001Okay, I think it's time to get started tonight. Board of education has been in closed executive session to discuss the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body, and collective negotiating matters between the board [clears throat] and representatives of its employees. No action was taken during the closed executive session. And now I'll ask everyone to join me in the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. We have a recommendation for tonight's agenda. Yes, we do. I recommend the board approve tonight's March 24th, 2026 open session board meeting agenda as presented. I motion. So moved. Second. Any discussion? All [snorts] in favor signify by saying
002aye. Aye. Those opposed? Motion's carried. Okay, we'll move on to our district highlights, and I think Dr. Clark will be walking us through those. Yes, I will. I would like to ask whether the MacArthur High School varsity boys basketball coaching staff and team to join us at the podium to talk about their exciting season full of many historical accomplishments. And to start us off is coach Bryson. >> [applause] >> Come on up, everyone. First of all, thanks for inviting us today. They want to see your faces. Thanks for inviting us today. We had a pretty good year. Came up short. I mean, we all still hurting cuz we feel like we should be the state champs. But, I mean, I had a good group of guys this year. I mean, the best thing about it,
003all our seniors going to college this year. >> [applause] >> And then, all our younger guys, I mean, we got to do something that never been done around here. And I promise you, we'll be back. The old champs in our book. >> [applause] >> Can they get all the coaches up so they can take a picture with your team? [cheering] All the coaches come up to take a picture with your team. Great job, everyone. Oh, and I heard they received IHSA's best sportsmanship, too. Congratulations. >> [applause] >> Families, you can you are welcome to come up and take photos as well. Hold on, fellas. >> You got to introduce your team as they're walking off. I think I know all their names. Mike coach Earl Thomas Cleo Yes. Corey, senior. Monte, junior. KT, sophomore. Tylen,
004senior. Kendall, sophomore. Charles, sophomore. Crybaby Tashawn. >> [laughter] >> Crybaby Kanye. Crybaby Shawn. All right. >> [applause] >> Congratulations, once again, everyone. I would now like to ask Jessica Ellison, principal of the Social Emotional Learning Academy, SELA, to join us at the podium to present an update. She has to get through all the basketball players. >> [laughter] >> Good evening, everyone. I brought some staff with me today, but um Oop. Yeah. Okay, sorry. Um thanks for having us tonight. Tonight, we just wanted to talk a little bit about one of the things we've really worked a lot on this year, and that's building community um at SELA. So, um our students, we have a population of Clicker, you got the clicker? Right here. Oh, sorry. Um I have a population of kindergarten through 12th graders.
005We have currently around 70 students enrolled um give or take depending on um the day or um As far as staff, this is pretty much is what our staff looks like. Um with social work, behavior staff, um TAs certified teachers. Um we have a We have our own SRO, our police officer there um and a nurse and a part-time SLP. Um we're really proud of this, our second year in a row, we're 81% um overall K-12 attendance. For an alternative program, that's we're pretty proud of that. Um and our elementary is over 90% for the second year in a row, also. We started a board this year um of spotlighting our students, and they become really proud of the of themselves. Um we've We highlight them for a month. Um they get a certificate that
006we put in a frame, and they've just really enjoyed having that. A lot of our students have struggled in a lot of different environments, and so they don't get that recognition all the time. So, sometimes these are the first time that some of these students have gotten any kind of award um and in educational environments, so they're really proud of when they see their names up there, and then they're recognized around the school. Um as I mentioned, community is a big thing that we've focused a lot on this year. So, some of the outside places that we visit visit, we take the kids shopping at Sam's. Um this is for our program for incentives, or if we're going to do some kind of community project. Um our high school students um still have the coffee
007lab, which is up and up and running for many years. Um we they service the Macon Piatt offices and our side of the um program. We have a lot of holiday activities. The kids make Christmas dinner, and then we all sit down as a full building for Christmas dinner. Um and then most recently, we also had um we had a high school egg drop, so with science, they're working on that, and then B&G was out there helping us with that project, too. So, it was nice to have even we brought in some other um people within other staff. Um just some pictures. These are uh Halloween night and just some other You see in the middle is our coffee lab, our kids that were out serving coffee um through the day. We some of community
008other community engagement um activities we've had. We visited the fire department this year. We took a group of kids to Lincoln Library in Springfield, which was really cool. We haven't taken kids um out of Decatur um in quite a while, and the middle school teacher wanted to do that, and they had a great time. Um we're actually planning on taking another group that same group, and maybe one of our elementary classes back um this spring to visit Lincoln's um home. They've um wanted to see some of that. We actually have My middle school classroom also is working on a woodworking project. Um we've had some some community members have come out, and they're learning how to build um a stool, and they've built some other They're going to build planters for our program. And then,
009we also have the kids taking the kids out into McDonald's. Um we They actually eat there. We have them eat at in the restaurant um at a table with all of them together and just talking um and getting social. Some more activities you see that from the ones we just mentioned. Um we've taken the kids out in the bowling. We've taken them to the pumpkin patch, the zoo Rock Springs. Um this fall, we did a cookout um and we cooked s'mores. Many of our students had never even had a s'more, so that was really cool to have to make that and have them have that opportunity. Um and then last time we went bowling, we also had quite a few that had never done that, either. So, it was cool that they could have these
010opportunities. Um here's some pictures from the bowling. And the zoo. We this year um Well, the last couple years, we have been volunteering at Northeast um and we have two job placements actually there this year. So, we have taken this volunteering opportunity that we still do with our kids every Thursday, but now we have two students that actually work there um in a BCE placement. One goes in the morning, and one goes in the afternoon. So, these actually have changed turned these volunteering into actual job placements. Um we have our first student back at Tech Academy. We had years ago um we had a couple students back in in the program. Um and now we have our We have one student being very successful in the welding program. Um and then we've taken some students
011out to visit, and then they'd have the opportunity to see what the programs are about. So, we're trying to work more um with the program with Heartland again to get some of our kids A lot of our kids, yes, it's an alternative program, >> [snorts] >> but a lot of our high school kids have chosen to stay within our small environment. So, they may have earned their way to go back to um what what anywhere in Macon County, whether it be Decatur schools or the county schools, wherever they're from, but they've just they've been so successful that when they get started in high school, if they say this is where we need I need to be in order to get my graduation completed, we listen to them. Um and if they've earned their way to
012do that, then we look at other opportunities we can help them so they can be successful adults. Here's some Here's some pictures of them. Um as I mentioned, some other things we're hoping to do this spring, we're actually going roller skating at the Disc. Um where we've been looking into trying to do some swimming lessons and different things with the kids. We We go to the Decatur Library quite a bit. Um some of our kids ask when they have gotten to the level three um is a big thing for us, and when the kids younger kids have gone, they've asked if they can go to the library and hang out. So, we've taken them to the library and they um will will sit and read, and we'll show them that experience cuz many have not.
