>> Fair enough. Thank you. >> Okay. Um Rachel, >> I know we want to get off this. I just want to say two things. This school committee voted not to be exploring tuitioning our kids into Ammerst for the coming year. The model as I understand the select board is setting up is really a several yearong investigation into what would need to happen and make sense for the school in a long-term way. And when there was when when the conversation around Chestnut Street Academy and Pel came up, we heard from over a dozen fifth grade families very loudly that that was not something they were interested in. So, I I just want to echo what's been said and Sarah Best is really speaking to some time ago because her kids are a little older, but we heard from from this year's cohort of families, which I think is good data for the question you're looking at right now, data, David.
So, there's some information there. You can look at those videos at your at your leisure and uh if you have any questions, feel free to ask. Nice to >> see their prices. >> Yes. Yes. You'll notice that a number of the contract approvals and appointments coming up here. And then there's a whole list of information. I want to focus again on our strategic plan because that's really that's my main focus as your superintendent and you know continuing on with the with Donald new superintendent that's really the focus of what your superintendent uh you know uh is is kind of you know on top of and so again recruitment and retention very very important there's a whole list of things there in terms of recruitment and retention and things that we've done we I want to emphasize we we have done in the district uh over the years and you can see the salary increases You can see the increase in hourly wages for paraprofessional starting salaries have increased, our benefits have increased, so on and so forth.
>> Any opposed? Same sign. Motion passes 6. >> I move to approve the resignation of Mandy Griffin as food s food service coordinator and secretary and high school assistant track coach effective immediately. >> Second. Motion by Allison, a second by Josh. All those in favor say I. >> I.
And the idea of a full renovation of our current facility does not eliminate those obligations. Another significant safety concern is the absence of required fire protection systems in the basement level, which according to code is classified as a windowless basement with no secondary means of egress. As a result of those conditions, the New Jersey Division of Fire and Safety was notified. Their findings revealed that police headquarters has no smoke detectors, no fire detection, no notification systems, and no fire suppression systems in place. Today, the burrow, as of today, the bureau has received quotes from independent fire safety and security companies, and the cost of the installation and retrofitting of a mandatory sprinkler system and fire and smoke detection equipment is in excess of $500,000. Operationally, law enforcement has changed significantly over the past several decades. Because the prior renovation did not anticipate any growth or modernization, we have been forced to repurpose existing space simply to meet current mandates and standards.
So if we got So I mean I'm just asking but if we got somebody that has been through that what it is why so why don't we get somebody who has been >> I've met with Chino PD twice they don't have any more officers they could provide us >> okay because that could really save us correct if we had some >> Yes. And that was one of our potential savings on the January list that I presented to you. It was um a position that the school wants to retain if possible. And you had expressed that you felt like we needed one at every school site for sure. >> But I did meet with PD and they don't have any more officers. Like we have Hawk at the high school and we they loan us an officer that we don't have to pay for. Um currently it's Torres at HMS.
And so you can see as a student finishes eighth grade and middle school, they can already have 10 of their high school credits under their belt. And when we think about high school, currently right now we offer almost 30 AP courses um within um College Board. I think this year we are going to have over 2,000 students take the AP test this spring starting in May um which is our largest cohort ever. Um, and then we have 23 dual credit courses that we have partnerships with many universities um, around Indiana. So, you can really see as we're building the foundation at the elementary level, we are continuing to make sure those opportunities for our students are there at middle school and then even going on to high school as well. And all of this is um is is created and produced and really getting feedback from our broad-based planning committee.
Uh this door in particular sticks. So, it's potentially a security uh challenge if that door isn't isn't pulled shut all the way. Um potentially could leave a door um open after hours if it's not checked. So, those are things that we would we would prioritize or suggest that you prioritize. >> The big the big components at the elementary, you have fairly new chillers, older air handlers put in 95. These need to be upgraded. Uh there's a humidity problem in the cafeteria that we'll solve before they get replaced. And then you have uh boilers from 2011. Um that was the best picture we had with Oops, I did that again. So um anyway, so again, we talked about red's bad. Not bad, but just something to be concerned about. So those there's four air handlers in the building that are older that probably in the next five years we should replace.
