Work Session: 4/7/26 – Rising to Learn

Work Session Date: April 7, 2026
Board Members Present: Evans, Guessford, McCusker, Murray, Zentmeyer, Beachley, Burkett
Board Members Absent: Student Representative Nora Murthy

Video to full work session HERE

Agenda Item / Topic #1
Recommendations for a New “Downsville Pike” Elementary School and Additional Elementary Attendance Zone Realignments
Presenter(s)
Jeffrey Proulx, Chief Operating Officer, Robert Rollins, Director of Facilities, Chad Criswell, Facilities Senior Project Manager and Planning Supervisor, Kristina DiMonte, FEAC Co-Chairperson, Joseph Jefferson, FEAC Co-Chairperson, provided a report and recommendations for the new "Downsville Pike" Elementary School and additional elementary attendance zone realignments.
Summary
The committee members have met 8 times since last March. They presented preliminary recommendations to the Board in October. The report recommends the reassignment of 12.1% of WCPS K-5 students projected in 2027 (1,200 of 9,902), and 634 K-5 students are from the Fountain Rock Elementary School and Hickory Elementary School attendance zones. . The recommendation creates a new “Downsville Pike” Elementary School attendance zone ○ Filled to 100% K-5 SRC capacity ○ Facility retains 120 Pre-Kindergarten program seats, flex spaces, and a larger core space/ability to add a future 5th round ○ Feeds one (1) middle school and one (1) high school (Springfield Middle and Williamsport High School) ○ Projected to have a 61.7% Free and Reduced Meal (FARM) Student population ○ Projected to have a 37.6% Minority Student population . See presentation below for details that the impacts to multiple elementary schools. See video for a full description of each recommendation and the details regarding next steps, including public hearings. . Zentmeyer and Evans thanked the committee for their work. . Evans asked the committee about the Salem Ave and Hager recommendations. He noted that Hager will be more full than Salem. Criswell noted that this would not put Hager over capacity with its proposed expansion. Evans asked if it would be possible to make temporary adjustments for a year or two. Criswell explained why the committee made the recommendation for the change, noting the complicated decision based on capacity projections. BFM is planning for the expansion at Hager, and if the Board wants to put more seats there, the Board could approve recommendation 13 for August 2027 with students in portables at the Hager site while the expansion is built. Hager already has the larger core facility that Salem does not have. . After further discussion, Murray thanked the committee as well. Mr. Jefferson noted that the work of the committee is thanks to the competent staff that provides them with the accurate information and recommendations for consideration. . Click here to see the FEAC report to the BOE. Click here to see the FEAC slide show.

Agenda Item / Topic #2
Presentation of Single Audit Report
Presenter(s)
Jeffrey Proulx, Chief Operating Officer, and Eric Sisler, Executive Director of Finance, will provide a presentation of Single Audit Report
Summary
The schedule of expenditures of federal awards of WCPS has been audited and will be presented along with the auditor’s reports and summary of audit results. This was separate from the financial statement audit reporting package this year. No questions - Evans and Burkett commended staff for the work. Click here to go directly to the Finalized FY25 Single Audit Report. Click here to go to the BOE work session Single Audit Results

