Nov 20 2024
Board Meeting

▼Full Transcript Below

1. Public Comment
   ⏯ 0:13:34 – 1:01:07

   • • Elliot Warburton (Friends of AI): Urged the Board to honor the founding vision of Alexis I. duPont High School by taking action to ensure its survival 

     • Devon Hynson (AI parent/Board candidate/Friends of AI) Called for transparency and encouraged proactive recruitment strategies to increase enrollment.

     • Yvonne Johnson (National PTA President) Raised concerns regarding redistricting, capacity, and transportation equity.

     • Jared Obstfeld (Friends of AI):  Linked AI’s enrollment decline to policy decisions like the removal of choice busing 

     • Charles Lockerman (Friends of AI): advocated for reinstating choice busing and advancing the zoning committee to restore enrollment.

     • Jennifer Bisicchia (Friends of AI): Shared a personal testimony of AI’s transformative impact and urged the Board to restore its excellence

     • Talia Morris (Friends of AI): Expressed shock at AI’s decline, offered alumni support for fundraising and advocacy

     • Alexus Moore (Friends of AI):Reflected on the legacy of Paul L. Perets and the importance of preserving AI's culture.

     • Greg Wilson (Friends of AI): Argued that Board policy decisions contributed to AI’s enrollment drop and urged a corrective measure.

     • Jordyn Pusey (Friends of AI): Criticized delays in implementing task force recommendations and demanded immediate action 

     • Brenda Steffon (Friends of AI): Connected AI's decline to the elimination of choice busing 

     • Tony Brown (Friends of AI): Questioned root cause of AI's decline and its lack of support compared to other schools

     • Dylan McDowell (Friends of AI): Emphasized declining programs; urged forward movement on task force recommendations

2. Board Presentation, Discussion & Vote
   ⏯ 1:33:52 - 2:13:15 

   • • Mark Pruitt, Director of Secondary Education presented a comprehensive proposal to create a Board-level Secondary Attendance Zone, Enrollment, and Programming Committee to evaluate high school sustainability and equity

     • The Board voted to accelerate the timeline, requiring final recommendations by July 2025 implementation beginning in FY27.

⏯ 0:13:34 – 1:01:07 Click to hear all comments or Click a name below to hear individuals.

Elliott Warburton: My name is Elliot Warburton. I am with the Friends of AI tonight. Now, there are a few other members who are going to be speaking tonight and I identify with all of their calls but choose to spend this time on the podium to not necessarily speak of these but for another particular reason. I do believe that the Alexis I duPont High School is a school that is deserving of all necessary attention it needs to survive. This school, a literal gem of Delaware's public education system, is most certainly the most deserving of the Board's attention, for it is my earnest opinion that ever since the school's opening that all progress achieved by Delaware schools have been reactionary to the standard set by Alexis I. Now, I understand that this concept might be slightly difficult to perceive across time but it is true and tonight to help reinforce the duty that both the Board and community have been gifted in caring for this school, I take to the podium to not just voice my and my fellow friends' opinions but the words of one man - the man whom we all strive to embody in respect. This man is the school's spiritual founder, Francis Gurney duPont who in his speech before the Brandy public on the evening of January 19th, 1894 said the following words on his vision for the school: "Let me assure you that there are many troubles that may come and do come to our School Board and we who serve you must ask for your forbearance and also your hearty cooperation that the school might become as perfect in its regimen as in its material proportions. The accomplishment of this end will not be an easy task and will require on the part of you all time, while patience will be necessary as well. Let us all take up the work bravely and hope that future Generations will take pride in upholding the school we have open today. We now enjoy having shared the effort which is secured to our community that boon of the American citizen: a good District school." Now as before us today we the community are ready to uphold our role in in honoring Francis's wishes I call upon the Board to do so as well. For this is a community effort and we all need to work together for I do believe that if procrastination is not tolerated in the classroom it should not be tolerated in District office as well. Thank you.

Devon Hynson Good evening. Alright, so I think it's important to highlight the fact that I do stand with the friends of AI High School. My name is Devon Hynson. I'm a Red Clay parent, a community organizer and a 20-year+ student advocate. I'm currently a candidate for District B for the Red Clay School Board. I have four children that graduated from AI High school: Devon Jr., Aaliyah, Dion, and Dianna. I also have one daughter that graduated from John Dickinson High School her name is Jamia and presently Dominic attends Marbrook Elementary School. Years ago as a parent liaison I had the awesome responsibility of helping the district build trust with the community through equitable solutions, transparency and most importantly accountability. After conducting a limited research about this AI situation it honestly appears to be some levels of distrust that's really at the root of the issue. So what I wanted to propose was two things: I have two simple solutions I think that could help contribute to being able to address the challenges that we're seeing at AI High School. I think we all want better for all schools and all the relevant variables should be reasonably calculated with considering solutions for struggling schools - but establishing committees specifically to address the concerns of specific high schools - but placing administrators from competing high schools on that committee then giving them an equal voice to share possible unintended consequences or adverse effects is giving "All Lives Matters" to me. It's not that McKean or Dickinson are not important high schools, it's just that the two are not abysmally failing when it comes to enrollment. I believe, number two, I believe that there are opportunities to recruit from neighboring district high schools, especially those underperforming, through attractive and relevant course offerin and non-traditional but intentional marketing strategies. And I can see where there could be some concerns that it may further disadvantage other school districts' underperforming schools, but the increased access to quality education outweighs consistent mediocrity. It could actually serve as a motivator to neighboring districts, raising a bar for all. I was there so I know that there are plethora of root causes and tough conversations that need to be had when it comes to thinking about why AI High School does not meet capacity. Right, like about white flight, excessive discipline, prematurely closing of choice, and the transportation decisions that were made up to this point. But if for every solution we find a problem or a possible unintended consequence that could adversely affect some child somewhere we are probably being disingenuous at some point. The only way to move forward in the talk is not at each other but for all parties to be available transparent and accountable. Thank you.

