We had the opportunity to go to uh CSA New Tech last week or the week before last and listen in on some of the senior capstone presentations at the North High School and East High School. They're our student uh projects for seniors. At CSA New Tech, they also do senior capstones, which is kind of a an introduction and a defense of your education uh all at the same time. Follows a formula, a rubric. Uh students did a wonderful job of understanding themselves, understanding their learning, and then making a cogent presentation of what they had accomplished during their years at CSA. Um That was uh in in addition to the meeting that uh Mr. Glick talked about. That was all I did. Uh Mr. Nowlin? Mhm. In my role as legislative liaison, I didn't have any meetings, but I have been reappointed as the Indiana School Board Association District 10 representative for the legislative committee.
Monica doesn't need to miss any more time out of her class to deal with Abby's attitude. So, sorry, Abby. Um >> I don't think it's a problem not to have it ready yet for the parents. Everybody knows now that it's a law. We're just fine-tuning how that will look. So, they've all been been told that. So, I would rather you be very very uh comfortable with what what we present in in June. >> Yeah. So. We'll just introduce to students that there will be a significant change to cell phones. We've already done this in the months. We've sent out surveys. We We've done this, but I think everybody's aware it's coming. >> I appreciate all the input you sought. >> Yeah, I know. It's a It's a big challenge. And not our choice Yeah, not necessarily our choice, but you know, like we didn't come up with this ourselves.
I just want to thank everybody for working on this endeavor. We hope to grow this over the years. So, just thank you everybody for those efforts. And that's all. Thank you, Mr. Ke, chief financial officer. >> Thank you, Mr. President, members of the board. After reports starting uh this year, calendar year, uh we started working with representatives from each of our buildings along with representatives from our uh support departments. And we have formed an insurance committee that's been reviewing uh claims, our plans, uh and what things were upcoming and really introducing more how our insurance programs run uh to get them to share that word at the building levels. Hopefully utilize that plan a little more efficiently and effectively to try to keep our specifically our health care cost down. We've already started to see some benefit uh to that. We'll plan a third meeting once we get back from school to get us through the claims from the summer and leading up into not renegotiation but reevaluation of our plan going into the next calendar year to provide the best benefits at the best cost that we can for all of our employees.
If we want to schedule a site walk, we can do that, but let's just say theoretically, we do that testing and we find something. How is that any different than the things we've already found? It just means we have a soil management plan, we have the infrastructure, we have the policy. It's just more soil remediation that we have to do. It's more cost to us. But what what is that a Well, your cost is not our problem, first of all. >> It's just weird. It's But um we have to write conditions for this. And our conditions are going to be based on what we find or what you find over there. This is a challenging site. You've You've mentioned that. We know that. Um and you knew that when you got involved in the project, I'm assuming. Of course. Of course. >> going to be certain challenges.
>> Okay. So it I mean I think tomorrow's meeting is pretty critical and so in our next meeting it will be great to hear more about what folks are seeking and I think that there is a question about validity of data versus disagreement and and if we can get closer to that that would be probably be good. The second thing I would say is that if the town seeks an override at any point, a big part of that is educating the public about it. And while while we don't campaign for a an override, we will be called upon to provide information, we will be and the school department will be. And so I think some of the things that you talked about, Chris, will happen naturally. Sure. um during an override period, you know, be before an override vote. So, we will be ready to to do that um to provide the information to the voters should we need to.
But any of us would still be here. But um But I think, you know, um we also are deeply vested in making sure that it's maybe not an island anymore, but peninsula off the main, you know, part of the school that is closely supervised and well cared for cared for, especially in this transition. And I hear you saying that it's important to you to have you know, that that we don't, you know, put this person out on an island. Um and I totally agree with that, whoever we hire. Now, we could end up hiring a teacher leader who's been a Smart Start coordinator in another district for 14 years and you know, that becomes less an issue. But we don't want to write job descriptions that that paint us into corners around that either. So, um your your at that point, but I know you had a couple of other things.
Thank you. Yeah. Okay, so we're voting on this. Okay, great. Um we could vote to move it to the full board after a two-week public review. So you have to make that up. Yeah, I have to make that up. So can I list it as a two-week meeting? Yes. Two weeks? Yes, cuz we also have that last board meeting on June 30th if you're willing to Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, good. All right, we're good. Um so do we have a motion or Yes, I would now like to make a motion to move that the We can make it right there. There's the textbook name. We'll post that. >> Make a I make a motion to recommend to the full board the adoption of a new textbook for physics titled OSX Physics for High School by P. Paul Peter Urone and Roger Hinrichs. After a two-week public review.
