Coraggio Consulting
Manassas City School Board Meeting - October 28, 2025

Date: Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Place: Manassas City Public Schools / School Board meeting, Virginia
Length: 0h 55m (video)
Official meeting video (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPCILXcd6YY

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 2026-10-17. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:00:00] silence followed by the pledge of allegiance. Mrs. Garza could you please

[00:00:39] call the roll? Yes ma'am. Chair Seberg? Here. Vice Chair Spall? Here. Mrs. Stevens? Mrs. Brescia? Present. Ms. Miles? Present. Ms. Brown? Dr. Jones? Here. Ms.

[00:00:55] Breeden? Here. Mr. Amun? Here. Thank you. Madam Chair we have a quorum. Thank you. Dr. Newman do we have any additions or deletions to the agenda this evening? No ma'am we don't okay okay yes ma'am I moved that the school board of the city of Manassas approved the public meeting agenda as presented second I have a motion by mrs. Stevens second by mrs. Brescia that the school board of the city of Manassas approve the public meeting agenda as presented is there any

[00:01:33] discussion all in favor any opposed the motion carries 7-0 okay thank you everyone for being here tonight if you're here for public comment please come down and sign up on the front table down here and next up on our agenda we have superintendents announcements and spotlights and I'll go to mrs. Bradford

[00:01:59] thank you thanks for having us here the award that we got the unified national

[00:03:46] champion is huge it's not just that we hit those three components that Al talked about it was that we were the best in our area so there were only two new schools in Virginia that were recognized and we were one of those two so I'm really really proud of them the reason I brought these two up is because really the whole program is run by the kids I facilitate and they do everything they are the stars and so I do want to let them share some of the some of the three

[00:04:20] components that we that we do every day in class and throughout the school this This is Mackenzie Fitterer and Maya Mira. - When we started this class our junior year, we fell in love with it.

[00:04:39] This class has become easily one of our favorite classes here at Osborne, and I love this program, and I love that we get to do it every B-Day. And it's not just every B-Day that we see the kids. When we see the kids in the hallways, we're always waving to them, and you create lifelong friends in this class.

[00:04:59] - Yeah, I absolutely love this class every day. I mean, being seniors, you sometimes get a little senioritis and this class makes it fun to come to school and to be able to meet the kids and be able to see all the different personalities and traits that they have.

[00:05:14] And one of my favorite moments is coming in every B day in the mornings and them running up and just being so excited to see us and tell us about their weekend or their evening and things like that. And then being able to connect with them through our love of sports, because we are very big sports people.

[00:05:30] We have a lot of sports people. So, yeah, it's fun, and we love it. As they get in position for the picture, I just want to say there are only two designations of this caliber in the state of Virginia.

[00:06:07] So I think it's really awesome that Osborne is one of the two.

[00:07:00] Congratulations. Thank you so much. Busy athletes, so we were happy that we were able to get them here tonight. And we have one more recognition from Osborne High School.

[00:07:17] and this is for the Virginia Music Educators Association or VMEA Senior Honor Choir recognition. Osborne High School is proud to announce that Rubelsi Najaro was selected for the Virginia Music Educators Association Senior Honor Choir, which is the highest honor recognized by the state for singing.

[00:07:37] So we're gonna ask Rubelsi to come down tonight. And Ms. Shirley Glum is here, the Director of Choral Activities, and she's gonna talk a little bit more so you can understand what this means for them.

[00:07:56] - Dr. Newman and Chair Seberg. - It is with great pleasure to recognize that our outstanding student, Rebelsi Naharo, has done an incredible achievement. In the fall, Rebelsi auditioned for the VMEA Senior Honor Choir.

[00:08:12] It's the highest choral distinction awarded by our state. In September, he submitted a prepared German excerpt and completed an advanced level sight reading test Out of the 1,200 submissions, there were only 150 singers chosen for this honor choir.

[00:08:29] Rebelsi not only made it, but he also earned the third highest score among the tenor ones and also scored a perfect sight reading, which is a big deal. This accomplishment reflects Rebelsi's dedication, his discipline, and exceptional musical talent.

[00:08:49] We are so very proud of his hard work and commitment to his musicianship and his craft. Later this month, Rebelsi will join the senior honor choir to rehearse under the direction of a distinguished guest conductor and perform at the VMEA conference in Norfolk, Virginia, November 20th through the 22nd.