Yvonne Johnson Good evening, Dr Green and School Board. I'm Yvonne Johnson. I am a parent of two children who went to Red Clay schools. I am also the National PTA President, but tonight I'm here as a community member and I want to talk about the Secondary Attendance Zone Enrollment Program Committee. I know this Board promised to get that committee going. I'm on my tiptoes because I can't reach. I just want to make sure that the Board fulfills their promise. I, too, am here to support the friends of AI. I know many of you were at the celebration of Paul Parets life at AI for the football game and the whole ceremony. It was moving beyond belief and it really showed the community of AI coming out together. We can only solve problems by working together, community, School Board, families and alumni. So I hope that this Board takes very seriously that committee and starts to look at at what's happening with attendance zones. On another note, I have another thing I'd like to discuss and that is the school climate survey and the results of the teachers last night. State educate with DSEA presented a training on school climate and culture and DSEA shared some very staggering data about what teachers are facing and I just returned from a Castle, which is a social emotional learning, Exchange convention in Chicago and National PTA received an award for our work on social emotional learning and what one thing that was crystal clear is teachers are really struggling. Discipline issues, oversized classes, not being paid enough and not getting the supports they need. I really was upset to hear the results of the survey of our district and so I hope that the School Board takes that very seriously because we have to really value our teachers. They're low paid and they need to be appreciated and I know that every teacher that touched my children and touches my grandchild, I appreciate everything they do. It's hard out there. We have a teacher shortage so I was very sad to hear the staggering data. So I just hope that the Board pays attention to that. Thank you.

Jared Obstfeld Hi, I am Brenda Steffon. I'm reading on behalf of Jared Obstfeld. Good evening, Members of the Board. My name is Jared, proudly an AI High School class of 1998. I'd like to first thank you for the volunteer time you dedicate to the service to serve the needs of the Red Clay School District. I'm sure it's often a thankless job. I was one of over 200 Tiger marching band alumni who reunited at last month's homecoming game to honor the legacy of Paul Parets. Despite our excitement to be there and to share in our undying Tiger Pride there were things that were hard to go unnoticed that week. The sparse seating, the lack of instruments in the Band Room, the broken scoreboard at the stadium at the high school's own homecoming game, and the football team only having 16 players forcing the kids to play two positions. I spent a lot of time trying to get answers to the questions that arose from that week and after much research it is clear that there has been a string of decisions made by the Board that negatively affected AI enrollment and brought it to its current state. How does a school ranked in the top 100 in the nation known for its superior academics and a world-renowned marching band go to a school now ranked 30th in the state with no PTA and over 40% of students being low-income or homeless. The two glaring facts is the removal of choice busing and the fact that the can keeps getting kicked down the road to analyze and redraw the attendance zones both are crucial to boosting enrollment. Tonight I am asking you all, especially anyone who is on the fence about the Attendance Zone committee and the importance of re-drawing the attendance zones to please do the right thing for the current and future students and faculty of AI duPont High School and push this through. This was a recommendation a while ago from the AI Task Force, a committee you appointed to raise enrollment at the school. There has been no variable reason that it has not been addressed. The data already exists and it just needs to be executed. Can you understand how not doing this seems like purposeful sabotage from an outside perspective and that by not voting for an Attendance Committee you may not be realizing the implications and how that decision will negatively impact the current students and faculty as well as the community in the district you represent. Thank you for your time.

Charles Lockerman, Good evening. I also stay with the Friends of AI, having attended the school myself. AI High School opened January 19th 1894. It's become a legacy in our community and I'm here to help ensure it's a public school institution of education for another 130 years. Paul Parets was a leader of the AI band and in doing so he created a community of alumni around the world. A community he led all over the world from the Parade of Roses for the Rose Bowl in California to New York to Ireland to London and to Vatican City, and also every Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia. The long blue line represented the state of Delaware proudly on every global stage with distinction and honor. Recently in continuing that legacy over 200 alumni band members played at the AI Homecoming and a few hundred more attended the game where we had over 1300 spectators. This is the AI we know as alumni and it's the one we want the current students to experience but we can't do that without the Board's help. The Task Force that you appointed to study was to help come up with solutions and I implore you to put the zoning committee vote back on the agenda and I also ask you to bring back choice busing, as it already has funding support in Dover among an elected officials. It's just awaiting your approval to begin the process. AI lost 33% of its School population when the choice busing was ended and I firmly believe it will make an immediate impact to increase attendance. The alumni you see here before you are an asset to AI and the community. We will be here to help support our school and to assure that as a team with your commitment and blessing the upward trend will continue for years to come. Please help save AI by putting the plan of the task force into action immediately. Thank you for your time and consideration tonight. Can't hide that AI Pride.

Jennifer Bisicchia, My name is Jennifer Bisicchia, representing the friends of AI. I graduated AI in 2000 with three varsity letters in volleyball, basketball, lacrosse and I was one of 300 members of the Tiger marching band. I have recently became privvy to the condition of the school when the alumni joined to honor the late band director Mr. Paul Parets. I was, and am shocked, to just know how bad it has gotten. How and why has this school been overlooked for so long? This is a school where legends were made. I'm going to jump back and share the impact AI had on my life. I attended Ursuline Academy from kindergarten to 8th grade. I was delicately asked not to return because of personal home matters that affected my capabilities to perform well scholastically. So my mother drove me to AI to speak to the team of guidance counselors. Compassionately, they accepted me in as a freshman and I was officially a Tiger. This school wasn't about making children fit a specific mold that best suited the school. This school helped create a mold for each and every child that walked through the door. There was a place to fit in no matter the culture, race, religion and social status. It was beautiful. AI was a safe, welcoming, no judgment zone for the children to thrive and we did. I went to college on a full athletic scholarship. I independently purchased my home at 25 years old. I am a leader in my industry as a hairstylist with over 2000 clients and growing. My work has graced the covers of Vogue, Marie Claire magazines to name a few. I am a business owner and was recently awarded best Salon in Philly. I am a productive member of society and with social responsibility as evidenced by my presence here tonight, these accolades are in no small part due to the foundation AI provided me during some of the most formidable years of my life. Now let's talk about the band. There was no other school in Delaware - not even a college - that has accomplished what this student-led organization did. For example, we performed in Europe, performed at the inauguration of several presidents and we were named the largest band in Delaware history with 200 of our 300 members Varsity athletes. The band was a huge part of the community whether you went to AI or not. People came to watch us create magic. The adrenaline, the goosebumps, the sound that was heard from miles away and people knew it was us. We made history - we are not history. There is still history to be made. We are all willing, ready and able to make this the best comeback that the Red Clay School District has ever seen. Give us the chance we so rightly deserve.