013Um Mini golf, as I mentioned, we'd like to take another group back to Lincoln sites in Springfield um with an elementary and middle school class combining, which is pretty um neat. These are just some behind the scenes of our community that we've built within our staff and our students, so you just see um The one on the bottom and then there's a couple pictures in there, too. We had a couple kids graduate in December, and how we typically do a lot of that is when the kids if they're comfortable and we you know you get to know the kids um when they leave for the last time we line the hallways with signs and um let them know how proud of them they are. So there's a couple pictures up there of um one one
014of our students last days was um and we lined the hall for him and they gave him all the signs that um the kids had made for him. Let's see. Is that what you have in your notes? Okay. Any questions? Great work. Great success. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. That will end our district highlights for this evening. Okay, we'll move on to public participation. Board of Education would like to note the following during public participation. Identify oneself and be brief. Comment should be limited to 3 minutes. Any public comments submitted to the board secretary will also be included in the record. Please note that during any Board of Education meeting and public participation board members do not respond and or comment to public comments. All comments are referred to administration. Furthermore, the board refrains
015from referring to specific students or staff members by name and requests that public commenters refrain from doing so as well. The request that you omit names is made to protect you from allegations of libel or slander or from violations of the Illinois School Student Records Act. It is not intended to shield an employee from criticism. Ms. Bradford. Corletta Murray. It's different up here. Good evening. Good evening. To Superintendent Clark, President Clevenger, Mrs. Tias, Mr. Hale, Mr. Joiner, Mr. Reynolds, Dr. Lauritsen, Mr. Wetzel, Ms. Bradford, and the staff, students, and families of the extended day program. My name is Corletta Murray of Decatur, Illinois. I'm a teaching assistant at Eisenhower High School, DFTA 4324 secretary, extended day staff person, and a member staff person of the youth ministry of Love Fellowship Christian Church where Bishop James
016Wills is my pastor. I'm here to ask you that you consider maintaining what has already been established with the current before and after school program with the new service agent or vendor or whoever it may be. Let's continue to work together to reinforce what the children are already learning. They have shown growth in the K2 my math, my reading online program. 180 minutes are often completed in 5 days or less. 99 math, the character development is often addressed with the seven mindsets initiative which also helps with the social emotional for the whole child. Let's continue the activities we offer such as journal writing, the IXL where we had 10 third grade language arts skills met, 20,000 math questions, 5,000 social studies questions, and we also do 99 math and times tables.com, PBS [music] Kids. We
017have visits from Children's Museum, the 4-H who do robotics, homework health, acknowledging seasonal holidays such as Black History Month, uh Women's History Month, spelling bees, Olympics, and those are some of the most of the things that we do. So let's please continue to be proactive and work together to help the family, staff, and students make the program the best it can be. I ask that you reach out to these families, champion. [music] Reach out to the families, the staff, and the community partners that we already have relationships with and please let us continue to provide a high quality program that is much needed and that the children deserve. Together we want to be that one voice and embrace the inevitable change that is to come. I understand that it may not look the same in
018the way of funding and salaries, but sacrifices and concessions will have to be made. The success of this program thus far and the waiting list is saying let's continue what we have. Let us all continue to be champions and thank you for your attention to this matter. Thank you. Jason Johnson. Hello. Okay. Uh I have a quick story. Uh I went down to Mississippi and my cousin asked me did I want a white woman and I said no because they they in Decatur, Illinois and they teach you teach you about slavery and stuff and uh yeah that was that was about it. So and I don't so I'm in Mattoon of the south. I don't feel the same and I don't look the same. And uh I believe that uh I believe that white people
019did not bring us here on a boat. I believe that we followed the man that walked on water over here and now here we are. Thank you. Rebecca Miller. Hi. We've got issues with one of the schools and we would like that being addressed. Please. Thank you. She's already out there. Thank you. Are there any any other individuals wishing to address the board? Okay. Thanks everyone for public participation. We always appreciate those insights. Uh Board of Education will now move on to our normal board discussion. Any board comments? How about an update on the road map? I can give that. >> [clears throat] >> Um on March 11th we had a community forum at both Eisenhower and MacArthur MacArthur high schools. We had 26 people 26 people attend and we went through the same process
020we did at the staff forum on March 4th which was to present where we were with road map and then give the community and staff an opportunity to offer feedback on our mission, vision, values, key performance indicators, and the overall strategic plan. So um overall uh things are going well. Our next meeting is April 1st at 5:30 and I see Jay and Ashley coming up um to save me. So um >> [cough] >> I I would say one of the things and and and I'm I'm going to get a little off the reservation here, but um there's a lot of noise out there about what this process is and what this process isn't and instead of making things up I would issue I I would urge the community to reach out to myself and to
021Christina and to my other fellow board members. Our phone numbers are public, our emails are public. Uh and it's much better to get real information than it is to make up things on social media. So I would encourage you to reach out. Last time we went through this process I ended up talking to about 200 people. I've got no problem doing that again. You just need to reach out so we can actually have conversations and to have this as uh uh to continue to be a transparent and open process. So that's my two cents. Any other questions from the board? I've got a couple if that's all right. Uh for the record has anything been decided yet? No. Okay. I want to parrot what my board member Mr. Mr. Wetzel said. There is nothing that
022I know of that has been decided. So please become part of the process. Help us rebuild, rethink, redesign, and relook at what we're going to do to help our kids and don't make up stories about what's been decided or not been decided. I think the process needs to be allowed to be carried out and I think everybody everybody needs to have a voice and have a say in the participation in in rebuilding our school district and being part of road map. I thought the attendance not to slam anybody for the the last two open forums we had was disappointing. Um I was hoping both auditoriums would have been full and that everybody would have been coming with ideas. I encourage the city to understand that we're trying to make this as open as we can.
