E e first Mr Mercer would you please read the statement to bring us back into Open Session chair swager I move that the record shows that the only items discussed in the closed meeting were those specifically cited in the motion to convene into the closed meeting and those lawfully Exempted from statutory
Meeting requirements is there a second seconded by Mr lonia is there any discussion all those in favor please signify by saying I all opposed Dr Smith motion carries with all board members voting yes Dr cotton do you have items resulting from session yes Madam chair thank you the following administrative
Appointments are submitted for board approval Miss to Wanda L Shirley um director of special education suffi public schools to director of exceptional learning Edwards Wilson Center Mr Chad D triay assistant principal joli Middle School to principal Sparrow Road Intermediate and Mrs Yolanda s Fawn assistant principal Camelot Elementary to principal cam um
Camelot Elementary and these positions will be eff of July 1st with board approval I’ll entertain a motion for approval moved by Mr lenus seconded by Mr Mercer is there any discussion all those in favor please signify by saying I all opposed Dr Smith motion carries with all board members voting yes I’ll
Entertain a motion on the appeal pursuant to policy 9-21 Dr Walker I move to uphold the superintendent’s recommendation is there a second seconded by Mr McCormack is there any discussion all those in favor please signify by saying I I all opposed Dr Smith motion carries with all board members voting
Yes we will now move on to the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance at this time I’d like to call upon Reverend Dr Tommy P Smith from Divine Baptist Church who will give the opening invocation afterward I’ll ask Andrew murtis a fourth grader from Grassfield Elementary School to lead us in the
Pledge please stand as you are able let us pray almighty God creator of the universe Giver of every good gift and perfect gift we are grateful for your blessings and we pray for the continued success throughout this school district while providing quality educational opportunities for all children bless the
Members of this school board and the administrative body with wisdom courage strength as you guide them in their deliberations and decision-making processes grant them the insight to lead with Integrity to ensure fairness for all those who have placed trust and confidence in their leadership and finally we pray that you grant them the
Humility to avoid shortsightedness and pettiness to seek your will in all things it is in your holy and righteous name we pray amen I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America into the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for
All thank you so much to Reverend uh Reverend Smith and to Andrew for joining us tonight we appreciate you being here we are now moving on to Awards and recognitions the first item of recognition is the 2023 2024 cmsl winter Chesapeake Champions Dr Smith thank you chair Swagger tonight we are excited to
Recognize several of our winter Chesapeake Champions and at this time I would like to invite Mr Kevin Cole supervisor of Student Activities and facilties use to the podium to facilitate the awards for these students I will ask chair Swagger and Dr cotton to join me at the awards table for this presentation
Madam chair members of the school board Dr cotton and members of the superintendent staff good evening tonight we will recognize the 2023 winner ches Peake Middle School League champions these students and coaches were members of of a tournament championship team or won an individual ches beake Middle School League
Championship at this time with group one Middle School student athletes and coaches please come forward to stand and stand is directed by Mr tribus as a reminder parents the board is photo friendly so if you would like to come up and get that perfect picture please do so at this
Time these students and coaches are here to represent their championship team when I call your name please take a step forward Al onz o lirry Valentino Shaw rayon PRI and Coach Curtis Chapman are from Indian River Middle School the Indian River Middle School boys basketball team finished a regular
Season with a record of 9 and0 and were the chese Middle School league Citywide tournament champions with an overall record of 11 and0 cydney Hughes Kiera Jones Ranna Warner coach William Elliott are also from Indian River Middle School the Indian River Middle School girls b basetball team
Finished a regular season with a record of 9 and0 and with the chese Middle School league Citywide tournament champions with an overall record of 11 and0 at this time I would ask any other members of the team members of the families friends or staff representing these students to also stand to be
Recognized congratulations to all of you and at this time please move to your right to meet the members of the [Applause] board than at this time with the group two middle school student athletes coaches please come forward and stand as directed by Mr tribus yeah they can that’s
Stand behind they want to see you they don’t want to see me all right we got them these students and their coaches are here to represent the championship team when I call your name please take one step forward Aiden Fox Nicholas Neer William Rosenberger and coach Sean Katz
