001Wednesday. >> Oh, hello. What's up, Okay, just as a point of information for our listening audience tonight, the closed executive session for tonight uh was cancelled and I'd like to call the open session board meeting to order and I have a motion move. >> Second. >> Any discussion? >> Miss Bradford. >> Mr. Reynolds. >> Hi, >> Mr. Mr. Hail. >> Hi, >> Mrs. Tyus. Hi, >> Mr. Wetszel. Hi, >> Mr. Clevenger. Hi, >> Mr. Joiner. Hi, >> and Dr. Lorenson. Hi, >> Seven. I zero nay all present. >> Like to ask everyone to join the flag of the United States of America, justice for all. have a recommendation for tonight's agenda? >> Yes, we do. I recommend the board approve tonight's October 14th, 2025 open session board meeting agenda as presented. >> Have a motion.
002>> Second. >> Any discussion? All in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> Those opposed? Motion's carried. Okay, we're going to now move on to our district highlights. Um I believe what's that and KeithRaton will present the Dennis school highlights tonight. Good evening members of the board, uh President Clevenger, Miss Bradford, and Dr. Clark. My name is Keith Kraton, and I'm joined tonight by Ally Smith, and we are the assistant principal team at Dennis Lab School. Our principal, Cammy Met, wasn't able to be here this evening, but she sends her best and wanted me to share how proud she is of the students and staff at Dennis. We're honored to share a few highlights from what has already been a memorable and meaningful start to our school year. As you can see on the
003slide, Dennis School has deep roots in Decator. The original Dennis School was established in the West End in 1910. The building we now refer to as the Mosaic Campus opened its first wing with just three classroom teachers. Over time, it expanded to serve a growing community and become a place where innovation and learning have always gone hand in hand. For more than a century, Dennis has been part of Decar's story, shaping learners, leaders, and dreamers who go on to make a difference right here in our hometown and beyond. That tradition of innovation continued in 1974 when Miss Henman's third graders took on a class project that would change Illinois history. They researched, wrote letters, and ultimately inspired local legislator Weber Borchards to bring forward House Bill 804, which was signed into law by Governor Daniel
004Walker in 1975, officially designating the monarch butterfly as the Illinois State Insect. Those students were doing what we now call project-based learning decades before the teaching method became the bedrock of our lab school concept. Their authentic student work was a foretaste of the approach that defines Dennis Lab today and has made our school so successful for the past 14 years. They identified a problem, conducted research, collaborated with adults, and made an impact that still shapes our state. That same spirit continues to guide how we teach children today. That legacy came full circle 40 years later when Mrs. Burnhams and Mr. Callahan's third grade classes researched how a bill became a law and applied what they learned to advocate that the monarch butterfly monument that is proudly displayed on the exterior of the Mosaic campus be
005designated as an official city landmark. Their project mirrored Miss Hindman's class from decades before as they engaged in authentic civic action, wrote persuasive arguments, and presented to the Decatur City Council, which approved the proposal in 2015, marking the 40th anniversary of the Monarch's designation. It was one of the first major PBL projects of the modern Dennis Lab era and a beautiful reminder that our students continue to leave a mark on their community. The connection between past and present came to life again this past spring when the graduating high school seniors returned for their annual senior walk. This class was significant as they were the first group of students who started as kindergarteners when Dennis became a lab school. They were our pioneers, the first to grow up fully immersed in project-based learning in all the
006ways we've tried to make education hands-on, meaningful, and connected to the real world. Watching them walk through our school again in caps and gowns felt like the monarch life cycle made real. The school where they once began as curious learners was now filled with applause as they prepared to take flight into college careers and life beyond our district. To celebrate this year's 50th anniversary of the Monarch, we launched Monarch Madness, a year-long celebration of learning, creativity, and community pride. To launch the celebration, each student received their own copy of a grade appropriate monarch themed book carefully curated by Miss Meadow. Our friends at Arra provided a picnic style lunch and teachers shared a presentation connecting our students to this powerful legacy. Thanks to Sarah Dacin, one of our teachers who has been with Dennis since
007we became a lab school. Our celebration will also include a very special edition. Sarah first saw a monarch themed bench at the Illinois State Fair and learned that it had been created by the Shaunie Correctional Center and donated to the state. She reached out to them directly and commissioned a custom bench to be made for Dennis Lab School. We're now partnering with Decar Public Schools and the Heart of Illinois Foundation to secure grants that will fund the bench and help provide commemorative t-shirts for our students and staff when the bench is delivered to campus. It's a beautiful example of how Sarah's dedication and vision for Dennis will become part of our school's legacy. Another exciting development this year has been welcoming our international teachers from Ghana and Gana. We have two teachers leading our fifth
