001We're going to prepare and pledge allegiance, and then if you want to join us stay in, if not feel free to step outside. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day. We thank you for the opportunity to lead the school corporation. Please be with us, help us make decisions that are in the best interest of all the students and the staff and the faculty and the community as a whole. In your name we pray. Amen. 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. I'll call this meeting to order. First thing on the agenda is the approval of the agenda. No changes. Do you have any questions? I now entertain motion on the
002agenda. Move to approve the agenda. Second. Any discussion? All in favor say I. I. All opposed? Motion carries 4-0-1 absent. Very positive. I would like to recognize tonight from the school board Indiana School Board Association has a award program that our board members participate in each year and I decided to announce that the school board of trustees has achieved level two, which is advanced training hours. Follow the guidance from ISBA, including adopting code of ethics, so I'd congratulate our board and thank them for their service. And we have two individuals that have achieved level status. Mr. Harris is a level one commendable and Mr. Enski has reached level two advanced. So they'll be recognized tomorrow night at the regional meeting in Hagerstown. So once again, thanks to our board for your service. Appreciate the leadership
003you provide our school corporation students and Monroe Central. So job well done. Do we get our picture by ourselves? What's that? >> get our picture by ourselves? Well, All right, at this time we'll take comments from patrons. I'm Libby Bird from Hartford. Just line. Just hit the button. Sorry. It just helps, you I'm Libby Bird, um, 402 Beechwood Drive, formerly in Indiana. Uh, usually when I come up here, I am speaking in regards to being a parent as a child children, three of them. I don't know why I said singular. Um, in the district. However, um, today I want to talk from a more professional, uh, perspective. I work for our local United Way, which is a five county United Way, and do have the pleasure of leading the Randolph County Early Care and Learning
004Coalition. And, um, I just really want to thank all of you again. I know I've said this before, but also Renee and Carolyn and Anne for the work that they're doing. Last week we were able to, um, host Fayette County schools. Uh, Duncan came over, you know, but some of um, a local child care provider and then his coalition lead, um, because they are looking at adding child care potentially to their K-12 district. It would be managed by an outside provider. Um, however, um, it was really wonderful to be able to not only bring Jeremy back to his roots, right? But, um, for a lot of us being on the other side of the table teaching him some things, but also, um, just to be able to tell them about the different things that are
005happening here with our child care. We toured the facility, let them come into the room, see them how showed them how things were working and operating, but, um, Ann and Renee definitely talked a lot about some of the different things that the school has taken on as part of Most of the time when our school districts are taking on child care, especially community facing, um, there's an outside provider that's coming in and managing that, but we're doing that in-house, and that's very different. Um, regionally, there's a lot of eyes on that. It gets talked about a lot in the regional conversations just because we are doing things so differently and so well. So, I want to thank you for that. Um, also then afterwards, uh, Minneola Central hosted our coalition meeting, which was It was
006a small meeting, but it was just really nice to have everybody here. Um, Ann whenever I need something from the community partners or I have an idea, I joke, but this is legit, I usually have a response from her in 3 to 5 minutes. Um, and that's pretty outstanding. So, I just really want to thank you for, um, stepping into an uncomfortable place. At first, I know it was uncomfortable. Yes, I'm looking at you. Um, but, uh, we're doing it, and we're doing it very, very, very, very well. So, thank you. Um, it was announced today that some potential $200 million may go back into CCDF vouchers to take 14,000 kids off the wait list. We don't know what that looks like yet. That will go in in front of the budgetary committee on Thursday,
007but hopefully we're going to see some additional kids, low-income kids in our community have access to child care, and Monroe Central is now in place for that. So, thank you. Six I couldn't find two. Good. Very good. All right, moving on to the consent agenda. I don't think there's any need for explanation here. Pretty straightforward. All right, I entertain the motion on the consent agenda. So. Second. Any discussion? All in favor say I. I. All opposed? Motion carries 4-0-1 absent. All right, we do have quite a few items under permission to purchase tonight. So, the first item is a bus. Let me just go over with you our strategy, what what my thoughts are here, kind of what we've started. Okay, so last year in 2015, for the first time, the board approved to lease
008a bus. And we are running that bus purchase through our debt service. Okay. So, it saves your operations. You don't have to do hearings or anything like that. You just run it as a 3-year lease. Very um similar to the common school loan that we'll talk about here in a minute. That's run through debt service, same idea. It saves your operations. Obviously, it's still money that taxpayers have to pay. It's not that, it just comes out of this bucket instead of the operations bucket. So, not to get everybody confused, we are still waiting on the bus that was purchased really this year, but you approved last year. That we made already one of the three payments on this year. We pay on that new bus in '26, '27, '28 out of common school. That bus
