So with that members any discussion any >> okay the chair votes I on SD1 Chair Kim votes I on House Bill >> 1890 House three. >> The chair votes I. Senator Kunaga excused. >> Senator Hashimoto. >> Hi. >> Senator Deort. >> Hi. >> Measures adopted. Madam chair. >> Thank you very much. Uh let's see. We are on House Bill 1888 House draft 3. This is the relating to the safety of education workers. Uh after conferring, members, the recommendation is to amend this measure to delete out uh references to disruptions on page 11, item G, lines 9 to uh 11 and anywhere else in the measure that that might appear that be stricken from the measure. Also amending this to add in uh Senate Bill 2900 definition of sports official. uh also include language from 29 00 that makes intentional body injury of an education worker or sports official, engage in lawful discharge of an education worker or sports official duties a class B felony and include clarifying language that authorizes the attorney general to assist education workers or sports officials who've been subject to harassment or intentional bodily injury.
I mean, uh, when we have our operations meeting, uh, I have to say, you know, it's it's really, uh, a incredible exchange of ideas and, um, I with other districts in the news, uh, either closing schools or losing staff, uh, I, I think that all of us uh, our staff members and, uh, the community as a whole need to really take a look and say that we've kept everybody. We're adding some things and not every district can say that. So, thank you the bottom of my heart, the community's heart. I think that uh we have a stellar team and I just want to take my hat off to everybody, but Miss Lee, I know you were sweating it and you did you knocked it out of the ballpark. So, thank you for everybody. I appreciate it. >> Thank you. >> Well said. >> All right.
They gave us some feedback on those questions and they allowed us some structure to conduct a focus group. It's critical to understand that when it comes to focus group, we need to have the same questions to ensure alignment. So, the questions that were for staff were the same for multilingual or special education staff. The questions that were for students were identical for multilingual special education and the questions again that were for um our community members were identical. Phase three is where we conducted the collection of the work. So this involved conducting focus groups, distributing surveys, collecting data and checkpoints with union leadership so that we kept them apprised of where we were. You'll see the arrows there because I'm going to go back to that. Phase four, once we were done with collecting both the quantitative and qualitative data. Now what? Now we put some teams together.
Um remind the board we have the Latte ceremony coming up Wednesday evening, which is typically the beginning of the end, the sprint to the the finish line. Um and it's it's before spring break this year. So, it kind of gives you an idea how the calendar rolls. And then want to wish everybody a an enjoyable and safe spring break. And uh I know everyone is looking forward to that. Some of our our teachers especially. Uh I know students always do, but it's it'll be a good reprieve, a good break to come back and be focused in for those final few weeks as we head into summer. Thank you, Dr. Terrell. Move on to other business of the board. Uh anybody have anything tonight? Uh we have somebody attending Wednesday's? Uh I'm attending on >> Oh, okay. Just want to make sure. Okay. I don't know if anybody else is joining me.
Mr. Thornsberry. Nice to see you, as well. Uh I always miss you guys. Thank you. Um okay, so this evening, I'm going to present a few different things. The first is the exterior building maintenance uh for various buildings project that we put out to bid. That includes the triplets, Andrews, Flint Springs, and Lincoln, as well as Crestview and Riverview. So, it's exterior building maintenance. It's to try to tackle as much as we can during a summer, rather than Rich and his team trying to contract it out uh over a period of time. So, with this project, we received four bids. Uh Allen County uh Builders, or ACB General Contractor, uh they were the low bid at $1,325,000. Um and so, my recommendation is that we do accept their bid in that amount for $1,325,000. And um the plan is to start construction as soon as school is out in May, and hope to be done with most of it during the summer months, and then it could carry into the fall a little bit, if uh if need be, depending on weather.
So with these measures um and any any technical amendments that may need to be put in members any discussion? >> Just yes. So um when I look at the oh >> when I look at um educational worker >> um it seems a little broad to include administrators because what we're talking about are people who are actually in direct contact with the with the student or the parent. So I would take out administrator and just at least leave the counselor, the teacher, the sports official, you know, people who are actually in >> Yes, I understand. But you don't think that it elevates to administrator at some point? >> Not as an educational worker. Um I would say direct contact. >> So >> um I don't have a problem with that. We could also have it done as it moves on or >> yeah prefer it taken out here.
Now, at this time, I'll open the floor for any other comments or questions from the members of the board. Going once, going twice. Sounds like you did a really good job. >> Thank you. >> Okay, so we are now up to the uh first reading of the budget, correct? >> All right, Miss Lee, since this is a really long one, would you care to do the honors? All right. be resolved that the Bombberg Board of Education upon recommendation of the superintendent accepts the 2026 27 tenative general fund budget be adopted in the amount of $66 million822,710 and a tenative general fund local levy tax levy in the amount of 16 million $60,128,28 and a tenative special revenue fund in the amount of $4,29,642 and a tenative debt service budget in the amount of 1,642,663 and a tenative debt service local tax levy in the amount of $736,568.