008grade learners and two braving the adolescence in middle school. We eagerly await the arrival of a fifth international teacher later in the year. It's been inspiring watching the exchange of culture and curiosity go both ways. Our students have the gift of learning about their teachers cultures and our teachers learning just as much about America from our students. One of my favorite moments came during our first attendance celebration designed by Secretary Donna Han when DJ Tat turned the playground into a dance floor and our students and teachers from Ghana traded dance moves, laughing, learning, and connecting through the universal language of dance. We're already planning to weave more of these cross-cultural experiences into coming events, including our winter concert. As a school, we've also been very intentional this year about rebuilding our staff culture. The series
009of transitions Dennis has undergone has been difficult, but our response has been to continue to work to come together. This year, Julie Looper and I have created something called Monarch Meetups. These are monthly gatherings centered around our staff and getting to know each other and our families. We've played games at the park, planned a night at the movies, and even have an upcoming get together at Julie's farm. It's been a wonderful way to remind ourselves that while teaching is serious work, connection and laughter matter just as much. The same idea extends to our students through our Monarch of the Month program, each classroom nominates a student who represents the very best of what it means to be a Monarch, respectful, responsible, and ready to learn. spearheaded by Cassie Man. Each month we honor them in
010a monthly naming ceremony. The honor does not end there as we also have what we call our monarch flyby. The flyby is an event where Cassie takes great joy in dressing me up in a goofy costume and we deliver a treat, take pictures, and make a big deal out of the students in the club. But most importantly, we remind them that once you're a monarch of the month, you stay a monarch. This honor is a recognition of who you are, not just what you did in one month. As we look at everything happening within the walls of our temporary home, from Monarch Madness to PBL projects to the joy of international cultural connection, we also see the impact radiating beyond our walls. Our students don't just learn about the world, they contribute to it. And
011in doing so, they remind us all that Dennis isn't just a school indicator, it's a school for Decicator. So, as we celebrate 50 years of the Monarch, we're honoring a legacy of curiosity, innovation, and community impact that continues to shape the city and the lives of those in it. At Dennis Lab School, monarchs rise, and this year, we're watching them soar higher than ever. Thank you. [Applause] >> Thank you. Questions? >> How many international teachers you have? Uh we currently have four international teachers working with us with one more we're expecting on the way later. >> Where are they from? >> Uh three of them are from Ghana and one is from Gana and I believe our fifth one is coming from Cameroon. >> Thank you. Appreciate it. >> Okay, moving on. We have uh
012upcoming the principal assistant principal appreciation week in Illinois. Uh the Illinois principles association and the state of Illinois invite you to celebrate principles and assistant principles week October 20th to the 24th this year. Principles and assistant principal day will be Friday, October 24th will be the actual day of celebration. Um our on behalf of the board, I can say we genuinely appreciate the leadership and commitment and the dedication of our group of principles and assistant principles and what they provide to their students and the greater and the greater Decar community on a day on a day-to-day basis. So, thank you again for what you do every day. Uh, in recognition of this, I'd like to read a pro proclamation from the governor of Illinois, uh, recognizing principles and assistant principles. Whereas, school principles play an
013integral role in nurturing a positive student- centered culture in elementary, middle, and high schools across the state of Illinois. And whereas school principles are responsible for attracting and retaining the best teachers and support staff to ensure that each child receives equitable educational opportunities and services to reach their potential. And whereas it is the primary responsibility of the state of Illinois to provide adequate and equitable resources for schools so that all students have access to a quality education and foundation for a successful future. And whereas the Illinois Principles Association, which represents over 6,900 educational leaders statewide, believes that educators experiences and voices are essential to crafting effective education policy. And whereas the Illinois Principles Association is committed to developing, supporting, and advocating for innovative educational leaders through highquality professional developing, networking opportunities and legislative ad advocacy.
