001I welcome everybody to the November school board meeting for the Monroe Central School Corporation. Uh at this time, we'll have a word of prayer and then do the pledge of allegiance. Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Uh we thank you for the opportunity to serve this community and the students of the school. Um please be with us as we make decisions that they be in the best interest of our students and our community. Uh please also as the seasons are changing, please be with all the student drivers and look over them. Let them be safe this winter and uh and continue having a good school year. And these things we pray. Amen. >> Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands,
002one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Right. I call this meeting to order. Uh, first thing on the agenda is the approval of the agenda. No additions, no changes, planning questions. I will make a motion to approve the agenda as presented. >> Second. >> Any discussion? All in favor say I. I. All opposed. Motion carries. 5. >> All right, Mr. President. So, tonight's very positive is our Veterans Day. Obviously, we're thankful for our veterans. I'll turn it over to the principles because they did a great job of organizing some events today. So, I don't know who wants to go first, but why don't you report out on what happened? >> I'll go first since the elementary usually takes it first. So, this was our sixth time doing the Veterans Day
003drive-thru. We started that during COVID and then it's just kind of gone on since then. Um, today was very cold standing out there, but like I tell the kids, that's a very small sacrifice for what our men and women have done for us. It's always um it's my favorite day out of the year. Um always we have men and women that come through that tell us how much they appreciate us, especially our Vietnam vets. Every year I have one at least say, "I never got this when I came home." And brings me to tears. And they're usually in tears, too. But um it's so good to see our kids out there showing their respect and appreciation. And then I'm sure Mr. if I want to say something, but our elementary choir rocked it out of
004the house today. [laughter] >> Absolutely. >> Um, they did a tremendous job. I was super proud of them. Our fifth and sixth grade went over to watch as well and they behaved really well. Very proud of our bears today. >> I'll be honest with you, it was I mean, I was telling her, I was telling Mr. Morris afterwards, it's just like it surprised me. I'm sitting there and God bless America and I'm starting to tear up. Yeah. >> Uh, our students, I was just talking to Mr. Ferguson about this in the hallway and he was he was really proud of the fact that our students, you know, it's it's neat to see how much respect they have for our veterans. I mean, they were they were fantastic. Uh, you know, Ed Lockard got a little
005emotional and that was again, that was it was good to see, but then Daniel Baker did a fantastic job. Kind of a neat story on that. He uh I've been trying to talk to his daughter. I didn't forget his name if you were there. All right. I was going to tell the story, but I decided not to. But I've been trying to get Lily to introduce him for weeks and weeks. And she was like, I can't do it. I don't want to speak in front of everybody. And today, uh she sent me a schooly message and said, you know, I want to introduce my dad. And she played it perfectly. It was a surprise. And when she was coming up, he looked at me, he's like, "No, you tissue box." And he got he got
006emotional, but you know, KP was was phenomenal on the on the slides and the sounds and the music and the banded. Well, I mean, it was a lot of talented people. Sarah did a good job singing. Sarah Morgan. So, >> got a lot of good people. >> But how many roughly >> the crowd was crazy, >> you say? >> Well, here's the I can't Ron asked me that question because he said the cars were too numbered to count. >> You know, >> I can tell you we made 70 like treat bags, 75 treat bags and we had about 10 I think left over. So I would say about 60 veterans came through the line. I don't know if all of them stayed. >> A lot of compared to last year's crowd 10 times better. >>
007Yeah. >> That's great. >> Yeah. >> You got >> I did get to come. Yeah, it's fantastic. I'll I'll echo that. It's my favorite day of the year to be on school grounds. Uh the kids at the elementary have a great time and it's fun going through and seeing how much excitement they have to honor veterans is great and the uh program of the high school was awesome. Daniel Baker did a great job. His daughter did a great job of introducing him. For you to say that she didn't want to speak in public, she did such a good job. but would have been surprised by that. So, yeah, it was great. Thank you both for for putting that on and keeping it going. >> Very good. >> All right, at this time we'll take comments
008from patrons. All right, moving on to the consent agenda. minutes, claims, donations, fundraisers, study trips, ECAS. Okay. Got a small landscape donation over there. So, >> okay. Uh, entertain a motion on the consent agenda. >> So, move second. >> Any discussion? All in favor say I. >> I. All opposed. Motion carries. 401 abstension. >> See a really good problem. We have several staff members that are expected, which is awesome. Uh several. You can see maternity leave requests come through here a lot in the next month or two. So, um first up would be Manny. Help me out. Missy, tell tell me about Missy and how this all works. >> Sims. Yeah. >> Um, so she she has been a sub substitute teacher for us in the past. She was a preschool teacher um last year.
