The board’s foremost concern centered around cybersecurity challenges. A detailed presentation highlighted the current landscape of threats affecting educational institutions, with ransomware, data breaches, and phishing attacks identified as the primary concerns. The district’s collaboration with Red Canary, a 24/7 management and response partner, was emphasized as crucial in monitoring and responding to threats. Over the past year, a 70% increase in credible threats was recorded.

Gerald Edwards, director of information systems and security, outlined the district’s strategies for addressing these issues. These include comprehensive training programs, awareness campaigns, and phishing simulations to educate staff on recognizing and managing potential threats. The district is also enhancing its incident response plan and conducting tabletop exercises to ensure preparedness during cyber incidents. The need for ongoing vigilance was stressed, particularly in light of the sophisticated phishing emails that now employ artificial intelligence to bypass conventional detection methods.

The district has allocated nearly one million dollars from a technology levy to bolster cybersecurity efforts, enabling the hiring of dedicated cybersecurity professionals.

Equally significant was the board’s discussion on the development of student engagement initiatives, aimed at creating inclusive and supportive educational environments. A proposed student survey is being designed to gather input on safety, belonging, and inclusion from students in grades three through twelve. The survey process, informed by a World Café model, seeks to capture diverse student experiences through open-ended questions and collaborative discussion formats.

The board emphasized the importance of ensuring that the survey is representative of the district’s demographics, including minority groups such as students of color and LGBTQ+ students. Concerns were raised about achieving a balanced representation, with ongoing efforts to refine the survey questions to accurately reflect student voices. The feedback gathered will inform school improvement plans, with building leaders set to analyze the data alongside their teams to set actionable goals.

Student representatives from various schools expressed the necessity for tangible outcomes based on the survey data. They highlighted the importance of student voices in shaping the educational experience and advocated for visible changes in response to feedback to foster trust and engagement among the student body.

In addition to these primary topics, the board discussed future agenda items, including staff retention, standard-based grading, and class sizes. There were calls for data-driven analysis to guide decisions on these issues, particularly in light of upcoming boundary changes and the opening of a new school. Additionally, the board acknowledged the barriers some students face in accessing extracurricular activities and the need for collaborations with community education to enhance opportunities for all students.

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to addressing truancy and absenteeism, exploring their connection to student engagement and achievement. The board expressed interest in examining the impact of teacher-directed technology use in classrooms.