Phillips and I have discussed this one appears to have the opportunity and has almost nearly as much sound evidence behind it. I think giving all the students that opportunity and knowing that there are opportunities with students at each of these schools, I would say if it's in the $300 to $400,000 range and we're bringing in about $4 million in reserves on annual every year into additional reserves, I'm willing to give up 10% of my reserves for that and have that conversation. Yeah. And I think one of the things, you know, in my past, I worked as a United Way building champion with Whitney when she was at the United Way. And one of the things that I heard consistently from the United Way, and it is, as uh Logan's mentioned, been referenced in numerous studies is that kids with a full belly at the beginning of the day and throughout the day that don't have to worry about food uh usually perform better.
Back to you, Mr. Yes. Thank you. I have a couple. I think that I think it's more of an appreciation or a thank you to what it the school corporation allows um some of our build participate in. Um the DARE program I know is I from my understanding it doesn't exist everywhere. Um it has to be something that we have a partnership with. I I however many years ago, 30 some years ago, you forget what DARE is all about. And sitting in on a DARE graduation, um it really just made me so happy to be involved in a school corporation that presented um our fifth grader with those opportunities. and she came home and talked about officer officer G and um what they're learning and those kids on the stage. I mean they loved him and I want to so thank officer G for for what he's done for us and uh I just think it's if it's a decision that comes up in the future I hope that we continue to stick with the program.
And me being the most conservative person up here, not wanting to spend money in certain areas because I don't believe it should be needed, is certainly willing to spend a little bit of money to make sure that the kids are fed well uh because their performance will be better. So, so one of the things that have has always been a concern of mine in terms of um our school district is the wide range of free and reduced lunch rates among the elementary schools. Um I would be interested in hearing from Mrs. Milspa or Dr. Boseman about the implications of implementing this in some of our schools that um don't have as high of the free reduced lunch rate. Is there is there a reason to not go to all 11 12 soon? All 11 elementaryaries 11 today. The um let me let me try to clarify a couple things.
I I do think it has value and um impact on the children that are 11 12 years old. Um the other one, same idea is girls on the run. Um something that we don't have to do or have to offer. Um in my opinion with young ladies that I have, fourth and fifth graders, I hope they get good grades. I hope they achieve things. But more important than all of it, I hope they're confident. And girls on the run wasn't just running around the building for 45 minutes. It's the confidence that was instilled in them or the the process of teaching them how to be confident in themselves. So again, another program that if ever comes up in the future, I really hope that we continue to support it. I think it was great for the kids and the participation of the the teachers and Miss Wade specifically, maybe others, but showing up on Saturday for the the run in Highland was very neat.
So the um to a couple of your comments, if if you were going to run if you're going to run the program in the red, the the losses have to come from non-federal funds to correct that. So you're correct in the fact we would have to pull those funds from somewhere else. Um I have not run that analysis. Have you as you've asked across all elementary to see how how quickly the well runs dry in that situation? Um I certainly can the um I mentioned earlier um we typically try not to run anything in the red just from a sustainability standpoint. The um the reason we've recommended Mount Healthy and Richards is because we think that's about a break even um as I mentioned and the next uh school that we considered I don't have the spreadsheet in front of me but was Parkside and that was um substantially run the program in the red if we were to add Parkside as well.
So thank you. I think they significant students and parents out Amazing. It's amazing. So that wasn't part of mine, but just to give you a little history on Girls Run, Molly, who's the youngest of my four kids, just turned 24, just ran her third marathon in Eugene, Oregon, and she made me run in that Highland one like Halloween, I don't know, it's so figure the age thing out. And I can tell you, she slowed down with about a half mile to go. And so I slowed down because I actually did some training for her and that was the first one I had ever run. And uh then around the corner, last corner, she started sprinting so she could beat dad. So just a history. Girls on Run must work for that confidence because she is has a great job and like I said is going all over now to run marathons and she will run in the Chicago marathon this fall.
That was the that was the next tiered school in terms of uh direct search rate. Um and just one item for your awareness, the application window closes June 30th for this. So uh if you did want to reconsider or gather more information or table whatever action you want to take. Uh we we we would have a little bit of time to do so, but that June 16th date would be um the the deadline unless you want to call a special board meeting. Can I ask Mr. Schulz, could you repeat your original question? I heard Mr. Major's response to it, but I didn't hear the question, your first question. I just want to make sure that that Mrs. um Chrisman had it. What was original question? I don't know what it Oh, the original motion was to essentially here I'll I'll just read it for the record that to strike the current language as the approval and say BCSC food services is seeking the permission to add the remaining elementary schools to the community eligibility provision application for the 2025 2026 school year.