Are from Hugo Owens Middle School the Hugo Owens Middle School wrestling team won the cmsl Citywide tournament with a score of 226.50 points the following students finished first in the cmsl wrestling tournament in various weight classes again when I call your name please take one step forward Lal Lal Goodman is from Deep
Creek Middle School L finished first in the 15 15 157 lb weight class with him is coach Shane Martin Hayden archbell is from Great Bridge Middle School Hayden finished first in the 86 PB weight class with him is coach PJ Newman Dennis bruan is from Hickory Middle School Dennis finished
First in the 129 pound weight class with him is coach Dakota Thomas Morrison Motley is from Hugo Owens Middle School Morrison finished first in the 74 pound weight class Shawn Rody is from Hugo Owens Middle School and Shawn finished first in the 103 pound weight class with them is coach sea
Katz Nathan lenu is from gallof middle school Nathan finished first in the 80 PB weight class Javon Crawford is from jolof middle school Javon finished first in the 92 pound weight class Paul Eon is from jof middle school and Paul finished first in the 98 pound weight class
Connor Pickin is also from jof middle school and Connor finished first in the 108 lb weight class Wyatt Graham is from jof middle school Wyatt finished first in the 136 pound weight class and benj Benjamin ceris is from jof middle school and Benjamin finished first in the 143b
Weight class and with them is coach Ricky Anderson Charlton Lucas is from Oscar Smith Middle School Charlton finished first in the 175 pound weight class Reginal Wallace is also from Oscar Smith Middle School Reginal finished first in the 220 PB weight class with them is coach William
Blow Carter Baker is from Western Branch Middle School Carter finished first in the 150 PB 115 PB weight class Frankie juggin is from Western Branch Middle School Frankie finished first in the 122lb weight class and Alex Frey is also from Western Branch Middle School and Alex finished first in the 150 PB weight
Class and with them is coach Ricky Anderson at this time I would ask other members of the team members of the families friends or staff representing these students to also stand to be recognized congratulations to all of you and at this time please move to your right to meet the members of the
Board spe you praying for me kn At this time would group three middle school students and coaches please come forward and stand as directed by Mr tribus group three in the middle yeah don’t stay slide down slide down all the way SL these students and their coaches are here to represent their championship
Team when I call your name please take one step forward Kenley M MCA Faith derell Bennett Sims and Coach Ryan Brown they are from Jal middle school jall middle school won the cmsl debate team title at the 2023 2024 cmsl debate competition Willa Sergeant Willa is from
Western Branch Middle School and she won first place in the Tidewater house competition Queen Shakira Queen is from Western Branch Middle School and she won first place in the Hampton Roads house and was the overall Senator outstanding Senator with them tonight is Coach Alex Mueller William Hodel Sarah Vera and
Shive Ali and coaches Taylor Smith and Amy Rector they are from Great Bridge middle school and Great Bridge Middle School W won the forensics team title at the 2324 cmsl forensics tournament competition Alicia commo Alicia is from Hickory middle school and Alicia won first place in the original oratory
Category with her is coach shond deage and Cindy Holloway William Hodel William is from greatbridge middle and William won first place in the pros category with them with him as coaches Taylor Smith and Amy RoR amaga Alexander amaga is from creswood middle and aaju won first place in the Poetry category
With her are her coaches l m Madu and Shirley doubting at this time i’ would ask other members of the team members of the families friends or staff here representing these students who also stand to be [Applause] recognized congratulations to all of you and at this time please move to your
Right to meet the members of the board C Madam chair this concludes my presentation thank you next on the agenda is the resolution for the month of the military child Dr Smith thank you chair swager at the request of the superintendent we have prepared a resolution that would
Commemorate April 2024 as the month of the military child joining us we have several special guests I would like to invite Mrs Laura lur our family and community the engagement specialist to the podium who will present the resolution and introduce Our Guest good evening I’m honored to be here tonight
Along with Captain Matthew frown Zimmer commanding officer and Mrs Tiffany Johnson School liaison both from NSA Hampton Roads we would like to present for your consideration a resolution commemorating April as month of the military child thanks to a strong partnership we have the honor of supporting our schools in their efforts to recognize
Celebrate and support our military connected families the resolution States whereas the Commonwealth is home to more than 880,000 schoolage military connected children and whereas military families in Virginia include men and women on active duty service in the Air Force Army Coast Guard Marine Corps and navy and members of the reserves and the