009This year she's um finishing up her LEAD degree. So she student taught um in Mrs. Pudsley's class um and just finished that last week. Um so she she's a great great lady and um we're excited to have her. She wants to be our maternity leave sub for Italy McCreary. She already has all of her qualifications to be in the preschool as far as our certification and all that stuff. So, she's fantastic. >> Absolutely fantastic. >> Been with Dylan this year and she's been fantastic. >> I've never seen her without a smile on her face. >> I'd ask your approval her for a maternity leave. When does that start? May I send the packet? Uh the I think right when we come back from Christmas break. >> Yeah. January. >> All right. We'll entertain a motion
010on the maternity leave of Missy Sims. >> Second. Any discussion? >> All in favor say I. >> I. All oppose. Motion carries. 5-0. >> Uh bus driver appointment Logan. I think she's already started drive, but we need to get her officially approved. >> I'll make a motion to approve Daniel Logan as driving. >> Second. >> All in favor say I. >> I. All oppose. Motion carries 5. >> Yep. Okay. Financial tax anticipation warrant resolution. um to do this each year. It just gives us, you know, some security if for some reason the tax draw doesn't come again. We get tax draws from the county twice a year, usually Decemberish and then again in June. Um so it's a tool we've used and we've used it for as long as as I can remember. Um obvious
011our cash flow is much better. um than it has been in years. So, if Jessica and I talked, we would probably have to use this, but I I'd hate to do something, especially with Senate Bill One, which we're going to talk about at the end here. Um we're not out much by using it. So, I guess we're we're going to ask for another year of this. definitely want to evaluate some things because really probably don't have to have main cash flow work. I'd ask for your approval of the tax anticipation warrant resolution. Do I have any questions? All right. I entertain a motion on the tax anticipation warrant resolution. I'll make the motion. >> Second. >> Any discussion? All in favor say I. I oppose. Motion carries 5-0. >> Uh, next up, really, we we've
012already had Anna in place, but this is just so we can give her a raise. So, because she's not really a classified employee, she doesn't fall under the teacher bargaining unit because she's not officially part of that group because she's adjunct staff. So, Anna was hired last year as a math teacher. We were unable to fill that position. This year, she has moved. She's still at the high school. She's really, what do we call that position? What do you call it? Opportunity school, credit recovery. Um, doing a lot of things for us. Doing a great job. Um, anticipate soon for her to be fully licensed. Hopefully, this will be the last time we have to do this, but just really need to get her an adject teacher employment agreement approved so we can get her
013raised as well. >> All right. entertain a motion on the adjunct teacher employment agreement for Miss Walters. >> I'll make the motion. >> Any discussion? All in favor say I. >> All oppose. Motion carries. 5-0. >> Classified staff employee compensation. We're recommending a 50 cent per hour raise for all classified staff. This will be your custodians, your maintenance, secretary, treasurer, registar positions in both buildings as well as the administrative assistant in add all your pair professionals, instructional assistants, preschool tech support as well as the daycare employees, the early childhood center. So 50 cent per hour for all those folks. All of those raises would go into effect first page. I have any questions? I'll make the motion to approve the classified employee compensation increase. Second. >> All in favor say I. >> I. >> All
014oppose. Motion carries 5. So for your administration office, principles, directors, and then also school counselors, uh we're recommending a 2.6% raise. That was the average raise for all teachers was 2.6. And then for those people that um don't quite make the 1500, 2.6, we're recommending $1,500 raise for those folks. So, whatever is the greater amount, I guess 1,500 is the minimum or 2.6. Again, this would be for your building principles, athletic trainer, athletic staff, directors, SRO, nurse, school counselors, basically everybody else that's not a teacher, not a classified employee on a bus truck. >> We have any questions? All right. Looking for a motion on the principles, admin, directors, and counselors compensation. >> I move to accept the compensation as presented. >> I'll second that. >> Any discussion? All in favor say I. >> I.
