] Thank you, Mrs. Griffiths. Please keep your applause. So any other discussion? Okay. Dr. Deans.

[04:34:59] I would just like to say that I have gone through this discussion with Grace, and I'll continue to offer Grace to the discussion. However, as I shared with the committees, both committees, The school name makes a difference in a child's level of anxiety, which might even go into PTSD.

[04:35:26] So I am comfortable with us moving forward with renaming the schools, and I will continue to act with grace and respect. Ms. LaBelle. I have a quick question for Mr. Allen.

[04:35:42] my understanding is when a board member wants to bring up a point of information or a point of order that they can't be interrupted and they can't be shut down is that true oh also they don't need a second is that true in robert's rules thank you mr. bill i'm going to need a minute to further look at that you can continue i'll i'll come back to me in a bit thanks ms chandler i would like to seek the expertise of dr ellis

[04:36:21] Williams and hear some empirical evidence about how children are impacted when symbols like this exist in our community. Thank you, Ms. Chandler. So in reference to how this impacts the community at large, school name changes are significant. There are a lot of feelings involved, but historically the practice of naming schools to honor the architects and defenders of slavery has been a broader part of an effort to maintain racial hierarchy in the United States in particular.

[04:36:55] Many schools were given Confederate names, particularly here in Loudoun, as a line of effort for massive resistance, which is documented within a construct of the community's history. Positive namesakes that include founders of the institutions, financial benefactors, revered religious leaders, notable historical figures, members of royalty, current political leaders, and respected teachers and other leaders associated do give us the spaces and the people to name schools and institutions after in a positive light to be impactful positively to students.

[04:37:30] These names that are not amplify racial inequities in society, the opportunity gap for traditionally marginalized students, and it upholds white privilege and allows many educators to remain oblivious to the suffering of students and colleagues of color who have to work and attend such institutions named after the aforementioned. When communities name schools, they are communicating to the public, very much including children, what they value and what they hold dear. Naming schools like naming other public spaces such as streets, buildings, and parks is an opportunity for communities

[04:38:06] to declare what or who should be honored. More than 240 schools in the United States are named after Confederate leaders and have served the majority of minoritized and non-white students. Many school districts have used renaming processes to denounce white supremacy and other upholdings of disproportionate marginalization and publicly memorialize the achievements and contributions of minoritized persons and marginalized persons. Thank you Dr. Ellis Williams.

[04:38:38] um madam chair if i might um given that i was called on may i make a statement yes ma'am thank you um i have been thinking about something that was included in the SEAC report at our last school board meeting this quote really resonated with me inclusion is not a strategy to help people fit into systems and structures which exist in our societies it is about transforming those systems and structures to make it better for everyone that's a quote by diane richler i've also been thinking a lot about the data that the school board was presented at the school board

[04:39:16] retreat and at a work session by the department of equity inclusion and access i hope i didn't just get that wrong i didn't look it up again today but i am i'm thinking about the the impact for school statement that came out of the 2024 LCPS Secondary Perception Data Annual Survey.

[04:39:39] In regards to culturally responsive instruction, black and African-American students are disproportionately self-indicating lower scores related to their sense of belonging compared to other students in LCPS. When they were asked, the things I learned at the school reflect different cultures, races, and identities. Their self-identification score was lower than the other identity groups that were asked. And students treat other students with respect regardless of race and other differences. That one was significantly lower. American Indians rated

[04:40:19] at 73. Asians rated at 73. Black African American students rated at 55. And Hispanic students rated at 67, Pacific Islander students rated at 59, two or more rated at 64, and white rated at 67. This seems to me as an indicator that we have work to do. Thank you. I apologize.

[04:40:49] Thank you, Ms. Chandler. Vice Chair Donohue. Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted to make couple of points. Primarily in response to the comments that have been made suggesting that if we take the step of renaming any of our schools that it won't help, that it's not what the community

[04:41:20] wants, that it won't be of any benefit to our students or our community. I frankly am appalled when I hear people saying that because we have heard people in this community who have said that it affected them. At our last meeting, we had one of our own members who told us an anecdote of attending one of these schools and the impact that it had on her as a person of color attending that school and her friends. So for one of us to sit here and say, you're telling me that that was

[04:41:59] your lived truth, and I don't believe that that is real, is galling. Just because I haven't had that experience doesn't mean that it's not a valid experience. And for those reasons, I absolutely am in support of renaming for Mercer, because that is what I think is the right thing to do

[04:42:29] for our community. Thank you, Vice Chair Donohue. Mr. Allen? Thank you, Madam Chair. Just to confirm that the point of order is once it's made the chair asks what is your point of order that the meaning behind a point of a purpose behind a point of order is to clarify kind of rule that has been violated so miss LaBelle you're right once someone calls a point of order the chair stops and says board member what

[04:43:07] what rule do you believe has been violated at this juncture? The board member can explain what rule they think is violated and why. And then the board chair, as you are authorized and have as a duty to maintain order, it is within your discretion to say, yes, that is well taken, you're correct, that was a violation, or that's not well taken, which means there was no violation.

[04:43:38] In this instance, my understanding is that the chair was interjecting, for lack of a better phrasing, to maintain order. But that's how the process typically works under Robert's rules.

[04:43:54] So the chair maintains the order. The chair actually in this case was moving to correct a breach of conduct rules on the dais. And then that is when the board member said point of order.

[04:44:12] So then-- - Yes, Madam Chair. So the only thing under Robert's rules that would have been different if you had clarified with the board member what the point of order is, meaning what violation do you think is being broken at this time?

[04:44:29] - So I couldn't even have stopped, continued with what I had thought that it should be a correction first before she, before I ask her or-- - I think in the moment it happened so quickly, But generally, once a point of order is called, the person who's talking stops.

[04:44:53] The chair then asks board member, what is your point of order? So it doesn't matter if the chair is giving a correction. They can just say point of order, and then I have to stop again and say, what is your point of order?

[04:45:13] As opposed to continuing the correction. So I think it's appropriate for the person talking when the point of order is raised to finish their thought, which is, and then the board chair would ask, board member, what is your point of order? So to the extent you were finishing your thought, and I can't remember because it happened so quickly, that would be appropriate.

[04:45:36] So the only thing differently pursuant to Robert's rules that was not observed was you as board chair asking, board member, what is your point of order? Meaning, what do you think the violation is?

[04:45:52] Why are you making this point of order? - Okay, so, next time, or should I just ask her now? - It's within your discretion. - Okay, what do you feel your point of order was? What did you feel rule was violated?

[04:46:08] - I wanted to continue speaking. I wanted to continue to get my point across, and I was interrupted. That was the issue. And I would like to say one last thing, if I may, Madam Chair.

[04:46:25] I think with grace, I think that to the point of violating a rule that I interrupted you, which is my job, if there's a problem, I'm just trying to understand.

