Um, it's original artwork. We're looking to create a new logo uh that represents the tradition sorry tradition, pride, and values of Kerry Junior High. If you would like more information, you can contact the Kerry Junior High office and they will be able to get that to you. And this a couple quick updates about uh meetings for next week. The committee of the whole next week will be or I'm sorry, next month will be a little bit early due to spring break. So the committee of the whole will be on March 9th and the board meeting for March will be the week after on March 16th. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next up, we have our teaching and learning update. Miss Rivera. Yeah, I'm excited to share this month's um highlight. It's pretty well-rounded in community connections what I'm going to share with you today. Um thank you to Oak No, I see you.
So, I know I've brought this up before, but at at some point, I guess, are we having a conversation with District 155? um on if our middle schoolers is it's our job to prepare them for high school. They use Chromebooks in high school. So, are are we ever going to think about maybe getting them going on those Chromebooks when they're ready, those grades, getting them ready for high school? So, I'll go ahead and chime in on that one. That's not uncommon to see an elementary school district having one object, one one item, and then the high school having the other, right? Like my children did the same thing, but it was the reverse. They had Chromebooks throughout their elementary experience and then D211 is all iPad. There is an interchangeable feature to this with it being technology, right? iPads are I'm going to go on a guess here and say are not new to our kids and I'm going to go on a whim here and say computers are not new to our kids either.
Um but they will also have visitor parking on our side of the building. >> Board members, any other questions? >> All right. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. Appreciate it. All right, with that we'll adjourn the meeting at 6:15.
>> Yeah. And and having I will say our our high school teachers did an amazing job of spreading it out. So, my kids did not have a full day of finals the last day of school or two days. They had everything was spread out. So certain blocks they'd have, you know, a couple finals each day. So they had reviews at the beginning of the week and then a couple at the end. So that having the full week on the high school end was I mean it was helpful. >> So students like myself, >> I would just like to thank all involved in getting this set up because you have so many groups you're trying to appease yet meet standards for the 180 school days yet make sure our teachers and the contracts are met on their end. So there's so many four or five if not six or seven groups to make sure we touch base and meet the demands of what we need to get done.
They didn't have to go in, they didn't have to approach anybody. And the middle school principal told me it just skyrocketed how many tips he got because the kids would just hit that tab in their in their uh on their online platforms, learning platforms, and send a message to him. And he said he said just dozens and dozens of things. So I my answer is just kind of give multiple ways but and promote that he had QR codes up on the on the wall in the school and it didn't cost a dime. >> Thank you, David. I'm sorry. Well, you're fun. I got another question. I like Well, first a comment. I like how you said if you've seen one school and you've seen one school. So, obviously you're you're going to train high school kids in emergency procedures different than you will kindergarteners and stuff like that.
>> Yeah. Well, and the only reason that it looks like we're close is because we go up 1.2 in in incumbances and that may just hold out but it's just something I it caught me off guard because typically you know we would be about what is it 8.4% and we spent 11.2% of this year. So it's it's just catches me off guard. So I was just curious. >> No, no, you're absolutely right. Um it definitely is a concern to to look at that and especially if those outstanding incumbrances, as you mentioned of that 1.2 there, um if that comes due, yeah, it's not going to look it's not >> then we are down to 500,000. Yeah, completely understand. Thank you, ma'am. >> You're welcome. And then moving on. Oh, we already talked about that. All right. >> I just didn't do you weren't a great flow, so I wasn't going to stop you, but I was coming back to that one.
Any opposed? All right. The eyes have it. At this time, we already approved 4.2, which is our personnel reports. I'm going to ask Miss Carla Johnson to come up to the microphone to introduce um a personnel matter. Madame President, Dr. Smith, and members of the board, we are proud to present our new head football coach for Lawrence Central. Coach man Russell Man is here with us tonight. This evening, the board of education of the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township has approved the appointment of Mr. Russell Man as the new head football coach for Lawrence Central High School. A leader in the central Indiana football community, man has held several Metropolitan Interscolastic Conference Mick head coaching positions in his 23-year career and holds four 6A state titles. man is committed to success and is confident in his ability to lead the Bears to sustain championship level success while setting a standard of excellence that positively impacts the entire school.