>> I'll second. And then everyone will be able to Mr. Folcarino has made a motion to reopen the vote to allow members now to change their vote. I'll second that. Seconded by Mrs. Sciortino. Roll call. Mr. Folcarino. I'm going to abstain on 12.6 and I on the rest. Um I'm sorry. Yes. Vote Just a motion to reopen. Mr. Folcarino, I. That's an I vote. I. Mr. Rezzio. I. Mr. Diaz. >> I. Mr. Keeler. >> I. Mr. Taylor. I. Mr. Arado. Abstain on 12.1. This is just to reopen. This is just to reopen it. Okay. So it's an I. Mr. Gabba. I. Mrs. Hassan. I. Mrs. Petrie. I is I'm sorry. we cannot hear up here. Something's wrong with the mics for us. [clears throat] He's laughing. I'm sorry, I can't hear. All right, so let's go for a motion. So now we're opening for a revote.
>> Yeah. And often she'll consult like when we've had some situations I know she's done a really good job of creating you know ensuring that that outline is clear and is included but we can absolutely talk about process but we can't where we typically get sideways is people want to know what the other students discipline is and they won't be satisfied without knowing it and um or what the reasoning or cause is and I've you know I I was a pio in a in my prior district And you know, like sometimes like these students have IEPs, like there's all these different things that really limit our ability um to share this information. And so it's as long as people are reasonable, like here's our process. This is what we can tell you and trust us, we're following our process, we're okay. Um it's when people are really demanding, I need to know who this kid is, what was happening with them, and what the consequences were.
Drum roll, please. Thank you for that. We're very excited to share the rebranding of one of our specialized programs. Uh staff and parents participated in focus groups to help guide this process, including selecting the new name and ensuring it reflects both the purpose of the program and the voices of those closest to it. The program formerly called ELS, also standing for educational life skills, will now be called STRIVE. STRIVE stands for structured teaching for readiness, independence, voice, and engagement. This new name reflects our commitment to preparing students with essential life skills through a structured approach that supports readiness for future success, builds independence, and strengthens self-advocacy through voice and engagement. Our goal is to empower every student to grow, communicate, and engage with purpose. Here is a visual that better explains the full range of services in our district. It starts with general education in the least restrictive environment and then extends more to intensive supports, including home bound and hospital services.
There's also in that rotation a departmental meeting. So um It's just continuing to to build on those things. Our professional learning team has spent the year working on this and I think we're going to see a lot of positive results on the work that we've put together this year that will roll out next year. um Top reservation as we would expect from teachers is that recognizing this can't just fall on the teachers. We talked about this a little bit last time. The idea that you can't make anybody engage. You can't make anybody feel like they belong, right? You can't make anybody show up to school, right? All we can do is increase the chances that that could occur, all right? Make it more likely that that could happen. But you know, concern that you know, we would be holding teachers to be the only ones that did.
So, I want to We will meet this summer. I want to encourage any school board members or administrators, um if you have your own legislative priorities that you'd like me to share with that committee as as the state school board association puts together its list of priorities. Um also, um I serve [clears throat] on the High Abilities Broad-Based Planning Committee, and we met last week. We received an update on the um grant proposal for the 2026-2027 school year. This grant provides funding to support high ability identification and support for all students grades K through 12. Grant funds are used to support the fourth through sixth academic challenge classes at Southside and Parkside, as well as high ability students in the general education classrooms at all elementary schools. It provides funding for professional development for our teachers and funding to attend conferences and take graduate courses to receive high ability endorsements and we have two staff members that are in the process of receiving the high ability endorsement this year.
It's the state of Indiana. Yeah, well, oops. So. >> So, at this point, I am going to allow the principals. I know that you are busy people. If you want to take off, you can now and no judgement. >> Okay, so we move on to old business, which there is none. Moving on to E new business. Bypassed E1, so we'll move to E2. Consider approval of the following field trip requests. Benton Central FFA chapter to the Indiana FFA state convention in Noblesville, June 16th, 2026 through June 18th, 2026. Benton Central eighth grade students to Washington D.C., April 1st, 2027 through April 6th, 2027. I'll make a motion on that, please. >> I'll make a motion to consider the approval of the following field trip request. The Benton Central FFA uh to the state convention in Noblesville, June 16th through the 18th, and the Benton Central eighth grade students to Washington D.C., April 1st, 2027 through April 6th, 2027.