[04:46:49] So then is that a breaking of a rule? Since I was performing my job as chair to stop for quote of conduct for board members. Thank you, Madam Chair. So if that's the point of order, then it's within your discretion to say that that point of order is well taken, meaning yes, in your discretion, do you believe there was a violation of a rule or no, that was not well taken. Here, if I understand the proposed point of order correctly, in actuality, after you clarified your thought, Mrs. Griffiths did have an

[04:47:26] opportunity to redirect and complete her statements at that time. Yes, she did. She was able to continue. Anything else, Mrs. Griffiths? Thank you, Madam Chair. With grace, I would like to say that Mercer is not a symbol. No data has ever been presented on PTSD. So I ask, where does this end?

[04:47:54] And I would also, as I mentioned, data, ask about the scores. How do we know that Mercer, the name Mercer is affecting our students scores. I think we should be fixing what's inside the building and not outside which is cosmetic only. Please provide data Miss Letitia Williams if there is data that proves that we have kids. Doctors with PTSD. Dr. Ellis Williams. I'm sorry Dr. Ellis

[04:48:28] Williams um actually I think I'm going to call the question at this point um you have a second okay board members do you want to go ahead and vote uh it's a two-thirds vote two-thirds um to go ahead and call the question so clerk please open the vote board members oh do I need a reminder of what that means Mr. Allen would you like to give a reminder of what calling the question means thank you madam chair so calling the question means that all debate or discussion on a motion

[04:49:08] that's on the floor comes to a halt and a vote well so that's your initial vote whether two thirds of you feel that that's appropriate at this time and then if that's the case then you move directly into the vote on the base motion okay so it was uh moved and seconded and we will uh move on to calling the question with the two-thirds vote okay with no more debate uh clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk please close and display the vote

[04:49:44] and that motion passes with uh miss uh mrs griffiths and miss labelle in opposition so now we were going to go ahead and vote without any more debate on uh renaming mercer middle school as uh gumspring clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk please close

[04:50:15] and display the vote. And that motion passes seven to two with Ms. Griffiths and Ms. Chernoff in opposition. We're moving on to 12.07, Department of Support Services School Name Review, Francis Hazel Reed Elementary School. Mr. Lewis, do you want to give a brief reminder of this item?

[04:50:40] Thank you, Chair Mansfield. The information provided in this item is very similar to that which we just talked through with the Mercer School. Moving down to the recommendation section, you'll see where we have the committee's recommendation for their first choice was loving elementary school their first alternate was to maintain the existing francis hazel reed elementary school as the name their third and second alternative was limestone elementary school and then we've also provided a blank line for board members to insert a different name there so

[04:51:19] the difference here is that the committee's choice second choice was to keep the existing image while we don't have that extra one in there for the board's consideration thank you mr. lewis um i'll now entertain a motion yes dr rasheed madam chair thank you i would like to make a motion that the loudon county school board rename francis hazel reed elementary school located at 800 800 north king street in leesburg loving elementary school effective july 1st 2025 second okay it's

[04:51:57] been properly moved and seconded um is there any discussion oh actually why don't you speak to your motion dr rashid thank you chair um i rise today in strong support of the motion to rename this school names matter they send messages about who we honor and what we believe in by changing the name to one that is inclusive and one that is inclusive we are not erasing history we are choosing to stand for equity, respect, and dignity for all students, staff, and families. This is not about political correctness. It's about doing what's right. It's about creating a learning environment where every student feels

[04:52:34] they belong. I urge all of us to consider the kind of legacy we want to leave and to vote in favor of this important change. You know, one of the speakers, public commenters, had mentioned the ARC, and I like that example because that was a really good example of how that name certain parts of that that acronym changed and you know we read proclamations you know we do all this stuff we celebrate students but when it comes down to the main part that that part is important too because that's that's where our kids are going

[04:53:08] towards so thank you chair and that's all I have to say. Ms. LaBelle. I pretty much said my piece last time we were here, but I would like to add one more thing. I am the only board member sitting here tonight that lives in Western Loudoun. Western Loudoun is very casual, very friendly, and they don't mind speaking up. I hear things, and I don't like things that I'm hearing about the use

[04:53:40] of the Loving's last name. These people do not disturb the disrespect that I'm hearing. Please choose another name. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Lavelle. Yes, Mrs. Griffiths. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[04:54:02] Regarding Princess Hazel Reed, I just want to be clear that Ms. Reed was not a Nazi or a Confederate, it. And yes, we are practicing political correctness here. I don't know why. Tonight, I want to address the proposed name changes for our schools. A proposal that has rightfully sparked strong reactions from the public. Let me be clear. The overwhelming feedback we've received shows that our families, teachers, and community members do not support these changes. And I stand with them.

[04:54:34] We are entrusted with the responsibility to prioritize what matters most, the education and well-being of our students, and the support of educators who make that possible. A name change, especially one that the public does not support, is not just symbolic, it's costly.

[04:54:53] It diverts thousands, potentially millions of taxpayer dollars away from where they belong, in our classrooms, in our student programs, in the hands of teachers who continue to do more with less. Our community is tired of watching time, energy, and resources wasted on performative decisions that have no measurable impact on student outcomes.

[04:55:15] Meanwhile, critical areas continue to be underfunded. Much-needed renovations to our schools. Our teacher retirement program, a program that should reflect our deep respect and gratitude for those who dedicate their lives to public education. Instead, it remains underprioritized and at risk.

[04:55:33] This is the kind of mismanagement that has come to define LCPS in recent years, spending time and money on initiatives that sound good in theory but lack both community support and educational value. It's not sustainable and it's not acceptable.

[04:55:49] We truly want to serve our students and we must listen to our community. We must focus on improving instruction, addressing mental health needs, recruiting and retaining high quality teachers and ensuring that every dollar we spend is a step toward a stronger school system, not a distraction from its purpose.

[04:56:08] Let's stop trying to fix what isn't broken and get back to doing the real work of our schools that they desperately need. In this experience, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Francis Hazel Reed and what an amazing woman she was for her time.

[04:56:23] No one has been able to find anything damaging about Mrs. Reed. Just accusing her of being a racist without proof is just inappropriate. Being part of the UDC does not sell me either. She had a grandfather that fought in the Civil War. A lot of people belonged to that organization because they had relatives that fought in the Civil War.

[04:56:43] It was just something people did for that time. She worked for the Loudon Times Mirror for over 70 years through many different bosses who adored her. She is not here to defend herself today. The Lovings are from Central Point, Virginia, and have no connection to Loudoun County.

[04:57:00] A little history on Richard Loving. Richard Loving's grandfather, T.P. Farmer, fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. Maybe we should name the school Loving Elementary. Richard Loving's paternal grandfather fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War, and his paternal ancestor, Louis Loving, also owned seven slaves, according to the 1830 census, indicating a connection to white Southern patriarchal tradition.

[04:57:26] If this board votes to remove Francis Hazel Reed's name from the school, we will also strip away the awards that were bestowed on her. In 1965, she was named Woman of the Year by Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce. In 1986, she was named Woman of Achievement by Loudoun County Commission on Women.

[04:57:44] And in 1993, on her 93rd birthday, the Loudoun Times Mirror honored her continuing an extraordinary service to the community and her dedication to the field of journalism with a scholarship to be given annually to a female high school graduate from Loudoun who plans to major in journalism.