009should be here by the end of the month. It is a regular 72-passenger bus, okay? That's already been done. It's just not here yet, all right? My recommendation tonight is you start your second bus lease, which again would run and that's We'll get to the lease part months on down the road, but this would run for '27, '28, and '29. Okay? So, you're staggering these. So, at no time will you eventually if you approve all three of these, no time will you have more than three of these on your debt service. One will roll off 3 years, the very first one. Hopefully, we'll add on another one. We'll keep three on here at all times, okay? That's just the concept behind it. Tonight, to start that lease process, takes months to do that. I have
010to get approval of intent to buy a bus by the school corporation, okay? Mr. Hosier and I are recommending an activity bus this year, which is obviously less than a 72-passenger bus, but still very very expensive as as you can see in the back. The unique wrinkle about this is that the bus companies bought several of these up ahead of time, unlike 72-passenger buses, and they actually have some in stock. We are not ready to take delivery on this because we haven't even built this into our budget, which will begin '27, which you will approve fall. Does that make sense? So, what we're doing is if you approve this, I'll send them a notice tomorrow that says we intend on taking delivery of that bus in January. We'll make our first payment in January. and
011then we'll do two more payments the following two January's. Okay? There is none. So, tonight what you're doing is you're approving the intent to purchase a Thomas 14-passenger bus and I believe you've got the updated quote because there was a I mean, they're going to have to hold it and obviously these are going The idea is that by January these are going to be more expensive than they are right now in April, so then you know, he can't give it to us what he'd give it to us right now, but we don't we don't have the debt service to do that right now. Okay? So, it comes in at 108 and 92 dollars. Again, that is an activity a white activity bus uh to replace our aging one. Those things get old on you. Swift
012can tell you the one that sits out here. We between the two of us we drive that every day and it's leaking and it's it's got some it needs to probably get a replacement. Questions on all that? Just wanted to make sure everybody understood kind of what we're doing and why we're doing it this way. Um what what is approved tonight. All right, there aren't any other questions and I'd like to ask for approval of the intent to purchase a 14-passenger bus Thomas 108 92. And I'll entertain a motion on the permission to purchase 14-passenger bus. So moved. Second. Any discussion? All in favor say I. I. All opposed? Motion carries 4-0 one absent. All right, from the March windstorm we did have some damage to our roof at the high school. I will let
013Mr. Downing talk about where this is and what needs to be done and all that. It's right behind the ag shop. It's in the lower area where all the drains are at. For some reason, the wind went down and just sucked it up. I don't know. It had a loose about 2 ft the whole time and it didn't tear anything. It went back down, but it stretched out, so they'll have to They'll do the same thing they did on the high school or the gym where they run the bars and then they wrapped the bars with the rubber. And this second spot is on the on the on the main gym. The north side of the main gym. Are we putting an insurance claim on that or not? Well, unfortunately, our deductibles 25,000. So, I
014mean, that's the disadvantage of going with somebody like S-I-C. Premiums are low, deductibles are extremely high. These both come in well below 25,000, so Now, one's 5,600 and the other's 8,900. How did you discover the damage? Were they obvious from the ground or did we have a leak or >> We were up there working on the one of the condensers on the main gym that windy day and it just happened when we came down, we looked over and we could see it was up. I mean, we normally inspect after a storm, but Not seeing any damage inside there, all right? Water damage. In that area. All right, I'll entertain a motion on the high school roof repairs. So moved. Second. Any discussion? All in favor, say aye. Aye. All opposed? Motion carries four to zero,
015one absent. Aye. boiler tube replacement. This is 8500 from Falcon. Again, all of them Mr. Downey talked about this. Now, the tubes are dry ends on the on the full on the right down there. We don't know if it's interior or an exterior. If it's an interior, adding price two because you have to take two out to get into the one. And then you got to redo all the gaskets. So, we've got two on the head. It could just be one tube, and it could be an outside tube. Or, you know, the expense wouldn't be that great, but you know, I don't want to figure. So, if it is an interior tube, then we can replace it. It's not leaking a lot. I've got a shut down, and so It's small leak, but could be
016two tubes, could be one. I don't know. Does it make sense to do them both while you're in there regardless? Both tubes? Would it make sense? Well, if it's an interior and it's not it's not leaking, there's no reason to go on in cuz I mean, the way those are designed, the one sits right in the middle. So, you got to take two outside to get to the one hands like this. So, if it's an outside tube, you can do one. You can't again. You just act like you know what we're talking about. What's that? We'll just act like we know what you're talking about. Any other questions? All right, I entertain a motion on the permission to purchase boiler tube replacement. I'll make the motion. I'll second. Any discussion? All in favor, say I.