Again, I will revisit that in just a moment. Phase five is the presentation, but I need to emphasize again, we are not done. There's a lot of work ahead. So phase three, this was the quantitative data. We I we identified three years worth of data and we got student demographic data with the segregated that data by race, gender and subgroups. Our subgroups that we looked at were free reduced lunch, homeless in addition to multilingual special education as well as grades. We looked at looked at intersectionality of data as well. So that means particular identity groups for example students who are duly identified multilingual special education. We looked at not only general demographic data as mentioned we broke it up and we looked at that data within the grade level again multilingual specific special education specific grade level specific multi-year and intersectionality. As far as qualitative data we obtained focus groups and surveys.
We're good. Anybody else got anything? No. Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, sorry about that. I didn't miss that. All right, Mr. Wasser, legislative update. If you could fill us in. Basically, on the update that I provided for everyone here, this is the These are the new education laws. When all was said and done, this is what's coming out. And that will our school corporation and all public school corporations will be under. Uh Senate Bill 1, that's the bill the bill commonly known as the bill the bill cell phone ban. For students are prohibited from using cell phones, smart watches, and other personal wireless devices for the entire school day. Grades K through 12. Must be powered off and stored in a inaccessible place. Obviously, that's going to be a task because our our kids especially at high school level are used to using their phones throughout the day, if I'm not mistaken.
Any questions? Thank you, Mr. Thornsberry. Questions for Mr. Thornsberry? This is the stuff that we talked about during the the bonding and stuff that we kind of went over a couple I don't remember when the work session was, but it was several months ago, about all that uh where this is finally coming around and getting it done. >> We're finally Yeah, finally getting to that point, correct? Cool. Thank you. I'll entertain a motion. I'll reference this item. Make a motion to approve the HCCS exterior building maintenance project award uh bids as presented to Allen County Builders. Thank you, Mr. Wall. Is there a second? Second. Thank you, Mr. Melcher. Any further questions or comments before we vote?
>> I would just take out the administrator >> the word administrator from educational workers. >> Yeah. Right here. >> Any issues on that? Line 17. >> Line 17 page 11. >> Same page. >> Okay. Okay. Just any administrator. >> Okay. Any administrator. >> Okay. >> And then I I just want to get clarification. Is this going to be have anything to make sure that we have the protection of the special education program or the special education students that's um within this bill. Because if you guys know anything about uh emotional handicap classes, they do outburst, they do yell, they do scream um in class. And then um I just don't want this to >> that's why we taken out the words disruption. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Harassment's in there and I don't see that the students will be harassing. Yeah. But we did take out the disruption >> and you know it is going to move forward to ways and means and we can make more amendments as needed and then probably got to go to conference at that.
whereby the tenative 202627 budget totals 72,675,15 and whereas the Bombberg board of education has been notified of a state aid amounts and whereas such state aid amounts are for 20 2627 equalization aid is $34,861,165 and for 2627 the school choice aid is $110,546 and for 2627 the categorical special education aid is 3,179,955 and for 2627 the categorical security aid is $94,627 and 2627 categorical transportation aid is 187 $7,69 and 2627 the preschool education aid is $2,425,220 and 2627 the death service aid is $875,492 and whereas the bombberg board of education has estimated a state aid amount pursuant to application and for 2627 the estimated extraordinary aid amount is $180,000. And whereas policy number 6471 and NJAC68 colon 23A-7.3 provides that the board of education shall establish in the annual school budget a maximum expenditure amount that may be allotted for travel and expensive reimbursement for 202627 school year.
We conducted this of students, staff, parents, guardians and caretakers. 85 focus groups were conducted both in person and virtually. a total of 215 focus group participants and over 300 surveys that were available via email as well as on our website. Again, we're not done. We intend that this continues to be a communication loop. As far as phase 4, a huge shout out and thank you to the analysis teams. This was a collaborative effort between building leaders, district staff, and membership identified by both OEA and OESPA as they took all of the quantitative and qualitative raw data and they identified themes. What do we hear people saying over again? You interview, you talk to hundreds of people, you'll get hundreds of different ideas, but what do we notice is a common denominator. So, at this time, I'm going to turn it over to my team. And what they're going to share with you are some of those strengths that we heard commonality when it comes to multilingual as well as special education and what are some areas of need.