Here's a six-year history of our employee premiums. And on the far right is where you see the proposed premium rates for this coming year. Um so although medical premium costs are increasing 9.6% you will note that the 25 26 and the 26 27 um amounts are the same for the employees. So what that means is the employees will not see an increase in their premiums. The district and the trust have um made that resolution to commit to continuing to provide that that increased contribution so the employees do not see that increase for this coming year. Um you will also note u there on the top that we do continue to offer an employeeonly zeroo cost option on their HSA plan and so that is still continuing with no uh no changes to those plans. So as noted the benefits trust is committed to covering a portion of the increase for the coming year and often we get the question what is what is the benefits trust?
Okay. Okay. Because I was going to say I would assume there >> that we do we cover. Okay. 58. All right. >> Coming soon. Okay. Just the scheduling logistics and workload. >> Yeah. Concern. Can you touch upon that >> briefly? Um the the current concern generally sits with uh staff members that have uh really a lot of AP uh type of students where um there's a lot of highly involved students and parents in what's going on and that has always been a challenge of scheduling that. Uh we think that this many of them want to come in for conferences. It's actually a frustration point for a lot of teachers because they're doing great, right? And uh there's there when we talk to families, they feel like it is a responsibility to come in at that point. So this is really about leveling that as to who needs to come in, why of course you know and you're going to see this in the family thing.
Uh they had those conversations and now the village has come back to us for the next step on um on March 3rd or March 17th. that's not been determined. The village is going to adopt an ordinance declaring its need to acquire your property for redevelopment purposes. Then on March 23rd, if you're so inclined, you're going to consider a resolution indicating you no longer need this property for school purposes and that the improvements there are no longer suitable or convenient for a school to house children. Once you two enter into once you two adopt those the ordinance on their case the resolution on your case um they'll you'll enter into a purchase and sale agreement where you agree to sell the property to the village. Village will agree to buy the property from you. The village will then turn around and try to work out a redevelopment agreement with the developer of the property.
Um to Lisa and also to Rosie Condi for hosting our kindergarten nights. Um yep. So kindergarten, our first dual kindergarten night was last week. Um, tomorrow our Oakn Null kind will be happening at Oaknull and then Wednesday will be a second virtual dual kinder night. We know how important the foundation is to our students learning. We've had a lot a lot a lot of attention and detail put into our early learning and so we just want to make sure all of our families are aware of this opportunity to learn about kindergarten and get a strong head start. Now recognizing our parents. I want to say thank you to the parents that attended this month's parent university. We had our second book study session of the anxious generation. Um our parents from the very first session. They were very transparent in wanting to create a space where they could communicate and share thoughts and opinions on just the realities of what is going on in the world with their children and technology.
That's a much larger conversation that's not just dictated by D155, but then also goes back to our own finances here that we would have to delve into that conversation. So, while I understand the bigger picture of it, um, our kids are more resilient with technology than what I think sometimes we give them credit for and their ability to navigate both iPad and computer. And it's not uncommon that you have a non-unit district where they're not using the same materials. But again, it would have to be an internal reflection on our own finances and what that looks like for us. >> And I I understand that. I'm just wondering if we've received any feedback from D155 about if our kids that are using >> No, when I meet with them, it's usually about um executive functioning skills is the conversation. It's regarding like standing up and delivering speeches.
So kudos to all those involved in trying to get something that will work yet maybe not perfect for everybody. But I also do know a lot of time is not is put into this not just thrown together to say oh they just did it because they wanted to do it. Yes. So thank you. >> No, no matter what what's decided here someone's going to complain. >> There's okay. Although I will tell you we've since we went to the week at fall break, that extra day at Thanksgiving, the two and then one week at spring break, it has been unbelievably popular when I come out to see parents. Um I know Brian has mentioned before having been a baseball player in high school, he never really got a spring break. Now because of fall break being there, that provides that opportunity there. Um, we've had really good feedback in it.