National Guard and whereas Virginia is a proud member of the interstate compact on educ tional opportunity for military children which addresses key transition issues encountered by military connected children including enrollment placement attendance eligibility and graduation and whereas military connected children often demonstrate resilience perseverance maturity and cultural
Competence in the face of frequent moves family separations through deployments and reintegration following deployments and whereas military connected children provide unique and valuable perspectives on learning friendship and service to others and whereas the month of the military child provides an opportunity to salute our military connected children and acknowledge the
Contributions they bring to their families our schools our communities and our Commonwealth and whereas Across the Nation individuals are encouraged to wear purple on April 15th 2024 in celebration of purple up for military kids to show support for military connected children and to thank them for their strength and
Sacrifices now therefore be it resolved that the Chesapeake School Board recognizes April 2024 as month of the military child and encourages schools and communities to celebrate this recognition with activities to honor the contributions of our students from military families be it further resolve that the Chesapeake School Board expresses its sincere gratitude to
Military connected children throughout the common wealth for their service to our great nation the resolution is attested by each member of our school board our superintendent and Clerk of the board at this time Madame chair I respectfully request the adoption of this resolution I’ll entertain a motion
For approval moveed by Mr Mercer is there a second second seconded by Mr P is there any discussion all those in favor please signify by saying I all opposed Dr Smith motion carries with all board members voting yes thank you thank you and thank you all for being [Applause]
Here we will now move on to the hearing of citizens during their allotted time speakers should observe our rules of decorum and know that expression of concerns and criticism on matters of school policy and operations is welcome while the speaker’s own comments are welcome they may not play pre-recorded
Messages Dr Smith are there any citizens who have requested time to speak this evening yes chair swager we have two citizens signed up to speak I want to thank those speakers who have signed up to address the board this evening there are two ways to that citizens can
Request time to speak at the meeting you can call the clerk’s office before 12:00 noon the day of the meeting or sign up to speak prior to the start of the meeting all in-person requests to speak must be submitted to the deputy clerk 5 minutes prior to the published meeting
Start time each speaker will have 3 minutes to address the board once your allotted time is over we ask that you promptly exit the podium you may choose to sit in the boardroom of seats are available but stand standing or sitting on the floor is not permitted and you
May not block the exit doors we would also like to ask that you refrain from any behavior that disrupts the meeting including the use of profanity Applause cheering or jering Dr Smith please call the first Speaker yes I’d like to invite speaker number one to the podium speakers are called in numerical order
And asked to State their name and city of residence for the record before they begin Vic Nichols Chesapeake I’d like to honor April Ericson Jackson She’s an aerospace engineer and the first woman to earn a PhD in mechanical engineering I’m delighted to see folks achieve I love watching these things because see the
Disabled can’t even get parking discrimination discrimination or parking accommodations discrimination is alive and well so at least you get joy from seeing some people make it I’ve spoken for years regarding the incorrect Direction surrounding Co and schools not long after applying to be a member of the school’s health
Committee because political ideology and science ruled instead I was doxed at work the schools apparently do not hold people’s information private nor do you know where that information has been shared that was all for standing up for the truth because kids are worth it and you know what even after all that and
Everything I took they still are and I ain’t backing down from that kids need to see that y’all know that their mental health is going down I get the reports they need to know that they’re worth standing up for and that you’re not going to back down I’ll hand in another committee
Application but it’s not going to be with all the information requested but I want to make sure that folks know how they might be treated and to make sure it doesn’t happen to others because again kids are worth it thank you speaker number two it’s your turn at the podium please
State your name and city of residence before you begin hi good evening everyone my name is Jennifer Knight and I live in the city of Chesapeake thank you so much for hearing me tonight I hope to share some resources and information as well as perhaps plant some seeds um not sure if