Talia Morris Forgive the shake in my voice right now. It's a little emotional to hear my pom partner and volleyball teammate, Jen, get emotional. It's also difficult to hear the current state that AI is in. To give a little transparency, you graduate high school. You have this wonderful experience. You're in a band of 300. You perform at the Rose Bowl Parade in California. You perform at the St Patrick's Day Parade in Ireland. My high school team won Flight A Championship twice. My sister was the lead scorer, almost made 2000 points. My best friend also played on the basketball team. So it's really tough to hear the current state of AI come by a shock and surprise after we all attended such pride this October when it was thousands of people from Friends of AI online that supported. There was a thousand alumni that attended the October football game that was actually a sold out crowd. Can you imagine the past two football games were cancelled because we didn't have enough players to play. So to say that this is a shock is really an understatement. So I made notes today but I think I'm just going to steer off of the notes. I feel like most of the alumni - we moved away - we thought AI was in good hands. Then we come back and we're all shocked to the core. Like many of the friends from AI said, we're here to support. If it's fundraising we need, if it's busing we can raise a 100 Grand. If it's teams overnight I huddled the The Poms band front team for 91 members overnight who's willing to fundraise. To do social media campaigns, to volunteer to advocate for AI, anything that we need to do. But I think we need answers on why it happened. What we can do? Is AI just a dying school that you plan to close? We need answers. We're here to support and we came back to the small town and I'm hoping that this is not small town shenanigans that we're coming back to. Small town policies. The same Wilmington I feel like I came home to and it's shocking, it's upsetting. I'm hoping that we can work together to figure it out and again it's just transparency that we're looking for. If it's nothing to be done, let us know. Let us know. Thank you.

Alexus Moore I had so much to say but I would actually like to recite a story that I wrote recently. I am a DelTech Education major but I went to AI and graduated in 2012 so this is the impact that AI had on me. Taking my last three classes at DelTech I have had so many experiences and was given a chance to develop my own thoughts and points of view regarding different topics on teaching. The hardest question I have been asked so far has also taught me the meaning of the role of the teacher. I was asked, "Do you want to be a teacher who is loved or respected and why?" At first I said I said loved because with love comes respect. But I was wrong. Recently my high school lost legend Mr Paul L Parets who passed away on October 13, 2024. He was the band director at Alexis I duPont High School from 1976 to 2012. He taught so many students and showed them how to follow their dreams. I never had the honor to march in his band but I was still his student. No matter what you did there - if you were an an AI student - you were proud. As a little girl I remember going up to the school during halftime to watch what we called the long blue line. The Alexis I duPont marching bands, the big boom of music filled the night sky and the cheering. You felt felt how proud the students were. Now 12 years later as my fellow AI alumni sit in the pews say goodbye to Mr P., I know that to be a teacher means way more than being loved or respected. I do not get to choose. To be a teacher means to love and respect your students. As I sit in the pews listening to all the memories of the classes before me, there was always one thing that was the same. He was that teacher who was there for you when it seemed like you were alone. Mr. P. believed in you enough until you learned to believe in yourself. If there was one quote that defined Mr. P. besides his own, it was from the movie Drum Line. One band, One sound and what a sound it was. The world went quiet when Mr. P. passed but only only for a moment. The sound of his band, his masterpiece of many years fills our hearts and our minds, our memories. I know what I'm doing in life is what I'm supposed to do. Thank you.

Greg Wilson Good evening. I'm Greg Wilson with Friends of AI. Nearly two years ago on October 19th, 2022 Red Clay School Board presented a slide deck that tracked the decline enrollment at AI from 1400 students in 2009 to less than 700 in 2021. That 52% decline alarmed one Board Member. She was shocked. She looked at that AI was sinking, sinking, sinking. She had been on the Board for 10 years and had no idea that the precipitous drop had occurred. She was embarrassed. She said we did nothing, nothing, nothing. Another Board member quickly interjected and said we did do something - we demanded more Red Clay kids get into Conrad, Charter, DSA. To repeat - they said "We did do something." We, being the Board, did something. The decline of AI's enrollment in my opinion was a direct result of a change in Red Clay policies. Which means a fair remedy can be and should be put in place to reverse your mistakes of the past. The first effort where the first inclination of change was the creation of the an AI Task Force, which I served on with Paul Parets in the spring of 2023. One of the key recommendations was the creation of a Secondary School Attendance Zone Committee. Paul was adamant about this. I mean, he would get all fired up. I beg you to vote on the second reading on an Attendance Zone Committee. Prior to his passing, we hoped that the district would move on this issue but it kind of lallygagged and dragged its feet. After Paul passed, passed away, the ground swell of support...from the Band Alumni was amazing. Do we think the Board has been delinquent in its duties? Yes. Yes, we do. Do we think the Board can remedy its mistakes? Yes. After Zoom calls, AI alumni want to do what they can to help the school in any way it can. In 2024 the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board it'd be tragic to see AI die. If it did so it'd be an embarrassment to the School Board. AI does mean something. Shirley Bulah, who was part of Hockessin 107C graduated from AI. The Freedom Trail went by AI. President Joe Biden announced Kamala Harris as his running mate at AI and in those 130 years so many kids so many students so many teachers so many great moments have happened at AI. If you guys can make the difference you can make a change we ask that you vote on that committee. Thank you.

Jordyn Pusey Hello, my name is Jordan Pusey. I am a Red Clay parent and I'm a proud graduate of AI duPont high school. While I was there I served in the Tiger Marching Band and was a member of the AI duPont Lady Tigers where we won five straight soccer championships. I was here last year because I'm a parent of Marbrook and when we were here asking you to save our Spanish immersion program which was recognized tonight for its service of student students, we noticed that AI duPont Alumni were also here asking for you to vote "Yes" on the recommendations from the AI duPont Task Force. It's yet been another year you have not voted in those all of the recommendations. We have not voted in the Attendance Zone and it's just very curious to me how fast this District seems to move on certain issues without public input, without transparency, but when you don't want to do something - when you don't want to do right by the community - we drag our feet, we delay, we obstruct, we create task force upon task force where we're just task-forcing ourselves into oblivion while my alma mater is bleeding out. There is no reason that school should be down to 550 students. There is no reason. We need to stop and you need to make the right decision tonight and you need to put it back on the agenda and you need to vote Yes on the Attendance Zone Task Force. Thank you.