[04:58:05] 10 years later, in 2003, Frances Hazel Reed Elementary School was open. 22 years later, we are discussing if her name should be removed from the school. There is really so much I could say, but I have said it before.

[04:58:20] Leave our schools alone. Changing the names of our schools serves no positive purpose to our students. Fix the inside of the schools, not the cosmetic changes outside. Thank you. Thank you. Is there any discussion? Yes, Vice Chair Donohue.

[04:58:37] Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to propose an amendment to the base motion that would add Mildred and Richard to the name.

[04:58:52] So my proposal would make the my amendment would make the proposal that the Loudoun County School Board renamed Francis Hazel Reed Elementary School located at 800 North King Street in Leesburg, Mildred and Richard Loving Elementary School, effective July 1st, 2025.

[04:59:08] I have a motion. Do I have a second? Second. I have a second by Dr. Rashid. Vice Chair Donahue, would you like to speak to your motion? Yes. Thank you, Madam Chair. I support I support this change. I have heard from people in the community on both sides, people who had a lot of respect for Frances Hazel Reed and admiration for her and don't want the name to be changed.

[04:59:34] And I have also heard from people in the community who want the name to be changed because of its association with white supremacy. And I will admit that for me, this decision was a little bit more difficult than the one for what will no longer be Mercer Middle School.

[04:59:57] And that is because I read about the positive contributions that Ms. Reed made to Loudoun's community, and especially to the status of women in Loudoun's community. And I admire those things that she contributed. But it is also established fact that she was one of the co-founders of the Loudoun chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, an organization whose purpose was to perpetrate the false narrative of the lost cause and to hold up as honorable people who fought against their own government

[05:00:35] to be able to own other human beings and to intimidate and oppress people of color. I asked, is there any indication that she ever recanted or disavowed or regretted those views?

[05:00:52] Because, yes, I saw she, I understand, people are a product of their time. And she helped found this chapter when she was a young woman and she lived a long life until 1994. That was late enough to maybe have had a change of heart if that was how she felt.

[05:01:11] But to my knowledge, what I have been advised is that no one has been able to find any evidence to suggest that she ever regretted or disavowed or recanted those views. And for that reason, I cannot support keeping that name on our school.

[05:01:33] Thank you. Thank you, Vice Chair Donoghue. Yes, Mr. Streffi. Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to take a moment, again, in addition to thanking staff and all of the members of the committees, I want to thank specifically the chairs of the renaming committees for their time and their patience, for keeping an open mind, and also trying to make the conversations open and fair, despite how challenging it was at times.

[05:02:01] When the board first took the vote to review the school names and create the renaming committees, I said at that time I felt that it was very important that we move forward with that process so that we can show our division that we could have these conversations as a school community and that it was valuable to our division and to many in our community, to families and parents, that we're able to now have had those conversations and weigh in on that impact, whether you agree or disagree with renaming.

[05:02:37] To me, I think the recommendation to rename Francis Hazel Reed Elementary School to Loving Elementary School is a recommendation that's grounded in a commitment to what LCPS aspires to uphold in terms of their values. I think that the committee's recommendation to rename is also a thoughtful response to what I see is a complex historical legacy of Francis Hazel Reed without erasing, as Ms. Donahue mentioned, without erasing her contributions to Loudoun.

[05:03:06] But I also think that the recommendation is also a response to the powerful story of the Loving family. And it reflects the importance that school names have in shaping our students' understanding of our community's values and that they're a reflection of what we aspire to.

[05:03:27] And most importantly, a legacy that all of our students can be proud of, not just some. So naming a school after the lovings sends, I think, a clear message to students and families that represents the best of what we aspire to as a division.

[05:03:44] And again, naming schools or even renaming them is not really about the past. And it's definitely not about erasing that past. It's about really the future that we're building. So I would definitely support renaming the school to Loving Elementary.

[05:04:03] Thank you. Any other discussion? Yes, Mrs. Chandler. Thank you, Madam Chair. And I would like to thank Mrs. Griffiths for loaning me her book. She did buy Frances Hazel Reed's book, and I did take the time to read it last weekend.

[05:04:18] I am really committed to considering all perspectives. It's grounded in the past. Her book is like a yearbook that talks about all the interesting things that happened in Loudon in her life.

[05:04:36] That's great. But when it comes down to it, it's not our job to protect the legacies of the past. It is our job to ensure that we create environments that offer all of our students the opportunity to succeed.

[05:04:53] And honestly, I don't think that anything that's Mr. Loving or his ancestors' heritage is not really relevant to this issue. We've heard from students, teachers, and community members who have come to speak to us directly about their lived experience throughout this process and the stress and painful impact of having to learn and work in environments that are tied to ideas that devalue their humanity.

[05:05:21] We have heard from them. We are here to serve the students in our schools. We need to understand who they are and what they need to be successful. And I checked the dashboard today, and as of today, 60.7% of our students identify as a culture other than white.

[05:05:43] We have an obligation to do better for them. And to improve student outcomes, we need to challenge, overcome, and eliminate any barrier to their success. And if they've come here to tell us that it's hurtful, it's our job to listen. And I am very much in favor of Ms. Donahue's amendment to the base motion.

[05:06:01] I think it makes our commitment stronger. - Thank you, Ms. Chandler. Any other discussion? Yes, Mrs. Griffiths.

[05:06:17] - Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanna say in ending, I know where this vote's gonna go, but it is a little hypocritical. We're picking on a woman for being part of United Daughters of the Confederacy, but we're gonna name it after somebody who had relatives that owned slaves.

[05:06:35] So I find that a little odd and a little hypocritical, but I did wanna point that out again because I do know where this vote is going. thank you. I've had lots of, you know, when I first started this whole thing, I was like, I'm not interested in names anymore, until I got an email from somebody who's probably sitting in the

[05:07:04] audience. Part of it said, if we stop naming places after people now, then the diversity of names will be lacking, and the unintended message that could be sent is about who gets the honor of having a school named after them. And I think that's true. He also pointed out that now names

[05:07:37] are more properly vetted by companies that are dedicated to this very issue. So while I went into this thinking, I think we're done with names. I think that names are important as far as I think that this particular person convinced me um the other thing that i like about this you know the the interracial marriage and also gay marriage at the same time i think that that also the foundation

[05:08:15] for you can marry who you want to love is an important one for me and in my family so i'll be supporting um vice donahue's amendment any other discussion okay vice donahue's amendment is on the board. Clerk, please open the vote. Please record your vote. Clerk, please close and display

[05:08:50] the vote. That motion passes six to three with Mrs. Griffiths, Ms. Chernoff, and Ms. LaBelle in opposition. Now we will vote on the base motion as amended. Clerk, please open the vote.

[05:09:10] Board members, please record your vote. Clerk, please close and display the vote. And that motion passes six to three with Mrs. Griffiths, Ms. Chernoff, and Ms. LaBelle in opposition. Okay, Before we continue with item 12.8, I'm going to ask Ms. LaBelle to please read her second disclosure.

[05:09:42] In addition to disclosure I previously read this evening, as a member of the Loudoun County School Board, I make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits or any other discussion that may include or affect the benefits for LCPS employees.