Dr Smith has given you all those seeds but plant some seeds that will grow and flourish as you may or may not know last week was National Agriculture and agricultural literacy week and I’m wondering if or how it was recognized and celebrated in our school RS according to the latest United States
Department of Agriculture Census Data the Commonwealth of Virginia has lost 4,230 Acres of Farmland in this census cycle which is roughly 10% of our Farms how did the Commonwealth respond well in one word swiftly as it’s as it is our largest industry in the Commonwealth producing 82.3 billion per year on March 19th
Governor yunan signed into law two bills protecting Virginia’s Agricultural and forested lands creating the office of working lands preservation um if I were to ask you where does the farmer with the highest yield of corn per acre in the nation live would you guess Iowa Nebraska Indiana no it’s actually Chesapeake
Virginia so how are we responding on the local level so here are the resources that I wanted to share virginia. a classroom.org has great resources for students like scholarships amazing resources for teachers like grants fellowships and lesson plans that are aligned K through 12 to science social studies and nutrition as well as
Opportunities for volunteers another great resource is our Virginia D Soil and Water Conservation District that has educational um components as well um when we’re looking at CTE e career and Technology education strands um are we looking at sustainability if we are looking at a sustainability strand I’m wondering how natural of a fit
Agriculture would be in conjunction with horiculture and Landscaping and if I if we could consider the potential Farm totable relationship with culinary arts and our local eateries lastly many community members in rural Chesapeake wonder what happens to Future Farmers of America student organizations in rural Chesapeake we’re losing Farmland at an
Alarming rate and as the city of Chesapeake formulates its response plan all parents and Educators know that our children are already formulating the solutions I just ask that we are all working to together to create those opportunities and Pathways to access that knowledge and success thank you again so much for hearing me
Tonight this concludes our speakers for this evening thank you for sharing your comments our practice is to receive information however we do not usually engage in dialogue and that is our intent tonight if appropriate and not already provided someone from the superintendent staff will evaluate your concern and provide a
Response we will now move on to the consent agenda I’ll entertain a motion for approval mooved by Dr Walker is there a second seconded by Mr lonia is there any discussion all those in favor please signify by saying I all opposed Dr Smith motion carries with Allard
Board members voting yes we are now moving on to the information agenda the first item is the monthly financial report Miss lucente thank you madam chair in your packet you have the uh financial report for the month of February as long as well as well as the financial documents we are still
Expecting a state shortfall but we did receive $53 million in the month of February and 31 was from the state 22 from the city balance was Federal and local um our expenditures are still being impacted by inflation but we are not going to have a deficit at least
That’s my parting words on that but the revenues are looking good our federal is making up for the state um and expenditures are are about in line where we expected them to be based on everything we’ve been seeing so I available for questions if you have
Any I see no questions at this time thank you miss lente the next item is the 2024 summer school information M Edwards good evening while it’s just March and spring break is just a week away for several months numerous central office staff and leaders from our schools have
Been planning summer learning for our students so tonight I would like to introduce Mrs Kimberly McGrath our director of academic support and she will present our plan for summer school 2024 thank you Miss Edwards good evening chair swager Vice chair Mercer esteemed members of the school board Dr cotton
And cabinet officials tonight I aim to provide you with a glimpse into the upcoming summer educational Endeavor tailored for approximately 3,000 of our students our summer learning program’s objectives are very clear to assist students with substantial learning gaps in catching up and continuing on their path to graduation to increase in-person
High school learning support and successful completion of Summer courses prioritizing academic instruction and to add reading Specialists to each site to meet each student’s unique learning needs we worked closely with administrators to Define criteria that guarantee a focused approach to student advancement although summer school is a more compact program compared to the
Regular Academic Year preparation for the following year’s summer learning begins promptly after the conclusion of the current year while Lisa delile supervisor of intervention and Extended Learning Program programs oversees the coordination of summer school the in um within the division of academic support it requires extensive collaboration among the Departments