[00:09:07] Please join me in congratulating Rebelsi Naharo on this outstanding honor. - And his mom is here who is one of our employees, our staff members over at Round.

[00:10:09] Thank you all. I just want to encourage everyone to share these stories to the rooftops because we have some exceptional students are doing exceptional things thank you so much this concludes our spotlights for tonight thank you mrs radford next up is board committee reports and i'll go to mrs stevens who chairs our policy

[00:10:42] committee thank you chair we had a policy committee meeting at 5 p.m this evening just before the school board meeting we looked at four different policies three were updates from the vsba that clarified added or deleted language they were a policy concerning student conduct purchasing procedures and public records the fourth policy is IGR which is the grading policy we looked at changing it up a little bit and moving portions of it back into a regulation we'll be meeting again before our next

[00:11:20] regular school board meeting next Wednesday on the 5th to look at the updates and to discuss the updates and later on um i will be presenting the legislative priorities for 2026 which have been modified slightly before our joint breakfast with city council and our legislators thank you mrs stevens next up is public comments do we have anyone signed up okay we'll move along to our consent agenda may have a motion please chair i move that the school board of the

[00:11:57] City of Manassas adopt the consent agenda as presented. Second. I have a motion by Mrs. Stevens seconded by Mrs. Brescia that the school board of the City of Manassas adopt the consent agenda as presented. Is there any discussion? All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? The motion carries 7-0. On our discussion agenda tonight up first we have an update on Jenny Dean Elementary Construction and And Mr. Rockefeller is here to give us that.

[00:12:35] Good evening, Chair Seberg, Vice Chair Spall, Dr. Newman, and members of the board. I am happy to provide a September construction update on the new Jenny Dean Elementary School project. First, I'm happy to report that the product remains on schedule and on budget.

[00:12:53] Our contractor and our partner, Shockey and Sons, continues to staff the site with approximately 100 workers each day, keeping their progress steady and on track. During September, we saw significant advancement in site work, particularly with the installation of the underground stormwater retention system.

[00:13:14] The contractor also has modified the sequence of the disciplines, which allowed us to make the other trades be able to continue their work uninterrupted. In addition to the site, the site grading and backfilling progressed on plan, and all of the environmental compliance inspections were completed with no deficiencies, which is great news.

[00:13:37] Inside the building footprint, crews have made good progress on the structure. The roof joists were installed at the stair towers and at the gym, and the roof decking continued across major areas of the building. The masonry work advanced on the first and second grade classroom wings, and the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing rough-ins were moved forward in areas now protected by the roof structure.

[00:14:03] Once the decking is fully in place, the roofing operations will begin, and this puts us on track for enclosure milestones before the winter. Our goal is to get the building enclosed before the winter months so that work can continue inside the building, and we're on track to do that.

[00:14:21] I also want to highlight the continued strong coordination among the contractor, our architects, our engineers, and our inspection teams. The questions and field issues are being resolved very quickly, which has kept the workflow smooth and uninterrupted.

[00:14:38] Just as importantly, the contractor continues to be a great partner for us and has a great existing relationship with the current Jenny Dean Elementary School. So learning there has had minimal disruption, which we greatly appreciate on our side.

[00:14:54] So overall, the project continues to move forward with momentum, with discipline and clear alignment to our schedule. And as I said at the beginning, we remain on track and the next major focus will begin moving the building toward full enclosure as the roofing and masonry can continue before the winter months.

[00:15:11] And so with that, I have a few pictures to share, as I usually do. So here is a picture you can see that the roof joists are in. Again, this is September, so if you go over there now, it looks even further advanced. And so I'll be bringing another update with you as it actually looks like a building.