014And whereas school leaders face many obstacles in supporting and educating our young people. And it is through their perseverance, passion, and hopefilled leadership that Illinois continues to produce quality, career ready students. And whereas we must continue to encourage, support, and recognize our school principles who have a positive impact on Illinois students and the educational system in the land of Lincoln. Therefore, I JB Pritsker, Governor of the State of Illinois, do hereby proclaim October 19 through 25, 2025 as Principal Week and October 24th, 2025 as Principal Day in Illinois to recognize principles and the Illinois Principles Association for all they do to help our children learn and ex and succeed. need. Thank you to our principles and assistant principles throughout the district. And I can safely say that that was a mouthful for sure. You got
015to love those attorneys that write those proclamations, don't you? Okay, we'll now move on to public participation. Board of Education would like to note the following during public participation. Identify oneself and be brief. Comments should be limited to three minutes. Any public comment submitted to the board secretary will 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 from 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 liable or slander or from violations of the Illinois School Student Records Act. It is not
016intended to shield an employee from criti criticism. Mr. Bradford, do we have anyone wishing to address the board? >> Bill Rhodess. Thank you for the opportunity to address the board. Uh my name is Bill Rhodess. Was born here in Decar, raised in Decar 196970. I served as the student council president at Eisenhower High School. Uh it was a privilege. Um lived out of state for a while. Came back 1989. Uh my grandson will be a freshman in high school next year. Uh he's in Eisenhower's district. Um in the last three years, he's played baseball for Steven Decar Middle School. Uh so I have a strong interest because I've coached his team the last three years. I coached my boys from 1990 through 2004 uh in Northwest baseball and softball. I served on their board. I
017was the first vice president for 10 and a half years and uh very active. We had uh at our peak about 1100 boys and girls in Northwest baseball and softball. Um I've coached against uh one of the members here on on the board. As I recall, my team won all those games. By the way, could be wrong. I'd have to check old score books. I don't know. But uh so the history I've coached a long time and have a strong interest in baseball indicator. I what I would like the board to consider is for this the coming years if there are not enough boys young men to field a varsity and a junior varsity team at each high school that it be considered that that those players combine from the high schools to form a
018competitive team. Um, these boys deserve not just a quality education from Dec Decar public schools, uh, but also the opportunity to fulfill their sports dreams, whether it be baseball or otherwise. And, uh, I would, uh, love that consideration and there are other parents and coaches, uh, who feel the same way. So, uh, that's my comment and appreciate the opportunity to to state it. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> You're welcome. I'll ask Mark Reynolds to please come down to the podium. The reason I asked for this u this time to address the board is that I have a strong feeling in my heart that um we have some cultural issues that are that are facing our community and facing our our schools. We have a lot of single parent families. We have a lot of
019grandmothers raising children. We have a lot of children from what I've been told who don't have any any desire to learn. Their their attitudes are poor. They're just not motivated. And it it's been a change since when you most of us were were raised and and brought up. We had parents that were very involved in in reading to us and helping us with our math problems and making sure we did our homework. uh they encouraged us to be part of uh sports teams and and to be involved in our schools and that's not happening now. And truthfully, I don't I don't have an answer for that. And I don't know if anybody has an answer for how to change our culture to get buy in from from parents. And I'm not saying all parents aren't
020aren't buying in, but there's too many that aren't. And there's too many children that are just not motivated to to be learning in school and paying attention. And I hear this from teachers, okay? They feel like they're banging their heads against the wall trying to get the kids interested in in in in learning. And so I believe it's it it's not just a a cultural problem, but it's also a spiritual problem. I don't I don't believe that we have the answers to these kind of problems. And I'm I'm here to say that in my heart, I believe it's a it's a God issue that we need to have God involved in our schools. We need God involved in our board, in our in our Kyle building. And so I ju I would just like to