As soon as the first one closes, the next one opens. That one goes to about the beginning of February. As soon as that one closes, the next one opens and that goes to April 10th, which is a Friday. And the next Monday, the summitive opens. So it's just a cyclical. There's always a window for something open. So you have to give the first opportunity within that window, but then when you give the second opportunity, you can give it any time in the year. We choose to give uh those opportunities within four to six weeks of each other. We try to do that before the next window opens so teachers really can focus on the standards that we're trying to retach if needed. Okay, you can go ahead and switch for me. Thank you. So the reports that we get this year, we had no data last year.
Greetings is a big thing each day. Um, we do do that with the students. We have like the this posted and um I know you've probably all seen like the videos of teachers standing outside the door in the line of kids are picking how they do it. we have a corner that they do it and then they also can go up to their classroom and a lot of their classroom teachers have greetings um as well. So they're greeted by multiple people um and so we've got a little little tiny video that just shows you notice create your own So you'll see some make their own, right? And that they're all coming and um no one's walking around like maybe like what five the this morning we were like sitting there who walked around. Everyone else is staying in that sidewalk that you see on the floor because they want their turn, right?
Did they count a big statement? I I mean they were playing they were playing on uh Pokemon Stadium 2, but they're on Battlefield now, so I'm pretty sure that would be a counter pick. >> Okay. I'm not sure though. I'm not sure. Maybe maybe they just uh mess up. >> Well, they're Well, they're just going to play anyway. >> Okay. Well, that's awesome. Do you have any experience with either of these characters? >> Like playing or fighting? >> Uh fighting. >> Um yes, I would say both. I would say less like in serious settings, less with DK. I have fought um a good Bowser before. >> I would say two, but like one one was offline, so that's the one I'm thinking of right now. >> Yep. >> Isabelle Bowser is very patient for Isabelle. You most of the time want to just be out of the range of Bowser because he might just like die in three hits.
Um, and and like certainly not um we don't we don't know factually, but that is good data for us to have. Um, the only other thing I I was raising my hand to say this a little while ago, William said this, but I I want to echo 22K per year. I do believe I Ready is the full K through six, but 22K per year for a K through6 school feels really like a lot and like an expense that does not seem sustainable. Um, so I'm just echoing that that's something I would like to get more information on and for us to really explore how that's working in the school, how teachers are experiencing it, what it is doing to support our kids in reaching goals, and if that's an expense that's worth us holding on to for the long term. >> Okay. Um, William, >> yes.
Um, you know, the improvements of facilities uh are again very very important to recruiting uh new people into um you know our district. The earth's center is very helpful. We have seven staff members that take advantage of the belt. Um if they didn't have child care, they might not come here. It's possible that you know the belt be a bigger, you know, part of what we do in the community in the future, not only for us, but maybe employees in the city, county, you get the idea. Wolf Creek, all the big uh big big entities that can always use, you know, good employees and excellent child care. So, again, there's a lot of things that we've done and if there's any other areas that we need to continue to work on, we will continue to work on because that strategic plan is a very important part of what we do.
>> Any opposed? Same sign. >> Motion passes. 62. >> I move to approve the resignation of Joy Herto as a bus driver effective at the end of the 2025 2026 school year. >> Motion by Allison, second by Josh. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Any oppose? Same sign. Motion passes 6. I move to approve the resignation as of Susan Barker as the Central Plains High School social studies and history teacher, play director, and scholars both coach effective at the end of the 2025 2026 school year. >> Second motion by Allison and a second by Josh. All those in favor say I. >> I.
Interview rooms were not planned for, requiring legally mandated recording recorded interviews to be conducted in an already occupied office that had to be v that has to be vacated when the occasion arises. Expansion space was never considered and the facility has been at capacity since the day we moved in after the last renovation. Nevertheless, since then, additional responsibilities, mandates, and circumstances have caused us to expand in an already critically overcrowded and strained space, including but not limited to an increase in manpower, accreditation requirements, detective bureau expansion, IT needs, training requirements, the assignment of a full-time school resource officer, bodywn video storage, changes in clerical and oper, requirements, community policing functions, office of emergency management functions, officer wellness, resiliency and fitness programs, and the hiring of female officers, just to name a few. Locker room facilities are overcrowded. Storage shortages have forced the conversion of shower stalls into storage areas and the placement of equipment cabinets in the mail locker room directly adjacent to our toilets and urinals.
