But, you know, given what you guys had to work with, I feel like there's a good The other thing we looked at was what if teachers didn't have that work day when they came back in January just started right at the kids. I'm looking in the back of the room and you can see the >> eyebrow I mean I I can feel it. It's coming right at me right now. >> Things that I heard when we came back this year I heard a lot of rumbles from from parents saying, "Oh my gosh, I thought I was going to ship my kid back and I got him for a whole another day." And all I heard from teacher friends was I was so incredibly grateful for that day to get everything together, wrap up first grading period, and be able to prepare for the students. So I I feel like that's a a nogo.
But just so to set expectations, that's why we break the report down that way so that you can use that and make decisions and be see very specifically where there concrete things that that are security sensitive. >> So you go ahead. >> I got several. Uh so you mentioned uh school buses. They are literally school property. So is part of this plan, do you have a plan for that or are are you reviewing best practices for school buses also? >> School bus a couple of things. There's the behavior piece of it. We've talked to the transportation director who is very, you know, very thorough and very engaged professionally, very impressed with the different is issues that we talked about there. There's operational side. We asked building administrators, if you needed to get buses at 10:30 in the morning or 11:00, how long would you expect to get that if you had to evacuate your building?
Any questions? >> Move to approve. >> Second. >> Any discussion? Hear none. All those approved. >> Opposed? Okay. Additionally, we have an approval request for an overnight GHS girls tennis deployed Central High School April 10th and 11th. >> Yep. And those dates are correct. stadium again just another awesome opportunity for our kids get all requirements policy procedure that's my recommendation request busy month for you >> all right I need a motion to approve >> move to approve Need a second. >> I'll second. >> Any discussions? Those >> approve. >> Oppos. A couple donation requests. Uh up next, we've got a Pton County Community Foundation to DO's Get Crafty Club for $600. We have an anonymous donor to GCSC for school lunch for $1,000. And we have center toss for $500. I think those organizations that this was here the get get crafty club has met a lot of time and so I think Can you tell us about a little bit?
Babcock? >> Hearing none, we will vote on that motion. That motion passes 6. And now we're on to January 2026. Mrs. Babcock. >> Yes. Okay. So, we're now we're going to cover the January 26 um month end um reports for you. So if you look at the education fund um you can see where we have the budget listed the new allocation for 2026 um and then our revenue that we received and I will say this was a three pay month um so just so you're aware of that expenditures um are a little high due to that um but overall for this particular month for January we have 8.28% of our projected re revenues that came in and we expended 8.07 07 um% of our projected expenditures. And you'll see we have budgeted for this year 26 um ability to transfer 7 million into the operations fund um when we need to do that and we have not done that as of yet.
As of now, we are in the back third of the session with one more week to go. The upcoming week should be busy, decisive, and a last chance for lawmakers to either pass or let die significant bills before the session formally ends on February the 27th Feb or Friday. Looking forward, we anticipate the next revision packet volume 38 number two in mid to late March. It is a short it is a short session because this is not a budget year. So people are wondering what is a short session. We do not have budgets this this year and it's reviewing amendments and so forth that need to be made. So want to clarify that as well. >> Thank you for that. Hopefully it'll be a less busy policy year for you guys >> wanting. Yes. Very good. Moving to Lawrence Parks and Recreation, Miss Dunn. >> Well, we had a very successful Black History Month right here at the fort on February the 11th.
Next item on the agenda is recommendation for approval of job order contract in excess of 1 million. >> [clears throat] >> I believe we skipped over number three, Mr. President. >> Oh, I'm sorry. Uh, recommendation to approve the employee health benefit plan for 2026 2027 fiscal year. Very important. Thank you. >> Thank you. I I knew you skipped that because Mary Dell was in tears. Um, so, uh, tonight we have our update on our health and benefit plan for next year. So, Miss Spidell will take us through this. >> Thanks, Dr. Carter. Good evening, President Scaram, members of the board, cabinet, community. Tonight, we will be presenting information on the proposed benefits uh plans for our 2627 fiscal year. So, each month we review our medical claims experience and currently 6 months into the year, we are running at 97% of claims to funding, meaning that the total cost of our medical and pharmacy claims are running at 97% um in comparison to the contributions that are coming in.
even if we were to just bid out the additional six that we have in the alternate, it would it would come in at a higher uh cost. The the final thing is uh for bid package 8, which was for our masonry, um after White met with all of our low bidders, uh they're recommending that we award the contract to Able Masonry because the original low bidder did not come in. Um >> bless you. >> God bless you. uh they were non-responsive due to material deviations that we had in the in the bid packages. So they're they're aware of that. Um but that's where uh they're recommending that we approve Ablemasonry for that.