Brenda Steffon my name is Brenda Steffon and I'm a proud graduate of AI duPont 1988 where I served as librarian for the AI Marching Band that year. I appreciate the time you dedicate to our community and the important role you play in shaping the future of our students, however I stand before you tonight regarding the unaddressed Attendance Zoning Committee approval and the vote on that and the future of our AI High School. I must express my concern about the continued challenges we face. This once celebrated institution - a gold standard of Delaware - recognized nationally, now finds itself in a critical juncture and I am uncertain about our future if swift and decisive action is not taken. While AI High School initially held its own against the rise of several Charter Schools, the targeted decision to eliminate Choice busing for students has severely impacted enrollment leading to a staggering 33% decrease in 2016 and this significant decline has turned that once thriving educational environment into a school now operating at only 55% capacity. Compounding this problem is the fact that our feeder zones have not been redrawn in quite some time, limiting the influx of new students from our surrounding areas. A glaring example of our school's decay is the broken scoreboard on the football field, a symbol of neglect that sends a message to our students our parents and potential families around the state of our commitment to excellence. I have personal connection to this issue back in 1987 a feeder zone change impacted me during my senior year. The recently deceased Paul L Parets advocated fiercely for me and several others, encouraging us to speak up at that meeting and I stand before you as a part of a collective voice of AI High School advocating for our kids, our teachers, our programming, and our pursuit of excellence. It's disheartening to stand here tonight filled with a myriad of emotions and questions for you. Why the lack of enthusiasm in confronting these issues head on? Our students and families deserve more than ambiguity and uncertainty and the lack of redrawn zones and the continued delay will not only erode our school's reputation, but also jeopardize the educational opportunities of our children. I have currently moved back to this area and moved into my family home in Hockessin. Not a single family in that area of Ashland goes to a public school anymore. It doesn't matter if it's McKean or AI. That's the question you want to hear from your constituents out here - is that they are not attending public school. I have a 6 year old in Montessori.

Tony Brown My name is Tony Brown. I'm also a 1997 graduate of AI duPont High School. Having moved back to this area as well, roughly about three years ago. I've heard so many different comments and I don't know if the rumors - I don't know if they're real - I don't know what's going on but I know that when I came back as many of my other fellow peers are shocked they shocked in the past several weeks after the passing of Mr Paul Parets I've learned from my fellow locally engaged peers that AI has decreased in quality significantly. In learning about the decrease student population and the ability to attract students, I ask why? What is the root cause? Like every organization in the past six years whether it be public, private. Data-driven decisions are important. They're the backbone of progress. So when I learned there was an actual Task Force created and chartered by this actual Board, I thought there for progress. Find the data and make the best decision based on the data. I understand there has been attention and effort given to other Red Clay high schools. Why not AI? I also recently learned as recently as 2016 the choice busing funding for AI has been at a standstill at the state level - only awaiting this Board's approval. I would love to talk about the rich history and what AI means to me and so many others, but I want to know about attitude and effort. Attitude and effort. As elected members, as leaders in the community, the only thing you can control is attitude and effort. This has been on display for the past few years. The decrease in support for AI. We're asking for you to vote in favor of supporting the increase of attendance of AI. History will show your attitude and efforts and we will be here. We will keep coming back. There's a legacy that was left most recently in October by Mr. Parets but he made leaders. Not only the ones that are here, but they're around. Having come back and I know that my kids are here now - gosh,  what an opportunity to come back here and be a part of what can be great again. Doesn't have to be what we had but there's still progress to be made. So I just ask you - where's your attitude? where's your effort? There's history, guys. Make sure you're in it. Thank you.

Dylan McDowell I graduated from AI High School in 2009 and I'm not going to repeat a lot of what's been said tonight because we had quite a few people and it's really built on top of, I think, 2100 people in this Facebook group. yeah I'm sorry I'm usually very loud so this is new for me we it's it feels very loud but I'll trust you. We have 2100 people in this Facebook group and it's a testament to how many kids pass through that band room. How many kids benefited from Paul Parets and AI High? I think what I want to say I'm throwing out all of my notes. Just to say I think we're all on the same team in that we all want strong public schools especially in this district. For what it's worth, I went to Linden Hill then Marbrook then HB then AI. As a kid I was all over this district. I'm happy to be back. I live here again. I moved back from Philly. I would love to send my future kids to Red Clay schools but I'm seeing some of the same things right. What's been said about my neighbors are AI grads. They send their kids to Friends. That hurts because I know our schools are great. AI has a lot of the same teachers as when I went. It's the same building. Being there with alumni I saw a lot of the same things but what was different hurt and I think really what we want is for our school and the kids there now to have a working scoreboard. I know maybe it's not going to be a 300 member band again but there should be enough kids for a football team. There should be enough kids for a band. Its own independent band. I just wanted to say building on what they said that I think we can be a team in that I think enrollment, I understand that enrollment is a challenge in public schools everywhere but it used to be helpful to have AI and say that band goes to the Rose Bowl and London and God knows where else. It used to be great to say that's a successful comprehensive school. It was a banner under which so many of us marched to say public schools not just can be great are great. Look at this one. Look at the ones around it. Look at Red Clay and we all really want to get back there. I hope it's something we can do together I know a lot of us are going to be coming back for future meetings. I hope so anyways. I might not be wearing the blue shirt but we'll be here and I just hope we can move forward on some of the recommendations of the Task Force and also move forward on this Attendance Zone issue. I think it is a problem that our school is playing from behind when you look at those numbers and the old slide decks. So I know the answers won't come easy. I trust that you all are doing your research and your homework. I just wanted to say we're looking forward to working with you together. If there's something we can do as alumni I think it's very unusual to have 2100 people say what could we do for the school? What do they need? From 1976 to 2012 as they said. But we're here. We'll be here and we want to be part of the process with you to get our school back to full attendance and its former glory. Thanks.