023I'm very pleased with the way this thing is going and I've talked to a lot of people that have said decisions have already been made and I've had to tell them no decisions have been made. And that's me going on the record publicly in open session. So um I want to commend the members of your team that are trying to put this together. Um I understand some hard decisions are going to be made, but I just wanted to say so people are listening I don't nothing has been designed yet that I know of that exists. And Miss Thies and Mr. Wetzel, if I'm wrong, please tell me, but I wanted to make sure I got that entered into the record. So, anybody that's listening out there understands you have a voice. Participate. Contact one of
024us. Say, "Hey, I think this would be okay. I want to hold on to this because we are listening." Any other questions from the board? And I'm going to ask this every time because I want to make sure we keep putting it out there. So, Ashley, I'm going to ask you the first question. Um there is a way for people that did not attend to still participate. What does that look like? Absolutely. So, um they are still able to go to our website backslash roadmap2023. There's a FAQ document out there that's live. I'm monitoring it. Um we try to provide res- responses swiftly. Um the whole entire um uh for everything that the committee did and then at the done at the two forums, we sent it out. It's posted publicly so that they could
025get feedback on the SWAT, the plan on the page, and those documents that we will bring forward um later this spring for approval. Okay. And then, Jay, my question for you, what have we done so far and what's next steps? So, we have been uh working on updating, taking feedback on the strategic plan on the page, which as Mr. Wetzel said is our vision, mission, values, and goals. Um we've been getting feedback on our balanced scorecard, which is a collection of key performance indicators around each of the five goal areas. Um by tracking that progress, it will answer the question, are we making progress and holding ourselves accountable to uh the strategic plan. The third piece is what is called our SWAT analysis, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Making sure that every individual has an
026opportunity to share from their perspective what they think we do really well, um what they think are areas for improvement, what are the things that are really threats to our district that if we don't address them are going to continue to be problematic, and then what are those opportunities? Maybe new ways of thinking, things that we haven't done yet that could come out of that feedback. So, those are the three deliverables for phase two. The fourth one that we added, it's not necessarily a deliverable as much as it's an input process. We've asked all stakeholders to share what are their ideas on how we might improve within each of the five goal areas. And we call those high-leverage strategies. So, we've got quite a collection now of ideas and suggestions that our staff, uh stakeholders,
027and community have said to us, "Have you thought about this for this particular goal area?" So, we now have um pretty robust collection that we're refining from our two community feedback forums, and we'll be able to present that as well. And and that's going to be a constant work in progress because as we do our research, look at new and improved ways in which we can drive um breakthrough improvements, that list will continue to grow. Ultimately, it will be handed over in phase three um to our administrative team who will then take a look at all the ideas that came in and start to dial in and get really focused on what do we think are those breakthrough action steps that we can take in order to uh change the trajectory of of some of
028the results that we're seeing. So, that's really the been the work. Um we have another meeting on April 1st where our committee will come back. We're going to engage them in uh the process of reviewing all of the staff and community feedback. We're going to look for themes that rise to the top that may give us an indication of some tweaks or adjustments to make on those deliverable um products that I just spoke of. Um and then we have one final meeting after that uh to put together our final recommendation and then we'll have a small team from Roadmap who will come and present to the board. We're going to share with you the process we used, um the final products, and you'll have the opportunity to um talk with our team as we're presenting
029those recommendations. We will be asking for board approval um because this is going to be the foundation of a lot of the initiatives that are going to be moving forward as we get into phases three and four of the process. Phase three is focused on smart goals, action plans, high-leverage strategies. Phase four is going to parallel at the same time. That's going to focus on the facility aspect. And Ashley and I will be dividing out that work. I'll be leading the facilities portion of that um while Ashley parallel is running phase three. So, phases three and four are going to run together. The good news is that as early as next school year, you're going to start to see some of the breakthrough strategies and high-leverage um initiatives that will already start to be implemented
030um at the same time we start looking at the whole master facility plan. So, that's the work ahead. Val, nowhere did I hear you say decisions were made already. Absolutely not. Okay. Um I've got a question. I need update on the uh architect firm RFP. So, they were all due on the 20th. I have three or four vendors that were interested, and I have those to bring to you whenever you guys are ready. Um I would have been too soon cuz it didn't make the agenda. But uh whenever you'd like to see those three or four uh packets that were returned, I have those ready. Could we see that uh first meeting in in April? Absolutely. Thank you. Yeah. Any other questions from the board? Thank you, you two. The master facility plan timetable. We
031will start that in June. Both phases three and four will initiate in June. So, right as we end the school year, um we'll be partnering in um with our architect of record, whoever that might be as Dr. Curry described that. Um and at the same time our team will be working this summer, um our whole district leadership team, on getting where the rubber hits the road. What are the actions, timelines, and strategies that we're going to start deploying? So, but all of that starts in June. So, we hope to have that recommendation to you in May and turn around right the next month with board approval on vision, mission, values, goals, scorecard, and the SWAT analysis to really put uh put the foot to the accelerator and and start to start to move along phases
032three and four of the process. I will tell you that the timeline is is looking different from what you currently have in phase one because we're able to map that out by board meeting. This is going to be based on work that's done, but you will still get updates at board meeting. But it won't be as on this date, this is going to happen. On this date, this is going to happen because it takes the work to get them there. Did that make sense? Yes. Okay. Any other questions? Okay. Thank you. That will end our reports from um administration at this time. Unless you guys have other things to talk about. Any other board comments? I'm moving back into that section. >> Um do we have an update on I I forget where we're at
033with Superville. Um if you recall, she said that Oh. [laughter] She said that the the proposal they had was for this school year and which would have been for Dr. Clark. And I said that you guys were wanting for the new superintendent, and she said that they did not have that ready yet. And when they did, she was going to get back with me. Okay, could we circle back with her? I sure can. >> Okay, thank you. >> can. Cuz I would like to be able to look at I I I think the sooner that we could all start looking at um you know, which goals we'd like to have and things like that would probably be good. Thank you. Okay. Anything else? Okay, we'll move on to reports from administration. Thank you. Um at
034the last board meeting, I uh made a recommendation to the board regarding the um extended day program um not being able to sustain it at um the rate that we're doing it right now in the upper area of a $2 million. I also said that there are other community partners out there that of course our families use over the summer. Um I was just made aware that uh We Vote might be coming online. But I also reached out to someone that will be able to partner with us and assist as well. So, Elizabeth is here from Champions and her team. And she's going to talk to us about Champions and some of the um partnerships that we can have with them and how they can help support our community at this time. So, I'm going
035to ask Oh, she's already there. So, if you want to uh just introduce yourself and your team, and I'll let you take it from there. Yes, thank you. Is this okay? Dr. Clark, uh thank you, Dr. Clark, and thank you, board, for having us this evening. We're very very excited to be here. My name is Beth Cordellilo. I'm a partnership manager with Champions. And this is one of our area managers from the great state of Illinois, Sutara. And then our director of partnership managers nationally, Roel. So, we're all here to answer any questions that you may have. And like I said, we're very excited to be here. For those of you that are not familiar with Champions, we are one of the leading providers of out of school time and we partner with school districts.