>> Trailblazing. Good word. >> Okay. [laughter] >> There are boards that do book like they'll may read a chapter like I' not a chapter but like a paragraph from a book that they picked and Okay. >> I know different boards examples from different boards where they may have some >> some public >> touchstone text to come in and help guide. Mostly it's like you said like a retreat that happens once a year or some type of functioning. But I've seen a couple boards and when I've seen it, I I I have noted that it it helps the board have a dialogue about something a little bit more objective than always waiting as somebody said for that thing that's a tough situation. Right? getting proactive about the healthy function versus reactive. And so those are some I' I've seen it twice actually, just twice. >> Um yeah, and I think it's a nice intersection of like our >> true >> our kind of functioning and like just transparency.
Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Janvik. I just want to echo what Miss Hartman said about congratulations to our staff members and those who excel. That is not an easy award to get. Um and also echo appreciation for the junior high staff. Uh junior high could be a really tough time for students and giving those opportunities for students to find their niche here at Kerry is is awesome and we know it you guys go above and beyond to make that happen. So that was great to see all the different students and all the different clubs and opportunities they have here. So thank you for your extra time. Thank you. Next up, we have Mrs. Potter. >> Thank you. Um I'm just so proud of our of our staff and winning that award and knowing how difficult it is and um if you're listening, it's okay to smile and be proud of the work that you've done.
It is simply a connection inside the classroom from the microphone to the speakers. Uh, also included in the um the audio enhancement improvement is a replacement for our intercom systems and um it the the um features for building safety. Um, I know in the past the monitors that are in the hallways has come up and the question of why we needed those as clocks has come up and it is a blessing to us that we have only seen the clock feature of what those monitors do. They are uh emergency signs in cases of tornadoes. They are emergency signs in cases of lockdowns. We don't really want to ever see them used for that. We want them to just be clocks, but they are more than just clocks. They are critical pieces of building safety. Oops. So, um, audio enhancement at Deer Path this year is estimated to come in at roughly $354,000 plus another 60,000 for the necessary wiring.
We want to be a polling site. Like that's what we want to draw people to the space and for it to be more for the community. It's not necessarily concerts and stuff like that. >> Okay. No stage >> the the actually not in the building exterior to the building in the plaza that Josh showed you. There is a stage in the plaza and that opens out to if you kind of see there's this tea. We also have the ability to close the tea in the subdivision which would allow people to then be a part of events and things going on in front of the civic center. >> Have you had a lot of interest already expressed in the event center like groups wanting to host? I mean have you had a lot of talk? No, because we we really haven't because it's not there and we're not sure when we're moving in.
>> If you remember, we really made a point of emphasis for everybody to be done when they walked out of the door before Christmas break started. So that way they didn't have to think, well, when I go back on Monday, I've got after break I've got to do this or I've got to it could just be prepped for going forward with you. And I agree the comments of the leader were positive. I'm in the opposite Mr. Smith on fall break. I'm not sure why it to be an entire week. That's I think that's one thing to look at. Another thing, the biggest complaints I hear from parents is learning days. There's two of them in the first semester on this calendar. Could you stress the importance of e-learning days? Maybe that's the biggest complaint I get. >> Yeah. So, e-learning days, we've reduced them from just a couple years ago where we had five.
>> And that's a question because drivers work in the morning, drivers work in the afternoon. Our job is to kind of think and based on what we've seen, those things that happen where building principal may know that needs to know that build buses may not be coming out of the sky in in a couple minutes. It may take an hour depending on the size of your school. So we'll talk about emergency response on that and that type of thing and the role of transportation and we've asked building administrators what's your relationship with transportation and the drivers how do you deal with issues when behavior problems are reported how's that handled and we talk with transportation director and learn about actually a pretty thorough system you have for dealing with behavior through the transportation department and a staff member that you have who's actually focuses in on dealing with behavior issues working with kids and parents which isn't necessarily common that we see in all districts.