[00:15:29] here's another example of what's happening inside the building the footprint the crane which uses we use to hoist up the main field beams for the roof are it's been fully utilized and has been working overtime to get those in place and an example from the outside of the building looking as it's lifting those if you see it now my next update you will see all these things that are in place over there it looks pretty impressive and the scaffolding where they use they use that to

[00:16:05] install the walls with the cement and the bricks which will be going on very soon as well this is the underwater storm retention storm water retention system that you will see that they have in place that is that is now currently in place so they're making great progress on that as well and with that i'd be happy to answer any questions mrs stevens mr cavilli this is a quick question it's kind of a silly question but if you know kids um can the kids see the construction being done from the building yes um because if you look uh where they where they get on the buses

[00:16:43] where they're dropped off in the morning and picked up in the afternoon if you look to the left they will see all that construction happening there there's a fence that protects but it's all in plain visible sight there well the reason i was asking is because i saw that picture of the crane and all i could think of there's going to be some kids who were like i mean i could being a teacher who once worked with preschoolers seeing something like that would have been like a field trip kind of experience like looking at that crane in action would entertain many children i know for quite sure so thank you you're welcome anyone else down there anyone's down here mrs fall vice chair um yes i

[00:17:23] I just want to say how pleased I am to see all of this progress. And I'd like to credit, you know, the careful planning and preparation and good work that we have with our relationship with RRMM. When I drive by, it's without question the right location.

[00:17:42] We pushed at the right time to get, you know, some of the things that were not popular at the time for the right reasons. And I just want the world to know we did a good thing. and we are um we're making something really important happen so thank you for sharing thank you thank you mr gefeller and do we have another update two more okay so we're going to stay on the jenny dean um the new jenny dean school and i'm going to provide an update for the outdoor spaces

[00:18:22] that we have at the new school so tonight i'm pleased to share with you how the outdoor learning spaces are at the new jenny dean elementary school were intentionally designed to support student learning, strengthen our instructional program, and honor the lasting legacy of Ms. Jenny Dean.

[00:18:39] From the very beginning, the design of the Jenny Dean Elementary School was never about the building alone. It was about our children, it was about learning, about community, and about history. Every outdoor space you will see this evening was selected purposefully to enhance student achievement, to deepen hands-on learning, and reflect our strategic plan. At the same time, these spaces honor Jenny Dean's vision for education, opportunity, and industry for children.

[00:19:12] So this is a rendering of the outside of the building, and one of the exciting features of the project is the stormwater cistern that you will see there that looks like a large silo, which will collect and store rainwater that can be then slowly released into a stream on site.

[00:19:33] This creates a real-world learning opportunity tied directly to the Virginia Standards of Learning for science, specifically the water cycle. So for example, in grade three science, SOL standard 3.7 says that students must understand and will investigate the water cycle, understand evaporation, condensation, precipitation. The standard says that students will investigate and understand that there is a water cycle and that water is important to life on earth. In grade four,

[00:20:09] students investigate Virginia watersheds. As part of the curriculum in the SOL standards 4.8a, students are expected to use evidence to explain the statement, we all live downstream. So instead of only reading about the water cycle and watersheds in a textbook, our students will be able to observe stormwater being collected, stored, and released in real time. They will see water flowing toward the collection pond and teachers will be able to connect these observations to vocabulary such as precipitation and watershed. This makes the abstract

[00:20:46] learning visible, makes it local, and it makes it authentic. The outdoor amphitheater will serve as a natural extension of the classroom. Research is clear that outdoor learning increases engagement, supports student well-being, and strengthens curiosity. Teachers will be able to bring students outside for reading, science investigations, musical performances, and cross-curricular lessons. This aligns with our strategic plans focus on an inclusive and collaborative learning environment where students are supported in an interactive and innovative learning environment and we are

[00:21:26] expanding the ways students experience learning. We also prioritize play areas because recess and unstructured time are essential to a child's development. Not all of the playground equipment is pictured in these slides, but there was extensive discussions during the planning stages about ensuring that the playground spaces are accessible to our special needs students and so there will be adaptive quick adaptive equipment that is also included recess is directly connected

[00:22:02] to improve student behavior stronger peer relationships and a greater focus during academic blocks the variety of play spaces will promote movement social interaction creativity and problem solving all critical skills for young learners to build life skills and achieve academically here is the rendering of these spaces and this is what they will look like when they are finished and there are currently three playgrounds play areas that are planned for the new jenny dean site a preschool playground a primary playground and an upper grade playground so just another

[00:22:40] picture of what the rendering will look like at the new jenny dean site another example that you will see the addition of a small greenhouse and raised beds is a direct connection to the legacy of the Manassas Industrial School, where Jenny Dean emphasized hands-on learning, agriculture, and practical skills that empower students. These spaces will allow children to