036The important thing to remember with Champions program is that it is a no-cost program to the district. We will be coming in and making a substantial investment for every single building so that we're bringing in the right materials and the curriculum and the staff for the students. I'm going to assume I hit this green button. Okay. So, tonight I know you have several questions for us and we're happy to answer those for you. So, we generally just did our introductions, but we want to talk about our family of brands, the depth and breadth that we can bring to the Decatur community, our local presence, uh the before-and-after school program. We do offer a champ camp, which is also uh summer program for kids that can be infused with lots of wonderful things. The staffing and
037hiring opportunities we'll be bringing to the community, our implementation timeline and how we're going to support and engage the families not only with registering for the care program, but how to apply for subsidy to have any tuition uh covered through uh the subsidy program of the state of Illinois. So, I'd like to get started with just our family of brands. A lot of individuals don't understand that there is the KinderCare Learning Companies [clears throat] and this is a national organization. And under KinderCare, we have uh KinderCare Learning Centers. Champions is a division of KinderCare and we only work with school districts. That's exactly what we do. So, we partner with school districts where they supply the space and we do the rest. We have another program called the Crème School. Um that's again another care
038program in communities. However, that's not really, you know, part of what we're talking about tonight. The most exciting thing in your community that has recently come around and I'm not sure if you're aware of this. We've launched the Skyrise School. You actually have two Skyrise locations here in Decatur. You have one in the North Decatur area and the East Decatur area. Skyrise really focuses on serving families of limited means. So, we help families come in, we support them in the centers, we extend support to their homes. We do things such as free diapers, wipes, well-in-care, uh lending library, free take-home meals and snacks. We provide vision and dental screenings and subsidy support. Now, we've talked to the Skyrise division already before coming to this meeting tonight and they are willing to extend such resources to
039Champions. So, families that would be participating with us in the Decatur public school system would now have an opportunity while they're in the Champions program to focus on speech and language resources, parental training resources, physical resources such as more food pantries, clothing resources, all kinds of wonderful things, and also the health screening, dental, vision, and hearing. So, I thought that was pretty exciting. Uh we have 120 centers. In your folder, I have a state of Illinois that talks about um our presence throughout the state and that might have be of interest to you. So, when you're opening up a care program, especially in a district of this size, there's so many questions that come up, you know, come to light. Where's the funding? How are we going to staff this? Is licensing required? Um how
040are we going to eliminate wait lists? How is this safe for the families? Everything comes to light. Well, the nice thing with Champions, we're a turnkey solution. We're going to take all that on and um like I said, if you supply the space, we're going to do the rest. So, we want to make the school year easier. We want to We're very flexible program. If there's anything that Decatur Public Schools wants to see in their program, we can flex to make that happen. We're going to support your teachers, your staff, your families, your community um staying engaged with them through constant communication. We will use your existing space and we come fully staffed. Now, when we say we come fully staffed, we're going to be working with people of the community and people of your
041current program who would like to join the Champions program. We welcome them 100% with open arms. Yes, we want you. We want you bad. Um we help close the learning gap. We truly believe the longer kids are in a Champions program, the better off they do and um more successful they are not within only in their social emotional connections, but within their academics. We offer child care um benefits as well for staff to retain the best staff we can have. So, this is just a illustration of a setup. So, we're going to bring in all of this equipment. That's part of the $25,000 investment in each building. So, we're looking at over a quarter of a million dollars being invested initially. We will have a white glove service. We will be here on site to
042unpack and and put the materials and set up each classroom as needed. As I said, it's a turnkey experience. So, we have different stations and activities that the students will focus on. We have creative arts, STEM, games and puzzles, library. We also have new partnerships. Um we do a new math booster. We have a literacy booster. And in summer camp, we can talk a little bit more about we've partnered with LEGO, a nature program, and another athletic program to infuse more um uh athletic activities for those who want to participate in that. Now, our curriculum follows a thematic schedule, so you're going to see a seasonal curriculum. This is a proprietary curriculum that has been developed by specialists within the KinderCare Learning Companies. It is not for sale. People ask us to buy it all
043the time. It is not. Um it is only for the Champions program. It is accredited. So, we love that. Um so, we have these thematic units. So, every day when our teachers come in, there will be a different activity for the kids. We really call it disguised learning because they're having so much fun through these different activities and engagements that they don't realize that they're learning at the same time. So, it's a really wonderful curriculum and very, very proud to have it. Additionally, we can have programs that include junior counselors. If you have some older students who are looking to get some experience in the care area, we can extend the STEM programs. Kids can create their own clubs. We can help them with that. We provide healthy snacks both at the breakfast and in
044the afternoon. Um they have self-directed learning and then what I always enjoyed when my daughter was growing up was homework support. Uh we will make sure that every family we know what is important to them and what they're looking to get out of the Champions program and make sure that's happening for for their families. Champ Camp, super fun initiative. So, we can launch multiple camps throughout the district in the summertime. We have lots of um activities that the kids do. We go to water parks, they go to museums. We take kids all over and do wonderful, wonderful, wonderful outdoor activities. Lots of innovation, fun activities. Um the other component to this is I know we might want to infuse more literacy and mathematics over the summer to keep kids on track and maybe not have
045any learning loss. We can absolutely customize for that. This is just an example of our literacy booster and I can always uh get you more information on literacy and math incentives. We have serious service values that we take very seriously. We want to be talking to our parents. We want to make sure communication is flowing at all of our centers. We want every center to be very warm and welcoming to the community. We genuinely care about these kids. Um I can't stress this enough. I remember picking up my daughter from daycare and she was not happy. We want our kids to be happy. We want our kids to say, "No, Mom. No, Dad. I'm not ready to go home yet." Um you know, we have that a lot. So, it's nice that we really care
046and we want these kids to be enjoying the spaces that they're in with us. We want to anticipate any problems that may arise and we want to take care of that personally. We want to build great relationships with the family and the community and we realize that every child has a unique need and we will adapt to that. And one uh further comment regarding every child hearing your social emotional folks tonight, we are very inclusive. We do not turn children away. So, we do have a have an inclusion services team. So, if there's a child that needs something special, we will make that happen. We want to hire your teachers. We want to give them the best. So, with our hiring, we have a dedicated hiring and recruiting team. It is a three-part interview process.