015>> All opposed. Motion carries. 5-0. >> Substitute teacher pay increase. I don't think we did anything with this last year. I cannot remember. Should look that up, but we need to. Wish we could do more. Um, right now current sub pay is $90 for a regular sub, $100 for retired teacher. We'd like to increase those by $10 a piece. $100 to sub, $110 if you're a retired teacher. Those would take effect January one if approved. I think it was the year before last that we did increase. >> I think it's been at least one year. I'll make a motion to approve the substitute teacher pay increase. >> Second. Any discussion? All in favor say I. I. >> All opposed. Motion carries. 5. >> Okay. So, David Hoser approached me and Brent may help me out
016on this. We didn't talk about this, but um our buses got new cameras as part of this last project. Um really what we have or what we had we do not need. Rand Southern does not have any bus cameras to my knowledge and David was just basically I think they have very little value and Southern asked if we would donate them. I think Dave kind of reached out to them. So I'm recommending that we donate the bus hard drives and cameras. Brent, do you want to speak to this at all? Just seeing it up here, my only concern would be that we either do actual data destruction on the hard drives or we pull the physical devices so we don't have any data getting leaked. >> That'd be my concern. >> Is this all like
017everything that we took out we're going to give them and then they've agreed to destroy anything they're not going to >> or recycle or whatever anything. >> It's 24 units. Um there's not any part I mean that was the other thing I asked him. I was like is there any parts we could use if something on the new No they're not compatible the new system with what we had in the fast is not. So I can't I mean those cameras how >> if they're the ones that we they pulled off and replaced this year they're old. I mean they're 09. >> Yeah. I couldn't remember how long see that they would even want them really. They they've asked. I mean, if you wanted to send an email out or request and as long as we
018could secure the hard drives, make sure there's nothing there. I think they're going to bring us any anything on gov deals or anything like that. It's really we're helping out other county schools. So, >> and the only thing that's on the hard drives right now are recording of on the buses. Correct. They they have their own hard drives for them. It's not like shared with something else. >> Well, it would be just the audio and video of the kids on the bus. >> If there was something accidentally not wiped, it's not a huge deal. It's just video and audio of kids. >> Yeah. It would just be making sure we follow the board policy that you guys have on data destruction. >> Any questions? All right. will entertain a motion on the donation of the
019busible drives and cameras. So move second. Any discussion? All in favor say I. >> I. >> All opposed. >> Motion carries. 5-0. >> So for our older busers, they have to go through a second inspection each year. And we just recently had that inspection. We had two that did not didn't go through. One was minor something was off a quarter of an inch or an eighth of an inch. I guess before it was the other this 2008 Thomas school bus um there was a leak in the fuel tank and um this is the oldest bus we have in our fleet. Obviously we have a new bus coming maybe January hopefully. David's recommendation is to put this on the gov deal site auction site see if we can get anything out of it. Um, otherwise you're
020looking at pretty it's going to be a lot of money to fix that fuel tank and get it back on the road. And for that old a bus, I just I don't see it coming or see us doing that. But it's your call if you want us to. He he didn't have an exact number. He just threw out $2,500 and $3,000 probably fix what we're looking at. >> And we haven't been using it since inspection. >> That's correct. We cannot. It's been wherever they card it or accident or whatever they do. They It is. Yeah. >> We can obviously get by just fine without it. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> And we have new spares and I said we have new bus coming. So I mean it's got 125,000 miles, 72 passenger. Um small small
021fuel leak on top of the fuel tank. it. I mean, obviously, if we if you agree to sell it, we sell it as is. And but I think we get a little something out of it. People there is an actual market for >> old school buses. People will buy these up. So, >> more than the 1500. We used to get I'm not saying >> we can sell for 5 to 7,000. I mean, yeah. which trade in value is 12. >> B Patrick, did you have a question? >> No, no, I'm sorry. I just make sure my phone. >> Anybody have any questions on that? All right. Entertain a motion on the permission to sell the butts. >> I'll make the motion. >> Second. >> Any discussion? All in favor say I. I. >> All oppose.
