and having someone like Ben to work in all the areas and be the expert uh has just already we're already seeing the the benefits of that. Um so we've we were you know programming needs, the field lighting, the mill work. These are things that didn't happen at LCK but are going to happen at Builtmore. And you know, Ben is directly responsible for ensuring that these up higher level things that we could just cut out uh that we have the resources for because he's keeping cost down in other areas. So, um it's just it's been amazing to work with him and see him do this and I'm excited to see what he brings to the board uh when we get our final budget. But I did want to go ahead and just give you guys that's where we're at right now. I'm feeling pretty comfortable with that number.
Um and uh yeah, so that's it. That's the the budget torment for today. And I just want one more screen. Nope. That's that success criteria. I think we did it. >> Those are our learning targets. That's what we were trying to do today. Uh I think we've talked about our historical trends, declining enrollment, shared budget. I I I can talk budget for four days. >> You got the bonus of learning the benefits of Ben. That's why they're called benefits. the benefits of Ben. And so I just wanted to say thank you to you guys and give you an opportunity one more one more thing. While the future of public education may seem blank, whatever that is in your head. And I hope that for Kraton that that's a positive word in that blank. And know if we do our Mad Libs and we put in an adjective in there, I think that um I see some really positive things with the way that our SOFG focus is pushing not only our resources and our staff, but also our budget and that alignment is it it's doing something.
It allowed us to have a situation happen where other schools are experiencing this and they come to their board and say so sorry board but by the way we got to close four schools. That's not happening for us. We are planning ahead and it is entirely because of the s support of our board and because of this alignment. There's something about laser focus that makes it all the magic happen. So, our achievements, our focus on student outcomes shines above the rest, and it is an honor for me to work with you and this team, and I appreciate you letting me bring this information today. I know it is not the most exciting stuff. Uh, but I hope as we continue these conversations, and if you have wonderings, please make appointments with me. I'm happy to dig in deeper on budget stuff. >> Thank you so much for that, Miss Shapiro.
I appreciate it. Board members, do we have any comments or wonderings? Uh Ben Parker is a parent. >> Yes. >> School children. Yeah. >> Yep. >> Yeah. >> Nepotism's great. >> I think it's more of a investment, personal investment on his part. >> Yeah. He he was not selected because he is apparently he's been selected for his expert >> closer to his heart. He has a big background in nonprofit and uh I'm sure some of us know with LCK we had a third party um that uh did what it >> did what it did >> it did what it did what it did. Um I I'm immediately seeing a benefit of having our own person uh hiring a third party who may or may not be working on our behalf. >> Yes. Um thank you so much for that. The only comment that I'm going to leave as we're going into me and comfort discussions and the team is that I'm hoping that a lot of the budgets that we're looking at it is not just focusing on stabilizing what we have, but how are we transforming it?
Sometimes we do make decisions based off of what's been happening or what we've done in the past. And um for example, for me personally, and I always attribute that to this specific the 2% right to me that just seems like a stabil stabilizing mechanism to keep things stabilized. And I think because of declining enrollment and you said it yourself, I I truly believe in looking in generations ahead. That's the value of my work is thinking, you know, seven generations, not just one, two, three, four, five years. And this is a real reality that we have in the next coming years. So how are we looking at our budget in a transformative way? Um and attrition I I think that's a transformative aspect of this, right? So, if we could ever even transform even those dollars and put them somewhere else, if they're able to versus just doing this blanket because it's what we've done every year and it feels comfortable.
Um, I would really love them to start strategizing or thinking it that way if they're not already. from what it sounds like it they are because I've seen some new ideas come out that I've never heard of but really string on to that as other things start happening around our community and you know other things start following through from what's coming on to the federal to the local level we don't know what this next legislative session is going to look like either um so there's just a lot of things and just staying in that transformative out of the box notion every single time we're touching any aspect of it, even when it comes to our dollars. >> Well, and I can definitely tell you it's not status quo in there this year. These are things we have and it isn't uh one for all, I guess I would say.
