TRENTON BOARD OF EDUCATION 108 North Clinton Avenue Trenton, New Jersey 08609 BOARD MEETING MINUTES Monday – February 25, 2019 – 5:30 P.M. Completed March 6, 2019 Convened at 5:30 P.M. Call to Order Board President Gene Bouie called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Pledge of Allegiance President Bouie called for the salute to the flag. Roll Call Present: Gene Bouie – departed 6:06 p.m. Addie Daniels-Lane Fiah Kwesseu Taraun McKnight Gerald Truehart II Lucy Vandenberg Heather Watson – departed approximately 8:30 p.m. Sadé Williams – arrived approximately 5:35 p.m./departed 8:50 p.m. Absent: Yolanda Marrero-Lopez Superintendent of Schools – Dr. Fredrick H. McDowell Jr. - Present Business Administrator/Board Secretary – Jayne Howard - Present New Jersey Sunshine Law - Read by Board President Bouie The New Jersey Public Meetings Law was enacted to ensure the right to the public to have advanced notice of and to attend the meetings of public bodies at which any business affecting their interest is discussed or acted on. On the rules of this act, the Trenton Board of Education has caused notice of this meeting by publicizing the date, time and place, therefore posted in the Central Services Building, 108 North Clinton Avenue, City Clerk’s Office, City Hall, the Times and the Star Ledger. Anyone whose name is on the mailing list should receive a notice. Formal action will take place at this meeting. Mission Statement - Read by Board President Bouie All students will graduate with a vision for their future, motivated to learn continually and prepared to succeed in their choice of college or career. 1 TRENTON BOARD OF EDUCATION 108 North Clinton Avenue Trenton, New Jersey 08609 BOARD MEETING MINUTES Monday – February 25, 2019 – 5:30 P.M. Adoption Of Agenda President Bouie advised there is an HR addendum to tonight’s agenda. Motion was made by Ms. Vandenberg and seconded by Ms. Daniels-Lane to adopt the agenda with the addendum. Agenda was adopted by all Board Members present. ROLL CALL YES NO ABSTAIN Addie Daniels-Lane X Fiah Kwesseu X Yolanda Marrero-Lopez absent Taraun McKnight X Gerald Truehart X Lucy Vandenberg X Heather Watson X Sadé Williams not present for vote Gene Bouie X SUPERINTENDENT’S REMARKS Transcript of School Community Updates: SCHOOL COMMUNITY UPDATES February 25, 2019 District Mission: All students will graduate with a vision for their future, motivated to learn continually and prepared to succeed in their choice of college or career. DISTRICT PRIORITIES Based on the feedback from a wide range of community stakeholders, school site visits, and data review, the District’s Priorities for 2018-19: 1. INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP 3. CULTURE a. Effective Data Culture a. Establishing Future Ready Schools b. Learning Focused Partnerships b. Empowering Parents as Partners 2. COACHING & DEVELOPMENT 4. CENTRAL OFFICE TRANSFORMATION a. Observations & Feedback a. Customer Service & Continuous Improvement b. Principal as Instructional Leader b. Networks of School Support WHAT WE VALUE The Trenton Board of Education and the District Leadership Team are committed to the following core values: 1. STUDENTS: We develop policies and practices that support the positive development of all children. 2. COLLEAGUES: We demonstrate our commitment by encouraging, supporting, and developing our colleagues to achieve excellence. 3. PARENTS, CAREGIVERS, FAMILIES: We acknowledge the importance of families as “1st Teachers” and 2 TRENTON BOARD OF EDUCATION 108 North Clinton Avenue Trenton, New Jersey 08609 BOARD MEETING MINUTES Monday – February 25, 2019 – 5:30 P.M. understand the important role they play in children’s development and learning. 4. COMMUNITY: We create opportunities to engage citizens and organizations on decisions that impact schools and the community. POINTS OF PRIDE Everyday Matters Rainbow Drive: The District has launched the promotion of the Everyday Matters Attendance Campaign. On Saturday, February 23, the District sponsored a Rainbow Drive for Trenton students and families at PJ Hill Elementary. The goal was to provide families with resources to remove barriers that prevent students from attending school every day. Community partners offered onsite services that address direct linkages to chronic absenteeism. Over (20) organizations signed up to participate. Multiple families registered online, and Rainbow Kits were distributed at the event. Generous organizations donated over $15,000 in funds to support the event and TCNJ provided (20) volunteers to assist with event coordination for the day. Special thanks to Denise Holguin, District Parent Coordinator/ Homeless Liaison for coordinating this amazing effort to support Trenton families. Trenton Schools Make Real Progress: This month the