021lift up this prayer. Dear heavenly father, Lord, I I come before you today and I ask you to bless our school board, each member. I ask you to to bless all of the people in the Kyle building. I lift up our teachers. I lift up our our U assistant teachers. I lift up all the people Lord involved in the education of our of our people, our IT department, our maintenance department, our building and grounds department. And I ask your blessing, Lord, on each and every person and and and help them all, Lord, to do their jobs well and to and to just bless our children, Lord, with a with an ability to have a heart for learning. And uh whatever it takes, Lord, we we just put this in your hands, asking you to to
022bless our efforts, bless our our time and and blessing our children. I pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. >> That's it, Bill. Thank you. >> Okay, thanks to everyone. Is there anyone else in the audience who would like to address the board this evening? >> Okay, seeing none, we're going to move on to board discussion. And as we kick off board discussion, uh Dr. Clark uh would like to make some comments and some recognition of the IT department for their efforts recently. >> Thank you. I'm going to have um Maurice to come up to the podium. Um we're just going to give a little brief update on uh what's been going on, but in as he's coming up, I want to thank him and his IT team for all of the
023hard work. Um I mean, it's it's been amazing. Um I'm not sure so so sure about the late nights, but it is appreciated because they did not get much sleep. Um, I appreciate buildings and grounds for coming out to assist. Um, when I tell you that these guys were in buildings and on the phone and in closets and crawl spaces and all these things on Sundays and Saturdays and after school hours, it is all appreciated and I just want to say thank you for that. Um, but as you know, a lot of you may not be techsavvy. You may not be able to understand what he's about to say because only he knows this lingo. He and Will. But I want to give him an opportunity to kind of update you and the community as
024to what was going on. >> Uh well, thank you Dr. Clark. I appreciate those kind words. Uh we just want the issue and the network to be working. Uh just like everyone else, it we we like to be invisible because if everything's working, our phone's not ringing, things are going well, you know. So we like to be in the background just making sure everyone has what they need. So what happened um essentially is uh every device that connects to our network needs an address. It needs an IP address. And so our system that hands out those IP addresses weren't they weren't able to do that. Um the devices if you can't get an IP address, you can't communicate with our network. You can't get out to the outside world for the internet because whatever you
025want to request from the internet has to send it back to your address for your device. So essentially, you know, we started um looking into that system that did issue out the IP addresses and unfortunately with our continued debugging and digging and digging and uh we weren't able to find the issue there. We engaged support engineers uh some experts that can help us as we couldn't get to the root cause of the issue. So we engaged some engineers that we work with over the years. They they know our network, they know our devices. So, uh, we kind of leaned on them to work together, um, my team to try and figure out the issue. Um, uh, through after that was through a couple days of Wi-Fi was out obviously from, um, for a couple days,
026I think, Tuesday through Thursday. So, as we were working to figure out the issue and kept, you know, working as as the days go on, you get have to get more aggressive and aggressive with the approach to try and figure out what's going on. And so that's where we came to the point where we want to uh isolate all the buildings in network kind of just have our base running our data center running and then slowly uh methodically add other buildings online to try and figure out which where is this issue coming from and that's where we got to the point where uh Eisenhower was disconnected and we found out that the rest of the network went up and running uh smooth sailing. So we had to make that tough decision to not have school
027on Eisenhower on that Friday. Um and we continued uh testing throughout that day even asked permission Dr. Clark well the great time for us to do testing is when the system is active and people are on it. So we that afternoon we got permission to do some testing and just make sure we're trying to get to the point where uh the district can function and Eisenhower can come back to school. So that went through Monday. Um I all the dates are a blur. So I have them here but they're a blur. I'm just going to go with the days. Um that Monday we uh we were able to get this the district stable and Eisenhower was connected. Um and we were able to resume normal operations that Tuesday. Every building was in session. Everything was