[00:23:17] plant, grow, observe, and measure, integrating science, math, literacy, and environmental stewardship. In our current Science SOL, students study plant life cycles, ecosystems, and human impact on the environment. With the gardens and greenhouses, they will be able to collect data, conduct experiments, and understand food systems in a way that mirrors Jenny Dean's original mission: learning through doing. None of these features are accidental. Everything you see,

[00:23:53] the cistern, the amphitheater, the play areas, the gardens, the greenhouse, were intentionally included to support student achievement and our strategic priorities. These outdoor spaces will help us create curious learners, healthier students, strong instructional practices, and deeper connection between the school community and the environment in closing our outdoor learning environments honor our past they elevate our present and invest in our future they bring to light the legacy of jenny dean our commitment to student well-being a commitment to high academic

[00:24:29] achievement and our belief that learning should be active engaging rigorous and meaningful and i'd be happy to answer any questions questions from the board mrs stevens thank you again um in looking at your the cistern and the water cycle and the opportunity for our students to actually learn the water cycle as it occurs are we investigating the potential of having other schools come out to do like short field trips on this yeah that's certainly an opportunity that we would explore having that available there would be a very in the fact that we're a small small

[00:25:05] school division we don't have to travel very far we have talked about that yeah because i i know that it is part of the curriculum and it's so much more relevant when it can be seen in person and when it's in a space that's used every day by those children who are learning about it so this is very exciting thank you anyone else miss brown um we did talk earlier about the students with disabilities in the outdoor spaces um so if you can um share that a little bit and then on slide

[00:25:38] too is that a pond yes it's a retention water retention pond okay is it going to be fenced all the way yes all the way around it yes okay because i do see it open so uh safety first yes absolutely yes it's a pond there it's it's a again it's part of a a water retention system that actually uh the cistern the uh stream that it flows into the pond also flows under where i just shared in previous presentation the underground water attention system this is where all the water will eventually end up as part of the as part of the project and then

[00:26:17] the outdoor spaces for students with disabilities yes there will be yes so we when we were planning the the play areas we want to make sure that they were inclusive because we're committed to that and so in in again there are things that can't be included in the renderings but there is equipment that is adaptive for example there's there's one piece of equipment it's called the accessible world and it's for students that are use wheelchairs that they can be able to participate and in those things are selected and they will be installed in the final the final project thank you thank you

[00:26:50] this is vice chair Spall I just want to share for the audience the retention pond was always going to be necessary but the addition of the silo is also I don't know if it was previously a water silo I think it might have been a grain silo but the concept of a silo was a nod to the old campus as well which I think it's a neat transition through history. Thanks. Well thank you Mr.

[00:27:15] Kefeller. Ready for our third one. The third one. Osborne Connector. So the Osborne High School Connector project represents a significant investment in both student safety and the overall learning environment. From the very beginning the intent behind this project was clear. It was to create a closed campus that allows students and staff to move from one the main building to the Johnson Learning Center without needing to go outside.

[00:27:52] This design not only enhances security, but also provides protection from the weather and improves the overall flow of student movement during the school day. As I mentioned in a previous presentation, the architect's design was developed by RRMM Architects.

[00:28:08] Our contractor is R.J. Crowley, and they have done a great job. The administrative notice to proceed happened in April of 2025, And it was followed by our site mobilization and construction, which began in May of 2025. The product remains on time and on budget with substantial completion anticipated in just a few weeks.

[00:28:30] November 10th is when we were expecting it to be substantially completed. The final completion date is currently scheduled for December, although we are hoping for sooner, which would be ahead of schedule. Staying on schedule and within budget reflects our careful planning, fiscal discipline, and strong collaboration among all partners involved.

[00:28:51] Through regular progress meetings and proactive management, we've made sure that the key milestones are being met, materials are secured, and the costs remain controlled, which is a clear example of our responsible stewardship of our financial resources in Manassas City Public Schools.

[00:29:07] The connector also includes several additional small offices and flexible spaces along the corridor. These were intentionally added to increase functionality and provide space for student services, small meetings or staff collaboration. Each design element was chosen to maximize the benefit of the addition while maintaining the project's original focus on safety, security, and accessibility.

[00:29:32] The project has been a model of collaboration from the start. It was supported by the Manassas City Council and it was included in our capital improvement plan. And that partnership between the city and our schools demonstrates our shared commitment to creating a modern, safe, and efficient learning environment that meet the needs of staff and students. And so I want to share some of the pictures that we have.