Listed here it necessitates Collective effort from all of us with our primary aim solely focused on student learning let’s begin by exploring Elementary learning this four-week program will run from Monday through Thursday 7:35 to 8:35 a.m. spanning from June 24th to July 25th it will be hosted at six of
Our ele elementary schools as well as cep the main goal of this summer learning initiative is to address learning apps while including an introduction to CTE opportunity for arising fifth grade students for the summer of 2024 we’re thrilled to announce the addition of two reading specialists at each site to offer
Targeted small group reading instruction additionally in introduction to Career and Technical education CTE program is available for Rising graders this program allows students to explore Career and Technical education elective options offered in the Middle School the introduction to CTE program will be held at four of our Middle School sites
Moreover specialized services will be provided for our English language Learners and exceptional Learners to meet their unique unique needs and to uh during the summer program now let’s take a look at our Middle School summer learning from June 24th 4 to July 30th middle school students have the
Opportunity to attend two 10day sessions held from 8:45 to 12:45 p.m. at Deep Creek Hickory or Oscar Smith High School the primary focus is is again addressing learning gaps in alignment with Elementary summer learning each site will have two reading Specialists available to provide targeted small group reading
Instruction these sites will also offer specialized Services cat catered to our English Lang language Learners and exceptional Learners finally on to high school featuring a new approach for summer 2024 the High School summer learning program aims to provide students with a chance to enroll in courses for initial
Credit or to retake courses that did not P they did not pass during the regular school year ensuring they can stay on track with graduation this summer both in-person and virtual programs are available with an increased focus on in-person learning students enrolled in credit recovery and so quick review courses will receive
Their instruction in person exceptional Learners and English Learners will also attend in person at Deep Creek Hickory or Oscar Smith High so quick quick review aims to offer extra instruction and support to students preparing to retake end of course so tests Credit Recovery focuses on English math History Science and
Economics personal finance courses for students in grades 9 through 12 in person sessions will be held on Alternate days with English and history on Mondays and Wednesdays and math and science on Tuesdays and Thursdays Credit Recovery teachers will be present to guide students through learning modules
While T tutors will be on site to provide personalized assistance as needed online credit bearing courses will be offered through Chesapeake virtual ual Academy students enrolled in CVA courses will pay a $300 fee those eligible for reduced lunch will pay $150 and those qualifying for free lunch will not be charged additionally
Students meeting one of the high school academy course requirements will be exempt from these fees in summary the main objective is to accelerate learning for students facing substantial gaps again emphasizing the importance of keeping students on track for graduation the high school Pro program is designed specifically for
Students to attend classes in person even though it involves a reduction in enrichment activities teachers play a crucial role in providing immediate feedback and clarification aiding students in grasping Concepts and addressing misconceptions promptly to ensure the program’s Effectiveness criteria have been developed collaboratively with administrators ensuring a focused approach on student
Advancement moreover the involvement of reading Specialists highlights the dedic ation to addressing particular learning requirements within this framework thank you for your time I’m happy to answer any questions Dr Walker I have a quick question um the addition of reading specialist is that more reading Specialist or is that brand new this
Year that’s brand new this year okay and the purpose will be to provide remedial support just like they do during the normal school year correct so they’ll Target the students that have severe um reading gaps and provide that small group reconstruction in elementary middle and high all three levels all
Three levels my next question thank you you’re welcome I see no additional questions so thank you for the presentation the last item is the special education annual plan and Report Miss Edwards thank you again Miss Swagger Dr Craig penelo has led our department of exceptional learning as
Director for well over a decade with Excellence tonight he will bring to you the annual plan for special education but he will also present some highlights of the work that we do collaboratively with our schools of which we are extremely proud Craig thank you for being here tonight thank you very much
Miss Edwards good evening chair swager Vice chair Mercer members of the board Dr cotton and staff it’s my privilege to present an overview of the proposed special education annual plan Part B flowthrough application for the 2024 2025 school year for your convenience the special education annual plan has been loaded on