Like to thank those members who are g their time to work with us, greater understanding and sharing what our insurance plans are all about. So, I want to thank them for their time. >> Thank you, Mr. Ree. 6.08 direct communications. >> Thank you. And good evening. I want to thank our digital media specialist, Rich Johnson, as well as Mr. for their help in developing a budget series that we have on our YouTube channel right now and we've been placing it in our newsletters as well. Um, the world runs on short videos for their information sources these days and so to distill something as complex as district finances into six videos that are each approximately a minute or less um that takes a lot of work. So, thank you to both of them for checking the scripts and the wording and just how we phrased everything as well as trying to translate that into a visual story for everybody in our district.
>> is you need to remediate all contaminated soils, you agreed. Or you need to handle any compen- contaminated soils in this protocol, agreed. Whether it's And And forgive me, my nomenclature will be wrong, but whether it's this much in terms of tonnage or whatever, it doesn't change the strategy and the policy. That's the point I'm making. It's we're going to have a an infrastructure and a strategy in place that will be approved by this board. And then when we do additional testing, if we find other things, it needs to be handled in accordance to the policy and the approach that we're setting up. So whether it's so much dirtier or maybe we get lucky and there's not much other stuff, it doesn't change the approach. That's the point I'm trying to make. So I'm not clear on why finding the additional stuff is so important cuz we it's our risk and we need to remediate it regardless.
So, this is probably more pre preliminary um about that. But, but I think this group, this advisory group is is pretty critical as well. So, I I'm just really want to hear more at our next meeting. Um, and the the one other thing I would say is that there seems to be a concern or I should probably ask, is there a concern about the percentage of the town budget that goes to the schools? And would it be helpful to get I know we can't compare apples to apples ever, but you know to get some comparison uh communities that have similarsized school departments and get a sense of what their percentage is as well. So I don't know if that would be helpful and if that information is readily available. >> I think that information is readily available. Um, and it probably would be helpful information to some individuals, certainly interesting to most people, I would think.
>> next one was to support the hiring and evaluating of staff. Yeah, that one I totally understand and I've made that adjustment there as well. Um collaborate with building administration to support the hiring um and coaching of of certified and non-certified staff. Um I don't know, to manage the budget for early childhood program. I mean, I think I think these key responsibilities are a lot for a teacher-like person. Uh because I mean, I'm envisioning them in their classrooms a lot too, right? Yeah, doing some coaching and and support. Now again, that's collaborate with the building administration to manage the budget. We wouldn't put it on just their shoulders and say good luck. I mean, we don't really even do that with the principals. Um there are a lot of guardrails in place to ensure that you know, we're we're meeting our budgetary Right. limitations, I guess.
After a two-week public review. Second. Okay, I second it. Any discussion? All in favor? [clears throat] All right. What a team. Would you like to do the minutes that way, too? So we have minutes from April 20th, All right. 2016. I make a motion to recommend to the full board No. I know. >> [clears throat] >> We we did it? Approve the second one. We approve it? Okay. Got it. I make a motion to approve the minutes of the Cheshire Board of Ed Strategic Planning Committee meeting of Monday, April 20th, 2026. I second it.
Yes. Okay, so motion to I'll make the motion to approve resolutions 12.1 through 12.14. Okay, Mr. Focorino, second by Mr. Gabba. Okay. >> [clears throat] >> Mr. Focorino. 12.16 recuse I and the rest. So you're recusing recusing from 12.6. 12.6, correct. Okay. Mr. Regio. I. Mr. Diaz. I. Mr. Kieles. I am I'm abstaining on 12.2 number three. 12.2 number three. Mr. Taylor. >> 12.2 abstaining 12.5 number four. I to the rest. Mr. Auto. Abstain 12.2 number three. 12.6 I to the rest. Mr. Gabba. I. Mrs. Hassan. I. Mrs. Petrie. [clears throat] Okay, I recuse from 12.2 number three and 12.6. I to the rest. Okay, thank you. Did we get it right? Oh, I can't even hear. Where is my other paper? Okay, we're up to This facilities. Can I have a motion? 14.1. I'll make a motion. I'll second that. I don't know. Somebody down there.
That's usually where we run a foul of this. But I think your point is well taken that we should probably do a like when Emily gets involved that gets very clear from my perspective but we may want to systematize that with a template like Adriana was mentioning. >> Okay. So I think that I put a deadline for when we have to be done with this and then um we have time with the leadership seminar for uh James and uh Evan and Amy. So, we could maybe just kind of like make sure we've like finalized what this template should look like and then schedule the time then. Um, and then Mr. Man, if you know if there's any work time being provided, maybe that's something that like our team can kind of work through during those few of days. >> Yeah, I think I think there is an intention of having some work time.