Grantham School Board, Emergency Meeting - December 20, 2022

Speakers are labeled SPEAKER_N. This transcript is machine-generated.

Recording

thank you
it's cozy though but are you unemporated
tomorrow no we um but I mean we can take
our vacation time yeah I'm gonna be in
the office tomorrow and I'm gonna go to
study so Wendy
foreign
perfect we'll go ahead and get started
we're going to call the meeting to order
at 502. uh the first thing for us to do
is to approve the agenda the agenda
tonight is just very straightforward
it's just we have public participation
we'll open up participation and then
um looking at the calendar our is our
only agenda item site so any other
changes or
adjustments to that
okay so we need a motion to approve the
agenda so promotion from Denise in
second second from Nancy although all
those in favor please say aye
aye any opposed say
all right so we will open up public
participation we don't have we have two
people who are on now soon so if you are
one of the attendees on Zoom you can
raise your hand or you can
um
type something in the chat if you prefer
or you yep so Leslie's coming in oh she
is okay perfect and um just a reminder
if you are participating in the chat
just put your name and address at the
beginning of your comment so this can be
right into the record just like we would
do for anyone here in person and
um we don't have anyone here in person
with us we have well we have one public
but yes they have four legs and a tail
you may see a very furry head popping
around
so if anyone so I'm going to open public
participation and I'll leave it open for
about two minutes now and but please if
folks are joining us virtually feel free
to type into the chat or raise your hand
and I can have you
um speak as well
oh
everyone
foreign
I don't see anything in the chat or any
hands raised at this time we'll go ahead
and end public participation for now and
our only agenda item is to talk about
the calendar
um first I want to just say a huge thank
you to the board members who could come
tonight and to Sydney and Brenda and
Kristen for coming tonight this was a
very much last minute scheduled meeting
um last week we got uh some information
or we got from their meeting that the
Lebanon board had voted to not have
school on January 2nd January 2nd was
previously a school day on the calendar
that they had established that we
usually try to stick to pretty closely
um and so we got some questions about it
uh pretty much immediately from families
who are wondering if Grantham was going
to have school
um we had a quorum of the board who was
able to get together thankfully thank
you this week to discuss this
um and so it's just it's up to the board
if we want to amend our calendar
um we are able to leave it as is just
kind of some background and some
consideration for this playing field is
still leaving there having school on
Monday so Plainfield is leaving their
calendar as scheduled so having school
on the second
um Lebanon so for our students that
would be the middle and high school
students are not having school on the
second we can decide
um for Grantham Village School
um some things to consider for it
um you know that there is that you know
playing field is doing one thing Lebanon
is doing something else
um
we have you know families I think in who
will be in two positions of either it's
an it's an extended vacation and that's
great I think we will have some families
who that's an additional day to find
some kind of Child Care Child Care
um options may be more limited because
we are coming off of a holiday weekend
for folks
um and then also just thinking about our
calendar year we're fine right now in
terms of hours but we're just at the
beginning of our snow season so what
does that look like for does this take a
day off the calendar for us
um that you know we may need to make up
in terms of snow days or other closures
um so just some some things to think
about there anything else that you would
add for considerations Sydney no I think
that's it okay
any thoughts or things that the board
members have been thinking about for
this
I would just wonder if you've been
contacted by some parents that either
way that would help us to you know be
informed as to the best of decision we
can make just asking so before
um lebanon's board meeting I had one
parent reach out and question the
calendar and then since lebanon's just
asking what we're doing
um nobody giving me any idea either way
what they convert
how does that would that impact our
custodial staff at all there's
a vacation thing or
no I mean we could work their schedule
around the
um around whatever the board chooses to
do we want a good Studio schedule around
that
I think it really is a matter of
um
you know does the board want to try to
align with lab or does the board want to
the other side as Britney said is just
the child care issue that people have
already planned and especially it's a
work day for a lot of families and
the consideration is different in terms
of you have a middle or high school or
staying home versus the little ones
staying home yeah
we have two board members with
your input's really important for us to
consider
you know I'd like to give the kids
another vacation yeah I think I was
thinking I'm leaning more towards just
keeping the schedule intact almost
exactly for why Sydney said
um with like as a family of two working
parents full-time working parents
we're lucky enough to be salaried but
not everybody is
um so that's like a really big deal only
two weeks from now basically
um I definitely agree with that I will
say uh just not inter no one has reached
out to me yet in terms of board
um the board but just in terms of like
casual conversations with friends I
think there is a a
I think people are expecting us to
follow web so I think it'll be more
surprising for people if we don't so I
think people who are needing to make
plans have already started look I I
don't know universally I'm sure there
will be some people that that will be a
struggle to find child care for that day
but I think when people heard about
leb's decision they started since
thinking about what are we gonna do that
day because I think
um the the assumption that I've heard is
so you're just we're just going to be
close that day too right
um with the thought that for families
that's a weird for the families who have
kids at GBS and at the middle in high
school that is a weird another weird
family Dynamic to set up of okay the
fourth grader has to go to school about
the eighth grader gets another vacation
day which really stinks yeah
foreign
so we will have some families if we stay
with our schedule we will have some
families that have two different two
different schedules yeah
I was in support of another vacation day
but I feel like
having this happen so fast and people
having to adjust to it like it wasn't a
planned vacation day
I my gut feeling was to to leave the
schedule there but as a former teacher I
would have said there are one more time
Yeah but I
I also think about the child care
um a lot of people
I imagine 11 board went through the same
process as we did when we approved the
calendar for the year and actually I was
quite surprised that they changed it at