Your board docs program for review a copy of the annual plan is also available publicly on the ches Peake Public Schools website tonight I will briefly explain how this document is organized under the provisions of the individuals with disabilities Education Act Ida local education agencies are required to submit an annual plan for
Providing special education and related services to children children with disabilities the special education annual plan serves as a formal agreement between a local school board and the Virginia Department of Education for implementing federal and state laws and regulations governing these Services accordingly the dispersement of state and federal funds appropriated for
The education of children with disabilities is contingent upon the approval of this plan and each of its components we are very fortunate to have received assistance during the development of our plan from the Virginia Department of Education our school board attorneys and members of our local special education advisory
Committee who have had the opportunity to review the annual plan let’s look at the plan’s first requirement beginning on page one of your draft and continuing through page five these pages of the plan address local Education Agency assurances and certifications each School Division is required to maintain current policies and procedures that facilitate
Compliance with federal and state regulations this includes the superintendent certification on page one of the annual plan that verifies Chesapeake Public Schools policies and procedures are aligned to the individuals with disabilities Education Act and its accompanying regulations the next section of the annual plan Pages six and seven address
The general education Provisions act which requires school divisions to identify any potential barriers that may impact participation in any of our programs I’m pleased to report that we have not identified any barriers in any of our school programs page eight verifies that the Chesapeake Public Schools has established an inter agency agreement
With the local jail associated with the provision of special education and related services the planning process requires that a copy of any revised agreement be substit be submitted with our annual plan we have not revised our agreement since July 8th 2021 the current agreement has been included for your review in board
Dos on page nine you will find the school division’s report on the implementation of the 2021 2022 annual plan along with a brief list of accomplishments attained during this period in the past and currently the implementation of the annual plan is directly tied to the provision of special education teacher and pair
Professional salaries and benefits page 10 maintenance of effort serves as documentation of the projected expenditures for the school division’s total special education program for 2024 2025 the maintenance of effort effort regulation requires school divisions to spend at least the same amount of local or local plus State dollars for a
Current school year on the delivery of special education and related Services as were spent in a previous year currently we are in compliance with this expectation page 11 of our draft plan addresses coordinated early intervening services and proportionate set aside coordinated early intervening Services may be required of a School Division
That is significantly disproportionate in its identification placement and or discipline practices with regard to students with disabilities Chesapeake Public Schools is not required to provide coordinated early intervening services and does not choose to do so voluntarily proportionate set aside refers to the amount of funds that are allocated to provide identified special
Education services to students with disabilities who are privately or parentally placed in private schools or homeschooled ches Peake Public Schools uses its set aside funds to provide speech and language services to identified students the last requirements of our annual plan begins on page 12 and consists of two Grant applications
Please note that Pages 12 and 15 do not apply to chese Public Schools as we do not submit joint applic ations with any other agencies Pages 13 and 14 include the idea Part B section 611 Grant application this application delineates the school division’s planned expenditures for the federal monies
Available for the education of students with disabilities in grades kindergarten through 12th grade the final pages of the annual plan Pages 16 and 17 include the idea Part B six section 619 Early Childhood special education grant application the funds from this grant are used for the delivery of early childhood and preschool special
Education services this completes the requirements of the 2024 2025 special education annual plan however I do have some additional exciting information to share with you regarding programming supported by our department the department of exceptional learning I’d like to provide just a few highlights associated with our special
Education programs as you know we are very proud of our transition programming for our students with disabilities and continue to see success in programs such as project search a transition program at the ches Peake Regional Medical Center and serving success A specialized coffee shop program for our high school