⏯ 1:33:52 - 2:13:15 

Mark Pruitt: Good evening, Superintendent Green, Board members, I am here tonight to present a comprehensive plan to provide equitable educational programming that meets the needs of all our secondary school students and future secondary school students through program and attendance zone changes. We believe that analysis uncovered from data at the AI Task Force Committee and the presentation in September, where I provided an analysis, necessitates such a change.

It's important to note, though, I would be remiss if I didn't say this - when you talk about a school in a downturn - as all three of our attendance zone schools have been over the past 15 years - that is not to say the school is not having success. In fact, just last week, the College Board, a national college board, came out to AI High School to look at the tremendous growth they’ve had in Advanced Placement coursework, and how they could replicate that nationally.

I would also say it’s very important that teachers in under-enrolled schools are actually doing more. They stretch themselves to pick up courses to meet the needs of a small group of students. Sometimes, when we talk about making changes or improvements, it can be misconstrued by the people who are doing a great job at those schools.

The format of the presentation follows the Board's request from September and includes goals of work, scope of work, communication for transparency, committee makeup, expectations of members, and timelines. I’ll also talk about the partnership with the University of Delaware and how they can help us. Please feel free to ask questions along the way.

The first half of the work over the next two to three years involves determining what changes we need to make to our programming to ensure sustainable schools that offer equitable college and career programming for all students at all times. For example, we need to determine optimal enrollment numbers and what adjustments are needed to the current model.

When I had my first conversation with a person at the University of Delaware, he said, “You’ll continue to have dips in enrollment as long as you have more seats than students. Once you know the levels you want for these schools, we can help with the data.”

Next month the Superintendent and his team, which I’ll be working on, will present the four options for attendance zones, enrollment, and programming to the Board for discussion. So we’ll give you four options of what our secondary school program may look like going forward.

We then would recommend that at the January 25 meeting the Board vote to advance these options for consideration to the school Board to a special committee, an Attendance Zone, Enrollment, and Programming Committee.

The goals for the committee are to evaluate the order of the options from strongest to weakness provided by them from the school Board to the committee. In doing so, the committee will consider a strong and balanced enrollment across schools, impact on current attendance zones, equitable access to quality education for all students, and also providing the Board which they believe are the advantages and challenges of each option through analysis, community feedback, and research.

Scope of the work would include data analysis, review of current enrollment data, optimal capacity of schools, geography of schools and students, the students that would attend those schools, any legal and policy review, stakeholder engagement. Important to collect feedback from stakeholders including parents, students, teachers, and community members to inform recommendations.

We would need have a couple of evenings, I believe, in order to get anecdotal feedback and also a survey get feedback and then provide a recommendation report, a final report, to the school Board outlining the rationale for the order of the options, supporting data for these decisions, and a community feedback summary. This report shall include the advantages and disadvantages of each option.

Also important to note that I think it's important when you're doing something like this that the committee would not have the power to actually make the changes, you know, which is what is in italics at the bottom.

Cathy Thompson: Excuse me, Mr Pruitt, meaning any recommendation would come back to the Board for action?

Mark Pruitt: That is correct. Okay that you know it would be important to communicate at these meetings that this is a subcommittee of community members that would then make recommendations, that they are not in fact changing programming or attendance zones.

Community linkages very important. We talked about this in September also. The committee will maintain open communication with the School Board, District leadership, and key stakeholders. We could give monthly progress updates at the Board's request. We will engage with community members with town hall meetings and surveys and also we would produce a public facing District web page which will post meeting agendas, minutes, slides, data, and other supporting documents.

Committee members as it exists right now we will follow. Our recommendation is to follow Board policy 9004 advisory committees to the Board, in which case the committee will be comprised of three District administrators, three school based administrators or school leadership, three teachers, two chosen by RCEA, one by our superintendent, and seven parents and community members representing one from each nominating District.

The District would provide that committee data specialists from our tech team, legal counsel, experts from the office of transportation, and also from our finance office.

Vic Leonard: Questions going quickly through this. You said seven teachers and parents?

Mark Pruitt: No I said seven parents and community members, one from each nominating District.

Cathy Thompson: He did misspeak.

Mark Pruitt: I apologize. I'm focusing on my voice and misspoke. So three teachers, seven community member parents.

Jose Matthews: And Dr Pruitt just for clarification can you remind us how the parents and community members are selected.

Mark Pruitt: Well it's interesting. I think this is probably an issue where we will not have a problem getting one from each nominating District. I think we would probably put out some sort of survey application, put your name in, as long as you in fact live in the District, that we would maybe pull names out of a hat. I know we've seen that done.

Dorrell Green: Yeah so what we would do in essence is work with our communications team, create an interest survey, make sure that hits each one of our nominating districts, seven districts throughout the District, vet that. I mean I think we also want a comprehensive balance of knowledge, expertise. You know are they sitting in the audience right now in terms of alumni that may have some interest. I think historical context matters as well as folks who may have general finance so that way it's an informed balanced approach to how that committee is formed. But we will work with our communications team on approval with the Board to create that interest survey to get some nominations for those seven individuals who represent the nominating District.

Susan Sander: One question. I'm sorry. If you don't get one representative from each nominating District will that hinder the formation of the committee.

Mark Pruitt: I don't think so. But I don't anticipate. I think we'll be able to find one from each nominating District.

Susan Sander: It's the only requirement that has parameters so I was wondering if you don't actually find somebody from a specific nominating District that that would hinder the committee.

Dorrell Green: I think it's in the Board's prerogative to adjust, make an adjustment or an amendment to how you want this committee. Again we're just presenting this because this is what stipulated in it. But obviously for the Board and for the purposes of what we're discussing you have flexibility to think about how we would adjust or make modifications based on again I think the need. I think we should personally in my recommendation to the Board again we are and I can't understate this enough the most dynamic School District as it relates to demographics, geographics, and need. So really having a broad comprehensive approach. I think we do take the seven nominating District approach but being intentional about the perspective that those individuals are bringing to this committee. And if it's the pleasure of the Board that we can't find someone give us the ability to through that list look at someone's skill set to maybe fill in as someone who couldn't fit within a given nominating District.

Susan Sander: Thank you.