017I. All opposed? Motion carries 4-0-1 absent. All right, so need a little discussion on this next topic. Again, Mr. Downing, cuz I have not talked to you today after our conversation last week, but cuz we had another vendor that we were considering, but I wanted to go ahead and get this in front of the board at least get this discussion going. So, are we good to go with this vendor or you still >> I still have not received that second one. I would like to look at it first, so We're going to go ahead and ask I'll explain it in a minute. I'm going to go ahead and ask for your permission to approve this with the idea that we may come back to you next month and have you withdraw this, consider a different
018quote. Okay? So, what we are looking at here, this would be project 24 money. This is basically the solar uh project. We had budgeted money for a few other projects within that 24, and one was to redo stage four, hopefully some other things as well. So, Stahli, I think that's how you say it, comes in at 38,200. Um there are obviously there are all kinds of kinds of different ways to advise stage four. Conceptionally, the idea behind this vendor is they would come in, similar to what they do with the gym floor. Uh not not I mean, what do you do with the gym floor every 15 years? I don't know how often you do that, 20 years? But you have a you have wood obviously, and you go in and you sand it down.
019You're not just coming in and cleaning and waxing like you do every year. You sand that thing down, and then you take any obviously deep crevices, those kind of things, you fill in. Then they'll come in and stain it, so it'll look got a good color to it, and then kind of seal it from there. So, there there's stain, there's uh paint. Uh we've looked at coverings. I know there again, there are all different types of ways you can finish out a stage. Um Um Well, I'm not going to go on back and forth on this, but I mean, it's nice wood up there. There's nothing wrong with the wood. It just needs to be sanded down and I think we could get a lot of life out of that. That's the same idea behind
020a basketball floor. I mean, you don't pull up the wood every time you want to redo that. You've got life in those those floors. So, What What are we waiting on though if we decide not to go with this one? Well, this other vendor has a new product we'd like to look at. It's called Zebra. And it's coating goes down and coat it and you know, make it like a new floor. Um But even it when we do this, then it's got to be on a yearly maintenance like the gym floors. You know, every year I'm going to come in and and uh scrub them and then they're going to come and coat it. So, it doesn't get worked out to that like it is today. Does staff already do maintenance on our floors now?