Students at the ches Peake career center additional notable accomplishments of our transition program include our Skill Builders program at the ches peak career center community-based instruction and work experiences an ongoing series of workshops facilitated by our transition Specialists that provide information to both students and their families next I want to celebrate the
Success of our summer Summit for exceptional Learners that occurred on August 9th and 10th just this past summer with a focus on professional development efforts addressing literacy behavioral programming and high leverage practices for exceptional Learners our conference was attended voluntarily by over 300 staff members including classroom teachers School administrators
Central office administrators and various other support staff the department of exceptional learning has remained steadfast in our belief that our people are what make a difference for students and that we must be diligent in our commitment to building staff individually and collectively regarding strategies and interventions that support our students
And dis our students with disabilities finally although we continue to focus on academic outcomes for our students with disabilities I’m extremely happy to report that we exceed the average accountability scores across the Commonwealth in all reported areas reading math science and history even more impressive is the success of our
Students when compared with other local divisions in our region over the past several years our department has made an intentional effort to align our our efforts instructionally with other departments in the division of teaching and learning this has involved establishing supervisory responsibilities and practices in our department designed to increase our attention to
Response-driven outcomes for students as well as committing key members of the exceptional learning team to collaborate closely with our core content area supervisors this has enhanced our ability to focus on critical instructional outcomes for our students with disabilities our efforts are definitely paying off as you can see in
This chart ches Peake Public Schools students with disabilities are doing very well relative to comparisons across the Commonwealth and locally our Student Success is greater than 10 percentage points in nearly all categories so the yellow piece the yellow uh indicates us and you can see we’re kind of overlooking everybody else
On that chart there we’re very proud of of what we’re doing folks here’s another look at our Pass rates the tall Red Line represents ches Peake Public Schools this chart clearly shows our success compared to other divisions our data additionally shows that over the last three years we have narrowed the
Achievement gap between our students with and without disabilities by eight percentage points as you are aware outcomes for students with disabilities are tightly tied to our overall accountability standards our continuous Improvement efforts for students with disabilities will certainly continue as we Endeavor to help students succeed at
Even greater levels looking at this data I think you can agree that there is much to celebrate regarding our students with disabilities in Chesapeake Public Schools that concludes my presentation for this evening if there are no concerns that need to be addressed regarding the proposed special education annual plan Part B flowthrough
Application then this item will be placed uh on the consent agenda for approval at the next Schoolboard meeting scheduled for April 15 2024 I’d like to sincerely thank each of you for your support and interest in serving our students with disabilities and I’m happy to answer any questions you might have at this
Time Dr Walker I don’t have a question but I just wanted to say kudos to uh your department Dr penelo thank you for I mean those statistics were amazing so thanks for sharing those with us and also we’ve had an opportunity to congratulate different people on different positions but I just want to
Say congratulations on your retirement thank you very much thank you for all the work you’ve done for ches Peak and ches PE will definitely miss you thank you yeah Mr Mercer Dr Panella um when Dr Edwards introduced you tonight and she said over 10 years I was thinking about
That because it’s no secret uh your successor was named this evening by uh our superintendent but 10 years is a awful long time at a job directing special education exceptional students been 14 by the way 14 I thought it was longer than that I thought it was long I think that may be
A record uh that’s been done because I’ve known the some of the other people in the in the time that I’ve been here and uh I want to say that I think you’ve been able to do that for all of those years because you are a person of of
Remarkable character and integrity and I thank you for all because it has not always been a pleasant ride you and I over the years have have seen times where uh you have had to stand up uh and smile when there were some people not saying such nice things about the
Department and even sometimes yourself and you did it with such character and um that you disarmed them in so many cases and I appreciate it and I hope that whatever doors open up for you you’re going to have a great retirement but we will miss you thank you very