this late date I think we all were
so I would say because
it's so the day is coming up so close I
think we should just we approve the
calendar and
we should probably stick with what it is
but I'm also flip-flopping with kids
being in two different schedules in the
same panel that's that's the piece that
I yeah is the
the most compelling for me in terms of
changing is thinking about having you
know a ninth grader who has an extra
vacation day and a first grader who you
have to tell
cool
um and I wonder if if some of those
families would wind up keeping their GBS
student home anyway you know our
families would choose to extend that
vacation which maybe is something that
families could you know make that choice
on their own if we do decide to keep the
calendar as is
me technically it is a federal holiday
the second right I almost wondered if
they would be parents that have that one
day as a holiday
I think some yeah
there's just no Universal decision that
would make it good for everyone no
absolutely yeah
yeah
I could go either way I'm concerns both
ways too so I know we have to make a
decision so that really wasn't very
assertive
foreign
I actually haven't asked Kristen this
have you heard anything from the staff
about this setup and stuff is another no
nothing no just it's just wondering
wondering what are we going to do yeah I
think
I think from what I heard people think
that we're going to follow Lebanon just
because that's what we do
um
but no I know that that Bailey was
saying that it will mess up the
vegetables being delivered so she might
not be able to use salad bar and she
might have to do pizza instead of I
don't know there was something the menu
would have to
change but um
but I think that's really the only
um
so in the past we've uh aligned with
lemonade schedule but has there been a
practice of like something like this
happening we're living in canceled and
then
yeah not an adjustment like that I mean
there's been days that we've called snow
days and they haven't or vice versa yeah
oh okay
um you know because that like the
weather change was that well back yeah
yeah
um but in terms of a change to the
calendar once the calendar is decided a
change ahead of time I haven't seen that
happen before
foreign
but you don't know logistically
yeah
would that mean we'd have to put an
extra day at the end of this school year
not necessarily because we always go
well the state goes by hours yeah so we
always look at our hours and then we see
where we are based on what happens with
snow days Etc as we get towards
I don't know April whenever snow days
might stop
under rain yeah um if anyone knew I'm
not sure matters but what was lebanon's
um line of thought with making this
change do you does anyone know I did
call on Dr Roberts and uh the day after
it happened and just briefly spoke with
her about why the change I think she was
surprised by the change as well
um in terms of just some pressure about
the federal holiday she said that they
did discuss that it was a federal
holiday when they made the calendar last
year
um but that came up again and
um
that was pretty much it
well I think if I had to decide my my
feeling about like two working parents
who who aren't salaried or just parents
who are in that kind of a bind that's
sort of I think for me like I hate to
disadvantage people that's close to that
scheduling like two weeks right like
that seems like a burden whereas
families who have more flexibility and
options like you said you can choose to
keep it there but you know families have
choices but I would hate like this
advantage and often those people you
know have to schedule out a couple weeks
or a month or who I don't know it just
seems like a little capricious even
though again I have an elementary school
Age kid who would love to have an extra
vacation day but it feels like
disadvantaging people that I don't want
to
so just from an administrative side I've
heard two of you say parents can keep
their kids home if they want to so
normally if they just choose to keep
their kids home it's an unexcused day
right
is it still an excuse day even though
it's a Federal holiday we're gonna do
that in certainly that's a great
question
it wouldn't matter if it's a Federal
holiday it's just like if we have
something it's an excuse yeah
[Laughter]
like that's I very much like you're
closely I just I think about families
who he may be stuck without child care
I think this is short short notice to
try and figure this out yeah
so what I'm hearing from the the
direction of the discussion I would
um
ask for a motion to leave our what you
want to do if you just would take no
action just take no action yeah unless
somebody wants to make a motion to
change the calendar
um so either somebody makes a motion to
change the calendar or take no action
okay
would someone like would anyone like to
make
okay all right we'll take no action on
this item I'm gonna open a public
participation section for our policy
about that and if we have anyone that is
we don't have anyone here in person but
if anyone is joining us virtually that
would like to participate please feel
free to type into the chat or as Sydney
mentioned raise your hand and we can
bring you in to speak and we just ask
that you give your name and address at
the beginning of your remarks so that
they can be in the record as we would do
if you were here in person
so the chat's open or you can raise your
hand
watch there'll be a big snowstorms
I think it's a tough discussion you know
because it is it's short notice and it's
um it's it's a tough time of year to
change a lot of plans nice to have that
extra vacation day but it was not land
on and for like
you know for staff and for curriculum
and for people that um
even though I know even that one day can
set things back
and it's not even just families like
parents who are hourly paid hourly I
also think some of my physician friends
have schedules that are set like 30 days
in advance like it's not they don't have
flexibility and it's a lot of people who
don't have a lot of accessibility in
there there's not an abundance of child
care if it is for sure
all right I don't see anything coming in
so we'll go ahead and close public
participation
um
while we are here as a board I wanted to
let the other board members know that Mr
compo got a tractor
and it's not just that you got a tractor
it's when you're the character arrives
Thursday yes
um so I don't think we have any need for
non-public no tonight
um so we will our next board meeting is
what is that January 3rd or January
um so January 3rd is our next board
meeting
um there is information coming out it
should be in your newsletter and we'll
try to get it posted some other places
for anyone who is interested in
volunteering for the search the
superintendent search committee
um and so look for just a little
paragraph about what that entails and
how to express interest in that that
should be coming out
um and we'll get it posted in various
places for folks to access that so with
all of that said I need a motion to
adjourn the meeting so moved I have a
motion from Nancy in a second from
Denise all those in favor please say aye
aye aye any opposed say nay all right 5
21. adjourn thank you thank you thank
you
like surprise meeting