022Motion carries. Five to zero. >> Uh Keith Lambert flooring. Just some things kind of toward the end of the year. We got appropriation left. So I'm kind of looking at my [clears throat] needs. Uh these two classrooms are actually right next to us. These two classrooms here and then what used to be the lonely room. This room and this room now, but what used to be these rooms are carpeted in this wing. And this wing was built in 2000. And that's the original carpet. These two rooms do not get a lot of heavy heavy use. Those two rooms, obviously, 25 years worth of junior high kids coming in and out. This room in particular, it's it's bad. We've scrubbed and scrubbed. I know Nick Nick knows. I mean, it's it needs to come out. So,
023we've debated on what I mean, we want to try to go away from carpet. That's my recommendation. Um, it's just in a school it's just hard to keep clean. It just is. And too many things can go wrong with carpet. I know it's great and and teachers would love to have carpet and it makes it feel more homey and I get it. I get it. But from a maintenance standpoint, it is it can be a nightmare. It can be it creates all kinds of potential problems. So, um, that's why I'm not recommending that it be replaced with carpet. Um, I know we had this discussion when we built the preschool down there. We just we're trying to go away from carpet in classrooms. So, with that, we talked about vinyl plank um, or just the
024BCT, and we've done the vinyl plank and had a lot of success down at the elementary. just don't know that the the wear will be as it will wear as well up here. Scooting chairs on it and having high school kids desk units. So, we're recommending we stay with the BCT. It works well for us. It's what's in the rest of this wing. And um that's the recommendation. $8,100 almost $8,200 for Keith to do both of those rooms. And the hope would be to do it over Christmas break. Ron, you got anything you want to say on it? >> Nick, I know this has been a priority for you. I mean, he's not asked Nick doesn't ask for a lot, but he's asked me please take care of room 409. So, it's 409, right? Or
025eight. I know it's this one or this room. This is really bad. >> Yeah. So, >> any questions? All right. Entertain a motion on the flooring permission to purchase. I'll make the motion passed. >> Second. Any discussion? All in favor say I. I. >> All opposed. Motion carries. 5-0. On a school calendar, it's that time. Um, we've talked about this for a little over a month with our teachers, different groups. Obviously, we're somewhat locked in, not completely, but somewhat locked in to shared services. We have Raz to think about. We have Mac to think about. Obviously, Dick got three years. So, um, this year we started about as early as we've ever started. Next year, the calendar rolls. We're actually starting about as late as we've started in a long time. First school day we're
026recommending is August 12th and still finishing before Memorial Day because Memorial Day is on the 31st barring any makeup days or anything like that. So similar breaks nothing really changes within the calendar just starting about a week later than we have in the last several years. So, >> principles, anybody and Brent, anybody got any comments about the calendar? >> This is still based off of a minutes calendar versus a days calendar. >> Yes, it is. So, it has the four builtin PD days. I went ahead and put them on here and it says on the calendar PD days pending approval. We won't know that until the We never know that till the spring, you know, with with the letter grade not coming out until this time next year around. They may go ahead and grandfather
027in I I don't know how they're going to handle this performance qualified district is what we've got passed because obviously we're going to already have started the school year. So, we don't actually have our letter grade until December, then I don't know. But if for some reason we can't use those days. There's some other avenues I can look at to try to get in some PD days. I just don't know if we'll be able to get four. >> Sure. >> I think we get two, maybe three. Four might be a stretch. >> But in the event we lose our A ranking, it's probably going to affect the 2728 school year. >> Yeah. >> Versus 267. >> Okay. >> Yes. Right now we we actually only attend 176 days because our calendar is based upon minutes
028if not dates which is in statute 180. Any other questions? All right. I will make a motion to approve the 26 27 school calendar as presented. >> Second. >> Any discussion? >> We're not going to do it three times this year. Great. >> I don't know. [laughter] We'll see. >> All in favor say I. >> I. >> All opposed. Motion carries. 5-0. So in your packet this month was a RA an updated RAZ rule alliance zone partnership agreement. our executive director Joanne Mac work closely with the three superintendent as well as our our partners at IvyTech and at Reed Hospital. They serve on the board with us as well to try to get this partnership agreement I mean sketched out ready to go and she's asked for each of the three uh member boards to
029approve this. So nothing, no big changes. It just it just talks about, you know, what what happens. I mean, if we send a kid to welding, where's that money going? Same thing if they send a kid to our child care program. And then as we bring in new districts, how that's going to work. So basically, it just gets an agreement out there so everybody knows what we're doing with grass. So I'd ask for the approval of that. I will say that the three superintendents, Mr. Abraham, Mr. Adams, myself last week with the Randolph County Commissioners meeting on Monday and then the Randolph County Council meeting on Tuesday at their invitation. They asked us to come in and kind of report on the program. I shared I believe the slides with you maybe last month or