[05:10:08] Specifically, as a former LCPS employee, I, as well as my spouse, receive Medicare Advantage insurance benefits through LCPS. These benefits, however, affect thousands of employees, well in excess of the Statuatory 3, whose interests may also be affected, of which my spouse and I are included.

[05:10:35] I can and will participate fairly, objectively, and in the public interest. This disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. LaBelle.

[05:10:52] I think that we need about a five-minute break before we start this big conversation about retiree. Just five minutes. Just give us five minutes. So I know you all have been waiting all night. Just five more minutes. No clapping. Stop, stop, stop, stop, please.

[05:11:08] stop stop because i don't want to kick anybody out but let's let's move on uh five minutes uh

[05:11:15] 9 40 from recess all right we are going to move on to item 12.

[05:16:47] 08 department of business and financial services and human resources and talent development retiree health insurance Ms. Boland and Ms. Willoughby would you please give the board a quick reminder of this item or and or maybe kind of go through some of the history and walk us through some timeline and

[05:17:21] decision points please. I will start the answer to that question and I appreciate the opportunity to address all the things that you just mentioned. I'll start with sharing that historically the discussion and changes to compensation, specifically salaries and benefits, is included as part of the budget process. Any changes to salaries or benefit plans are reviewed and presented as part of the budget process, and any of the proposed changes are enacted once

[05:17:57] the budget is adopted. For FY26, the compensation and the benefits presentation was presented to school board during the january 16th budget work session as i shared earlier this evening as part of the benefit budget we presented three proposed items related to the health plan that balance prioritizing financial management as well as quality affordable health care for all of our insured active employees and retirees there of those three items the first item was a 12

[05:18:34] increase to employee retiree and employer paid premiums for all of our plans the second item was changes to the active employee plan specifically increasing deductibles out-of-pocket maximums for all the plans as well as increasing hsa contributions and the third item was changes to the retiree plan the school board adopted the first two items and delayed action on the third item and specifically direct to staff to return in the spring with more information and for the

[05:19:10] school board to consider the proposal at that time. So on March 25th, Mrs. Boland and I brought forward a presentation during the school board work session and shared information on the proposed plan changes. To help provide information and answer questions, we also had four of our consultants in attendance and they actually were able to help answer some of the questions that the school board members had. In conclusion of the presentation of that work session, we shared information on next

[05:19:46] steps. The next step specifically was seeking action to approve the proposed changes to be effective January 1st, 2026. That specific action was also included in board docs as the recommended action. The action was requested for the following meeting on April 8th, but we also shared information that action was needed by April 22nd at the latest due to the ongoing solicitation for a new Medicare Advantage vendor.

[05:20:19] In January of this year, so just a few months ago, Cigna notified LCPS that they were getting out of the Medicare Advantage business. So to ensure that we did not have any disruption of service to our Medicare Advantage plan, We issued an RFP and posted it on March 18th.

[05:20:43] We separated the proposal submission into two phases. The first phase was a technical submission for vendors to submit, which was due last week on April 16th. And the second portion was the financial submission, which was due April 28th, next week, to allow time for the school board to take action that would give clarity on the demographic data and pool size vendors would need to put together their financial proposals.

[05:21:14] After we pass the April 28th date, the procurement team will work with our consultant to identify the top vendor and begin negotiations. A contract award will then be brought forward to the Finance and Operations Committee and the school board for approval.

[05:21:33] Tonight's school board action request is solely for changes to the retiree benefit plan and is separate from the contract award that would be brought forward in the upcoming months. This contract award is to select a vendor to provide Medicare Advantage services only.

[05:21:57] An additional step of this process is related to policy 7715, which I think is titled Retirement Benefits. If the school board voted this evening to approve the proposed changes, then the policy would need to be revised to align with the school board action this would be similar to other actions where approved budget items require subsequent policy revisions and a few examples include policy 4020 which is student fees and charges you know year after year we have made efforts to reduce or eliminate

[05:22:33] student fees that are approved during the budget process and then we follow up after that action to align the budget another example is I think a couple years ago we enacted a benefit related to parental leave once that was approved as part of the budget process we followed up with and making the appropriate change to that policy related to leave another example in terms of you know conversations school board members have talked about would be related to TJ. It could be related to transportation. If during the upcoming budget process, if there

[05:23:11] was discussion about whether or not to eliminate transportation or eliminate sending students to TJ, there is an existing policy that, dependent on the final school board action during the budget, we would again follow up and make the appropriate changes to the policy. So that is just a high-level recap of where we started and where we're at today and mr. mrs. Boland and I would be happy to take any questions that you may have board members do you want to have and he has gotten yes miss dr. she chair

[05:23:49] Mansfield I wanted to make a motion if that's okay right now okay thank you madam chair I moved that the school board declined staffs recommendation at this time and refer policy 7628 back to the HRTD committee for a detailed look at the policy wording and have a more thorough discussion. I have a motion by Dr. Rasheed and I have a second by Ms. LaBelle. It's been properly moved and seconded. Dr. Rasheed, would you like to speak to your motion?

[05:24:22] Thank you, Chair. Yes, I would. I'm speaking in support of the motion to send the retiree benefits policy back to HRTD for further refinement, further review. While we recognize the importance of providing clarity and support for our retirees, it's equally important that the policy reflects fairness, responsibility, and alignment with our broader organizational values and goals. There are still, as we heard tonight, there are still significant questions and concerns that have been raised both in terms of how the benefits are structured and how changes may impact long-serving members of our community. So this is a chance to

[05:24:58] further improvise and even to get it right. I support the motion and encourage others to do the same so we can move forward with the policy that truly serves the best interests of our retirees and our organization as a whole. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Sheet. Yes, Dr. Deans. As a retiree, even though it's from another school division, I support the motion, of course, but I also want to

[05:25:28] share that when it comes back to us that it is clear it is clear maybe two choices when you send out five different charts it confuses people and some of the somebody told me says some of you retirees don't even have email and so many of the retirees may not have access to receiving the surveys and the

[05:26:01] emails so I think that for retirees that might not have a 14 year old granddaughter that keeps her up-to-date that you need to send out something specific and something in hard copy when it's time for them to make decisions rather than send it electronically I even I'm even concerned about electronic communication locally here with parents because parents are so busy they don't get a chance to sit down in front of the computer for long so I think that we

[05:26:39] need to when we're changing things for retirees I'm not old I'm just wise I'm just you know I have wisdom but um but I just think that we need to send it out in different formats when it's when it concerns retirees and those retirees who've been out there for years thank you thank you Dr. Deans any other discussion yes Ms. LaBelle I heard from a lot of people at a

[05:27:12] round table recently I heard all the stories all the worries all the anxieties and I know how they because I'm in the same boat. I know that when I look at it and I look at all the options I noticed that it's missing a lot of figures. The only figure that we saw was oh $400 if you have an RHRA given for just one person. Now how can

[05:27:47] you vote or support something when you don't know what the perks are? How much does it cost how much am i going to benefit from this is this one better for that one you can't figure that out without the figures in front of you it is extremely important that all of this be laid out to us because many of us and i'm talking about us the retirees that we need to know because we are at a time of life when we're living on social security and if we have it

[05:28:25] the Virginia Retirement System funds. Both of those may be cut. We know they're not going to get larger. We need to know that what we are receiving is going to be consistent and contain consistent increases to meet the increase in the cost of living. It is not right to tell people, well, go ahead and see if you can find another insurance company, especially if your spouse is someone who has a pre-existing condition. Now, who is going to take that on? And if they can find an

[05:29:05] insurance company that will, how much is it going to cost them? We need to have reassurance that we are getting what we were promised. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. LeBell. I'm hoping that while we make this vote right now, and regardless which way, but going back to HRTD, I'm hoping to have more of those conversations have the consultants available those kinds of things kind of the the deeper dive that we did kind of like for special permission and restraint and seclusion like there

[05:29:44] was a little bit of a deeper dive and collective bargaining that was the other thing that was a big deep dive too and I think most of the board members are up for that I see that there's a huge issue. And I think it's better if we try and work together to solve it. Yes, Vice Chair Donoghue.