047We will help with that. If we are approved, we'll begin distributing flyers with QR codes and people can begin um applying for those positions. We do an onboarding and training experience. The greatest thing with Champions is, first of all, um if they work 25 or more hours a week, these individuals will receive full-time employee status, which means they receive health benefits. Medical, vision, dental, um mental health benefits. They will receive tuition reimbursement. They will also receive generous child care discounts, whether that be through Champions, KinderCare, or Skyrise Schools. And it says two professional development days a year, but Citara can There's a lot. There's a lot that we do with our team. They have a lot of fun. So, right now as we look at Decatur with the simplest of math, we know we're going
048to need uh 15 site directors, one person at every location. We're going to need a minimum of 30 teachers. And with any school, you know, we have to maintain ratios. So, I I would assume we're probably going to have some more teachers. More teacher positions open. We're also going to be placing an area manager that's dedicated for the school district. We will have a best-in-class implementation with district this size. We want to make sure that we do a great partnership. We really start engaging families early so they know how to register and with that registration comes subsidy support. We want to select the best talent for your students and we want to make sure we put them through quality programming and training so they know how to deliver the curriculum and the activities every day
049while they're in Champions. These are examples of communications and marketing that we'll start putting around the community. We have all of this prepared. We will be doing this on your behalf. So it really you know, takes a lot of pressure off off the district where we will be helping get families enrolled. I did include some proposed tuition rates just for your knowledge. We did implement a 10% discount for district employees, families with multiple children, military veterans or active members will also receive the discount. We also support out of school days. So we will be here over spring break, winter break. We can offer extended care for early release days. We can run the summer programs. So if you need us, we will be here. If you have a special event and you need Champions support,
050we will support that at no charge. We also take subsidy and this will be very important when people parents and families apply, they will have the opportunity to indicate if they would like to apply for subsidy. We have subsidy specialists that will work with those families one-on-one to determine how to get them the best subsidy possible. And so that really takes a lot of pressure off the families. We have specialists to do that. And on that document for Illinois it states how many families are receiving subsidy through the KinderCare Champions programs. This is the implementation plan. We really need the best runway we can get and that is my ask really of everyone this evening is that the more time we have, the better we're going to be come the fall. We want to make
051sure that we have plenty of time to get the equipment in, to get everyone hired and trained and all ready to go. So the more time the better as always. And with that, I think that's my conclusion. >> [music] >> I will be happy to take questions. I have one, ma'am. Yes. So you have this program, where's the closest location to Decatur that you have what was it, the KinderCare Skyrise? Um do you have that in somewhere around this area? Yes, so it's in North Decatur. I think it's on I pulled up on my phone Wilson. Is there a Wilson Road? corner of Monroe and McKinley right and then and then Maryland like the 4000 block of Maryland. >> Yeah, it's like 8 miles from here. Yeah, I'll just Okay, sorry. Yes, sir. Yep, thank
052you. Thank you. Yes, ma'am. >> that's an excellent question. Yes, sir. I have a couple gates I need you to reopen for me again. It's really important that our lower income families are taken care of. Uh for the record, you guys look like you're going to make an investment in making sure our low income families are taken care of. Is that correct? >> Yes, sir. >> [music] >> Okay. Please reach out to them, run to them, let them know that they're welcome. you'll be using our facilities too, correct? >> That was correct. Okay. So a couple of things that we do is that we partner up with the state of Illinois with the subsidy program in making sure we start that process immediately once we are confirmed so that the families have that opportunity and
053then we also we do the process for them. So if there is the application, we'll have our site directors out, our area managers out and host family events so that we can help them complete that application process as well as sending it off to the state and then following up with the state to make sure that we get response in a timely manner. I would also like to impress upon all of you, we've had some wonderful TAs and wonderful staff that have kept our pre and after school programs going. I hope you give them preferential treatment in the interview process. They know our kids, they understand process and I and I think your process sounds really solid and I think they would be engaged in it if you would be engaged with them. That's that's
054one thing I would ask for. >> [music] >> And then and then the last thing and then I worked with her too. Just never mind. Another thing I want to impress upon you is how talk to me about your security services for the children once they're in the building because you will be responsible for securing the site. Is that correct? Okay. That is correct. >> What are the systems like what are some of your systems? >> Sure. So as kids, we do have a weekly contracted schedule that will tell us and it's based on families letting us know when the children will be in our program. So we work with building administrators to make sure that they are aware of who's going to be attending our programs. That contract comes out weekly and then we
055partner up daily with a building administrator to see if there are any adjustments that are being made like if a child is absent and then when they are in our care, the first thing that we do is that safety is our number one priority is making sure that we do our head count. So now we have Discover Champions which makes it super easy on getting kids checked in so that we're able to see it in real time which child is checked into our program and same thing when a child is checked out, the family will check them out through our Discover Champions app. Thank you for your time. Yeah. And I do want to mention we did get a chance to talk to some of your after school professionals too. Our main thing is we
056want to make sure they're a part of our program, right? And hiring them is going to be one of our number one priorities and it's not for us to come in and take over, it's us how can we elevate that partnership and the wonderful work that they're doing each and every day in your programs? How do we take that and elevate that? Wonderful. Thank you. This is not me the last time you'll hear from us. We will be very active in the community. We want to be part of the community and we invite you to be part of our community as well. Don't be afraid to come back and give us updates too. You know, things you're doing, let us know how you're engaging. And when you say subsidy, do you mean CCRS through the
057state? Yeah. Okay. So depending if it's Action for Children or YWCA, whichever one that you know, supports Decatur, that's who will we will be partnering with. Um one of the things I want to add as you know, the summer voucher pickup is going to be April 8th. Um they'll get an opportunity at that time to meet families as well. Any other questions from the board? For you about this but not necessarily the vendor. Okay. Okay. Um I I I guess my I've got two concerns about the program itself and then one about how this actually happens. The first is when we talk about uh discipline and we were running the after school program so we were able to carry that through. How do we have an idea how that looks to work? For example, if