021They didn't. Let these vendors do. If the board would be all right with it just because I know they and they were pushing to get on schedule, correct? >> Yeah, they would cuz they want the whole month of June to do it. They want to get on their their summer schedule. So, we've kind of put them off until tonight. Now, I'd like to kind of put them off till we hear one more vendor possibly in here to But if the board would go ahead and grant us permission to award this um award to them pending I'll run by you about the other quote. I can send it to you later on if if we feel like we want to get that approved in at the May meeting. But uh otherwise, we're going to sit on
022this, have an additional meeting, or wait till May. I really don't want to make these folks wait. Let me give them a schedule. We want to do this over the summer. We do not want to have to tie up lunch and everything. I don't know. Maybe it's It's going to be difficult to do that during school years. Is it going to interfere with the floor being waxed? It will not. Is it going to interfere with the floor being waxed? No, they'll have to turn it. Uh there'll be a lot of dust. We've already talked about that. I'll take curtains down and Um and and we'll know we'll know by this week whether it's going to work. We want to look at this so that the uh Does the other one have time to do in
023June, too? And most of them they could do the month of June. So, when we start talking about this back in project 24 time, I recall there was something with the side fire suppression Yes. and the wood floor. And we were going to take the fire suppression out if we didn't maintain keep the wood floor or so. This This one here, this bid has a fire retardant uh finish. And that's it. >> primer and a top coat. That's good enough for us to get rid of the Yes. sprinkler system in there? Yes. And we'll have to apply and there's a lot to it just to get it out of that system right here. Similar price Well, we don't know for sure, but I know the application of Well, that might be so expensive. We don't
024even want to look at it. I mean, you know, it's It's more like a hard top finish that it will that won't look like wood. Like it'll look like something else. Well, it's it's kind of He says it's a walnut walnut finish. Uh But even this guy we we've talked about the back of the uh playing the stage area. We're going to take two or three rows of boards out to replace the battens and then just cuz nobody goes back there anyway. So, we'll put something back there that they can stain and it looks good. So, we're going to have to close it. Roughness by board cut. So, I mean, I would recommend this. Did you have something else? Nope. I'd like to go ahead and ask for your permission to approve this purchase. So,
025if we wait until the next meeting to change our plan on this, will they still be able to do it that quick? Or should we just give a blanket approval for the amount that it costs, and then you guys pick on which one we go with? Yeah, we'll have to lock it in the next couple weeks. So, if we need to lock it in, we can't wait till the next meeting to change the plan. If you want to grant us that permission, that'd be wonderful. What? I mean, this is 38. I mean, I would say 50. I mean, 50 is well within our 55 75 The budget 79. We have an additional purchase that we want to do. And then, we also want to try to do the curtains. Stage is the priority. You have
02675 budget. So, this is 38. How far do you want to go? And we really like this product. Tell us. Let's see. I got to Hold on. Hold It's going to have to really wow you to be a lot more than I agree. Yes. Speaking. Correct. I mean, you're going to have to really like the product, otherwise you're going to go 38, which is on the Which I trust you guys. You're going to You would make a wise decision. Yeah. The lights are going to be here in a minute. It's going to be just under 15. So, we can't go I mean, you're going to go over budget. You're going to go over 60 on the stage, which I It's going to have to really wow us. Yeah, I know. Why don't we approve $75,000
027for stage improvements? So to include to include the flooring, the lights, the if we do a curtain as well. This is a grey area anyway. Ron and I always talk about this because you already approved the project and the project budget. But we like to still try to bring you vendors so you can but but I I think Mr. Morris think yes, think we could do that. Be fine. Just give the okay then pick the vendor. All on stage $75,000 for the highest quality in the budget. Yeah, stay under 75. I think I made a motion. His motion said to approve 75,000 for stage floor and stage lights or all stage improvements. Could include curtain as well and hopefully a curtain. It's not blue. You have to change the awning then too. I second that
028motion. Any discussion? All in favor say I. I. All opposed? Motion carries 4-0 one absent. Thank you. Appreciate that. Hopefully we get some stage work done this time. Uh common school loan application you approved the uh It's metal. I guess we we went ahead submitted it. Uh it was at the deadline. It was in your packet. We're obviously waiting for approval from the state and the free state board. Nothing really new there. You have any questions let me know but that was just for your information. I'll just try to get that to you sometime. Uh some resignations. Laura Newton Mercy Drawling as teacher. Lori is retiring after 35 years of teaching all elementary school. That's quite a quite a career for Lori. So, congratulations to her. Uh Lori she should as a third grade teacher.