[00:29:57] So again, we are very near completion at the Connector, so we're very excited about that. This is from the outside looking in. They have the new curbing there that you'll be able to drive around. Again, this is where the main connection to the Johnson Learning Center happens over to the right of the building this is where it connects into the main building this is inside the current building so you'll see as you look down the new hallway the new corridor you'll see some of the office spaces there which will be able to be used again for collaboration for student services for

[00:30:38] a need that they have there in terms of space so be able to use use that along with new hallway this is the ramp that goes down to the where it connects into the johnson learning center you will see another exam another just a picture of the what it's going to look like at the in the final and again this is these pictures were taken last week so the progress is happening pretty fast over there so we're excited about that another picture looking down the hallway and then the

[00:31:17] outside looking towards the main building you'll also notice that a lot of detail in making sure that the brick matches the to make sure it blends into the current osborne they did a fantastic job matching the brick as well to make sure it looks seamless. There'll be landscaping that will be out in front of the building there as well.

[00:31:35] So that will be nearing completion as well when the connector over to us for occupancy. And so with that, I'd be happy to answer any questions. Mr. Spall.

[00:31:52] I just want to say once again, this is a really, really big deal. I don't know how far back on the CIP this started, but I remember when we first opened JLC back up and kids just walked and then there was lots of consternation about safety and weather and there was nowhere near enough money to put a whole building up so we put just the overhead up and through reiterating that the financial stewardship enabled this to happen and we have

[00:32:27] we've we've we're very close to having you know a lot of I think campaign promises happen here with saying that the kids are going to be safe. This is a big nod to, you know, safety at Osborne and helping with wanderers.

[00:32:44] So thank you very much for the update. Oh, the halls are wide, and we didn't take that many parking spaces either. That's correct. Thank you. Yes, that's one thing I really noticed too. The halls are, the corridor is much wider than I thought it would be.

[00:33:00] And I love the space planning with some open collaborative space and yet some private space, but the private space still has windows. So if a student is in there on a telehealth call, they have privacy, but we can keep track of our students.

[00:33:17] Anyone else? Oh, yes, Amelia, Ms. Breeden. So I know it's going to be completed by December. Does that mean it's going to be in use during the school year? Yes. Okay. So we're actually hoping that we will be in it before winter break.

[00:33:36] Okay. So we're excited about that. Do our student representatives have classes over in JLC? just in time for winter yep well thank you mr gefeller thank you next up on our discussion agenda is the school board legislative priorities and the chair of the policy committee will present these and we'll talk about it thank you chair these are our legislative priorities for 2026 as you may be aware every November we have a joint breakfast with City Council where we meet our state

[00:34:11] legislators seneca senator rome and delegate maldonado and we present our legislative priorities now this year's priorities look very similar to last year's priorities but the reality is is our priorities don't change quickly what we needed last year we still need this year the support we needed last year we still need this year the funding we needed last year we still need this year there are a couple updates to it that i just wanted to share if you look under culture of caring and you look at the first bullet point we added to it needs of students and staff through school-based and

[00:34:49] community-based services so the whole bullet point reads support additional state funding to increase resources devoted to serving the mental and physical health and wellness needs of students and staff through school-based and community-based services then the second bullet point we added to the end to say to allow for equitable access to educational opportunities to for all students so the full bullet point reads support local efforts to develop alternative and non-traditional education programs to meet student needs to allow for equitable access to educational opportunities

[00:35:24] for all students if you go down to the last bullet point under quality workforce the ending of it says while safeguarding the level of qualified educators so the full bullet point now reads support efforts to streamline and simplify teacher license licensure processes while safeguarding the level of qualified educators and then under strong family and community partnerships we did add a third bullet point to read support funding to provide enhanced opportunities for family and community engagement our legislative breakfast is next Thursday morning our next school

[00:36:02] board meeting is wednesday the day before the um legislative breakfast so in order to be able to present this at the legislative breakfast we would need to uh wave second reading and vote on it this evening thank you mrs stevens any questions or comments from board members mrs breccia i thought we would have because we have a november 5th board meeting correct yeah it's the day before the legislative breakfast and there's i don't think there's enough to turn around we have to

[00:36:32] Yes, thank you so much for the work every year that you put into this it is noted and I know that it's not easy the wheels of change do move slowly sometimes I had an idea just about format not necessarily that I thought maybe I could show I don't know if I have to do it publicly or not I don't really want to so it's not anything about there's no content whatsoever and And it is just a suggestion it could be put in the hopper for next year.