058we have kids fighting in the after after school program, will those consequences carry over into the school since it's a separate organization? It is a separate organization but they will be dealing with discipline and just like any program and I don't want to speak for you. Like any program, that conversation will start with the parent and then what happens after that will depend on if the parent is able to correct [music] that behavior. Correct. And then what our site directors also do is they host monthly meetings with our principals or even if it's if they need to do bi-weekly meetings so that we are able to connect with the principals and letting them know just some of the things that are happening in our program and be able to create that partnership and be ahead
059of it, too. Um and then I guess secondly and maybe this is a question for Luke. How does this work? Do we vote on this? Does this come back to us in April and we select this program? I mean because we are entering into contract. I mean how how will this work? So there Okay. There is an agreement that they are going to want from us because as a reminder, they're going to be working in our schools probably utilizing the same spaces that we're using now. I will make sure that Luke Luke gets that information to make sure there is no issues there but I don't foresee any problems with the what I've seen so far. Okay, but will we vote on it as a board? >> Yes, you will. Um and then what's our
060enforcement mechanism if they don't if this isn't working out for our students? Um the only other option is to look at what else is out there. I mean we are totally putting everything in their hands and you know, if this is the route that this board is going to take and partner with them, I I believe that this would be a good avenue for our families. Um and that was my goal to try to give them the same type of support that we are that we were able to give in the years prior. Um and I'm looking forward to you know, partnering with them and seeing what can happen in the future. So real quick then, I don't know how we'll move forward with the liability aspect since we are saying we're allowing you to
061use our facilities but everything is in your hands. If it comes to an issue to where kids get totally out of control and they start to destroy the building what do we get what guarantees do we give for to them to make sure that they're not held totally alone in that liability process as we do know I think that's kind of what >> I can I can address that we come with millions of dollars in liability insurance and you will also have that certificate as part of the contract so again you're under a national umbrella for your care education so the liability insurance will be there [music] so if any damage is done it would be our responsibility to take care of that. Yes ma'am yes ma'am. Yes 100%. The question was more towards to
062make sure that you guys was covered Yes we are 100%. Yes ma'am. And the other piece that I like even though they are taking all of this on they still want to partner with our administrators and our teachers to better learn our students so they can do more in terms of being more proactive instead of reactive for some of those students that may be a problem right. But even with our current situations we haven't had many issues to where we had to remove a child from the program. Indeed thank you. But with the extended day program if they did something at extended day you got the consequences at school. That is correct because it was connected to us so for example and I don't want to speak and if I'm wrong Ashley let me know.
063It's still Let's say if a kid is fighting at extended day we can say your child [clears throat] is not able to come back to extended day because we own extended day. If a kid had a fight at Champion Champion will deal with the discipline and it still may result in them not being able to go to Champions but not necessarily be suspended from school does that make sense? So go ahead. To piggyback so in our current setting with extended day all of our parents have to sign a parent waiver when they enroll and register for the program they have to adhere to our rules and different things with attendance and behaviors and all of those things so even though it happens in extended day we have a policy within the parent manual and if
064they get in trouble yes they're talking to the parent we may suspend for a day or two or three but that doesn't necessarily carry to the school day unless it's an egregious type of situation then we get the building principals involved but the building principals are carrying on so much that we have our program coordinator as you all would and then you have your site coordinator and you all work together to manage the program so it's not something else another stressor added to the principal during their kind of off times even though it's still their building but the minute things we handle within the program and I'm sure that would be the same. And it's the same for us too a little bit extra if we do have a child that you know that they're
065we are experiencing problems with one of the benefits that we do have is our inclusion services department that Beth has talked about the inclusion services department not only gives tools and resources for the staff on site to help support with the child but it also gives tools and support for the parent to be able to work at home to to have better results too and we've seen that very effective in our in our areas. In K5 only right? Oh that's a good question. So we'll start with school age and we can expand into the lower grade the preschool age if you need that. Okay because most of our buildings are K6. Right and and it can include K6. Okay. We have a middle school curriculum as well. Any other questions from the board? Thank you.
066Thank you very much. >> [snorts] >> Any other questions? Okay. Okay the other thing that I wanted to share with the board is regarding summer vouchers and I'm trying not to be the bearer of bad news but I am trying to look at our fiscal responsibilities at this time. Um we have summer vouchers that are will be utilized for this summer my recommendation is that you pause pause summer vouchers for the 26-27 summer school year and the reason I'm saying that is because you will be in the heart of your strategic plan at that time you will already have your goals and objectives already set there may be something else that you will be able to utilize that 350 you know to 500,000 dollars with it could be a different program all together it could
067be to benefit what is happening over the summer with the providers it can be um a reading and math component but I want to make sure that you had the money to utilize it as you see fit now that your strategic plan would be set and ready to go. So that is my recommendation for the summer of 26-27. So what you're asking us to do this summer's already been approved approved >> That is correct. Only for June and you Yes. But then you're asking for road map to unfold >> Yes. >> letting that be Letting that drive it. >> Yes. That is correct. And and we're communicating right that they're only for June because I've had a number of very angry parents call me. Yes we are communicating that I just think people are so
068used to how it was unfolding that they're really not paying attention to what's going out there so. Any questions about the recommendation? Any other questions? Okay. That was it for me. Okay. We'll move on to our consent items anybody want anything pulled from the consent calendar? Dr. Clark. I would like to recommend the board of education approve the consent items as presented which includes A minutes open closed meetings March 10th 2026 B financial conditional financial conditions report C treasurer's report D job description English English language learner strategist update. I motion. So moved. Second. Any discussion? Ms. Bradford. Mr. Reynolds. Aye. Mr. Hale. Aye. Mrs. Tyus. Aye. Mr. Wetzel. Aye. Mr. Clevenger. Aye. Mr. Joiner. Aye. And Dr. Laurenson. Aye. 7 aye 0 nay motion carried. Okay I'd like to recommend that we the board of
069education approve the transitional contract for the new superintendent of schools Dr. Nicole Moody as presented. So moved. Second. Any discussion? And this is to offer 10 days to Dr. Moody for transition between now and June 30th correct? >> Correct. Ms. Bradford. Dr. Laurenson. Aye. Mr. Hale. Aye. Mr. Reynolds. Aye. Mr. Joiner. Aye. Mr. Wetzel. Aye. Mrs. Tyus. Aye. And Mr. Clevenger. >> Aye. 7 aye 0 nay motion carried. We have a recommendation for the personnel action items. Yes I recommend the board of education approve the personnel action items listed in the memo from Monica Wilkes director of human resources and the human resources department as presented. I motion. So moved. Second. Any discussion? Ms. Bradford. Mr. Clevenger. Aye. Dr. Laurenson. Aye. Mr. Wetzel. Aye. Mr. Joiner. Aye. Mr. Hale. Aye. Mr. Reynolds. Aye. And Mrs.
