July 27, 2021 at 6:00 PM - GMSD Board Business Meeting
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1. Call to Order
Speaker(s):
Chairman
Discussion:
Chairman Amy Eoff called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
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2. Moment of Silence
Speaker(s):
Chairman
Discussion:
Chairman Amy Eoff called for a moment of silence.
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3. Pledge of Allegiance
Discussion:
Board Member Ryan Strain led the Pledge of Allegiance.
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4. Approval of Agenda
Speaker(s):
Chairman
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
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5. Recognition and Awards
Speaker(s):
Chairman
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6. REPORTS
Speaker(s):
Chairman
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6.A. TLN Update (Tennessee Legislature)
Speaker(s):
Ryan Strain
Attachments:
()
Discussion:
Board Member and TLN Representative Ryan Strain presented the TLN Report as follows,
Last month, the Tennessee Department of Education announced $4.5 million in Grow Your Own grants, which establish partnerships between Educator Preparation Providers and school districts. These grants are designed to foster partnerships to provide innovative, no-cost pathways to the teaching profession. GMSD is a Grow Your Own district and has several teachers and assistants pursuing endorsements and certification through the program. Additionally, several new education-related laws took effect earlier this month. Those laws include:
Additionally, last month the federal Department of Education released a notice of interpretation stating, in light of last year’s Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, that for purposes of Title IX (the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in education), sex discrimination includes discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. This is a change in the Department’s position and could result in conflicts with legislation recently passed in several states. In legal news, the United States Supreme Court recently decided Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L., a First Amendment case addressing students’ off-campus free speech rights. The Court declared schools do have the power to punish students for speech occurring online or off campus if it substantially disrupts school, but found the student’s particular speech in this case did not to rise to that level. |
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6.B. Chairman's Report
Speaker(s):
Amy Eoff
Discussion:
Chairman Amy Eoff presented her Chairman's Report as follows,
Mr. Strain reports he attended the TSBA Summer Law Institute and the State Comptroller's ESSER funding presentation. He also met with a Shelby County School Board Member. Ms. Landers reports she attended TSBA Summer Law Institute. Mr. Curry reports he attended TSBA Summer Law Institute and the Chamber of Commerce July luncheon. Ms. Griffith reports she attended the TSBA Summer Law Institute and the State Comptroller's ESSER funding presentation. Ms. Eoff reports she attended TSBA Summer Law Institute and met with Germantown city leadership. In June, the Board completed Superintendent Manuel's annual evaluation. Superintendent Manuel’s overall evaluation score is 3.804 out of a 4 point scale, highly effective. Strengths Identified: Superintendent Manuel’s relationship with the Board is strong and communication consistent. Information needed for board responsibilities has been provided in a thorough and timely manner to all board members. The addition of policy rationales has been a welcome addition to agendas (and because they are so popular, rationales have been requested for budget amendments), as well as the superintendent’s increased receptiveness to questions and suggestions from board members. During this extremely demanding year, Superintendent Manuel made improving board communication a priority including giving board members tours of facilities to identify needs. "The superintendent continuously kept the board informed as Covid related guidelines changed and impacted the district’s ability to operate." Superintendent Manuel continues to excel in promoting a positive image of GMSD. In a time that limited in-person accessibility, new ways to communicate with families were created, i.e. Let’s Talk, zoom town halls, and online curriculum nights. "Mr. Manuel does a great job with the media, never causing GMSD to look bad in print or on camera." Superintendent Manuel has worked to delegate more to his staff in order to allow opportunities for professional growth. His team continued to recruit highly qualified staff even in pandemic times using creative means for online snapshot events. His staff holds him in high regard. "When you are an employee of GMSD, you are part of a family." Superintendent Manuel provides a budget that is student-focused and strategic plan aligned. His work on ESSER funding has been consistently centered on how to be the best stewards of this money within the ever-changing guidelines from the state and federal governments. "Mr. Manuel’s team does an outstanding job with our budget and materials. Any member of the community can see the formatting and make sense of the budget." Superintendent Manuel is highly knowledgeable regarding instructional programs and has set goals for strengthening student achievement in the short and long term. His active legislative advocacy and involvement in professional organizations are strengths that were particularly imperative this year. "The Superintendent is knowledgeable and willing to keep up with educational trends and best practices. He continues to actively participate in professional organizations and lead in some capacities. He has developed professional relationships with fellow superintendents and educational leaders in order to learn and share what has worked in different districts. This has been essential in the pandemic educational landscape." Opportunities for Growth: While communications has grown tremendously over the last year, the board would like to see continued growth focused specifically on proactive communication.
The following goals were set in line with the strategic plan for the coming school year: Strategic Plan Targeted Goals for 2021-2022: Strategic Plan Goal 1 - Engaging, Challenging, and Innovative Academics: Increase academic support services and differentiation in the classroom to ensure all students receive high quality, innovative, and authentic learning experiences. (Obj 1.2, Obj 1.3) Strategic Plan Goal 2 - Whole Child: Develop and implement a tiered system of support to provide every student with a supportive, safe, and secure learning environment. (Obj 2.3, Obj 2.4) Strategic Plan Goal 4 - Resource Management Long-Range Planning: Begin creation of long-term plans for district facilities and programs including how to engage funding bodies and potential new financial partners. (Obj 4.2, Obj 4.3) Strategic Plan Goal 5 - Community Partnerships: Increase awareness, on the local and national level, of our district’s and schools’ academic and extracurricular accomplishments and successes. (Obj 5.2) This concludes the chairman's report. |
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6.C. Superintendent's Report
Speaker(s):
Jason Manuel
Discussion:
Superintendent Jason Manuel presented his Superintendent's Report with the following Highlights in his PowerPoint presentation,
Back to School Safety Plan
Summer Learning Programs
The above presentation can be found at our GMSD website link https://www.gmsdk12.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=2177271&type=d&pREC_ID=2181786 |
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7. Citizens to be heard
Speaker(s):
Chairman
Discussion:
The following Citizen voiced their concern regarding Masks in Schools,
Carey Acerra, 1691 Bryn Mawr Cove, Germantown TN 38138 |
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8. CONSENT AGENDA
Speaker(s):
Chairman
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
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8.A. Approval of the Minutes
Speaker(s):
Chairman
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8.B. GBOE Resolution - 1/2021-2022
Speaker(s):
Jason Manuel
Attachments:
()
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8.C. Revision of Policies - Second Reading
Speaker(s):
Jason Manuel
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8.D. Revision of Policies - First Reading
Speaker(s):
Jason Manuel
Attachments:
()
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8.E. Miscellaneous FY21-22 Budget Amendments # 2,3 &4
Speaker(s):
Jason Manuel
Attachments:
()
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9. BOARD ACTION ITEMS
Speaker(s):
Chairman
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9.A. Approval of Pearson Contract
Speaker(s):
Jason Manuel
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
Attachments:
()
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9.B. Change Order #1 for the Houston Middle School Addition Project
Speaker(s):
Jason Manuel
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
Attachments:
()
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9.C. GBOE Resolution 2/2021-2022
Speaker(s):
Jason Manuel
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
Attachments:
()
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10. Announcements
Speaker(s):
Chairman
Discussion:
Chairman Amy Eoff announced as follows,
The first day of School is August 9, 2021, for the 2021-2022 School Year |
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11. Adjournment
Speaker(s):
Chairman
Discussion:
The meeting adjourned with consensus at 7:00 pm.
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