[00:37:09] But I just didn't know if probably the whole board needed to see it, though. I think it's... You want to show us? You can show us. I think it may be something we would want to discuss further. Yeah. But you can show us. But we may want to discuss it further as a board, like at a work session for next year.

[00:37:27] Yeah, okay. Or, I mean, it really is the will of the board. We're approving the content tonight. Right, we're approving the content tonight. Okay, okay. I mean, it's probably something that I could just share separately, I think, individually.

[00:37:42] So what Vice Chair Spall is saying is just formatting, tweaking the formatting so it would look a little bit different, but content would be the same. So nothing else would be changed just the way it would look. Any other questions or comments?

[00:38:04] Can I get a motion? Chair. Yes, ma'am. I move that the School Board of the City of Manassas wave second reading and approve the school board legislative priorities as presented I have a motion by Vice Chair Spall second by Dr. Jones that the school board of the city Manassas waive second reading and approve the school board legislative priorities as presented is there any discussion all in favor aye any opposed motion carries 7-0 okay moving right along we're up to board member

[00:38:43] comments and I'll go first to our student representatives Ms. Breeden um good evening everybody. I would like to congratulate our Unified Sports Program for their incredible distinction and Mr. Maciac for being an incredible director for that program, as well as our choir student, Rebelsi. And it is with great privilege that our school provides all students with such an array of opportunities as seen with the many awards that we are getting tonight for them. So I want to thank the board for any work that they're putting in towards those

[00:39:20] programs. And in the midst of voting season, I hope that all who are eligible to vote got registered before last Friday the 24th and have either voted early or are looking forward to voting on November 4th. Lastly, I would like to highlight the $11,500 that high school students were able to save last week during the Virginia College Application Week. Big thanks to the college and career team, Miss Fish and Mr. Stansbury for making this opportunity possible. Many high school seniors were able to apply to great schools like James Madison, Virginia Tech, William & Mary, and UVA

[00:39:57] all for no charge. So I think it's a great opportunity. And yeah, that's all I have. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Frieden. Mr. Imun. Okay. Hello, everybody. I hope everyone's having a good start to their week um i just wanted to shout out the speech and debate team for 12 of our members made it to the jmu championships uh and some of them are first-time debaters so i thought that was really cool um thank you uh mr gefeller for your continued uh oversight of all this

[00:40:36] construction um it's really appreciated uh by everyone and uh also like amelia said thank you for um all the work that you guys put in you know for uh making sure like student like all students have you know equal uh chances no matter like any financial stuff especially free lunches that definitely helps a lot so thank you for uh moving for that and that's all i have for today Thank you, Mr. Emun.

[00:41:07] Mrs. Bregia. Thank you. I would first also like to open with a congratulations to our spotlights and their incredible achievements. I always love to see successes like that in the Unified Program. They do their under the lights and rally for the rail and things like that, and it's every single time I get a chance to see that program in action.

[00:41:26] It's just wonderful. And I've never been a singer, but those singing accomplishments were pretty spot on too, so very proud of everybody. Just a reminder, we have a half day tomorrow and no pre-K, so everybody make those arrangements. I'm sure if you have your contact information updated, you've got two phone calls and two text messages, just like I did, but just FYI.

[00:41:50] Since our last meeting, I attended Boonanza at Baldwin Elementary School and the Homecoming tailgate. The Homecoming game was on the same night as Boonanza, so I couldn't stay for all of Homecoming, But it was a really great and festive time for our school division, and I loved being a part of all of that.

[00:42:08] I also wanted to highlight that one of our Osborne students was spotlighted yesterday by the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington for some of the programming he has participated in through the Boys and Girls Club. So that was really great to see. A reminder to everybody that we have the first of our E3 series tomorrow at Marsteller at 5.30 p.m.

[00:42:30] Usually this is held at one of our schools, but the location is different, so update that, and I hope to see you there. We have a joint meeting with city council on Thursday. I know I'll see everybody there. That's at the public safety building, and I look forward to a good collaboration on that.