030last week that we presented at that uh meeting. Very impressed. Um commissioners, council just very thankful that we're working together. Um, obviously they love to see this just continue to to grow. Um, and they've committed another $145,000 the next two years to this program, which is which is huge. Help us with transportation, help us continue to pay Joanne as long as she doesn't retire on us and help these programs. So, good things there. We got some nice press. If you didn't read the article in the News Gazette, it was real nice. Did a good job of that. So Ann Renee, that's your deal. Anything you want to say about Raz? >> Enjoyed it and I think the kids have too. Kind of like we were talking about the Baker girl and she's actually going to
031the program over at Union City, the Kiss TV. So I know she's been in front of the camera and doing recording stuff. So I I would think that helped her. >> She was good. >> You don't know this? I think you do. But um there are three additional schools that are partnering with us now. Um Randolph Southern's come on board this year. Liberty Perry and then Nor Eastern. So they we are working to try to get programs approved at those schools so that we can get send our kids there and then once they they have an approved program then they become a full-fledged member of RAZ voting member and all that. So >> and at that point they would be a part of this agreement. Yes, >> I saw that it was just >> That's
032correct. >> Two from each superintendent, board member from each school. Plus, >> it's just the three of us right now for this school period. Any other questions? All right. I will make a motion to approve the RAZ partnership agreement as presented. Second. Any discussion? All in favor say I. I. All opposed. Motion carries. 5-0. >> Lots of policy. First reading. We'll come back to this next month. I will try to I have it my packet here, but I didn't email you guys out. I will try to send like the digest version. So much easier to read. Basically gives you a couple sentence on what policy is. So if you have a one that you're really interested in, you can dive down in check all the changes and look at it carefully. But obviously and I
033I didn't count them up, but there's probably 100 policies there over those four updates. So we try to get those approved next month. That's all right. Okay. A couple things to report out on tonight. Um we'll talk to you guys about what we did last Friday. So we had a PD day. um building principles did a great job of getting some good PD in front of their staff, but I did meet with both buildings that morning and talk to our teachers about teacher appreciation grant. I won't go through the whole presentation. I think you've seen the slides, they were in the packet. The big biggest thing I just want the board to know is this is totally changed. um there is no more you know money coming uh to the school corporation that can be
034evenly distributed out to our teaching staff. In the past we had to have a tag policy and you had to differentiate between a highly effective and effective teacher on an evaluation get a little more in the highly effective but basically everybody got about got the same and for the last few years it's been $4 to $500. That's a nice little stipen that teachers get around this time of the year the holidays. That is no more. Unfortunately, they kept the same name which makes it very confusing. It is it is not the same thing. We're still getting an aotment of money. Um and we finally got that aotment last uh last Friday. That's around $39,000 just under $40,000 that we have to give to our teachers. I mean, you don't have to accept it. We decided
035to accept it. Um, but this time it can only go to 20%, no more than 20% of your teaching staff. So, and there there are certain criteria the teachers have to meet. There are three tiers. Um, and those stipens are set. So if if a teacher gets a tier one stipen, they're getting a $3,500 stipen whether they teach here or in Gary or Evansville or wherever. A tier one stipen is a $3,500 stipen. A tier 2 stipen is $5,000 and a tier three stipen is $7,500. But again, only 20% of your staff can get those. And whatever your allocation amount is, that's it. you're not going to get any more if you have 10 teachers qualify for the tier three site. So, um it's created a lot of problems, a lot of questions amongst teachers
036association, superintendent. We all have a lot to flush out here, but basically what we're going to do is this I'm going to talk to the teachers again Thursday night, make sure they're good with the application, but teachers will have to fill out an application. They'll have to justify this is why I think I should get this stipen. I think I can get this tier. I meet these criteria. I'm a mentor or I'm on a high needs area. The big thing though is they have to show to be considered all you have to show that you had significant impact on student outcomes. And by significant it means you didn't just do what everybody did last year. And I mean, you have to have been well above state average. If the group was average last year, you've
037had to bring, you know, your entire class up from well below state average up to average this year. You're going to have to justify that with data, right? And that's not our that's not our call. That's what we've been told all schools are going to have to do. So, it creates a competition. Some some people in the business world like that. It makes it difficult on administration though because you're picking winners and losers. And what we try to tell our staff and what I told on Friday was every one of you are important to the overall mission of what we're trying to do here, not just the 20%. So, um, what we have decided locally here is we're going to accept the applications. We're going to review them, our applications, to make sure that they're