And we and we have had some conversations about that that last year some teachers were very upset because they didn't get a years of service adjustment, but >> that's because they weren't out of out of alignment, right? >> And so some got and some didn't. And we had some comment this uh year. I was like, "Well, I I understand that, but the next phase um especially with our performance-based play uh changes and SOFG gives them an opportunity to get more dollars if we keep our focus on SOFG and we hit those goals." I I mean, I can't imagine um anyone saying I don't want that extra money, right? Um so teachers uh hopefully will appreciate that and then uh hopefully a big focus on our classified who had it the repair work there is heavy the lift is heavy and there are people who are you know 30 years in this district uh making $167 an hour and to me that is unacceptable and that's what we're bringing to meet confer so it looks like nothing we've brought before um and it isn't 2% across the board it's it's strategic in every area and looking at every staff member.
Awesome. Thank you so much. All right. >> Thank you. >> All right. I have seeing no more comments or wonderings or discussions, we will move on to our next item, which is two. And I move we adjourn this special study session meeting. I'm going to remind everybody that we have a board meeting coming up on March 24th, 24th. So, we hope to see everybody there. Thank you guys very much. Muana. Excuse my dinner.
Good evening. Today is February 23rd, 2026. I call the meeting to order for Daart Governing Board. Let it be note that board member Jennifer Drake is absent. [snorts] And I ask the audience to rise for the pledge of allegiance. Dr. Croto, would you like to introduce who's uh going to lead us? >> Thank you, Mr. President. Yes, tonight we have some special guests.
All right, it's 6:30. Uh, Julie, would you mind calling the role, please? >> Certainly. Cara Castton >> here. >> Katie Courtourtney >> here. >> Chris Espinosa >> here. >> April Fein here. >> Don Rener >> here. >> Michael Riskey >> here. >> Ryan Enright >> here. >> And Romina Papa Gonzalez here. I think we have one other joint >> and Ken Dawson >> here. >> Thank you.
And next up from Churchill, we have Raa Aladasi. Ra's commitment to both students and colleagues sets her apart. She brings a positive attitude into each day and approaches challenges with enthusiasm. As a teacher assistant with the RISE program, she has a deep understanding of her students, allowing her to anticipate their needs and adapt to their diverse learning styles. A fellow employee shared, "Rana is outstanding in her role and is truly an invaluable asset to our district." Congratulations, Rana. All right. And now we need pictures. If there is an administrator here from Churchill or three, come on up. [clears throat] Congratulations, Mitchell. Our next spotlight is on Long Beach Elementary School. First of all, we have Mora Vivona. Mora consistently demonstrates how it looks to go the extra mile. She has played a crucial role in cultivating a strong, supportive culture at Long Beach through the introduction of the building's house system this year.
I call this regular board of education meeting to order on Monday, February 23rd, 2026 at 6 PM. If we could all please stand for the pledge of allegiance. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you. If we could take a roll call, please. Bridget Sandlin >> here. >> Stacy Salt >> here. >> Katherine Potter >> here. >> Jason Jansik >> here. >> Julie Jetty's absent. Darling >> here. >> Mindy Hartman >> here. >> Okay, next up we have the community input portion. First up we have a school highlight from Carrie Junior High. Dr. Clauss. >> Thank you for having us this evening. Um can you click to the next slide, Mr. So we're here to talk just a little bit about the extracurricular activities aside from sports here at Kerry Junior High and also um to recognize our staff who put in um hours to work with our students after school.
I call this committee the whole meeting to order on Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 at 6 PM. If we could please take a roll call. >> Julie Jetty is absent. Jason Jansik is absent. Mindy Hartman is absent. Uh Stacy Salt >> here. >> Darling >> here. >> Bridget Sandlin. >> Katherine Potter >> here. Next up, we have the acceptance of the agenda. Items for discussion may be added to the agenda at the start of the meeting at the request of the superintendent or any board member upon majority approval of those members present. Does any board member have an item to add?