028good for uh some days and then we get to this weekend where the issue reoccurred again. Um so because we never truly got to the root cause yet. Um, while it may seem like it's just, oh, just give everyone an address and fix that system, there's a lot of connected parts that go along with that. You have to travel a logic path all the way through your system uh out to internet and back again and things of that nature. So, um, we uh then did some again engaging engineers uh talked to vendors, we've talked to Comcast, we've talked to everyone we can get our hands on to try and discuss the issue and figure out what the root cause was. Um in the end we uh to fix the issue again it occurred today. There
029were some outages today. Um we and our data center disconnected a piece of equipment. I won't get into the details what that is but we disconnected this. We have a lot of redundancy in our in everything that we do. So we have a a one and two of every system. So, we disconnected the uh second um networking device and let the first one handle the load and that seem to bring everyone back up. We're up and running again. So, in each one of these instances, we applied a different fix, but we were able to get the network back up and running. So, still no root cause, no smoking gun. But for right now, our system is stable. That's the term I decided we're going to use it. Stable. everything's on. That particular networking device that
030uh we believe is um suspect is staying off at this point indefinitely. And we're but while we do that, even though everything's up and running, we still want to know what what happened, what's going on. So, we're continuing to look at the called packet captures. to capture every little pieces of a network as it goes through to use that as information working with our engineers still trying to uh decipher what really is going on because I I can't say for certain that we're 100% fixed. I don't I don't have that level of comfort yet uh or that level of sleep. Um so we're still want to continue our debugging process and go through and just monitor as much as we can and continue to work with the experts that are out there supporting us so
031that we can make sure that this doesn't happen again in the future. So, that's kind of the gist of the last few weeks of what's been going on with the network. Um, with that, I'll take any questions you may have. Um, and go into more detail if you like. >> Um, so just for clarification for everyone, what systems rely on network? I know phones, badge readers, what? >> Just about everything. Um, everything relies on a network. Uh, any device that you're connecting to the internet has a IP address and traces through our system. um all the security cameras, the phones, the uh intercoms, clocks, uh HVAC. Now, some things when it doesn't have a connection to the outside world, they can still function. For example, the HVAC systems, they can uh while they like to
032uh monitor them remotely, they may have to go to the building and look at that interface or manage that. So, it becomes a little bit more hands-on. But just about everything in our district, uh we're required to filter all data through the firewall to make sure we're protecting uh the people that use it from malicious attacks and specific information or preventing them from getting to certain sites. So everything goes through our network just about. >> Thanks. >> Yes, sir. >> I got a lot of comments from a lot of people about, well, why can't the kids go in and why can't the teachers teach without technology? And I believe there were a lot of safety issues that would have put kids in harm's way and uh and would have put teachers in harm's way. Can
033you explain that to the community? >> Actually, take that over. >> Okay. Thank you. Thank you. >> Um so, one of the reasons that we had to decide to close school is because we had no eyes. And that's how I'm going to phrase that. Um there was no way for us to look up student schedules. There were no cameras, so I couldn't tell you where they were. Um, it has nothing to do with teachers not being able to teach because we were not trained on computers. We all had books, pencils, pens, papers. So, we could still teach. But if I cannot tell you where your child is, that's a safety issue. If I can't call the office and say, "I need help." That's a safety issue. So, those are the things that were imperative in