It probably will be somebody else for next year. Um, and that one doesn't isn't on the grant. Um, that's by their choice, not our choice. But I have met with them twice. Um, and they do not have any extra officers they could give us. >> Okay. Are you still visiting it? >> Always always keep keeping at it. In fact, um, I had Matt because they added a new section this year in the grant that didn't exist before called retired in Good Standing. And um so Matt's been working with everybody he knows who is and and so is Doug and and we've had lots of people trying to get in touch with folk that they know who are either close to retirement or may want to retire who they think would be good candidates for school resource officers. And I met with one and um that person decided and and I really appreciate his honesty.
Um we have around 30 members on our broad-based planning committee. That's anywhere from high ability teachers um to parents and then community members. We meet three times a year and really get feedback from them, especially when we think about changing identification or looking at those courses. Um, really kind of get the feedback from them to get recommendations on where should this high ability program continue to move forward. >> Thank you, Dr. Peace. I do have um something I would just like you to share and more for the public when it comes to all this. This was great. Will you just share about funding when it comes to our high ability learners and what kind of umbrella that falls in when we look at at state funding? >> Yeah, so um we receive our state funding from um the bianual budget from the state every year.
But really good building. Got those vertical units that Martin mentioned that are uh for each of the classrooms. Those are really nicely efficient. Good hardy units. They'll be they'll be around here a long long time. Okay. >> We don't have individual controls in the the rooms at the elementary. Is that right? >> No, you do have individual. >> Oh, do we? >> Chris can he can change temperatures, anything he wants to do on those. >> Okay. >> Bring in as much fresh air as you want. temperatures like the fans go up and down speedwise. >> Are those controlled at the district level or do the individual teachers have control as well? >> Not the teachers don't have much control. They may have they have a little slide on their thermostat. They go up one one or two degrees. That's it. >> Okay. Be happy to talk about that later if you want to charge.
So the reports we have this year are about four pages. This is the top of the first um page. You can see that bottom with the four different colors that kind of sliding scale that will show us uh where students are falling. So if you're in the blue or the green, you're passing and if you're in the red or the yellow, you did not pass. But within that, we have four proficiency levels, right? So below, approaching at, and above proficiency. So we do hope that within even the second opportunity if needed that students are passing and they move to the green or the blue. But the nice thing with that sliding scale is on the report students do get a raw score and so we can at least see growth. So if I have a student right in between that red and yellow area and I retach and I'm working with a student they may not fully pass but maybe they get really far into the yellow and so I know they're on track and I can continue working with them.
And they have the right to fast. They know that they can go around if they want to continue, but they all want that connection piece. kind of the wishwell boards. Um we have one in um for our staff, but these are Wishwell um boards that we teach. What that means um when we have friends that are not here for the day or we have friends that um have things going on and the students um in these classrooms, they have the opportunity in their morning meetings to share things that they would like others to think about um whether it's their family or friends or themselves throughout the day. And then we have our counseling corner. Um we do the morning check-in. Um just puts on a video. Um usually a little video about an emotion that we're learning about and and then also parts of the brain that we're working on.
>> That's true. That's true. Cuz Isabelle is a light character and Bowser does a lot of damage. So naturally, you'd want to stay away. Use the fishing rod and all the projectiles you can. >> Exactly. Yep. All right. And while we were talking, Eli took another stock. That's four so far he's taken. >> Oh, >> perfect. >> Oh, does a four throw. Is he going to spike? >> Oh, dead at 13%. Another stock on Eli's part. Congratulations. That's five now. Holy canoli. >> That's the same amount of sides as a Pentagon. Oh, but speaking of sides, Eli flew off to the right side of the screen. And unfortunately, that means his stock has been taken. But it was a good showing anyways. He took five stocks before losing three. It was a very good showing. Yes, >> very good showing. Do you Who would you counter pick in this situation to fight the Bowser?