029Uh They're moving back to Colorado. She's originally from Colorado and leave her husband comes from Indiana, right? They met at Taylor and she won out. They're going back to Colorado. And uh Lillian McClung that's an art teacher here at the high school. Uh three resignations tonight. You guys good to take these again? Right. I'll entertain a motion on the certified staff resignations. So Second. Any discussion? All in favor say I. I. All opposed? Motion carries 4-0, one absent. Uh athletic policy for home school students. So, this is just a first reading. I know there's been some discussion by the board on this this topic. Uh Mr. Middleton, Mr. Beach I think Mr. Morris has met with one or both of them on behalf of the board to kind of craft a policy here. It was
030in your packet. Uh there was one. Uh took out the word interpret. I know we got that out of there. So uh Again, this will come next month with the handbook for the junior senior high school, but with this being kind of a change some new language, I thought we'd at least get a first and second reading on this. Give you time to talk and um uh get the word out, I guess. This has to come, so. I I think Mr. Cole and I had a conversation um about fifth graders. I don't know if you want us to talk about that or I I think it's good suggestion. Yeah, so with the with the new program, it would be a um home schooler as of today a home schooler needs to attend a class at
031the school and we are moving that to or looking to move that to a core class. That way we can really show off what we do and and teach kids good education and their parents hopefully see that as well. And uh that's a lot harder to do in elementary. So, that's the one exception that I look that I would like to have added to it is that fifth grade is an exception to that. We we allow fifth grade without a class. >> So, to make sure I understand just just for running an example like So, we have fifth graders that generally wrestle, run cross country uh track. Um the idea would be that those kids if they're a home home school, um they could still do those things their fifth grade year. Right. And to
032me, I I think it should be every elementary every sport for a a child in an elementary grade. Pre-K through fifth grade. If there's a sport offered for that grade, exempt from the core class requirement. That's what I think we should have, yes. But that's the only exception to the new policy. Just look like So, that's what I think. That's what I think, yeah. I will discuss that with our admin team, see if we see any holes loopholes in that, but I think it's a good idea. Anything else on this that the board needs before we bring it to you in final form next month? Is it are we voting on it next month individually or just a part of the handbook? Well, I mean that's that's just the board's discretion. Um typically we just
033take the handbook and say it. So I guess it separated out if you wish. However, you guys want to do it. I think we already used them and haven't separated. >> No, I think doing it this way with a first reading, making it public knowledge, and then give a month for discussion and then just give it such a large change. And Mr. Middleton, he he likely has some things to talk about with his handbook next month anyway. So, I think this will probably be one of those points, but unless you want it separate, I mean we just take it all as the handbook. I would say the only other change or not even out of change, it's stated athletic policy, and I think it should be stated as ECA policy, personally. Makes sense. So, master
034schedule Yeah, I don't know what clubs >> different clubs we generally try to use the same athletic policies for those clubs with drug testing and some of those kind of things. Uh you get into co-curricular activities, that's a different story. Band and some of the act stuff, those are those are tricky or legally, but I certainly think extracurricular activities beyond just athletics you use this as your policy. I got to agree. I've got that we're going to talk about that tomorrow with our admin team too and see what it was. I appreciate Mr. Beach including us in the verbage. So, there wasn't a whole lot of back and forth. We sorted it out, and I think everybody came to agreement. So, appreciate his time spent on it. Okay. Unless there's anything else on that. Vote
035for approval next month. Uh superintendent's report. Just a few items tonight I'd like to share with the board. Uh one, obviously with Miss McLain leaving, we discussed this. We do not anticipate filling that position with a full-time art teacher. We kind of transitioned that position on the high school staff to a third art teacher and we've talked about some of the reasons why with the the capstone program and and expanding our RAZ options. But I do want to share, and this just came through some discussion with our teachers and I appreciate that. Mr. Middleton and um Miss Smiley, uh Christine uh Smiley, is a social studies teacher here at the high school, but she also has an art teaching background. She teach one or two years? At least one year. One on the board. >>
036At least one year here of art, which I totally forgot about. Um there's a there's an opening in her schedule and through her discussion with her where I think we can get a period of high school art here. Right. Uh which is great. And again, we can we can stack those cuz again, that's typically what you do with art in play. You don't just have art one and that's it. You you you add in two or three art one kids, two or three art two kids, two or three art three kids, whatever. So, I think we can stack those. So, hopefully, I don't know what period that's going to be. That'll be Charlotte. Miss Morano take care of getting that scheduled out, but um I I think we can continue the art program. This will
037be for high school only. We want to be fully transparent on that. Um elementary will continue to have art with Miss Morgan. This point, we talked about clubbing it, which we may still um in the fall. May have an art club. Christine kind of talked a little bit about not not committing her yet to that. But definitely at one period it's scheduled next year for art at the high school level. And it'll be here. We also looked at transporting and all that. Here with a Monroe Central teacher for high school kids. So, it's pretty excited about that. Really I don't know how we just kind of I don't know how it fell into our lap. It was a great collaboration with our teachers. Appreciate that discussion the other night. We kind of fell into that.