[05:30:09] Thank you, Madam Chair. I wanted to just add that I support the proposal to send this matter back to committee for further discussion. It does seem like some kind of change will have to be made, which sucks, but appears to be forced on us by outside factors that a change has to be made.

[05:30:42] But that being said, I am not okay with pulling back benefits that were promised to our employees. And right now, I don't feel like I have information, enough information.

[05:31:06] If that is only available option, I want to see what have we explored. What are all of the options that we have looked at to fix this situation, and what are the pros and cons of those options, and is there some reason why then this one is either the only available one or the best one available.

[05:31:31] I don't feel like we have that information before us right now, and I hope that we can get that if we have more time to study it. Thank you. I also think that there's a history there, and I think that they've been working on it incrementally.

[05:31:52] So I also was wondering, Ms. Willoughby and Ms. Boland, what this vote, if it passes, what would be the next steps with the RFP and everything else to help inform the school board vote?

[05:32:21] If the school board voted in support of the proposed changes, then we would work with our consultants to convey information to the vendors who are responding to the solicitation to share information regarding the pool size. Why this is important information is if the school board voted to not enact the plan changes, then it's a closed pool, meaning that there are approximately 2,000 retirees that would remain as the only option being to be on a Medicare Advantage plan.

[05:33:01] So the vendors would be preparing their financial proposals based on a pool size of approximately, say, 2,000. If the school board voted to approve, then the pool size now has a ceiling or a maximum number of approximately 2,000 because now there's a choice in that some retirees may choose to not want to continue with an LCPS-sponsored Medicare Advantage plan, and they may opt to do an RHRA plan.

[05:33:34] So that diminishes the size of the pool. So now it's a maximum versus a guarantee of a certain number in your pool size. That is really important information for the vendors, as I mentioned earlier, to put together their financial information.

[05:33:52] But it's not just the employees, the retirees. It would be their dependents and their spouses too. Well, generally, yes. Possibly, right? Absolutely, right. So would that increase the pool? And I'm generalizing, but absolutely. It's more about the fact that it's not just the only choice and now vendors know this is what retirees at LCPS, once they hit 65, this is where they are going to go and they have that information.

[05:34:18] Whereas with the other option, there is a choice and it may not be all covered lives remaining on Medicare Advantage because they have the option to elect the retiree health account. So that information will be conveyed so that vendors can more accurately prepare their proposals and then we continue with our solicitation process to award a contract.

[05:34:46] So irrespective, we are awarding a contract with a vendor because we need a vendor because we no longer will have Cigna at the end of this calendar year. So, again, I just want to reiterate, the vote tonight is related to the plan, but it helps inform vendor preparing their financial solicitations in response to our RFP.

[05:35:12] Thank you, Ms. Willoughby. Okay, board members, any other? I'm sorry, Chair Mansfield. Can I just add something additional, too? Yes, ma'am. If the vote were yes, additional to the RFP with the Medicare Advantage, we would then also need to work with Cigna to create the RHRA account in time for open enrollment.

[05:35:34] So that information could be properly communicated through the open enrollment process. Thank you, Ms. Boland. Ms. Chernoff. Thank you, Madam Chair. I really think that this needs to be a learning experience, so I agree with your amendment proposal motion.

[05:35:58] I think we have to examine the process and the timelines for changes. I think we need to think about how we can better inform those affected and ensure understanding of implications before proposal. I honestly think that there are positives to these proposed changes with the RHRA and that having the flexibility and choice could be a good fit for retirees and for LCPS.

[05:36:20] However, upon hearing from hundreds of retirees and current employees who will be affected, it's clear that this conversation is bigger than just the proposed changes to health care. It's more about who and what we value and about how we navigate the changes that impact our staff and our educators if they are absolutely necessary. I do not believe that there was ill intent on the LCPS side. I've had lots of conversations with them, and I do believe that even on new information tonight, the history that we heard, that this is an ongoing strategic game of managing the fund balance, and that has far-reaching implications. I think we have some

[05:37:00] work to do on that front as a board, strategically speaking, but that will have to come in future budget decisions and for now with the current status of confusion and more questions and answers I would not support the proposed changes and would also want to ensure that the support of those proposed changes if there are budget implications and dollars that have to be reallocated in this budget cycle that that does not fall on current employees or come from other areas that would hit staff. It can't be one for the other. Sometimes that happens. If it's retirees that we help

[05:37:39] benefit, then the implication falls on our current employees who already had a 12% increase in premiums. So I'm hoping that there will be some transparency and dialogue around what those nuances are. And I know it's tricky, but we have a large budget. We talk about how blessed we are have a large budget here in lcps a lot so i'm hoping we can navigate that for the benefit of all of our staff and i'm wondering if we can clarify a number around what that budget implication might be or if the 26 million dollar transfer with end of year funds will be enough so i would

[05:38:18] appreciate some clarification on that um what i'm sorry trying to understand if there's a number that that if we vote in favor of Dr. Rasheed's motion to decline this option, what does that mean for this current budget cycle?

[05:38:41] Because it was allocated. That's what we just said. That's what we were talking about earlier. Is there a number, though, that is going to, and who's that going to fall on? Where does that pain point fall? So that because the board adopted the budget without this recommendation in the budget, that has already been accounted for in the current budget.

[05:39:01] And so there isn't going to be an adjustment that needs to be made because remember this would have been a cost saving so it would in effect have been a savings inside of the budget so we just left it at the current level so in fact it will not impact the current budget we just won't realize the savings that we shared during the budget process.

[05:39:26] Vice Chair Donahue. Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to, I'm not sure if this is an amendment, but I was going to say I would like to suggest a different alternative way to move forward with the continued consideration in the form of a select committee.

[05:39:49] and I'm bringing up this suggestion largely because of timing issues the next HRTD meeting is this Thursday and then there will be two more meetings before the summer break and hearing some of the timing issues raised by staff that's giving me a little bit of concern of with the committees typically meeting once a month if we would if there would be time within

[05:40:22] the committee to get through the amount of work that it seems like we feel is needed to get through to work through this issue that it might be more flexible in the form of a select committee. So Mr.