[00:42:47] And finally, I want to close with two things. First is happy Halloween. On a festive note, everybody stay safe. Only knock on doors that are lit up, and make sure you have glow sticks and brightly colored things out there. And if you're driving, watch out for small kids. and I also wanted to close with some thoughts and prayers for Jamaica we have many participant teachers who have family there we have many family and we have many families who have immigrated from there have family connections there this looks to be a horrific history making event that is unfolding right now as we speak for them and so I just hope that all of us can hold them

[00:43:25] hold them close as that unfolds that's it for me thank you thank you Mrs. Brescia Dr. Jones good evening everyone I forgot one recognition last month I want to recognize the fourth grade art class at Williams Elementary they completed artwork for the celebration 200 years of Liberia house the drawings were outstanding so congratulations to the students and the teachers and please congratulate them if you see them also congratulations to our recognized students tonight and all the staff assisting the students I'm just

[00:43:59] returning from vacation, so I have not been anywhere school-related in the past two weeks, but I do want to leave you three quotes from Nelson Mandela. Self-esteem. If you are in harmony with yourself, you may meet a line without fear because he respects anyone with self-confidence.

[00:44:17] Dealing with honesty. The first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself. And the last one being respect. Want to be free is not is not merely to cast off one's chain but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others so everyone please have a continue to have a good school year and continue to study and do your best thank you thank you dr. Jones miss Brown mrs. Stevens thank you chair um be careful Friday

[00:44:54] night have fun don't eat all your candy at once and I want to say special Congratulations to our Unified High School, Osborne. I wanted to share a little bit of information about a Special Olympics Unified Champion School, and this comes directly from the Special Olympics website.

[00:45:12] A Special Olympics Unified Champion School has an inclusive school climate and exudes a sense of collaboration, engagement, and respect for all members of the student body and staff. A unified school receiving national banner recognition is one that has demonstrated commitment to inclusion by meeting 10 national standards of excellence these standards were developed by a national panel of leaders from special olympics in the education community in the state of virginia there are only five schools that are classified as special olympics united unified champion schools and our high school has that distinction

[00:45:51] It's the only one in Northern Virginia. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Stevens. Ms. Miles. Yes. I want to also say congratulations to Osborne High School on being named Unified National Champions. I just love seeing the shirts that they had on I choose to include.

[00:46:12] It just brings me joy to know how well we're including all of our students. I know I was looking on the thing that was sent out earlier this week about how they participate in Unified Kickball, Basketball, and Cheer. as well as many other events throughout the year. So it's great that we're doing that and that they were recognized.

[00:46:30] I also want to congratulate Rusevall, which I hope I'm saying his name right. Rubelsi. Sorry, I apologize for that. On making the Distinguished Singers Choir representing Osborne. I know how hard it is to sight read.

[00:46:47] My daughter always tells me how hard it is to do that. So I know that that takes a lot of effort. So congratulations to you. Last Friday I had the chance to attend Baldwin Elementary's Bonanza and it was just wonderful interacting with the students and the families. Shout out to Baldwin's PTO for hosting and organizing this event. It was really nice, really great event. Well attended even though we had the football game at the same time. There still was a lot of people that showed up.

[00:47:15] So also, I want to say for all those who are going to be trick-or-treating this Friday, I just want to remind everyone to be safe and stay with a group or a trusted adult when you're trick-or-treating. And also, like Ms. Brescia said, Ms. Brescia said that make sure if the light is on, that's when you knock on those doors.

[00:47:33] But I have a couple of things before I end. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who are being affected by the government shutdown. My family personally is being affected by it. I know parent liaisons are on task and also our social workers, if you need resources, reach out to them.

[00:47:53] I know it's a really hard time for our country right now. And also for those who are being affected with Jamaica, too. I know I have personally, I have friends who have family there and homes that they're trying to board up. Because even though our participant families or teachers are here, they still have homes there.

[00:48:12] So I'm hoping that everyone kind of rides the storm and are protected, especially their families. That's all I have. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Miles. Vice Chair Spall? Yes, I appreciate everybody here acknowledging Jamaica and the furloughed families.

[00:48:29] I do have a question for Mr. Emun. Do you know how close your debate team is to the amount you needed for a judge to go to your competitions? I'm pretty sure we are figuring stuff out right now.