All right, we'll go ahead and get our meeting started. Called to order at 4:34 and we'll move right into business. Um, first is public comment and seeing as how there is there um there are no people that are wanting to comment to the board, we'll skip over that and move right to item number three, update on strategic goals one, two, and three. Dr. Wend, >> thank you, Mrs. Parent. So, we are following a similar format as we have the last few years that we've done this meeting. This is uh really the one meeting a year uh that we do where the board um gets to have conversations and interact with our building leaders. So, we're already grouped uh elementary, middle school, high school. When we have administrative meetings, they never change. It's just always this is the structure. So, I wasn't about to change where they sit at a school board meeting.
Anyway, what I wanted to bring up is that there is a need and a lack of the tier system. So the state says we have to have a tier system for kids that are struggling learners. I will probably come up here all the time talk about struggling learners because this is like my life um home and at professionally. So I have fought Crown Point a couple times, not thought but like had discussions about my children being in the tier systems and many of my kids have had been in the tier systems. the current tier system um I believe especially at Lake Street I don't know all the schools um is ineffective and I am curious to know in my opinion Crown Point school board the org chart the admin or straighters at the school corporation are topheavy there's a lot of administrators there's a lot of directors there's a lot of specialists great awesome not all schools have that I can attest that I don't come from that we wear many hats asset with the schools that I work at.
All right, everybody ready? >> The Monday, February 23rd board meeting of the school board of trustees for Evansville Vanderberg School Corporation to order. Roll call. Amy, >> President Duckworth, we have a full board present. >> Very much.
Everybody in attendance for today's uh school board meeting. We'll start off with the pledge. We have somebody for the pledge. To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you. Good job. >> That was a good pledge. >> Okay. Uh we'll start off today's meeting. Are there any adjustments to the agenda? >> Yep. There are no adjustments uh to the agenda this month. >> Wonderful. Thank you so much for that. Big crowd today. I guess we'll start with recognitions. Who we have up first? >> Yep. Mr. Roberts. >> Well, good evening. I have Miss Amelia Gibbs here. Um, in the month of February, we've been focusing on the character trait of kindness. Um, and so Mrs. Lee, her kindergarten teacher, um, has noticed that Amelia shows kindness every single day.
Thank you, Mr. Chris Jansen. We're going to move on now to A3, our call to order. And I'll call this meeting to order of February 23rd, 2026, Hank County Community Schools Board of Trustees. On to A4. Roll call. Mrs. Gray. Mr. Allen >> here. >> Mr. Mcclullen >> absent. Mr. Meltter >> here. >> Mr. Wall >> here. >> Mr. Carl >> here. >> Mrs. Miller >> here. >> Mr. Thompson >> here. >> Thank you, Mrs. Gray. Moving on to A5, revision of the agenda. Mr. Brimberry. >> Mr. Allen, we have no revisions for tonight's agenda. Thank you, Mr. Brimberry. Moving on to B1 public comment from visitors. I have one person signed up uh to speak to the board. Address the board. Uh Jennifer Woods. If you could just state your name uh and tell us what's on your mind. >> Good evening. Is Is that recording?
Y. >> Okay. Call this board meeting of February 23rd to order and stand for the pledge. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Silence. >> Do it. A moment of silent meditation. Okay. Uh for the mission statement, does it me >> Katie? >> Uh our mission is to guide students to become informed, engaged citizens and curious lifelong learners. >> No problem participations. Well, Mr. Streets, yours. >> Very good. We'd ask for your approval for the minutes of the February 9th, 2026 board meeting and executive session. >> So moved. >> Second. >> General Jeff. >> All in favor? 70. >> We'd ask for your approval on the corporation claims of payroll for the amount listed of 1,355,6925. >> So moved. >> Second.
to our monthly board of education meeting. At this time, I would like to call up Mr. Keer and student leaders from Indian Creek Elementary to lead us in the pledge of allegiance. >> All right, thank you for having us this evening. We'll get things started. I have three representatives this evening. I have Mina Sloan, sixth grader, uh, basketball rebounding machine and front office assistant right here. And then I have Isabella. Uh, Isabella is in second grade in our dual language program. And then I have Benjamin Lopez. Benjamin was one of our first students to be able to run and operate both the 3D printer and the laser cutter all by himself. So I wanted them to represent Indian Creek tonight.