So, this this will be difficult to get across. My recommendation personally is to get this information out from the principals to the parents as soon as possible. Don't wait until August to do that. House Bill 1408, social media parent permission. This uh is going to require that if your your child is under 16 years of age, you have to give them permission to be able to get on their phone and get into these sites. Hopefully, the cell phone ban in schools will help us take care of that. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera down here. Everybody can read these things. Number six on here, A to F school accountability. This is This is going back to grading schools A through F. Put out by the legislature. Uh the focus is a little different here as you you may read that it's on academic mastery, career and post-secondary readiness, communication and collaboration, work ethics, civics, and financial digital literacy.
Hearing none, let's vote on that motion. I know Allen County Builders is in the name, but aren't they based in Huntington? So, we're using local Yeah, that's what I thought. They go by ACB. I'm so used to them as Allen County Builders from over the years, but yes. They're here in town. >> That motion passes 7-0. Move on to H2 Verdian Architecture Design Incorporated proposal and terms and conditions HCCS exterior building maintenance project. Right. So, this is my proposal to do the design work for the bids that I just presented to you. And the reason that they're flip-flopped in this case, we actually needed to start design on this prior to you getting funding for the bond in order to get it done in time to get it out to bid in time for summer construction. So, we take that risk on our end, try to get ahead of it.
So that education committee members there no discussion. Chair votes I for SD2 on house bill 188. Chair votes I. Vice chair votes C1. >> I senator Fukunaga excused. Senator Hashimoto. >> Hi. >> Senator Dort. >> Hi. >> Measures adopted. Madam chair. >> Okay. For the committee on labor and technology, same recommendation on House Bill 1888, House draft 3. Uh to pass with amendments. Any further discussion? If not, Vice Chair Lamas for the vote. Chair votes I. >> Okay. For HB1 1888, HD3 recommendation of the chair is passed with amendments. Anyone present wanting to vote with reservations or no >> Reservations for Senator Plla. Um all other members vote I. Your recommendation is adopted. Sorry. Um also noting the excused absence of Senator. >> Thank you Senator Lamas. >> Okay. And for the last item on the agenda 16, House Bill 1676, House draft one, um, taking into consideration the discussion that we've had with the Department of Education that they are going to continue to work on this.
Now therefore be resolved that the Bombberg Board of Education hereby establish the school district annual travel maximum for 2627 school year at a total of 57,500 and be further resolved that the school business administrator shall track and record these costs to ensure that the maximum amount is not exceeded. And whereas that the board of education includes in the tenative budget the adjustment for increased cost of health benefits in the amount of 1 million335,344. The additional funds will be used to pay for the additional increase in health benefit premium premiums. Whereas that the boundar uh that the board of education includes in the tenative budget the adjustment for the bank cap on the amount of $263,84 in accordance with NJAC6823A-10.3B. The district has fully exhausted all eligible statutory spending authority. The adjustment will be used for the tuition pay for vortekch programs. The board of education will complete this by June 30, 2027 and acknowledges that it cannot be deferred or in incrementally completed over a longer period of time.
Again, as promised, I'm going to say it again. These are not all the areas of strength. These are not all the areas of need that we need attention to. All right. So beginning with multilingual learners when we're looking at uh our stakeholders that were part of this uh work uh students staff and caregivers. So for students supported by the ML staff were their strengths. Students felt welcome uh teachers create a supportive environment. So those were the big themes that we sorry um sorry um have have uh that came out of the the the analysis for our students. Our staff, we have dedicated ML staff, uh student centered staff and uh nonML staff feel supported by our ML staff at each of the buildings. Uh caregivers um they feel that um the strengths of our our programs are that we have a welcoming environment focused on community and focused on the needs of the families.
But it will include standardized tests. That's That part's not going to go away. So, that's that's a change. Those are the big six changes in education laws in the state of Indiana that came out of this last legislative assembly. Thank you, Mr. Wasser. Appreciate Appreciate your work.
Um so, I'm presenting this to you tonight. We're complete with most of what's listed in my proposal. We're down to construction administration and uh and that's it. So, uh any questions in regard to any of that information? As you can see, it's all based upon the bid as well, our our amount. So, um So, it's like I said, it's just how we have to get things done based on uh timing. And otherwise, we'd be pushing everything into the following summer of '26, and we didn't want to do that. Thank you, Mr. Thornsberry. We appreciate the good faith. I'll entertain a motion. Reference is item. Motion to approve the proposal and terms and conditions for HCCS exterior building maintenance project as presented. Thank you, Mr. Melcher. Is there a second? Second. Thank you, Mr. McLelland. Any further comments or discussion? I just want to again thank you for being a great partner in this process.