070Tyus. Aye. 7 aye 0 nay motion carried. We have a recommendation for the employment of an assistant principal at John's Hill Magnet School. Yes I recommend the board of education approve the employment of Rochelle Rochelle Douglas as an assistant principal at John's Hill Magnet School as presented. I motion. So moved. Second. Discussion? Ms. Bradford. Mr. Joiner. Aye. Mr. Clevenger. Aye. Mrs. Tyus. Aye. Dr. Laurenson. Aye. Mr. Hale. Aye. Mr. Reynolds. Aye. And Mr. Wetzel. Aye. 7 aye 0 nay motion carried. Is she here? Is Dr. Douglas going to come up? Is Ms. Douglas here? >> up? Thank you so much and congratulations. Hello. Hi hi. Hi I'm Rochelle Douglas and I'm excited about this opportunity and thank you. Thank you. Good deal. Thank you. We have a recommendation for the Benson signs and graphics upgrades
071to Eisenhower and MacArthur high schools. Yes I recommend the board of education approve the Benson signs and graphics upgrades to Eisenhower and MacArthur high schools as presented. So moved. Second. Any discussion? I've got one quick question um what are we getting with these upgrades exactly does So I'm speaking for Maria Robertson she's been in charge of the new signs so you're not getting an upgrade you're actually renovating to new signs the signs are outdated the software doesn't work so you're upgrading to new signs. I just thought the the cost was What? Roughly 15? For both That's both signs? No. 25 each. Is it 45 to 50, isn't it? >> Okay. Okay. I think it was 56 for one. >> Yeah, for for both signs. >> For both For both signs. And it's all new. All
072new. Okay. So, it it'll be brand new signs. >> Brand new. Yes. Yes. Are they gold? Not made of gold. Yeah. But I thought they were a little goldy. Ms. Bradford? Mrs. Tyes? Hi. Mr. Wetzel? No. Mr. Joiner? Hi. Mr. Clevenger? Hi. Dr. Lorenzen? >> Hi. Mr. Reynolds? Hi. And Mr. Hale? Uh no. Nay. Five I, two nay, zero absent. Motion carried. We have a recommendation for the H- HSHS and Decatur Public Schools athletic trainer agreement. Yes, I recommend the Board of Education approve the HSHS [music] and Decatur Public Schools athletic trainer agreement as presented. So moved. Second. Any discussion? What exactly will be provided? Trainers on site for sporting events? Go ahead. Speaking for Mr. Bundy, Okay. uh no. So, the uh HSHS provided at uh athletic trainers for a long period of time.
073A couple few time a few contracts ago there was a and and MOU to ensure that both high schools had their own and this just continues that on that on. Thank you. Any other questions? Ms. Bradford? Mr. Hale? Hi. Mr. Clevenger? Hi. Mr. Wetzel? Hi. Dr. Lorenzen? Hi. Mrs. Tyes? Hi. Mr. Reynolds? Hi. And Mr. Joiner? Hi. Seven I, zero nay. Motion carried. We have a recommendation for the Hope Academy secure entry. Yes, I recommend the Board of Education approve the Hope Academy secure entry as presented. So moved. Second. Any discussion? Is this the west side or the east side? >> [laughter] >> Speaking for Floyd Ball, uh this is the west side. Okay. Uh and actually I I will credit buildings and grounds. They there was a plan in place a year or so
074ago that was a lot more cumbersome. Uh Floyd came up with a fantastic idea with his team and so that it's going to be a a nice big area, but also secure. Any other questions? Ms. Bradford? Mr. Wetzel? Hi. Mr. Hale? Hi. Mr. Reynolds? Hi. Dr. Lorenzen? Hi. Mr. Clevenger? Hi. Mrs. Tyes? Hi. And Mr. Joiner? Hi. Seven I, zero nay. Motion carried. We have a recommendation for the increased fees for building rentals. Yes, I recommend the Board of Education approve the increased fees for building rentals as presented. So moved. Second. Any discussion? Ms. Bradford? Dr. Lorenzen? Hi. Mr. Hale? Hi. Mr. Reynolds? Uh hi. I Mr. Joiner? Hi. Mr. Clevenger? Hi. Mrs. Tyes? Hi. And Mr. Wetzel? >> Nay. Six I, one nay, no absent. Zero absent. Motion carried. Do we have a recommendation
075for the application submission for the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps JROTC program for Decatur Public School District 61 high school students for the 2027-2028 school year? Yes, I recommend the Board of Education approve the application submission for the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps JROTC program for Decatur [clears throat] Public School District 61 high school students for the 2027-2028 school year as presented. I got a motion. So moved. Second. Discussion? Um do we have any representatives here? >> We do, as a matter of fact. So, I'm the lone representative. Um so, we put forward this uh submission because we have to have the board's approval uh to submit our application. May We have a support of the Oh, oh yes. Yeah, these gentlemen here. Yeah. Yes. Okay. So, this is so that we have board approval
076for the funding that um will be cost shared in the 27-28 uh school year. Uh this is a program that aligns with Um what we've been working on in terms of the uh strategic uh planning um ideas. One to raise graduation rates, improve attendance, and it is the largest character building program in the world. And it'll help move the needle for our kids. So, we want to submit the application and we have 2 years uh to have all our all our ducks in a row uh so that we can populate the program and inform our students and um move the needle with the the army. What kind of What participation are you envisioning? So, we have a in a 3-year period, we have to have 50 students enrolled. It's going to be pretty easy given
077uh the student interest inventories that we take every year. So, we utilize Major Clarity as a platform where students let us know what programs they're interested in. And we've been getting a large numbers over the last couple of years using that program and that means that we need to have this curriculum offering for our students. And now is the time especially given the fact that Linda Saheen, the chief ROTC officer for this region uh has put forward that the US Army has room for 10 new programs and Decatur Public Schools was contacted uh because we are prime candidates uh for this program. So, is this about uh getting students in ready for overall ROTC program at the college level or is this straight to enlistment? I mean, how does this work? So, this this is
078this is about improving graduation rates. All right? When students are engaged and they come to school every day and we lower chronic absenteeism then students cross the finish line more readily. It's also about aligning the program offerings that we have in Decatur Public Schools [snorts] with what students are requesting. This is us filling a void and closing a gap uh for our students. But the question is I think So, students aren't required to enlist in uh in the military. Right, but but overall, okay, so It's a pipeline. Right, but overall, this JROTC program I understand what we've talked about here is what the actual piece will be, but what does the program look like? Okay, so Okay, so so at at both of our high schools, we'll have students that are participating in the program.