So, every middle school, every school will have each an individualized plan. Correct. >> Yeah. Age and developmental is key. And that's one of the things when we look at the different issues such as uh Alice training or optionsbased response that quite frankly we'll be giving you some some feedback on with that age and developmentally appropriate. I I was on a panel for the nationalmies of science about a year ago. There's been a strong movement within about not crossing that line of do no harm. That drills don't cause more harm than they help with kids in terms especially when you have kids come to school with trauma. A lot of personal experience unique to themselves and their their families and their community. So the school psychology experts have a lot of concerns about the over dramatized, overactive, over dramatic drills actually causing more trauma to kids than they than they help for an incident that's statistically unlikely to happen.
So >> that's fine. reference the January 2026 financial report. I will entertain a motion. >> Recommend approval of the January 2026 uh financial report as presented. >> Thank you, Mr. Wall. And is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Meltchure. Any further questions or comments before we vote? >> I do have a question on the the rainy day fund is in December. It was the same as January. Is that not an account that uh develops interest on it? Is >> the interest is receded into our operations fund? >> Okay, thank you. >> Good question. Uh any other questions? >> We usually do that by resolution, but we probably haven't done that. But there is a resolution that the board passes that puts that in there. I just don't know when the last time we've actually done that. Maybe it's not part of the typical uh budget stuff that we do, but I do remember passing that resolution at one point that we had all our interests go into the operations fund.
My leadership style brings everyone together in the pursuit of excellence, says man. I know what winning looks like and I'm confident that with leadership, hard work, and tactical analysis, Lawrence Central will quickly become one of Indiana's most dominant football programs. According to Superintendent Dr. Sha A. Smith, our community is ready to get Lawrence Central back to state champion status, and I have every confidence in coach man to take the Bears to the next level. I know firsthand the high quality football program develops young men, creates school unity, and positively impacts the morale of the larger school community. Coach man is a 2003 graduate of Butler University and holds a BS in secondary education in mathematics. He is a career educator who uses football as a platform to teach students of athletes life lessons including the value of hard work, integrity, and striving to be the best version of themselves and everything they do.
So, as a district, we are self-insured, meaning that we are entirely funded through our own employees contributions and then those contributions help offset all of our DACAR employees claims and expenses. And so, um, all of the claims when we make payments, they all come out of this fund. Um, and so we want to ensure that it is still in a very healthy position. And so, here's a a multi-year, um, comparison of where you can see where the net position has continued to be. So when we reviewed the financial activity with the trust board, they were committed to try to find ways to ensure that this 9.6% increase did not pass on to our employees. They were really doing everything they can to say, how can we continue to offset this increase? And so last year, the trust um contributed about $650,000 towards this um in premium increases.
If a parent if a if a family member wants to meet with a teacher, they can do that at any point, right? It doesn't have to happen on that one night, right? And as you saw from our interventions last at our last meeting, our teachers are frequently reaching out uh with progress and feedback and and how things are going. So I think some of this is just trying to see how it works through. There are concerns of that, you know, that that uh November conference that's really now tailored to transitions is a smaller window of time because we're doing more outside of that night. Uh teachers are concerned that it'll be the same people signing up and filling up those smaller window of time even faster, right? So, it's going to be a lot of our communicating to families how this should work, who should be looking to sign up, that it's okay if you're not coming, it's okay if you reached out at a different time, you know, if you feel like you have all the information you need, you don't, you know, don't look to sign up with all seven teachers, right?
That redevelopment agreement will have to please the developer. It will have to please the village and it will have to please you. And if any of you are unhappy with the agreement, everything is off and we go back to square one. There's no commitment made here. You've always got the opportunity to bail out. Um this is a process that's time consuming mostly on the part of the developer and on the part of the village. Uh you and your administration less so. Uh but at the end of the day, unless you're happy with what you're getting out of this deal, uh both with regard to maybe sales price, maybe revenue sharing from the TIF district, uh or other contributions to the school district for the value of its property, uh you just back away and say we're not doing it. In which you continue to own the property uh at a cost of about $250,000 a year.
And so our conversations this month were centered on the decline of play, the rise of phone-based childhood, and the importance of intentionally building independence at home and school. That's the first part of the of the meeting together. The second part then starts to shift into what we're doing here in Kerry 26 to understand our instructional systems and practices. And um so we went through our lesson delivery model, how we promote the gradual release, student autonomy, structured collaboration, and purposeful engagement. lots of rich conversation between our our parents um that are there together. Our next one is coming up March 18th. Those are chapters four through six.