Agenda Item / Topic #3
Food and Nutrition Services Program Review
Presenter(s)
Michael Embly, Director of Food and Nutrition Services, and Dr. Chelsey White, Assistant Supervisor of Food and Nutrition Services, provided a review of the Food and Nutrition Services Program.
Summary
Staff will present a review of the Food and Nutrition Services program. This presentation provides an overview of the School Nutrition Department, including the history and evolution of school food service and the wide range of programs we offer to support student access to healthy meals. It highlights the scope of our operations across all schools, along with key areas such as community partnerships, local purchasing, and Farm to School initiatives. We also focus on efforts to increase student engagement and participation. Finally, the presentation outlines the legislative and regulatory environment that guides our work. . Mr. Embly commended Dr. White for the expansion of the Meal Machine program that happens each summer. She noted that the community partnerships are key to that expansion and to ensuring that students have access to food in the summer. . Murray asked about special diets, like glutton free. Embly noted that the kitchen managers have the list for special diets, and depending on the size of the school, the Board members may have to let them know in advance. . 4 Questions from Guessford How are we measuring waste at the end of the day and what are we doing to incorporate those into future meals? Embly explained the share table. Fruits and vegetables that have been handled cannot be reused, but sealed items can be reused. White noted that for food safety reasons, each item can only be reheated or reused in a new recipe one time. For fruits and vegetables, the staff uses a dot to indicate. What does staff training look like? Each level of staff is required to have a certain number of training hours each year. Staff is included in some of the vector trainings as well. Managers get leadership training. Training info is tracked in a matrix for review by MSDE. Onboarding training and manager training are in place. What policies do you see as a road block to your success that WCPS has in place that the WCBOE could eliminate to improve the food service department? Embly notes that he does his best to find grants to help move costs from the General Fund. The WCBOE cannot change he regulations from the state or federal level. What do students really want that we can't provide? More sodium. Burkett asked about the requirement that students take a fruit and a vegetable. It is a federal requirement that must be followed to get funding for free and reduced price meals. Burkett commended the cleanliness and friendliness of the food service staff. . Burkett indicated that the options provided are certainly more than when he was in school. If there were a way to provide one or two good meals with all the nutritional requirements met, that would be great. He would love to see the system be able to offer free meals throughout the system. . Burkett asked what does a meal cost - $2.65 and $2.90. Break even cost is $4.62. . Burkett then asked how much would come out of the general fund is we did not have federal funds. . See the slides for the specifics. If you move away from federal meals reimbursement and no longer have families completed FARM funds, it will impact compensatory education funding on the general fund side. . Beachley noted complexities of the specifics and details. She cares more about the ingredients that are chemicals or additives as opposed with sodium, fat, and calories. Proulx noted that products made for schools are not the same as what you buy for the home market. Beachley encourages the team to find products with fewer additives and chemicals. Dr. White posts items on the Facebook page for the department, and she noted that the protein packs are better options in that regard. Embly also referenced the different definitions of "processed" vs. "ultra-processed" as well. . Beachley also asked it there are grants that would provide for more local and unprocessed foods. She also asked if there can be more opportunities for students to be involved in learning and helping in cooking and gardening partnerships. Guessford noted that it's easier to control the kitchens, and kitchens exist in the system that could be used to make cookies and other items - he wants us to get back to doing our own cooking in our own kitchens and eliminate the use of preservatives in cookies, for example. . Burkett can't believe we purchase precooked noodles and rice. Burkett thinks we should be hiring people who know how to cook and that we should cook fresh. Proulx reminded the board that there was a time that we had a chef on staff and tried that, but it did not turn out well. We have 225 staff in our food service department - there is a challenge in finding employees who cooked the way that our parents and grandparents cooked. It is no longer the norm to find established cooks who can cook rice well every time. Embly notes that the new ramen bowl will be a hybrid - with some prepared food and some fresh prep. . Evans thanked Embly and White for their work and the presentation. Click here to see the Food and Nutrition Services Info Packet. Click here to see Food and Nutrition Services Program Review.