Vic Leonard: And last thing. This would be a Board level committee, is that correct. Not a District committee.

Mark Pruitt: We are recommending that we follow Board policy for a Board level committee that would be a special committee that would sunset at the end of these goals.

Mark Pruitt: Expectations for committee members. We want them to have commitment. We want them to have objectivity. We want them to be collaborators. And we want them. Members will serve as liaison of the groups they represent. So we really this is a representative committee where you would go gather feedback from your nominating District, other teachers in Red Clay, and bring that perspective back and be representative in nature.

Anticipated timeline. This is the anticipated timeline for the first half of this work. February 2025 we would establish the committee. Have our first meeting in March. Our final meeting in August. Provide recommendations to the Board in the September 25 Board meeting. And the Board would take a vote to take action on one of the four options presented.

Vic Leonard: Question on that. Are these two committees we're talking about or one. I know we talked in September Dr. Nesmith said we should have one committee and Dr Green agreed with that. One committee not two. This is not two committees?

Dorrell Green: So what I would say it can be one committee that's going to either serve two functions because again you got to look at enrollment. You got to look at numbers. And then obviously attendance - the zones aspect of it - in terms of how you how we re calibrate because again the symptom that we're dealing with with AI right now is a result of current attendance Zone. A large portion of the families who live in the zone and we heard some of that and we've seen it - aren't choosing the feeder option.

So what we don't want to do through this process is shift lines and then create an issue similarly to when AI was at its peak, Dickinson was suffering in terms of feeder. So while the intention is really to look at all three of our Comprehensive High Schools this also impacts middle schools. So there's a number of points that this committee albeit has a focus say that will actually have ripple effects in terms of what could potentially happen across the District. So that's why we're looking at attendance Zone enrollment and programming because all of that matters to Mr Pruitt's point there's a lot of effort in the smaller school because you might have you want diverse offerings but then you're limited in terms of your teacher capacity to be able to do it. So you have educators who are picking up different things. So where does that program make the most sense. We're talking about the MYP program at the John Dickinson School for example.

If we're talking about strictly High School growth, right now three out of our five high schools within Red Clay are 6th through 12th grade buildings. So there are implications of what happens to that sixth to eighth grade group at a building while we're simultaneously trying to address just the high school issue. So there are a lot of moving parts because of the way that we're situated as a District that we have to be mindful of that this committee again through commitment, objectivity and because we all initially sometimes come with our own bias, that we have to be comprehensive about how we look at this to not in five years from now have another community come out to say that somehow we're having enrollment issues at another High School.

Our overall general numbers in terms of high school students has not changed but we've doubled the amount of available seats as we sit in this choice window. So we truly have to be intentional about how we approach this work. So I will say yes it's one committee, but at some point that might be we're going to call on some folks from the bench are going to have to come in because it could be a heavy lift for one committee to focus on all of that work when you're only talking about a small group based on the level of detail and specificity that we're going to have to go into not just to ensure stable enrollment but equitable programming as it relates there are staffing implications that will be involved in as well.

So this just isn't redrawing feeder patterns or boundaries and we're committed to making this happen but again I think in full transparency we have to be transparent with all of our community to understand that this probably we will be the first time that we haven't played whack-a-mole where there's an issue that's propped up in the District and we saw that issue without actually paying attention to what's happening in another part of the District. And I think we are where we are right now because that's been the past mindset and this isn't a judgment of no one but there's value and beauty in being the Red Clay Consolidated School District. But too often we're siloed and we're segregated in how we look at the Red Clay Consolidated School District.

So this truly is an opportunity for us to look at it. For those of you WDEL ran a report today on school enrollment. Schools down state are growing. So generally is there a lot of growth that's happening in our District when we talk about future growth for certain schools. So there's going to be broader impact that I think we have to be honest about as a District in terms of what this ultimately means for the Red Clay Consolidated School District while us not losing focus on what we heard around the need for our Comprehensive High Schools to be competitive to be the traditional high schools to live up to the legacy that they've established historically.

So I just want to be on the record to make that clear that this just isn't shifting an attendance Zone because we can shift attendance Zone and families are still going to make the same choices that they're making if we're not talking about programming that goes into the schools when we talk about attendance zones.

Vic Leonard: Good. A couple more things. One, I think September you said that attendance dictates programming. Now that's flip-flopped to programming dictates attendance. Why that switch?

Mark Pruitt: You mean enrollment? Enrollment and programming are connected. You need one to drive the other. It's a chicken and egg situation. I believe you need enrollment to expand programming, but you also need programming in a choice environment to attract students.

Vic Leonard: Well that hasn't worked in AI for the last 12 years we know that.

Mark Pruitt: That's right.

Vic Leonard: So why the switch now?

Mark Pruitt: I did not switch.

Vic Leonard: Okay. You didn't go from now we're looking at attendance zones..and it looks like with this presentation attendance zones will be maybe a year away from now - after we get the other programming and enrollment going - the other part of that committee.

Mark Pruitt: An attendance Zone without a program change...

Vic Leonard: See on here you're going to recommend that attendance zones be looked at down the road.

Mark Pruitt: I think I have that that the group would switch from a programming decision to aligning our attendance zones to meet that programming need. It's the next slide. 

Vic Leonard: By July 2026 completed in 2027.

Mark Pruitt: correct.

Vic Leonard: Okay so we started this a year and a half ago when we made that recommendation to look at the attendance zones. Now that'll come to an end in 2027 is that what you're saying. Looking at the attendance zones just doing the review of that.

Mark Pruitt: No I'm saying that the actual changes students would go to new attendance Zone schools in September 2027. Two and a half years from now. 

Vic Leonard: Two and a half years from now and a year and a half from where we first recommended it. I'm just saying it. It's been a while that we've been talking about this and I have timeline here. I'm not going to waste time to do it but it's been dragging and we can all agree to that correct.

Cathy Thompson: Can you speak into the microphone Mr Leonard because I can't hear you. Can you speak into the mic because I can't hear you.

Vic Leonard: Certainly.  So we started talking about this. It was the last recommendation in the task force before it was sunset and it was number two on the list of nine things to examine or review attendance zones in the District. That was the second on a list out of nine things that everyone at task force which included community members District personnel Board members and teachers and we all agreed we want to do this. So from when that report came out May of 2023 until now a year and a half later we're just now talking about oh we're going to do this other thing first before we get to the attendance zones now which will make it two years later and then the end point will be five years down the road. You understand what I'm saying.