034us holding school. All about safety. >> Thank you, Dr. Clark. That's thank you for that clarification. >> Yes, we one of the first things when obviously you hear a lot of Wi-Fi connection issues. Well, uh I send my team out there dispersed to all their buildings say do they have phones and is the main office have some connectivity for their computers cuz not everything was off. There were pockets of devices that were still working throughout this process of your one office you may be connected two offices down they may not be. But uh as Dr. Clark mentioned safety is paramount. So, we wanted to make sure that each building had the ability to communicate in and out from the outside world uh world to make phone calls and that's the office staff had some ability
035to remain operational. So, >> thanks for your hard work and thank you. >> I appreciate it. We're still looking and still working. So, um but I appreciate those words and again we just want it working and uh everything back to normal just as much as everyone else. So, >> Thank you. Thank you. I'm sure on behalf of the board, we appreciate all those efforts. Are there any other items that board members would like to discuss tonight? Just as a a reminder, Thursday night, we'll have a work session here. So, we'll take up a lot of topics probably at that point in time. Uh, okay. We'll move on to our consent items. Does anyone want anything pulled from the consent agenda? >> Dr. Clark, >> I recommend the board of education approve the consent items as
036presented, which includes A. Minutes open session meeting September 23rd, 2025, B. Freedom of Information Report, C. Bills, D. Job description virtual school psychologist, New Payet Special Education, E. Eisenhower High School wrestling program fundraiser. F. School board policies and exhibits from press issue 119, exhibit 2220-E2 from press issue 113, and exhibit 710E from press issue 114. >> Have a motion. >> Second. >> Discussion. >> Miss Bradford. >> Mr. Hail. >> I. Mr. Clevenger. >> Hi, >> Mr. Wetszel. Hi, >> Mrs. Tyus. Hi, >> Dr. Laorenson. >> Hi, >> Mr. Reynolds. Hi, and Mr. Joiner. >> Hi, Seven. I zero name. Motion carried. >> Thank you. Okay, we'll move on to our roll call action items. Um, as a point of information for those in the room and those on the uh listening audience, uh, the possible
037suspension termination of a school security officer has been pulled from our agenda tonight, October 14th, 2025. Okay, moving on. Do we have a recommendation for the person personnel action items? Yes, I recommend the board of education approve the personnel action items listed in the memo from Monica Wils, director of human resources and the human resources department as presented. >> Second discussion >> Miss Bradford >> Mrs. Tyus. Hi >> Mr. Wetzel. Hi >> Mr. Joiner. Hi >> Mr. Cleer. Hi >> Dr. Lorenson. Hi >> Mr. Reynolds and Mr. Hail. >> Hi. >> Seven I zero. Motion carried. Do we have a recommendation for the updates to the administrative support handbook? >> Yes. I recommend the board of education approve the updates to the administrative administrative support handbook as presented. >> Second discussion >> Miss Bradford >>
038Dr. Lorenson >> Mr. Hail >> Mr. Reynolds. Hi >> Mr. Joiner. Hi >> Mr. Cleger. Hi >> Mrs. Tyus. Hi >> and Mr. Wetszel. >> Hi. >> Seven I zero. Motion carried. >> Do we have a recommendation for the 2025 smart net renewal? >> Yes. I recommend the board of education approve the 2025 smart net renewal as presented. >> Second. >> Any discussion? >> M. Bradford. >> Mr. Joiner. >> Hi. >> Dr. Lorenson. Hi. >> Mr. Reynolds. Hi. >> Mrs. Tyus. >> Hi. >> Mr. Cleer. Hi. >> Mr. Hail. Hi. >> And Mr. Wetszel. Hi. >> Seven. Zero name. Motion carried. >> Thank you. Do we have a recommendation for the agreement for an updated demographic study? >> Yes. I recommend the board of education approve their agreement for an updated demographic study as presented.
039>> Any discussion? >> So, we did one of these in what, 2022? >> Oh, is that right? 22. Thank you. >> And and what we're seeing is our our numbers don't match to that 2022 demographic study. And so, that's why we're doing this again. >> Yes. We want to make sure we have updated information um when the board unpauses uh for uh road mapap 2030. >> And is part of that because uh our trend lines aren't matching uh what they suggest that we should be following in 2022. >> Yes. So even though you may see some increases in enrollment in some of our lower level buildings um our total enrollment uh not including uh Robinson Charter Milikin those schools um are lower. Um, I believe we are, oh, I want to say 2030. Dr. Curry,
040does that ring a bell to you? >> 2028. So, >> yes, >> already. So, we're already lower than expected to be. So, we wanted to get a new study so we'll have new information as we move forward. >> And this is the same group that did it last time, right? >> Yes. Um, they worked with us on three different occasions. Yes. So >> other questions discussion >> M. Bradford >> Mr. Wetszel. >> Hi >> Mr. Hail. >> Hi >> Mr. Reynolds. Hi >> Dr. Laorenson. >> Hi >> Mr. Clevener. >> Hi >> Mrs. Tyus. Hi >> and Mr. Joiner. >> I seven I zero nay. Motion carried. >> Do we have a recommendation for the square one strategy group contract with Steven Decar Middle School and Hope Academy? >> Yes. I recommend the board of