038Kindergarten round up uh Thursday, Friday, correct? Uh I do have some data I want to share with the board here. The end of this report, but uh got that going on. Should receive in the mail. We sent out the little flyers, the little postcards. Beth did a great job of kind of spearheading that for me. I appreciate it. It is difficult to mail things. If you've never tried to mail something, just only certain people without putting address on it. No, it's it's real difficult. We found that out, and that's why I just said, "Please help do this for me." And she did. She did a great job. I think it got to all the people we were supposed to, and not to some of the other folks. So, um what's nice about that, if you've
039not looked and used the QR code, it has a landing page for all our registration stuff, for everything that we offer from the uh daycare all the way up through the high school. So, appreciate everyone that's worked hard to get that done. Hopefully get some kids registered. Staff appreciation week come up the first week of May. Uh we've got some dinners, some lunch scheduled for our staff. Board always welcome. I'll get you the details on that, but that's coming up. Summer projects, um kind of included a spreadsheet in the the packet. Just Some of these are real small items, some of them are huge items, but just a couple of reminders. Uh we won't be resurfacing the track this summer. That's a carryover from last year. The striper that does the striping for that company
040has some health issues, so they had to cut back on the work. So, that's already been approved and will be done. Obviously, we've got to do a lot of work on the parking lots. We did not do much at all last year with the sealing and crack seal. Uh we'll be doing a lot of work there. Um stage four. Hopefully get that done. Uh The big thing is the sixth grade move. We're looking at lockers. I think we can say for sure now lockers will be on the north side of the warning hall. We'll be able to do all our sixth grade lockers on one side of this hall, and they'll be in the entire sixth grade will be right in this in this hall. You'll be able to And the four classrooms will be
041on this side of the hall. So, one, two, three, four teachers, lockers right across from them. So, that's going to work out well. We're going to repurpose some of the elementary lockers, which are in great shape. Much better than what's up here at the high school. Um They do not have locks on them. And that's partially by design. I think we'll be fine with that. So, Um obviously, we've got to do a few things in these four classrooms. Get some people moved out at the end of the year and do some things to make sure that they're ready to go in or classrooms. My plan right now is to have the June board meeting in here. With then you guys get kicked out. Sorry. Probably uh start having our board meetings in the high school
042library unless you have a different location you'd like to use, but I think when you guys first came on the board, we were having them down at the cafeteria. And there was no It was terrible. They were just in the elementary library I went to, and then it got moved to But Yeah, we had them in the high school cafeteria. You couldn't hear. It was It was not not a great setup, but I think we'll use We've already done some work in the high school library. That's working on that one. We may be I think I think that's probably what we'll do on that. Like I said, some other minor things. Obviously, we got to start planning the daycare suite. Got a year now to do that. Got to get that thing up up and
043running once we get get access to those rooms, we'll we'll start working on that. Any questions on summer projects? Ron, anything else that anything else you want on your to-do list this summer? No, I missed. Okay. Um Should have got that. Oh, I did want to mention for sure the other day that I think I said this out to the board, but we did get some solar credits sold. You saw that. Just shy of $10,000 solar credits for the 6 months already. So, that's in addition to anything you save on your utility bill. Um I don't understand how all that works, but I guess there are companies out there that want these green certificates cuz it looks good in that that huge like Lilly and they buy up these these solar credits to say that
044we are green. And they support green initiatives. >> Cuz they built a factory in a wetland and then they've got to be able to offset it by buying Literally means true. We have a solar field out here for us. Lilly, I'm just using them as an example, but these huge corporations can get look good on paper. Cuz they're destroying habitat. That's that's what you're selling when you sell these solar credits. We do nothing with it. Veracity does that. They sell them at certain times of the year. And they they give them us the most revenue, so Great. Glad to get that check. $9,600, so Okay, just just some data because I know this is this is obviously very concerning to me. Um I've kind of touched on this a little bit because kind of see