[00:48:49] Okay. But I don't really know about that stuff. Mr. Wheatley doesn't. Okay. If there is an update, because I know there was a choice. You could provide judges or pay for judges. Yeah. Did we pay for... Yeah, we got a donation to pay for a judge, so it was nice.

[00:49:05] Well, I hope you thank them. You guys should write thank you notes to them. Yeah. Okay. Anyway, so when I go, only Chair Seberg has the worst pain of everybody having said everything, but best in our area and highest choral distinction in our state are really huge things that we should all be really promoting.

[00:49:30] And I guess I just want to say that as legislative season is upon us, everyone knows that, I want to speak a moment about the conflicting pressures of the 2023 JLARC study, which noted that K-12 funding allocations were insufficient and the large-scale changes in the federal employment and education funding streams that cannot be dealt with inside the Commonwealth, not within the Commonwealth's existing education funding.

[00:49:58] The impasse that we are confronting is going to be extremely challenging to our students and our staff, So please know that we take our role in securing additional funding very seriously. So thank you, and off to you, Chair. Thank you, Vice Chair.

[00:50:13] A couple things I do want to mention. Last week, there was a partnership from the Daughters of the American Revolution, Manassas Museum, and Manassas City Public Schools to bring the mobile museum here. And I don't know if it was only here for three days, but in those three days, a lot was going on.

[00:50:35] All of our fifth graders in the city were able to attend and participate, and all of our second graders participated in an art exhibit. And I'll just like to read that our second grade students in Manassas City Public Schools recently completed their Honoring America Social Studies unit on citizenship and American symbols.

[00:50:57] To culminate the unit, students created artwork inspired by what they learned about symbols such as the Statue of Liberty, the American flag, the Liberty Bell, the Washington Monument. the Bald Eagle, and the U.S. Capitol. They were also encouraged to include their own ideas for honoring America in their creations. And, you know, a few times in my tenure here on the school board, people have said, how come we don't study civics anymore? And civics is alive and well in Manassas City Public Schools. The second thing I wanted to mention was on Saturday, Mrs. Spall and I were

[00:51:33] able to attend the live taping of It's Academic, where our Osborne High School academic team competed against two other schools. I cannot tell you the results. You will have to watch for yourself. It will be aired on January 10th, and we're just very proud of those kids. And what was special about it, especially special about it, is our students' team was there, but also several alumni students came back. And some of these alumni students are teaching in our schools now,

[00:52:08] and it just was a full circle moment. And I think Mrs. Spall and I, since we had students that participated that in the past we it was just a great a great morning and a great way to spend a Saturday with our students so congratulations to them and we look forward to being invited to the viewing party and with that I'll take a motion to go into closed session chair I move that the school board of the city of Manassas Center closed session pursuant to exemptions from open meetings allowed by section 2.2 - 3 7 1 1 part a paragraph 1 of the code of Virginia 1950 is amended for the following purposes

[00:52:46] discussion of personnel matter per s 25 26-0220 and discussion of the superintendent's goals for the 2025-2026 school year and section 2.2-3711 part a paragraph part one part a paragraph 29 of the code of virginia 1950 is amended for the following purposes discussion of the award of public contract involving the expenditure of public funds including interviews of bidders or offers and discussion of the terms or scope of such contract where discussion in an open session would adversely affect the bargaining position or negotiating strategy of the public body second

[00:53:25] i have a motion by mrs stevens second by mrs breja that the school board of the city of manassas certifies that wait hold on the school board of the city of manassas enter a closed session pursuant to exemptions from open meetings allowed by section 2.2-3711 part a paragraph one of the the code of virginia 1950 is amended for the following purposes discussion of personnel matter per s 2526-0220 and discussion of the superintendent's goals for 2526 school year and

[00:54:00] i did that one 2.2-3711 part a paragraph 29 of the code of virginia 1950 is amended for the following purpose discussion of the award of a public contract involving the expenditure of of public funds including interviews of bidders or offerors and discussion of the terms or scope of such contract where discussion in an open session would adversely affect the bargaining position or negotiating strategy of the public body.

[00:54:28] Is there any discussion? All in favor, any opposed? Motion carries seven zero. Thank you, we will go into closed session. We're gonna be there for a while. Bring your laptops, school board.

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