District received official notification from the NJ Department of Education that (2) more Trenton schools have made enough progress to be eligible to exit state monitoring status. Thanks to their continued growth, academic performance, sustainability of noted improvements and feedback from the Comprehensive Support & Improvement Teams. Congratulations to the school communities of Robbins and Wilson for making real progress. They join the (6) schools who exited status last year: Franklin, Grant, Columbus, Washington, Hedgepeth Williams, and Trenton Central. PJ Hill is Moving Forward: This month the District also received official notification from the NJ Department of Education that PJ Hill will undergo a change in state monitoring status moving from Comprehensive Support to Targeted Support. Thanks to their continued growth in literacy and mathematics. Congratulations to the PJ Hill School Community for making progress. TCHS Student Athlete Breaks American Record: Congratulations to TCHS Junior Athing Mu for breaking the American Record to win the 600m at the 2019 USATF Indoor Championship. She had personal best by 2.66 seconds, now holds the US high school and American Indoor record. Athing defeated the 5-time NCAA 800m champion and holds the 2nd fastest indoor time ever. Athing has a 3.7 GPA and excels in the classroom and on the track. Congratulations! Student Athletes Recognized: The TCHS Boys Basketball Team has received the #1 seed for Central Jersey Group 4 State Tournament beginning on February 25th. The Boys Basketball Team also received the #1 seed for the Mercer County Tournament. Johnae Drumright took 2nd place at the first ever NJSIAA Women’s Regional Wrestling Tournament. 3 TRENTON BOARD OF EDUCATION 108 North Clinton Avenue Trenton, New Jersey 08609 BOARD MEETING MINUTES Monday – February 25, 2019 – 5:30 P.M. Reading Oasis Rooms: Special thanks to the Trenton Thunder and the United Way of Greater Mercer County for their tremendous support in establishing Reading Oasis Rooms at Mott Elementary (February 5th) and Parker Elementary (February 8th). Their support will provide opportunities for students to access a robust library of new reading materials. QSAC Update: Educational Specialists from the NJ Department of Education visited the District this past month to review progress on the new Quality Single Accountability Continuum requirements (QSAC). QSAC is the Department’s monitoring and evaluation system for public school districts. The continuum shifts the focus from monitoring, evaluation, and compliance to assistance, capacity-building, and improvement. We received a favorable response with the formal report coming shortly. State level data reviewed also indicates that the District is showing academic improvements. Literacy proficiency is up two percentage points (20.3%) and Math proficiency is up seven percentage points (10.8%). Student growth is also showing improvement. Special thanks to the School Support, Curriculum, and Performance Offices for their leadership in this critical area. Nutritional Services Update: Thanks to the intentional efforts of our District Leaders to increase access to high quality nutrition for all students, the District now serves over 15,000 meals per day. Breakfast after the Bell Program serves 6100 meals daily and Universal Lunch Program serves 9400 meals daily. This is a critical factor when considering the academic calendar and school closures due to inclement weather. Expansion of Health Services: The District is partnering with the Oral Health Impact Project to participate in Dental Day with the Campaign Ambassador being the NBA’s Charles Cooke. Students are able to receive free dental exams and light dental work. Special thanks to Micah Freeman, Sharron Grady, and Denise Holguin for their collaboration and leadership. The goal is to assist with noncompliance of Immunizations/Physicals and to assist with access to Health Insurance. Other dates for Oral /Visual Health Mobile Units: Washington Elementary February 25th 10:00am – 2:00pm Daylight High School March 11th 8:30am – 1:30pm Jefferson Elementary April 8th 10:00am – 2:00pm The District is continuing its partnership with Henry J. Austin Health Center to provide access to students and families utilizing their Mobile Immunization Van. The dates for the Immunization Mobile Units: Dunn Middle March 6th 10:00am – 2:00pm PJ Hill Elementary March 13th 10:00am – 2:00pm 4 TRENTON BOARD OF EDUCATION 108 North Clinton Avenue Trenton, New Jersey 08609 BOARD MEETING MINUTES Monday – February 25, 2019 – 5:30 P.M. CENTRAL OFFICE TRANSFORMATION District Transformation: In order for school districts to transform, Central Offices must significantly strengthen the extent to which the office operates as a primary support system for helping principals