045this as a trend in the central Indiana and that's just uh population school enrollment and just kind of what we're seeing. And again, I don't I don't want you to think this is an indictment on New Central. I mean, you're doing great things here. But this is just kind of the trend in the area. Okay? So, if you did not see this, ISBA put this out in an email last week. So, this is It's a lot to unpack here, but this is statewide school enrollment pretty much K-12. This is K-12 enrollment uh for the last Where is it? 8 years. So, you've seen a 2.4% decline. And again, this is this is private, this is public, this is you know, anything under the jurisdiction of DOE. Okay? School wide enrollment is on the decline in
046the state of Indiana. Again, I I attribute that a lot to population changes, you know, structure of the family, uh all those kind of things. So, if you keep that line in mind here, that 2.4% decline, here is what our enrollment has been K-12, not not preschool, but K-12, what our enrollment has been since '15. So, not not a tremendous amount of volatility, I guess. I mean, a high of 1070, a low of 1026. Some school corporations are saying, you know, obviously some in the metro areas, suburban areas are We pretty much But that that trend that we were seeing pre-COVID of, you know, oh, sorry. That trend where we we were growing here, I don't I don't think and we thought, well, maybe we'll be I think we've seen that level off. My concern
047now is and just again, not just here at Mineral Springs, but what we're seeing in the area, I don't I would be surprised if next year we're we're 1026. I could see us be close. Again, I hope I am wrong when I come back to you in August September and talk about this. I could see Mineral Springs fall below 1000. And we've been there before though. Okay, I don't have the data all the way out here, but the color chart that I've shared in the past, I mean in in 2007, 2008, 2009, we were at below 1000. student corporation. We've been there before. Okay? So, here's kindergarten enrollment. Over the same period that ISBA has released. So, kindergarten enrollment in the state of Indiana has declined by 11 and a half percent. 11 and a
048half percent last eight, nine years. Fewer kids are starting school. Now, that doesn't mean that they're not coming into school in the elementary, junior high. These kids could be home schooled, they're not affiliated with the OE, not accredited in any way. Um Pretty significant decline. There's been no central's kindergarten enrollment the last 10-11 years. Again, this number somewhat skewed in some years because it also includes any retentions that we have. So, these aren't necessarily new kindergarteners to the corporation. So, some years you might have only a handful of retentions, others you may double digit. So, it's not an it's not an exact number, but it gives you an idea of kind of where we're at. So, as I shared with you, the the 61 that we started this school year is the smallest kindergarten group
049that we have started in North Central since I've been here that I can find. Not just in my role here, but at any way. That is small. Um Now, the good news, I think, I hope, is we're looking at increasing that number. Sounds like round up is where you're at right now. 67 new, correct? No, sorry. 68 was up today. 68 new. That does not include any retentions that we recommended. So, that's good sign. I mean, I have talked to other I've talked to neighboring superintendents that have classes in the 90s and 100s that are talking I have right now at kindergarten round up 50. So, it's not it's not just a North Central thing. Now, there are some other corporations that might have some outliers. 3 years ago, obviously, the 106 was I don't
050know where that came from. Cuz what's unique about that group is now, whatever they are, third graders or whatever they think, second or third graders, they're they're not 106. They're like in the 80s now. It's like where did but it's just that was where all the stars aligned that one year on that one count day where we had 106 students. I get it. So, this line is pretty much right with the birth rates in Indiana. It's a 12% decline over the last 15 years. And your dates even match up exactly to the Indiana birth rates pretty much exactly. So, looking at that over the last 5 years because 5-year-olds are becoming kindergarteners now. Uh 20 1 through 23 all pretty level and 24 was a little pop up the time it was. So, I suspect
051you're probably about right probably going to stay around there. We've joked, as you know, you've been here the whole time, the old board is public school. We've joked about the COVID babies and all that. You know, well, again, I you know, again, we're happy, we're pleased with that number, but we're not seeing a huge spike that round up right now. They may walk in the door toward the end of this week. They hit that 90 number I don't think they're there. I think that's a myth. At least in East Central Indiana. I don't see them. And I will I will gather maybe we all thought I will talk to the other area superintendents, but again the ones that I'm talking to right now are very concerned about the kindergarten number. Very. I think it has