So but just it's amazing you brought that up. My two accommodations are one Mike Mask here employee of the year, administrator of the year. on Friday, we didn't have school because of the power outage. And I had a good friend who has a daughter that has access. She needs a wheelchair and um the building was closed and he reached out to me because they were on vacation and says, "Hey, is there any way she's going to need it?" She left it there knowing she could take a cane to get to her car at the end of school day that she's going to be back there on Friday. Well, they had that big event out on the football field Friday and she didn't have access to a wheelchair. So, because I've been around long enough, I'm calling everybody I know that might be at the high school.
This action would bring a total of C schools in BCSSE to 11 in parenthesis all elementary schools pending both the state approval and an internal budget review to be held prior to the June meeting and presented then which would be ahead of the June 30th application window. Thanks, Mr. Non. I'm not sure I answer your question. will the um so the relatively speaking the lower the direct search rate is for a school the lower the reimbursement is for those meals. Um so as obviously the title schools have the the highest DC rate so we put them in first and as you go lower you're being reimbursed less for the same meal at other schools. So, if I just want to make sure I can clarify administratively, if we approve Logan's motion, Mr. Schultz's motion, sorry, I sometimes get that wrong. That uh you're going to go off and do your analysis.
called Russ Marcenick, called me back later, called Bill Derilla, said, "If you need something, I can get a hold of this." Last chance. I said, "You know, maybe Mike's got whatever he can get." Mike was he said, "Two minutes leaving his house, going somewhere else, knowing he was busy with all the power outages." He said, "I can be there in 90 seconds. Let him go to the door. I'll let him in to get a wheelchair." So, that's kind of Mike Molasi does those kind of things with knowing what was going on Friday with the power outages, you know, to even just say, "Scott, I can help out." you know, that's a tri a tribute to him on well-deserved award tonight. And then United Day, uh, I did attend um I mean, I'm going to use the word controlled chaos, but that's not right because I am telling you, I was shell shocked with the amount of people there, the amount of students there, and then the amount of kids that I actually knew personally that were helping the event.
That's what we would approve or ask for you to do if we approve this motion. we would come back June 16th and we would see that analysis and we would have an item on the agenda on on that meeting to approve or or deny or the re or the recommendation therein. Right? If you say, "Hey, this doesn't work." And we draw the line at Richards or we draw the line at Parkside. I mean, that's fine. I just think I want to know what I'm I'm building $4 million in reserves every year across these funds. I don't have a good explanation to the public why I don't pursue what is arguably one of three fundamentally agreed upon things that improve student achievement. Okay. So, go ahead. So, I two things. Um I wonder if it might be more efficient to approve these two and then you bring us more information next time and we we consider expanding it in our June meeting.
I mean, current students, middle school students, uh, kids of, uh, our employees, and it was just a great sight to be seen. So, I made sure I walked around and at least looked for 30 seconds to a minute at each event. And I mean, the smiles on some of those kids' faces was worth more than a million dollars in cash sitting on that table because it was just so glad to see. And I got to admit, because the kids really seem to enjoy the bubble station. I got I that was my favorite. I mean they just were just happy to have bubbles blowing up and knocking with their hands and I was like this is really cool. So kudos to Mrs. Pascus and everybody she thanked earlier but uh just a wonderful event. Just one of those heartwarming felt events. I'd like to thank uh Ben Baker from their technology department.
The other thing is I appreciate that that doing this increases student achievement. I would assume that um if you looked at individual schools and the impact of this that the the rate of free or reduced lunch would be a factor in in that whether it um actually improves student achievement or what or the strength of that effect. Um, so it's not quite as simple as doing this across the board will improve school achievement. I think it varies from school to school and I would assume based on free reduced lunch rates is a big factor. And I will say one of the things I agree with you 100%. I the one thing that's a caveat to ours that's similar to some schools across Indiana is our early start times and the breakfasts. And so I would say that's probably the only outlier in the analysis that I've seen is that our because we have such early pickup times like so for example mine are like mid 7:05 710 for or 710 for elementary by the time you a lot of people aren't getting a good breakfast and so I think that's one thing that you won't see on just the free and introduce you'll see that across the entire population.