079We have two instructors. We'll have one who's a senior and another who is um like the the secondary to that instructor. They both have to have at least 10 years of military experience. They'll be retired. And the students will of course attend class every day. The instructors will wear their uniforms. Uh the instructors will go to training every year. Students will participate. Um we'll have like the color guard and so forth at any of our events. The uh the ROTC program will be um involved quite a bit in just about everything that we put on for our district. And the outgrowth of it is increased attendance. Increased graduation rates because our students are engaged. Higher GPAs for students that are enrolled in the ROTC program. So, it's a win-win. Can we ask the young people
080who are here today as representatives of the program uh to come forward and share with us? Uh I actually am not part of the JROTC program. We just see it as recruiters at the Springfield schools. It's helped out with the attendance, of course. Uh they do keep a higher GPA standard. We only do a higher standard whenever they do it. Um they they don't have to be eligible to join the military to do it. So, if they don't want to do it or if they don't have the option to join because of an issue or something like that it allows them to dab their feet in and see if it's like really if the the juice is worth the squeeze kind of thing. And then there is programs outside of it for if they don't
081join, they can get scholarships and stuff like that to help them go to college. Okay. Can I elaborate? Uh sure. >> the military as well. I think may I help? Yes. Yes. Um I think with the ROTC does, it teaches more discipline than what kids get in the everyday uh environment. Basic drill activities. Uh it's a little hard on them and basic D and C. So, there will be a structure involved. It will be more intense what people are getting. So, people that get through the ROTC program are more more direct in delivering what they're doing. That's how it increases graduation rates. And it increased grades because people become more self- driven. We help give give them structure. Yes. Well, on top of that um military's a big family. I mean, of course, we are
082big on family as well. But once you get into the actual program you can build camaraderie and it gives you lifelong friends. Basically helps out with the attendance even if you never know what their home life is going to be like. We don't as as people, we don't know. And as and having an instructor that can help them out is very very well as well. I think most importantly, uh gives these kids a sense of purpose. Um Sorry. Uh sorry. I wasn't going to talk very long, Justin. I'm not a very public public speaking kind of person. Uh but most importantly, I think it just gives all these kids a sense of purpose. Um some of these kids obviously come from a rough background. Um and it gives them reason to want to come to
083school and actually uh put forth the effort to graduate. So. I do just have one more question um because I don't I wasn't really clear. What What it look like post high school graduation? Like could they continue this? Yes, yes. Okay. They can continue all the way up until enlisting. They don't have to enlist with the army. They can go to the Marines, they can go to the Air Force. They don't have to stay with the army. They can go to the Marines, they can go into the Air Force. They can go into any military branch they want. We're just the the pipeline to get them either interested if they want to do it and then they succeed more later on or if they're not interested completely. It just helps them get there if they
084want to. Or they can continue at a college, right? >> Yes, so there are scholarships that are being offered to those students because of their participation. It is the largest character building program in the world. Well, I know for sure when we moved to Decatur, one of the first things that my son looked at when he was looking for extracurriculars and things like that was do we does uh DPS have an ROTC program? And they didn't. [music] And he was very disappointed, so he started looking around at other districts. So, I think that that might be something that um makes kids want to stay in DPS um is if we had a program for them for you know, kids who might not find extracurriculars that fit their needs. Um that might be something that fits
085the bill for kids. So, the army does provide the curriculum and equipment and support. We cost share. Um so, we pay for half of what the instructor salaries are. But, it's definitely designed to build character and help us move towards um achievement of our strategic priorities in the district. Any other questions? I think I'd be remiss to um not thank both you all for your service. We appreciate it. >> Yes, thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Okay, Ms. Bradford. Mr. Reynolds. Aye. Mr. Hale. Aye. Mrs. Tyes. Aye. >> Mr. Wetzel. Aye. Mr. Clevenger. Aye. Mr. Joiner. Aye. And Dr. Laurenson. Aye. Seven aye, zero nay, motion carried. We have a recommendation for the E-rate network upgrade. Yes, I recommend the Board of Education approve the E-rate network upgrade as presented. Motion? So moved.
086Second. Any discussion? Ms. Bradford. Mrs. Tyes. Aye. Mr. Wetzel. Aye. Mr. Joiner. Aye. Mr. Clevenger. Aye. Dr. Laurenson. Aye. Mr. Reynolds. Aye. And Mr. Hale. Aye. Seven aye, zero nay, motion carried. Okay, just for uh general information for our listening audience, Superintendent Clark will bring a resolution recommendation to the Board of Education from Decatur Public School District. Board members, do you have any questions regarding this process at this time? Hey, Dr. Clark. I make a motion that the Board of Education adopt the resolution referencing the reclassification of administrative employee camera matter as presented and that the superintendent or her designee be authorized and directed to deliver or cause to be delivered the notice to the employee as specified in the resolution. So moved. Have a second? Second. Any discussion? Ms. Bradford. Mr. Clevenger. Aye. Dr.
087Laurenson. Aye. Mr. Wetzel. Aye. Mr. Joiner. Aye. Mr. Hale. Aye. Mr. Reynolds and Mrs. Tyes. Aye. Seven aye, zero nay, motion carried. Thank you. Okay, we'll move on to our announcements for the evening. Uh Board of Education sends condolences to the family of Kathy Reichert Richard who was who passed away Thursday, March 12th, 2026. Kathy was a retired payroll analyst from Decatur Public Schools. Important dates to remember here, April Good Friday holiday on the 3rd, no school district offices are closed. The 6th is the Pulaski Casimir Pulaski holiday, offices are closed. Uh the 15th is a district-wide half day for all students. Uh for half day dismissal times uh check with your local school for that. Public portion of the next regular Board meeting will be 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 14th 2026 at the Kala
088Administration Building. Have a motion to adjourn. So moved. Second. All in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Those opposed? I'm worried zero.