052a lot to do with this chart right here. We are going to have to continue to think about restructuring the way our elementary school sections we have those kind of things because it was not service the number of kids that we had in the past. Any questions on this? Mr. Wine, I haven't shared this with you but I saw apologize but I wanted to get on round up We got kind of a little Okay. What what do you expect? What's normal over the summer after round up? I mean I know It all depends. One year we had like a total of like 65 new kids total like the week before school started. So you just never know. Usually we have some new ones the couple weeks before school starts. Do you usually lose many that
053come to round up? Not usually. I mean our students >> If they come to round up they're usually pretty serious. Pretty serious. I'll say this because these people are in the room but I I don't even want to think what our kindergarten number would be and had we not had the kind of things we have going on prior to kindergarten here. I'll say you would be It is scared. I think you'd be that close to 50 number that you And that is why as some comments were made earlier that why superintendents, school corporations, and boards, and communities are saying if we're not in this game we better get in this game quick cuz we'll be in trouble. If we could have done better we would have. That's all I have. We got emails this week.
054Anything on the phone policy? Not yet. Uh I I put it in your packet just that simple ISBA wireless device. I'm hearing different things. I assume it will be a topic tomorrow night. It will definitely be a topic tomorrow night. I I heard Miss Cheeseman went to IASB meeting which business officials of all places she said the presenter there was talking about this policy. I think it has to do with fact that they're concerned parents are not enrolling their kids to school because of it but now they're saying or at least IASB is kind of interpreting this as kids could possibly keep it in their book bags as long as it was off and not accessible would necessarily have to be in the locker left in a pouch but as long as it's off and
055not on their person that a book bag might I that's I first I had heard anybody say that. Pretty much everything I've seen says you can put it in the pouch which I don't want to do all that. You leave it in the locker or you go through the the extreme option and you don't allow them to bring it. Which again I'm not recommending that. I think that will create major concerns. So So what you had in the packet had two options. >> Yes. That's from IASB. That's what they think is going to come down or this is what they're sending out to schools to consider. >> This is what they're saying if if if you want to go with their recommended policy they would say you need to go with option B or option
056A. Which option A is no possession or use and but you can you can have them or option B is just prohibits bringing devices to school period. Good topic tomorrow night or members we're going to have a mixer tomorrow night and all of the new members just go around the different tables and talk to each other about how you going to handle this. It's not the board of directors today. Well, right. Let's say the state already knows what they're going to do. The high schools are going to have to decide for them and find a way to deal with it. You have anything? The only thing I have April 22nd is the Flusher Brothers auction. They're selling all the old banners from the uh gym. They all got all the new guys got athletic department
057got new sectional, regional, state, all that stuff and Flushers are selling all the old banners. So, for you local people that are a little older your year might be up there. You'll go and bid on a banner. I did have a question. How is the trap shooting going? Question, I've not heard much. I'll get back with you on that. Hold up. And you heard anything? I know there's a kid that's on the team. I don't I don't know who it is. I just remember us talking about being on the team. I don't remember who it was. I was in one of the junior high classes. They had a large call out. Obviously last year it was difficult for them to have practice. I did hear that and then from there you know what I have
058not heard much. Just thought I would ask cuz I was at the club last Sunday couple Sundays ago and there was a bunch of high school kids out there and had a video camera set up so I'm assuming that was the team. They were our kids. I think they were. Good. I think they were the team. Great. Did you? Maybe yeah. All right. I don't think we met since boys basketball team won regional and went to semi-state, so it was a good showing for them. Great season. I'm seeing school records for the track team continue to drop, so a lot of great things going on. Baseball team's having a successful season. Girls softball I think has already exceeded their win total for the last couple seasons, so a lot of success, a lot of good
059things going on. Thanks to everybody for everything you do. This meeting is adjourned. It's a Here you go. I think