And I don't know if AI at our current rate of enrollment going down if it'll be viable at that. 

Dorrell Green: And if I could just in full transparency. So if we had to redraw the attendance zones and boundaries. If we just looked at attendance zones in and of itself where do we want to redraw those boundaries that think that we're going to grab a thousand students or 500 students or 600 students? I mean and we can do that. If that's the approach the Board wants us to take - make the recommendation. We work at the pleasure of the Board. 

Vic Leonard: We have made that recommendation. 

Dorrell Green: The Board has not made that recommendation Mr Leonard. Again I'm not arguing. The Board right now has the timeline that we established. If the Board doesn't agree to it the Board can tell us to accelerate it. The Board can tell us to look at something different. We're just presenting to you from what it's going to take for us as a District not just a moment in time. We could speed it up. So what's the Board's prerogative? Do you want us to look at changes in 2026?

Jose Matthews: So and I can contribute here after the presentation we can make motions to amend the timeline or any changes that contingencies of the Board that way we have a vote for the record. Dr Pruitt? Please.

Mark Pruitt: Upon Board approval of a selected enrollment and programming option the Board would establish an attendance Zone committee which again it sounds like they want that. We're leaning towards that being the same group to evaluate explore and recommend a modified attendance Zone option which aligns with the newly approved enrollment and programming plan. The second committee would make recommendations to the school Board by July 2026 and details of this committee if it were to be different people will be determined at some point between now and then.

FY 27 school year would serve as a planning year as we need time to make adjustments to staffing facilities. We also need to give families a year lead time because of the school choice law and phase one of changes for students will begin in August of 2027.

Susan Sander: Wait can I just ask you. You said that phase one would begin - but you're saying you have to give families a year of choice planning. So you're talking about 2028 now? Did I hear that wrong.

Mark Pruitt: You're correct yes. So we won't see any change until 2028.

Susan Sander: I'm just trying to clarify what you just said.

Mark Pruitt: July the changes would phase in.

Susan Sander: Well no you said phase one of the changes could begin. 

Dorrell Green: Based on what he just outlined students would go to whatever new attendance Zone would be in August of 2028 because the 2027 school year would be the planning year. I understand what people are shaking. That's the point that he was making.

Cathy Thompson: Can we not talk from the audience. 

Jose Matthews: If we could please refrain from any comments from the audience please. Ms. Sander you have the floor.

Susan Sander: Yeah so I was just trying to clarify what you meant by one year of parent planning for their choice. So would we actually see the attendance zones have changed the year before and they'd be implemented in 2027?

Mark Pruitt: The Board action - the last digit is a typo. It's August of 28 would be the first change. So the changes will become official a year prior but then you have to publicize that and give folks choice opens in November and give them a chance to make a choice based on those changes.

Susan Sander: Okay 

Vic Leonard: Well at current rates of decline in enrollment at AI, 70 students per year and that's four years down the road you can do the math. There are going to be very many students left at AI unless we do something quickly and I don't think four years is quickly. So we times 70 is 280 more students at current rate. You're talking about less than 300 students at AI High before this goes into effect. So that timeline does not fit the urgency of what's happening in AI High at this time and we do need to move that timeline up.

Susan Sander: Can I ask if there's any flexibility with recommendation. No I just is there any flexibility in the anticipated timeline between March of 2025 when they first meet until August of their final meeting. Is there any way to consolidate that particular time frame? Are they meeting once a month? Are they meeting twice?

Mark Pruitt: We can certainly try to consolidate that.

Susan Sander: Okay because that probably would help a little bit with the timeline.

Mark Pruitt: But it needs to be on a year. It needs to be approved in a summer and given a planning year and a choice year. It can't. It's not something that could be backed up by six months. 

Susan Sander: So regardless of anything it's still going to take three years to implement a change because of what you just said. 

Mark Pruitt: You need a year of planning. A year of choice. You need a year of planning which is inclusive of planning for the year and family planning for school choice.

Jose Matthews: All right and thank you Miss Sander. So I just want to throw this for Board consideration just to hear what the feedback would be on a timeline like let's say theoretically we were to accelerate the current timeline and then we have recommendations by July 2025 then the planning year would be FY 26 and then the implementation would be FY 27. What are the thoughts around something like that.

Jose Matthews: July 2025 is just seven months. So you want the programming done and the attendance Zone done?

Jose Matthews: I'm throwing that out there just for consideration.

Cathy Thompson: I think that might be too fast. When we did the Cooke attendance zones it took months. It took months when you look at where the kids are coming from. So I think you have to plan more than that. You have to give several months to do that.

Jose Matthews: Any other thoughts?

Susan Sander: Don't we have some of that data already. Haven't we established some of that data?

Jose Matthews: Call order. I just want to make sure we can hear each other and have discussion. Thank you, Ms. Sander, please.

Susan Sander: Yeah, I understand that the Task Force has been implemented since 2022 and I know there's been some data generated. So we do have an idea of some of the information that you're suggesting is going to take this long, but we already have that data. Am I right?

Mark Pruitt: We have the historical data. I don't know that we have -  We don't have all the data. We don't have everything. We could, by working with the University of Delaware the Biden Center, who provides that information.

Aje English: So I have a question. So the data that we don't have - is it the data that would affect the other schools aside from AI?

Mark Pruitt: Here's the data that we don't have: If we move this geographic section from this school to this school - how many kids is that actually? At some point going forward because of the birth rate, the number of births in that area over the past nine years. That's the type of information that we don't have.

Cathy Thompson: Well, do we have any of the enrollment stuff that we want to and the programming stuff for the two or three schools or whatever the plan is going to be. How long does that piece of this take?

Mark Pruitt: What I can say is we were going to take six months to get that done. I could certainly. We could certainly work to condense that. I'll do what we can. I'm willing to try anything. I'm a proponent of this. 

Cathy Thompson: I'm just asking what a reasonable time period for that is.

Mark Pruitt: Well if you're going to use a committee a couple of the options are substantive changes.