Much thank you for that report if I may say again thank you for all those years of support um I haven’t done it alone um I work with amazing people in the department I hope you give them the same amount of support that you’ve given me
All these years it is a tough job but every job’s tough if you do it right and I feel like we do it right so thank you again for your support and thank you for your time thank [Applause] you at this time we are moving on to the
Action agenda and the only item that we have is the vsba school law conference Dr Smith thank you chair swiger I would like to share this opportunity with the board the Virginia school boards Association is holding its School law conference on May 31st in Richmond if
There are any board members who wish to attend this conference please raise your hand seeing none this concludes my item thank you Dr Smith we will now move on to the superintendent report Dr cotton thank you madam chair and members of the board I just have a few calendar
Updates this evening uh please be reminded that Friday March 29th 2024 is a teacher work day and of course not that I need to remind anybody but spring break is April 1st through the 5th 2024 and all administr of offices will be closed on April 1st uh 2024 also our
Next School Board uh planning meeting it’s a planning meeting not a regular board meeting will be held on April 11th 2024 at 4:30 p.m. with that I’m happy to share our Spotlight for this evening thank you again for time tonight to present my superintendent Spotlight it’s
My last one before everyone takes a much deserved spring break first up I’d like to thank the Chesapeake Virginia Beach chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority for their recent donation to Oscar Smith Middle School their arts and letter committee donated over 200 brand new books and a hand painted book cart by
Local artists to the school this effort was supported by Mrs Leslie Russell administrator of federal programs Dr shereé Brown Title One instructional administrator Mrs Amy seagull supervisor of library media services and miss Nancy sweat director of curriculum and instruction we had a great chance to check out instructional Innovations
Grant in action at the recent Friends of the foundation annual meeting I’d like to thank the ches Peake Educational Foundation for their support of these Grand opportunities for our teachers students from Grassfield STEM Academy taught us to fly drones and demonstrated how they are learning to code and build
Virtual reality experiences with their grant money they even taught me how to fly a drone so that’s really really saying something there uh we were all very impressed uh with the grant the grant applications for this school year are due this week and are available on the foundation website
I’d like to thank the members of the board who joined us last Wednesday night for the first of two public forums hosted by our school safety task force the task force was able to provide updates and engage in important discussions with their with our community if you are unable to attend
Don’t worry we will host a second one at Western Branch High School on May 22nd 2024 to wrap up tonight I’d like to celebrate several employees Mrs Leslie sarber from Hickory High School school was recently named the Virginia student council Association adviser of the year in her nomination letter her principal
Dr Donna Wan shared that Leslie actively solicits feedback from her colleagues and her student body and effectively uses it to improve our school’s culture and climate I’d also like to congratulate Miss Alysa formica from greatbridge middle school who is named the chesp rotary educator of the Year
Miss verica is known for being a dedicated PE teacher who goes above Beyond by supporting her colleagues serves as co-athletic director and even a school bus driver thank you to the rotary for honoring our Educators especially a fine educator like Miss verica Madame chair and board members this completes my
Spotlight thank you Dr cotton last on our agenda this evening is board member items does any board member have an item to bring before the group Mr Mercer well she’s not going to like it but miss lente I understand tonight is it in fact this is the last day and everything uh and
And we will miss you uh you know you and I go back a long ways uh I I’m not going to how many years have you been 18 18 okay yes and um you and I have had our annual disagreements and yet at every time we’ve been able to work out and most
Importantly we’ve realized that we want it to the best for the schools and for the students and for the teachers and administrators of the city and you’ve had that at your heart and I for one will miss you I miss your character yes I you are you are a person of deep faith
And uh we will be less of a school system because of your absence and we wish you God’s speed just as we did Dr penella in whatever Endeavors lie ahead for you agreed see No Other Board member comments I do want to take just a moment
To wish a very happy birthday to board member Mike lonia who celebrated last week we hope you had a great birthday and with that we will call this meeting adjourned
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