Agenda Item / Topic #4
Recommendations of the Healthcare Committee: Plan Design Changes for FY2027
Presenter(s)
Jeffrey Proulx, Chief Operating Officer, Terri Baker, Executive Director of Human Resources, Eric Sisler, Executive Director of Finance, Kameron Shives, Budget and Financial Reporting Analyst, and Kathleen Boyer, Coordinator of Human Resources
Summary
Proulx noted that the Board received a detailed update about a month ago, and he reviewed those some of those slides to share the current status of the self-insurance fund. He also described the configuration of the healthcare committee. With the assistance of the Gallagher consultants, they made presentations to the committee, and the majority of those on the committee agreed on the proposed recommendations. If there is consensus to move this forward, this will be put on the April 21 BOE meeting. Beachley asked about the difference between co-pays vs. co-insurance; Proulx explained. Evans - we added $5 million to the general fund for increases in health insurance. Balance from $20 million five years ago to now $2.5 million in the hole. But when we have to add 5 and a quarter million to the health insurance fund, it's hard to give staff raises. If we could increase some of these other numbers more, like the co-insurance or the out of pocket max, then we could save more. The people who use the health insurance the most should pay for that usage so we can put money towards salaries. The time for school systems to provide health care as we have for decades cannot really continue. Evans would want us to see increases in the co-pay for urgent care, for example. Proulx - the proposed changes should deflect about 6% in charges to the fund. We should see the changes bring us back to break even for next year. Evans - breaking even is probably what we shouldn't expect today. Burkett - something you shared with us about how this compared to other counties, our insurance is still pretty good. Proulx reviewed the national benchmarks. Burkett asked about Frederick - and Proulx noted that Frederick does not have co-insurance, and our out-of-pocket expenses are higher. Beachley asked if neighboring counties have a health clinic, and they do not. Proulx - open enrollment starts in May Murray - if we use the health clinic, there's no co-insurance, right? Proulx - there's no co-pay from the employee for clinic tests. Beachley - if we wanted to change the co-pay for urgent care, what would that look like in terms of process. Would it go back to the committee? Baker - Gallagher didn't think changes to urgent care would move the needle. She also noted that the Board can make additional changes without returning to the health care committee at this point. Proulx - Urgent care is needed when the clinic is closed, and urgent care is still less expensive than an emergency room visit. Consensus is to move the recommendations forward to the April agenda. Click here to go directly to the presentation.
Agenda Item / Topic #5
Board of Education’s FY2027 Draft General Fund Operating Budget
Presenter(s)
Dr. David T. Sovine, Superintendent of Schools, Jeffrey Proulx, Chief Operating Officer, Eric Sisler, Executive Director of Finance, and Kameron Shives, Budget and Financial Reporting Analyst
Summary
Based on legislative decisions, there is a reduction in Tier 2 pre-K funding from the state. This will delay the Pre-K expansion grants and will also reduce the allocation required from the county. This then reduces the proposed new positions in the general fund budget that frees up about $800,000 in the general fund for other priorities. Evans - my concern is with the high numbers we have in pre-K. Proulx noted this is no loss of current positions. Staff recommends that summer school return to the FY 2025 levels. Staff also recommends to reduce funds available for Chromebook replacements that would then be able to be covered by grants, if needed. Murray - how much would we save if we didn't have elementary ABLE? Proulx - about $500,000. Beachley noted that this money for 19 students does not make financial sense to her and that home school parents are not interested in having their students in front of computers all day. Evans - I agree that there is overuse of technology in school. However, the ABLE program has never been properly advertised, so if we get rid of it now, it will be dead. I don't think we gave it the proper opportunity to succeed. Murray - I have a problem with the age of students on the computers for elementary ABLE. Evans - I don't want to tell parents what should be best for their students. 6.25 FTE teachers for elementary ABLE. McCusker is OK with reducing the small computer equipment but is not OK with reducing summer school funding. Burkett - did we get any numbers back on how successful the elementary ABLE program is for the students? Proulx - it's too soon to use state testing as a matrix, but we could pull the previous ABLE results. Burkett - I would wonder what the teachers would say. McCusker - can elementary ABLE be used for students with behavior issues who may need to be expelled? Willow - ABLE was not designed to replace what's in a traditional classroom. If you have means and supports at home, then home school with ABLE as a supplement can be successful. Data from the Covid years was mixed and determined by subject area and other factors. Burkett - Do you think it should be continued??? Since you're the….(trailed off) Willow - There are benefits for some. But the decision needs to be the board's and should be consistent. Willow then explained how the additional summer school funding last year expanded summer school to schools that would not have it it through COP funding. Evans -- every agrees to the reduction in pre-K. What about the summer school funding reduction? Sovine explained how the board would then decide how to allocate the reductions. Guessford - I am not in favor of reducing summer school. He is not in favor of eliminating the funding for ABLE - it needs to be solid for 3 years and then we can see data to make a decision. McCusker - aren't we trying to balance the budget? We are getting less than we thought. Burkett - These recommended reductions would be able to provide more support in classrooms. Murray agrees. Beachley would want to reduce ABLE to add to the salary resource pool and address case manager issues. 2 for cutting ABLE - Beachley and Murray The rest want to keep ABLE (Burkett, McCusker, Guessford, Zentmeyer, and Evans) Evans likes the idea of looking at the case managers role as a place to possible add savings from cuts to the other items discussed. . Click here to go directly to the presentation.