[05:40:38] Allen if it there can be a board action for a select committee and then what would the parameters of that be what could that what what I think yes maybe I can go down that road I think to be clear and Miss Willoughby can can can back me up and Miss Bolin if the board chooses tonight to send this back to committee for further discussion the board is essentially tabling this for the year we we will not have time to complete the RFP process have a new Medicare Advantage plan with

[05:41:17] whatever the parameters of that are going to be in place to replace the SIGNA plan by December and have all of that ready for rollout through the open enrollment process if action isn't taken on it tonight. So in effect, you will be signaling to administration, and again, completely within the board's discretion to do so, obviously, but signaling to administration to proceed with a Medicare Advantage plan run by LCPS, similar to what we currently have, with the exception that will not be through Cigna because they're no longer managing a Medicare Advantage plan.

[05:41:54] So would not be an urgent need to create a select committee to try to get this resolved quickly because this essentially would become an issue for next year's budget. Yeah, I think I understood that part.

[05:42:11] We were thinking the select committee because then it would just be focused on that issue too. Right. I was kind of responding just to, I think, Ms. Donahue's comment about the urgency of the matter, that the urgency is not there. It's going to be a year.

[05:42:26] Based on a vote that you take tonight, it's really going to be an issue for next year's budget. But if the board wants to then discuss, obviously, a select committee for the purpose of just focusing on this, that's also your prerogative, as you well know. Okay. All right. So we have, you made a motion? Or we were just discussing?

[05:42:47] We were just discussing, Madam Chair. - Okay, yes, Mrs. Griffiths. - Thank you, Madam Chair, I just wanted to, I agree with some of the discussion today, but I did have something prepared that I just wanted to say.

[05:43:03] I wanted to speak today on behalf of the group that was quietly given their careers in service to our schools and retired educators. Many of them spent 25, 30, even 40 years shaping minds in building the very foundation on which our school division stands today.

[05:43:20] And now as we examine the status of the health self-insurance fund and the PEB liability, I believe it's critical we ask ourselves, are we keeping a promise? And the fact is premiums for retiree health care had not increased since 2018, even as health care costs rose year after year.

[05:43:40] That decision was made by this system, not by the retirees. And now we face a gap between revenues and expenditures, one that is the result of delayed adjustments, long-term underfunding, not the result of actions taken by the retirees themselves. To suggest that we shift financial pressure into retirees now, people on fixed incomes, many of whom were living modestly, is frankly unjust.

[05:44:06] Retiree health care is not a bonus. It's part of the total compensation package they were promised and earned through decades of service. These individuals plan their retirements based on that promise to backtrack on it now is just not a good financial decision or a moral one we are making progress on our opeb obligations we've committed 12 million annually from the school operating fund the fund is on track to reach 100 funding in roughly 10 years that means we have a path forward and we must stay on it without asking retirees to shoulder a disproportionate burden for

[05:44:43] past delays on planning or funding. Yes, the market fluctuates. Yes, costs are rising, but those are known risks. Ones are responsible for managing. And I want to be clear, our retired educators should not be punished for financial mismanagement. They held up their end of the deal. Now it's our turn to hold up ours. Let's recommit ourselves to providing affordable quality health care to our retirees and uphold the trust they placed in us because now we treat those who came before us, how we treat those who came before us speaks volumes about who we are now.

[05:45:21] So with regards to that, I am chair of the HRTD committee. I don't know that this ever really came through the HRTD committee. So we're discussing a select committee. We're discussing the time, the timeline that we have. So I don't know that this could go to the HRTD or a select committee per Dr. Spence.

[05:45:42] So I'd like to have more discussion on what we should do next. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Griffiths. It did go through your committee last year in April, the policy. So, but that particular part was not discussed.

[05:46:02] Yes, Mr. Estreffi. The policy, not the plan. I want to acknowledge the complexity. I understand the challenges with sustaining the health self-insurance fund and I just want to also reiterate I appreciate the clarity from staff around all of the circumstances in the history related to this I don't think it was being asleep at the wheel or you know mismanagement I think that there's a lot of nuance there that we need to appreciate but I also know that we have work to

[05:46:42] do, and I agree with the sentiments that this should probably happen in committee, and whether that's a select committee or through HRTD. I see the reasons for the staff recommendation to move forward tonight and the predicament, but I need to put more weight on the insecurity that our retirees feel with what's being proposed, the process, and the impact to them. Again, agreeing with all of what others have mentioned we need to exhaust all options and do an even deeper dive but potentially jeopardizing the trust and faith of our retirees and our educators as a whole

[05:47:19] isn't really an option at this point we we know that they rely on this benefit each retiree or family has their own circumstances and affected different you know affected on varying levels and you know to what others have mentioned already they relied on this promise when they made their career decisions they committed to lcps as a result um and we need to make sure that our decisions are grounded um in what will keep our educators inspired uh supported and valued so

[05:47:50] i do support the uh the motion as well yes dr deans dr deans one last comment um um keeping a commitment is sometimes not possible when it comes to the bottom line. And my retired insurance got to the same point where this one is, and they went with a different company,

[05:48:24] but they kept both teacher and wife on it. So can a different company give us what we need, even though the current company cannot so uh and when it was sent to me i had to check which which one one two or three and i checked the one that was most comfortable for me and my family but i'm just saying is that um some of the selection needs to come from from the administration

[05:48:57] before it's sent out to the retirees is my recommendation dr spence thank you madam chair I just quickly recognizing where the vote's going and certainly comfortable with that and understand all of the reasons associated with that.

[05:49:17] I do want to make sure that that our board members are not voting on this because of concerns over financial mismanagement. That's a serious allegation. I stand ready with my team to defend against that allegation. It is not what has occurred. The historical record doesn't reflect that accuracy, nor does the current action of my team.

[05:49:36] And so I just want to state, for the record publicly, I don't believe any board member should be voting on this based on any concerns about financial mismanagement. And again, we stand ready to defend ourselves against that allegation.

[05:49:54] Ms. Chandler. Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to take a second to thank Ms. Willoughby for the conversation that we've had tonight. I feel like I've had a very hard time getting comfortable with this process throughout. And always it is comfortable, more comfortable for me to have the historical perspective.

[05:50:17] And to Dr. Spence's point, I would agree. I don't believe that this is a financial mismanagement issue. I believe that past boards and past administrations made choices with the information they had at the time, and sadly, it's turned out to not necessarily have been beneficial.

[05:50:40] I mean, I don't even know if I need to place any judgment on it. We are in the situation that we're in. I don't feel that I can be rushed in this decision because it is very important for me personally to make sure that we are continuing to rebuild trust in our community.

[05:51:00] And I am happy to acknowledge no one is on the board that is part of any failure in trust. And most of the people who are in the administration were not involved in making the decisions when they were made in 2013.

[05:51:18] But here we are. So I believe we have shown that we can take on hard conversations. We can do hard things, and we can do them together. And I am definitely in favor of taking this into some form of committee and continuing to do the work so that we make sure that we make a wise choice.

[05:51:39] Thank you. And one last comment. Oh, I'm sorry. Dr. Deans. If we need to come back together as a board because of some timeline, I'm willing to do that and I will be willing to encourage my co-board members to do that.

