April-15-2019-Special-Board-Meeting-Segment-1
[00:00:00] The special meeting to order.
Hundreds of dressing proposed changes to the calendar you called the room service Stanley traffic.  Dylan Heights.  Chelsea King Martin.  Eddie Reynolds Reagan. She's not here. Thank you.  Thank you everyone for making yourselves available today and director monitor has other obligations with Middle School Musical.
So there is a revolution or a memorandum provided to us. Dr. Ludwig regarding this commentary change blood has [00:01:00] emotion.  I'm
going to make a motion that we adopt the calendar changes as proposed in doctor Ludwig's and
the.  thank you.
any discussion. Betty and I have a question about dead and account and calendars in general are they scented with family the parents and families. I know that I assume that every every what we approve the calendar I often hear complaints from family after the fact. Particularly regarding Sony started the school year prior to labor day and also complained about predictability of things like [00:02:00] professional development.
So I just want to.  find out whether calendars are betting with family.  We do consider input of families as. Families can always share with us throughout the year what they appreciate about the calendar or wish would change and many of the changes over the years. We've made to the calendar have been because of parent input for example continuity of professional growth.
Wednesday's being on one day Wednesday. Our conferences are the way they are because of. Parent input aligning primary and middle school so our November.  professional days within that same week of Thanksgiving is [00:03:00] be back by staff and parents that to reduce some of the disjointed movement this disjoint meant to have that within one week when families of a vacation anyway, So those kinds of considerations are open to parent feedback.
There are also components of professional days that are part of our association agreements. And so we do acknowledge that we need to abide by those agreements with our association and then of course instructional hours mandated by the state, so. Fulfilling instructional hours is something that while parents may have input around length of the school year or structural hours.
We are obligated to fulfill the Mandate by the state.  And there's your doctor very good. [00:04:00] Could I just ask a related question?  So fitting that you consider the input a family that I just wonder. Is that anecdotal or is there a portal is there a consistent method or is there a method for parents to find any quick survey or.
We have not put out a formal survey. No.  Okay, but there is the announcement at a board meeting that calendar will be the topic of a board meeting discussion and approval. And board meetings are noticed and every year it's open to community members to attend that board meeting and provide their input.
So that's probably the most consistent or formalized way that we would receive feedback.  Thank you.  And the third set doctor Ludwig. Can you talk [00:05:00] about how the proposals you made in this calendaring change? Considered the needs of
family.  in this particular change as I mentioned in the memo, we received information that the organ Education Association was organizing is organizing the Statewide day of action for a day that for us lands on the school day and. So for our team and consideration with administrators, there was conversation around how to make sure we kept instructional hours intact as well as a high-quality learning day for students.
It's and not knowing the number of teachers [00:06:00] expecting to participate this alternative. He came one that we felt was in the best interest of students.  No, they've been able you to communicate with families in the most timely manner of coming changes. I believe we can May 8th is several weeks away.
So in terms of that change, we hope that provides enough time for accommodating for families, April 24th. Is a school day was going to be early release but it is calendar change. It would be a full day and hopefully not too too great of an accommodation for our families. We anticipated the May age would be the one that families would need to adjust the most around moving it from a full school day to another.
We're neighbors [00:07:00] and give you consider whether adding a day to the end of the school year service families and students that we did consider adding a day at the end after the two snow days have been added in this does not accommodate well for seniors who have already graduated and we felt providing them an instructional day.
While they were still in session with the better alternative.
A lot of my this impact AP testing that's occurring on that tape. Thank you for that question AP testing as we all know is scheduled by college board and there are specific dates and timelines and schedules. It was around Proctor's and we will keep AP testing intact for our students We Believe even with this alternative we can have students [00:08:00] come to the locations that have been specified doctors will still be available and we are working out accommodations for transportation, even though this would be a non school day for students.
We will commit to accommodations to transportation. As well as students who may have needed a lunch that day. We will make sure there is a meal provided.  And what would it look like if we continued with the current calendar and we weren't able to obtain enough substitute teachers or the they what would instructions look like with this.
Well, you know it likely wouldn't look like it typically does when their classroom teacher is there or when we have confident arrangement in a substitute for each classroom. [00:09:00] And this is part of the consideration is that with a Statewide event with many many Educators being invited to participate.
The likelihood of a shortage of substitutes is higher and that's even if substitute teachers choose to take a job that day. They may also choose to participate in the Statewide day of action. We're unsure already in our district and around neighboring districts. We are starting to see. Requests for personal days.
other questions from the board.
In here, I'm a thank you for the questions already and I appreciate the foresight [00:10:00] that you have. Dr. Ludwig did anticipate this make it sure that when our students are in school they have their class. But as much as possible my does seem like the feedback that I received from a family of this resistance to those additional days at the end of the school year.
So from what I've heard from families, it's probably be unappreciated move. I think I have two questions one is about communication and how we're going to occur. Let me get this out to everybody kind of cut through the noise and get get this across their Radars. And also when I think about the power of teachers associating and Union organizing and the fashion, I wonder what their input has been about us making [00:11:00] this and whether it's YouTube.
You know how College I moved like this you'd the vision?
His Monroe and I have met twice with our association and shared with them that this would be the proposal. We would be taking forward to the school board and Association leadership has been. Because I understood the rationale for the decision and has been very agreeable and understanding.
I think the other question was about Communications and family. So pending the outcome of this meeting if the proposed changes are made to the school calendar than mr. Kills, Jim and I will. Work on getting this out to the families and to staff [00:12:00] right away and repeatedly as we approach these days.
so that families have a lot of much notice as possible repeated notice time way so, you know the outcome of this meeting will let us know how we can get something out either right away tonight or first thing in the.
Thank you.  Florida has the benefit of that in Chelsea that last week, dr. Ludwig in ginger. And I also had a chance to meet and I expressed concerns about using the personal development days, which is something we haven't talked about about is losing the needle and for all other options other places with the time and I became satisfactory speaker, dr.
Ludwig that. It is the best option while not ideal not losing nothing. It's the best choice. I think we have and I want to thank dr. Ludwig [00:13:00] for I think really cute little bowls on this issue and so not canceling it until it became evident that just probably going to become a staffing issue. And then as soon as that would became evident she acted immediately to get to talk about options get to set up and give parents as much damage as possible.
So what Express appreciation for that? Thank you.
any other questions or discussion with chicks about.  Ginger Finch.  Yes, Dylan hides.  Chelsea King Martin.  Yeah, Eddie Reynolds.  Yes. Thank you. Thanks for the language. You needed from the board then took up those the three different calendars. Yes, and just to note [00:14:00] we were fairly confident this point that we will probably have no more snow days.
So we're we have updated the calendars to blow up. It comes to reflect this change and the last day of school. Based on the two snow days. So that will also be part of the message that parents will see in the communication so they can when they look at the calendars, they will know they're looking at the most current version of when school ends as well as the change in April 24th, May
8th of May 22nd.  Great. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you.