041education approve the square one strategy group contract for Steven Decar Middle School and hope academy as presented a sec >> discussion >> Miss Bradford >> Mr. Cleger hi >> Dr. Laorenson hi >> Mr. Wetzel >> hi >> Mr. Joiner hi >> Mr. Hail >> hi >> Mr. Reynolds and Mrs. Tyus >> 7 I zero nay. Motion carried. >> Do we have a recommendation for the amended power purchase agreement PPA with straightup solar Hawk atalo LLC? That's a mouthful. Dr. Curry. >> Yes. I recommend the board of education approve the amended power purchase agreement PPA with straightup solar hog atalo LLC as presented. A motion motion second >> discussion >> as I have read this >> we're losing the low price that we had on the original contract is moving up because of market issues but
042if market issues go back in our favor the price will decline. >> Yes potentially. Yes. So it the the price that we received of the 2 cents per kilowatt hour was based on sky size and scope of the project. Um due to the changes with the big beautiful bill moving the goalpost um closer to to to now and the Amarind is is very slow at large project approval. A lot of our projects are really good size. So they want to get shovels in the ground for Muffley and Franklin Grove because they've been approved and if they get substantial work on it, it would meet the whole harmless standard and we get credit for those, but that's not the same scope and size as what they signed up for. So we would still be if they
043don't if nothing else good happens, we would still be at the same rate we are today versus the 9 10 11 cents that we're looking at down the road. If another project were to come on, it may go down half a cent. If all the projects come back on, full full faith would be that it would go down to two cents. >> So, go ahead. I'm sorry. >> Uh we were planning on what five projects, but we're six. >> Six and we're down to two. Two have been green lit by Iron Man because they're they're small and they were easy. >> And so, part of this was that government subsidy that was kind of a driver behind this. So, once we lose that, those four projects just probably won't go. So, it's really, yeah, it's
044kind of a combination of uh they still want to do the projects, so they really want to hang on to the last minute being straight up solar and Hakato. Um, but their their incentive time uh used to have a little bit longer window, now it's a shorter window. Um, and if they don't make that window, then there's no incentive for them to own the PPA, let alone provide the power to us through it. >> Yes. What was the contract duration again? >> Oh, man. 20 years. I'm pretty sure it was 20. Thanks. >> That's all. >> Yeah. And again, be two buildings at four and a half cents is better than two buildings at 10 12 cents. So, uh it's not ideal, but it's it's definitely better than status quo will be in six months
045from now for everybody else. >> Any other questions? What? >> Hope that wasn't about me. >> I think we're going to move on here tonight. >> All right. Just >> M. Bradford. >> Mr. Hail. >> Hi. >> Mr. Clevenger. >> Hi. >> Mr. Wetzel. >> Hi. >> Mrs. Tyus. >> I. >> Dr. Lorenson. >> Hi. >> Mr. Reynolds. >> Hi. >> And Mr. Joiner. >> Hi. >> Seven. I zero name. Motion carried. >> Thank you. We'll move on to announcements. The board of education and administration uh sends condolences to the following families. Joseph Davies who passed away Sunday September 28th 2025. Mr. Davies was the father of Virginia Ginger Davies teacher at Johns Hill Magnet School and the grandfather of Alyssa Wear teaching assistant at South Southshores Elementary School. Carol Sperry who passed away Sunday
046September 28th 2025. Miss Sperry was the father or Mr. Sperry was the father of Karen Niheiser, special education teaching assistant at Steven Decar Middle School. Carolyn CJ Jarrett, who passed away Wednesday, October 1st, 2025. Mrs. Jarrett was the former security guard for Decar Public Schools and the aunt of CV Jarrett, human resources coordinator for DPS61. Our sincere condolences to all those families. Uh some important dates to remember. I think those will be up on the screen for you. Um districtwide half day on October 15th. Uh the 16th is a special open session board of education work session that will begin at 4:30 here at the Kyle Administration building. October 17th, Eisenhower High School homecoming parade and game. The 18th is the Eisenhower High School homecoming. Um, an additional reminder, Wednesday, October 15th is the deadline
047for the required immunizations and physicals for the 2025 2026 school year. Public portion of the next regular meeting of the board of education will be 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 28th, 2025 at the Kyle Administration building. Do I have a motion to adjurnn? Second. All in favor signify by saying I. I.