Dorrell Green: Will this suffice for the Board? Then if we have the authority to analyze a number and bring options to a committee for a committee to analyze and review then bring back to the Board.

Yeah because in essence what we're doing is we want involvement. We want transparency. Do we have the ability to provide let's just say three options to the Board and work with IPA University of Delaware to crunch numbers to bring something. But again there will have to be a lead up year. So this isn't anything in terms of next year we've redrawn feeder patterns and boundaries without giving the District as a whole the opportunity because again this just doesn't impact our high schools. This impacts - This isn't just one school being impacted. This likely is going to be a broader shift across the District.

So if it would suffice for the Board for us to work and do the analysis, work to form the committee and then figure out through the analysis looking at birth rates looking at where we're seeing growth because I don't know if the million dollar town homes that are being built right on Centerville Road and 48. How many children would move in? Whenever there's new developments we have to have projections about how many families are moving into there. That's what IPA helps us do because ultimately whatever decision that we do or make has to be a sustainable decision.

So just drawing the boundaries and creating potentially disruption across the District as a whole we have to be mindful of that. Is there means of consolidation? So there are some things that we can look at numbers and provide the Board with options along with committee support to try to accelerate it if that's the Board's desire.

Jose Matthews: So I'm going to make -

Vic Leonard: Well can I make one more comment. I know this topic came up January meeting of this year and we asked the Superintendent to give us some feedback on attendance zones committee progress and you asked for six months to get that and we said okay June we'll ask you again. We asked you June and then September we got that. So that was six months there that you had that you asked for and we gave that to you to gather data and then you made a presentation in September and with some data which was great. So what else happened in that six months now you're asking for another six months or eight months?

Dorrell Green: And again with all due respect - school happened. We have 15,500 students and families. So this isn't again as much as I understand and I empathize this isn't a singular issue. I understand. So what I'm asking for now and I'm trying to work with the Board because if you want us to accelerate the timeline, we have to take a different approach.

Jose Matthews: I'm going to make an amendment.

Cathy Thompson: Well can I say something because I do think we ought to be looking at potentially there needs to be a period to do the enrollment and programming stuff and then there needs to be a reasonable period on each to do the attendance in stuff. I don't think all of that's going to get done by July. 

Jose Matthews: So let's see what the Board wants to do. So I make the amendment. I move to make amendment that the secondary attendance Zone enrollment and programming committee provide their recommendations their final recommendations to the Board by July 2025. That the timeline also include a planning year for FY 26 and for full implementation of the chosen voted and approved recommendation to be implemented in FY 27. Do I have a second?

Cathy Thompson: I'll second.

Jose Matthews: Thank you Miss Thompson. Do we have any discussion?

Cathy Thompson: I have some discussion. So I am in favor of this committee. I absolutely am. And I love the holistic approach. We know we have an issue at the high school level. We have too many seats and not enough students. So we've got to define the problem. We've got to put in place the programming and we've got to develop the attendance in. It doesn't make sense to do a piecemeal. This whole approach is the right way.

Our function as a Board is to look at the whole District. Not to piecemeal it and not to focus just on one school. We have to look at everything and everybody. As Dr Green has said we've got to look at it holistically because we need to make decisions in the best interest of the students and we've got to focus on the facts.

I was a member of the AI High School task force and I learned a lot of information at that task force meeting. The enrollment issue is multifaceted. High school students as Mr Pruitt has said have been steady for a number of years about 5,000 students attending the Red Clay high schools. The number of seats at these Red Clay high schools has increased over the years and now stands at 5,700 seats. So we have 700 seats too many. That's just Red Clay seats for Red Clay kids.

There are also kids that are attending other schools as well because we've got a ton of schools in this area through charters and privates and choice and all that sort of stuff. So we do have a problem and the state is also continuing to add seats through charter creation and expansion.

The Board did listen well to the recommendations of the AI Task force and once it implements this we'll have implemented every single one of them. The Esports curriculum is now a pathway at AI. There's two CTE programs for SY 25 and they invested in programming and facilities. There is a dual enrollment course for construction pathway. We've partnered with Goldey Beacom and we now have dual enrollment opportunities. We've done a rebranding effort. So we've done everything and this is the final piece. We listened to every one and we implemented every one.

I do believe we have to define the problem and figure out how to deal with that holistically. I am fully in favor of it. Changing feeder patterns without doing this study is going to wreck havoc as Dr Green has said. I totally see that because we have seen that happen. Choice and charter have changed Red Clay significantly and we learned this at the Task Force. We wanted choice and charter to begin with but there were unintended consequences. One unintended consequence is that our traditional public schools have suffered in terms of enrollment. We all know that. We see it.

So I like this. I think this solution is right and I fully support it. I know it has to. We need to deal with our high schools holistically.

Jose Matthews: Miss Stevens please call the vote.

Ms. Stevens: 

Vic Leonard: Is it changed on here? Yes.

Ms Sander? Yes.

Ms Thompson? Yes.

Mr Wilson? Yes.

Mr Matthews? Yes.

Unanimous motion carries.

Jose Matthews: So now that we have the vote we know the decision of the Board and that will be to fast track the process. While I am not going to dictate operations I will make the suggestion that we be provided with an updated timeline. I also recommend that we start the committee process in January. I know that you are already working on my recommendation for the website. I know that we will do a great job working with communications making sure that they have the information shared with the community.

In addition for the interest survey and application process for the community members I would also recommend that there be some sort of informational session reiterating the expectations the level of participation and dedication needed over the next six or seven months. That way folks are really clear on what it is that they're applying for and signing up for.

We already have updates from UD. I don't think there's any need to reiterate that. But we really appreciate all the hard work that you're doing so thank you.

Mark Pruitt: For clarification - all of the work is done by this July? The recommendations will be submitted and voted on in July 2025 and then we will have a planning year FY 26. A full year to plan and then implementation will occur FY 27.

Mark Pruitt: I think that you're calling the planning year and the implementation year are the same year.

Jose Matthews: No.

Dorrell Green: They wanted effective 2027 is when new students would start to attend correct.

📄November 2024 Attendance Zones, Enrollment, & Programming/ Path Forward & Charge Presentation Report

📄November 2024 School Capacities Report