[05:52:00] Dr. Ashif. Thank you, Chair. I just wanted clarity and just to make sure that by no means did I, you know, mean that, you know, it was on the fault of LCPS based on what happened in terms of my motion. I just want to make sure that, you know, I have full faith in the cabinet, girl power, no offense to the men, but I really love the LCPS administration. I do, and everybody knows that. I just want to make sure that, because I didn't say that in the motion, but I'm not blaming anyone. I think that this was just, it could have been an oversight, but regardless, I just want to make sure that's

[05:52:36] clear. Thanks. So it's a complex issue, right? Super complex. Lots of stuff going on. There's a huge history going on and so I mean I guess we don't have to make the committee decision now but I kind of feel like a select committee would be better because that would be focused on this and it could be something that would go on for six months seven months eight months whatever for a year and then get and then go on with it so that I already know HRTD was a little behind for a little while and

[05:53:14] it's catching up and i don't know if this would continue to make it go behind again but um so um i'm comfortable if someone wants to make that amendment to take it instead of hrtd to make a select committee all right vice chair donahy i move to amend dr rasheed's motion to um for this uh issue to for the board to appoint a special committee to address this issue i second uh

[05:53:54] oh uh miss uh miss labelle seconds it uh miss vice chair gosh it's getting late now vice chair donahue makes a motion and miss labelle seconds it um and then i guess we have to come up with the name and everything else later okay so is there any discussion on that no okay clerk please open the vote for that amendment board members please record your vote clerk please close and

[05:54:31] display the vote that motion passes unanimously and then we will go back to the base motion as amended which is that we will keep everything as is for the RFP and then this will go to a select committee correct any discussion no okay clerk please open the vote board members please record

[05:54:58] your vote clerk please close and display the vote and that motion passes unanimously all right we will now be a goat moving on to information items sorry I shouldn't have clapped 13.01 did you want to yeah okay so board members do you want to stay it's 10:19 is it time-sensitive no is it really time-sensitive okay you know

[05:55:37] what yeah but we still have to vote because it's per policy so thumbs up if you want to stay okay majority is is wants to stay okay Department of Support Services Dulles South secondary school attendance zone change processes overview presented by Kevin Lewis chief operations officer of Everly Tate director of planning and GIS services mr.

[05:56:01] Lewis and mrs. Tate thank you chair Mansfield I am joined tonight with by mrs. Tate who is going to walk us through a number of slides and an overview of the upcoming Dulles South secondary attendance zone change process good evening I know you saved the best

[05:56:33] for last if if you would indulge me just a moment earlier this evening we put a folder at each of your seats and I would just like to briefly highlight what we provided you that is also posted on our dedicated attendance on web page the first item in the packet is a copy of tonight's presentation should you wish to reference it the second packet of information is a map of the Dulles South planning zone it's a map and then within it is a planning zone table that

[05:57:12] provides the count of current 24 year resident students by planning zone as well as high school students I will speak to that a little bit more but I'm just briefly highlighting in spite of the hour the next map is a conditions without change this reflects the projections that are in this current school board's FY 26 capital budget and this would be how the projections would be at these six reflect these six schools if we do know attendance zone

[05:57:44] change this spring the next item in the packet is the staff plan this is by far probably not the first plan or it is the first plan but probably not the only only plan that will be reviewed by you as we move forward in this process but we've provided the staff plan and inside of that is a rationale that kind of speaks to why staff made this recommendation for your consideration the next packet which is paper clipped are three maps of each of the three high school clusters included in this attendance zone process so the Freedom

[05:58:21] High School J. Michael Lunsford attendance zones it includes the walk zones as well as residential development within that attendance zone the next one is John champ high school immerse or middle school again it's the attendance zone including residential development within that boundary and the school's walk zones as applicable and then the third one is the light ridge high school willard middle school attendance zone again conveying the walk zone residential development in a depiction of the attendance zone and then the last two maps in the folder are the current secondary attendance zones which mirrors the conditions without change

[05:59:00] for the three high schools and three middle schools in the process as well the last one is the elementary schools and this is often information that's requested in a boundary process so thank you for that brief run through tonight we begin the attendance zone process for reviewing the double south secondary attendance zone specifically francis hayes francis says freedom High School, J. Michael Lunsford, John Champ High School, Mercer Middle School, Light Ridge High School, and Willard Middle School.

[05:59:37] As you are aware, and the greater public has been made known of this process, this is an intended smaller initial change process that comes before the attendance end process when we open HS14. That would be anticipated in the spring of 2027, where we will not only have another high school in the mix but we will also be transitioning willard middle school to be a full-fledged middle school serving grades 6 through 8 the starting point here are some disclaimers that we would like to get out front in front of everyone this is a smaller change process we are with this staff is

[06:00:14] recommending we maintain the current secondary feeder so J Michael Lunsford will continue to feed freedom high school Mercer will continue to free John champ high school and Willard will continue to feed like rich high school That will not change, so any change that is recommended at a middle school level would then also apply to that feeder high school.

[06:00:34] The adopted changes we're recommending would not take effect until the fall of 2026, so we have about 18 months prior to that. All of the exceptions that would be explored in a typical attendance zone process will be explored with this. Rising seniors will not be asked to change.

[06:00:50] Rising juniors will be surveyed. Rising eighth graders will also be surveyed to see if there's an interest of their parents for them to finish out that level of schooling at their current school. And then finally, there will be no elementary attendance zone changes with this process. Whatever elementary school serves your house now will continue to serve your house until we do elementary boundary changes, if and when.

[06:01:12] Thank you. Next slide. This process is guided by policy and regulation 6530, as you have actually reviewed and revised earlier this evening. These are the factors that are considered in an attendance zone process.

[06:01:29] And when changing attendance zones, the school board certainly will consider, but they're not always limited to these factors. And sometimes these factors will be in conflict with others. And so there is a certain give and take as you consider boundary plans. This is a snapshot of our planning webpage.

[06:01:50] This lcps.org forward slash 2025 DS boundary is the link that will take you to our attendance zone page. Everything that we share with you with board members, we post on the webpage so that the public has as well.

[06:02:06] We have included here, we're also showing the map gallery. It's a great visual resource that is also on our homepage where you can find visual graphics of current attendance zones. can find information about residential development that's happening in the county we have walk zone information so this is a great resource but anything specific to this boundary process will be at that boundary website we're posting questions that we receive in writing from the public there so we're posting the questions and the answers so everybody complete transparency gets the

[06:02:43] same answer we've posted some FAQs so I would encourage those listening watching at home who may view this video later to continue to visit this website because this additional information is provided to you with each meeting we're posting it we have partnered once again with Virginia Tech to have a to utilize redistrict which is a platform that it will allow anyone you me anyone watching to create their own plan all of the information that is posted with this

[06:03:19] Virginia Tech product that we are partnering with is the same information in our planning zone so they can create plans to say the staff plan is malarkey we can come up with a better plan they can certainly use this tool come up with a plan present it to you share with the public comment on everybody's plans and it's an interactive tool that's much easier than adding up numbers from a spreadsheet but we have this link on ours the heat map so this is similar to the heat map that we have in the CIP process are in the CIP document this one

[06:03:58] we are illustrating the need for why we're here with this boundary process those under capacity schools of which there's only two freedom and J Michael Lunsford are currently showing a capacity of under 90% I think I really I really can't see this far at this point.