>> Yeah. Each week something different. Next time everythingouble. What grade is this for? >> And also That's awesome. That's great. >> And I spoke to my friend Jenny who works at the community foundation and she's very impressed. They were excited about that. So we may get to ask again. >> We may get to ask again. >> Thank you. >> Okay. So on the table we need an approval request for to accept these three a second. >> I'll second. >> Any discussions? All those in favor >> I opposed. Uh and finally other business. business tonight. >> Anybody got anything to add? >> I do. I have a list. Um, the DECA club had some uh interviews where some of our citizens came in and helped with the interview process. Went very well. The sophomore class had interviews where we had lots of different uh people from the community come in and and held interviews.
Um then moving on to the debt service fund. with the debt service fund there is no activity um because the payments will be due the bond payments we will pay in June um and we'll receive the revenue in June as well um so there is no activity whatsoever in this one I will say though when this budget was built it was built specifically with the rate at 3999 um at some point we will need to do an additional appropriation for this particular one like you have you had to do last year for 25 and that is just so that we have we have the cash flow there. It's just a matter of making sure that we have the authority, the allocation to pay that. I just want to bring that to your attention. Um, and everything's in order there. If you move on to the operations fund, um, as you know, as I just mentioned, we do not have the revenue coming in into this one other than some miscellaneous items, um, interest, miscellaneous, those sort of things.
Um we also um continue to have the Forever Young Clubs game days or Thursdays at 5301 North Franklin Road. Um that is from 11 to 1. And then Fridays rotate. So um this Friday we have yoga from 11 to 12. Friday the 13th. March we have fitness. We also have something new crafts that's in the evenings on Fridays um from 6:00 to 7. So um lots of great things happening with our parks. Um and don't forget too that our parks, we have Oakland and youth organization baseball. We have FC Pride. Um we also um have Circle City athletics for our adults. So, there's lots of opportunities for people of all ages to get involved here in the city of Lawrence. >> Quick question, Miss Dunn. Do they still have the bingo on Tuesdays? >> No, >> they do not. Oh, >> no. >> But I will say that there has been um a proposal to perhaps bring bingo back.
So, it's right in line with the contributions that are helping to fund um that fund, that trust fund. Uh Blue Cross Blue Shield, as a reminder, they are our health provider for health benefits and Prime Therapeutics is um carved out as our pharmacy benefits manager. The reason for that is they generates a rebate that helps offset the cost of our pharmacy claims. Last year, the amount we received in rebates was about 1.3 million. And so, we are estimating a conservative amount of about 1.3 million for this coming year as well. And throughout the year, we meet with our employee benefits trust board to review claims activity. We review with our actuarials. And so all of that detailed information we have now compiled to present to the governing board for recommendation for your approval. So the district continues to provide two options for medical um a high deductible HSA plan um or health savings plan and then the other is our PO plan.
So any questions? Uh that's a lot of information. Um White's been great to work with. We had a good bid turnout. Um and we're happy where the where the numbers came in. So to to recap, so the funding for all of this is between the bond and and fund 90. We're kind of lumping the two. >> The bond is in fund 90 like those funds are in there, but we had additional funds in there from previous projects. >> Okay. >> So if you're um two summers ago when we did the galvanized piping at at North, that came in well under uh budget. So that's why we did the stuff last spring >> to try to utilize some of that that funding and we were able to get a lot of stuff done uh with lighting and with paving. Uh but there are additional funds that are in there uh plus budget with some of those things.
Um >> any other thoughts? Okay, >> we're going to consent agenda item 9 or 9.0. Approve consent agenda. I have a motion to approve the consent agenda, please. >> I make a motion to approve all items under consent, including 9.1 minutes from the board of education meeting on February 9th, 2026, open and close sessions. 9.2 two to acknowledge the foyer requests received by the district. >> Second.
um because because I um and of course um just echo the the teachers who are staying late and in and fulfilling the social needs and stuff of our students after school. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mrs. Sandlin. >> I too want to echo the sentiments of the board on um congratulating for the ISB award. Um, I also know that if there's anything that kids are going to remember when they're, you know, adults, what they tell their kids or grandkids is the clubs they are that they participated in at school. They will always remember that. It is a huge developmental like plus for them, a sense of belonging. So, thank you to all the teachers who stay over and take on that responsibility, encourage the kids. So, thank you Thank you, Mrs. Salt. Um, I said my congratulations when Three Oaks got their uh special party on Friday morning.