Mr. Warney and I were both having trouble getting emails on our phones, corporation emails. So uh Mr. Baker sought me out and we met earlier this afternoon and actually uh not sure what he did, David, but he fixed it up and now I have I don't know how many emails. So, thanks for the co my colleagues for forwarding things on to me out of my personal email in the past, but hopefully that's not necessary anymore. So, Mr. Baker, if you're listening, thank you very much. It's much appreciated. So, I have a lot tonight. Um, I was able to attend our second grade folk dancing, which I was thinking would be very chaotic given that it is all of the corporation second graders and their families. Um, and it was wonderful. It was very well organized. Um, I'm glad that everyone got to experience uh the way that Timothy Bald has done their music uh performances, which is less of the kids standing there and performing and very interactive.
Yeah and Dale to your point about data and analysis um if you go to Indiana GPS. doe.in.gov. I can give you this later. Uh, Taylor'sville free or reduced lunch 77%. This might be last year's data. It's whatever data is on the website. Their iLearn proficiency for math is 32% reading is 31%. You contrast that with uh where is it at? Uh, Southside that's free or reduced is under 20%. So 78% versus 19.4. Their math is 63 versus 32 and reading is 57 versus 31. The highest is actually CSA Lincoln which has free reduced at 26%. They are um 83% math proficiency 76% reading proficiency. So I think if you look at those numbers there you could probably draw a correlation that you know the lower the free or reduced launch probably the better the scores are that seems to trend uh across the board here.
So, it was great that um that everyone kind of got to have that experience. Um we certainly love Mrs. Walton uh as our music teacher at Timothy Ball. So, it was great to see everyone get to do some of that folk dancing. I did have a leg up. I did know some of the folk dancing from some of the things we did last year at our music program in first grade. So, um, but I did get to learn a few new ones as well. So, that was wonderful. Thank you to all involved. Um, second one was Unified Games Day. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to attend this year. It was absolutely wonderful. Um, seeing our students who have their buddies in um, you know, whatever if they're elementary school, middle school, high school, um, they've got their buddies who help them kind of throughout their their school day throughout the year.
So yeah, that's that's a national correlation that is universal. If we can solve that problem, we that's the million dollar question. But and I also will just add to that, you know, the data conversation is that we just have to make sure we understand that there are lots of inputs and moving parts that happen all at the same time. For example, in 21 and 22 and and the beginning of 23, all the schools in the country, I believe at least in the state were on community eligibility provision, but because of the other factors happening at the same time, um scores and performance locally and statewide were declining dramatically. So, it's a lot of different inputs for sure. And certainly students who come from poverty benefit from free meals. Absolutely. Yeah. But I don't I don't think the assumption can be that anybody who is suffering from food insecurity is on free and reduced.
and to see the buddies attend with some of our exceptional learners and make sure that they got to experience everything. So, one in particular was um some of our Eisenhower students and we had one of our students who is in a wheelchair and wanted to do the scooters and so they had initially um transferred her onto a scooter and she needed an extra scooter to prop her feet up so that she could fully enjoy um safely the um that game. And it was awesome to see the kids come together and make sure that their buddy could experience all that we had to offer um in the best most safe way. So I saw nothing but joy on every face around and it was really an amazing event to be a part of. Um thank you. I know that that is not just limited to our exceptional education um team but really that is a corporationwide event.
There's still a large standing population that sits on the fringes and there's still a large population like I know like I've talked with my in-laws and others like that grew up that would never apply for it due to the stigma. And so although I hear you there's there's children right there on the fringe and I mean that's one reason why I bring this to I think we owe it to them. do the analysis, see what the opportunities are, especially given the reserves that we're building up every year. Okay, Miss Wen, I'm not a parliamentarian, but um since we're waiting for additional information or or we might be waiting for additional information before we make a decision, would it be appropriate to table the votes on the amendment and on the motion until our next meeting? I mean, I think argue that mine's basically a table.
So thank you so much um for all involved in that. Um, I want to take a really quick minute to thank all of our um, transitions teams. So, I this year have a fifth grader getting ready to go to middle school, eighth graders going to high school. And the amount of effort put in by, you know, our middle school is coming down to elementary school. Same thing with high school coming down. And, um, that's a lot of extra effort. And they have really done a fabulous job making all of those um, students and parents both feel prepared and excited for the next um, adventure that they're about to go on. My final one is our board retreat. A week ago, we had the opportunity to um to come here to the admin building and hear kind of a a state of the schools and and um dive into some stuff there.