[06:04:20] Those that are within 90 to 100 of the base capacity, John Champ High School. We have none that are slightly over capacity but we have several that are extremely over capacity which is why we're here and we want to address that imbalance prior to the opening of HS14.

[06:04:41] This again is a snapshot of the same data that's in the CIP conditions without change. It's also reflected on the map. I would like to focus that our intent with this boundary process is to address the 26-27 and 27-28 school year, those highlighted in yellow on this chart.

[06:05:03] These are the years we want to provide some relief for our Dulles South secondary schools, most specifically Willard and Mercer. And then once we hit the 28-29 year, that's when HS14 opens. and so all of those projections in those last three years of this six-year process those will change as the new school opens and so again our focus is on these two years of the 26 27 27 28 this is our planning zone map it's also depicts our secondary school zone so in this illustrative the blue identifies

[06:05:42] the Light Ridge High School Willard Middle School expansive boundary the The yellow depicts the John Champ Mercer and then the green is Freedom High School and Willard Middle School. Planning zones, they're designed within the support services planning GIS team.

[06:06:02] They are smaller areas than an attendance zone. They may or may not include a community. Lena Run is a community in the Dulles South area that is in DS-10. is the only subdivision in that planning zone but if you look at the green a majority of those planning zones are the south riding community and so we try to create areas that are represented by one elementary one middle one high school but are small enough that you can look at them to analyze the enrollments look

[06:06:38] at capacity and kind of come up with plans but we also don't want them so huge that a planning zone has 500 elementary school students because if we were doing an elementary boundary process that would just not work they typically follow major roads geographic water waterways but all of the information we're providing you on the chart that is also shown provides you the student counts as current September September 24 and then our projections by

[06:07:13] planning zone so this is how we come up with various plans the chart will provide you the elementary middle and high school that served by the planning zone and then the projections for the next six years again this is the conditions without change map that we have and a blow up here for those viewing here we've drawn a line again around the two years that we're focusing on so that you can see how we've got Mercer Middle School at 111% capacity in the 25

[06:07:48] or the 26 27 school year and we've got Willard at 110 and it's for these two that we're really focusing on the changes that we're recommending with the next slide this is the staff plan and again it's an initial plan to get the conversation started with the public we have again this is an initial process It's not necessarily a long-range plan because we certainly can't guarantee.

[06:08:21] But we're kind of envisioning how this may evolve as we look at the boundaries two years from now for HS14. If you could go to the next slide, I can speak to specifics. So we are proposing seven planning zones move with our staff plan.

[06:08:38] We have four here that we're recommending move from John Champ and Mercer to Freedom and J. Michael Lunsford. These are all for established planning zones with established communities. In DS 9.1, for those familiar with the area, we have Eastgate Square and Eastgate 1.

[06:08:56] In DS 9.3, we have Towns at Eastgate. In DS 16.1, we have Eastgate 3, we have Reserve at South Riding, Savoy Woods, Defender Drive is an active application, and then Mountain View.

[06:09:12] All three of these planning zones are currently attending Cardinal Ridge, but Cardinal Ridge is a split feed. So with this staff recommendation, we're recommending these three planning zones transition to Freedom High School and J. Michael Lunsford so that Cardinal Ridge becomes a peer feed.

[06:09:28] So all of the students who go to Cardinal Ridge Elementary will then matriculate on to J. Michael Lunsford and Freedom as a peer feed. We're also recommending that DS 13.8 in this, which includes Elk Lake Estates, North Riding, part of South Riding, the multifamily, the Abbey there.

[06:09:49] They're in the Liberty Elementary School zone, but we're recommending that this planning zone also transition to Freedom High School and J. Michael Lunsford to provide some relief for Mercer Middle School. Liberty is a split feed school, so a percentage of their students do advance on to Mercer and John Champ and others to J. Michael Lunsford. This will actually balance it out a little bit more. It'll be about a 40-60 split, but we think in a long term, these communities will be able to stay at freedom in Mercer or freedom in Lunsford, I'm sorry, and not have to transition again when we do the

[06:10:27] next boundary process with HS14. Wait, so Liberty is now it's still Lunsford and Champ? I mean, it's still Lunsford and Mercer? It goes to two yes okay because that's what it was when my kids went so okay it still will unfortunately then we have three planning zones that are in the current Willard Light Ridge and that we're recommending go to John Champ and Mercer with this these are all three located north of Braddock Road with the

[06:11:00] exception of the little drop down of 12.6 but 12.6 includes Braddock Corner 13.3 includes Kirkpatrick farms a portion of it and 1312 includes a portion of Kirkpatrick farms Westview estates and the future Shaw cross development that is adjacent to the Mercer middle school campus with all of these these three schools are all these three playing zones I'm sorry are all in the Pinebrook elementary school attendance zone Pinebrook is currently a split feed Pinebrook would remain a split feed where some of their students advance to

[06:11:37] willard and lightridge and others advanced to mercer and john champ so we are we're more equally dividing pine brook with this division but this will provide relief for willard and lightridge and we think our recommendation is that this would be a long-term stay for these students that they too again living in these planning zones would not be part of the future boundary process with HS14.

[06:12:09] We are here tonight with this very brief overview. Next Wednesday we have our first public hearing and work session then followed by one the following week on May 5. All of the meetings will obviously be televised. Advanced speaker sign-up will be available for the public hearings.

[06:12:27] And then you go to the final slide. This is our contact information again for those who are watching or those who may look at this later. Any emails we receive with questions, we're going to answer in writing. We're going to post them on our website so that everybody has the same answer.

[06:12:45] We're not getting different conversations at the bus stop or at soccer matches. We have a dedicated web page. Any questions you all receive as board members, please route them to us so that we can help answer so we get those questions as well.

[06:13:00] But we're here to answer any questions. I realize it's late and I appreciate your time and if you have any questions. It's so funny because, like, not too long ago, it was Lunsford that was so overcrowded. I think Mr. Slevin was there at that particular point in time.

[06:13:18] Super overcrowded. Freedom was unbelievably crowded. And they even made more. We even increased the square footage a little bit there. So things change so fast. Board members, do you have any other questions?

[06:13:36] Yes, Dr. Deans. I don't know geography. So we have looked at that area to make sure there's not another housing development that's going to pop up somewhere. Excellent question. We certainly have looked at all of the developments that we are tracking.

[06:13:55] So we're active applications, pending applications, approved applications. If there are people buying up land and getting ready to submit a proposal, we don't know about that. but everything that we're aware of we are taking into account yes ma'am any other questions no all right thank you i guess we'll see you what wednesday okay um we'll move on to item 14 board member comment and committee reports we can go ahead and do this or we can stop or we can move

[06:14:34] on we thumbs up to do committee reports okay we're not doing committee reports tonight um moving on new business is there any new business seeing none okay seeing as they're no more business the April 22nd 2025 Lowden County School Board meeting is now adjourned please drive safely home

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Coraggio Consulting · aguyonx.com