038accurate. there's not any information that's wrong and then we're going to extract any names or anything that would identify anybody and then we're going to take whatever those however many we get um and we're going to send them to Liberty Perry and there'll be a team over there that will judge those using a rubric and then we're going to judge Liberty Perry's applications here at Monroe Central maybe a couple teachers Mr. on this fly. Maybe Ann decided who that is. We'll send those back and then in January um before the end of the month I have to submit our names and it depends on how many tiers we have but we're looking anywhere from probably seven to 11 names. That's all we'll be able to submit depending on what tiers they get. So if we
039have if we have uh seven applications then probably all seven of those names will get submitted. We have 50 applications we're going have to narrow down and pick the best seven to 11 applications to send those names >> making any sense at all. Yeah, >> you guys understand what it's a very thought briefly and it's digest version I can give you on subject that's created a lot of >> I know it's a sensitive subject and I appreciate you the way that we've handled it because look something you have not said that I am aware of is there are a very high percentage of schools in the state that are declining it >> and yeah >> and that is concerning to me because why would we not want to give our teachers an opportunity I mean,
040if if we decline it, they're all at the minimum. Why don't we at least want to give some of them that opportunity and it's actually gives us a break because I know there are other local schools who are not doing it. So, if if we get some of the best teachers that they have and say, "Look, Winter Essentials offering this. Why can't I go compete for this? It gives us it helps us." So in August there was a great there was almost a movement there for a while of superintendent that were talking to the boards and talking to teachers about about not doing this. What I have been told is only 12 to 15 12 to 15 school corporations across the state declined this. Okay. Everyone else opted in. >> There was a lot of
041talk just >> and there were some that declined and I don't know exactly who they are. Delhom being one was big there was big talk that they were not they they did accept I know that okay >> I know Ken was online >> there were several at the board president's breakfast of the fall out conf they they hadn't made up their mind but they were leaning against it >> and you guys may hear a different number through ISBA I just know I was at a meeting last week with super two weeks ago association and our executive director said our recommend commendation was to accept this and only 12 to 15 have not. So >> that's compared to last compared to how we did it before was how much what was the dollar figures? It was
042almost well it was about the almost the same allocation amount but all like all returning teachers which this year would have been about 55 as long as they had an effective or highly effective evaluation they would get a stipen and the amounts came out to be about $450 and $525 because you you had to get 20% more if you're highly effective. So it was it's about 550 525 450 425 what's the difference? Okay. So now I mean you're going from $500 to people going to get $3500. It's a great stock. I mean it's a great and >> but I mean most of those are highly effective before. >> Yes. >> Correct. >> But your evaluation r and I should have backed up. So your evaluation ranking has nothing to do with with this application. Nowhere
043on there do they say are you highly effective? Are you effective? Doesn't have anything to do with that. It is did you have significant impact on student outcomes? >> Show me the data. That's number one. >> We can't even add that. >> You can add whatever else you want to it. But you baseline is you have to show significant impact on student outcomes. >> I would hate somebody to be picked who is not highly effective. >> Well, I would hope that if you're not highly effective or affected I mean how' >> be bad? >> Yeah. Yeah. >> How is >> we have a problem if we're ranking somebody >> Yeah. >> really poorly. How do we miss them? >> Four out. >> Yeah. and I won't we'll let you know but I don't think we're
044going to have that problem this year kind of in the future but I will I will be so this is something else we shared so there's a lot of questions about well not necessarily from our group but questions I've heard around the state I I don't want my name out there I don't want if I apply for this I don't want anybody to know it because I don't want to create extension amongst my team but they're this is this is public information so once these are awarded in the spring. I will share with the board. These are our seven teachers. Here they are. And obviously if we get more than seven applications, then there going to be some people that didn't get it. I'm not going to share that information. You may hear from them.
045They may be upset. You just need to know that. They may ask you, I can't believe so and so got it. I didn't. I'm sorry. That's the position we're in. And all these changes and all these requirements came from the state. Correct. >> Absolutely. Yes. And and not just so and this is important to understand. I don't blame anybody but you just need to understand this did not come from the department of education. They are working on the fly to try to get us some guidance. This comes straight from statute. All right. It was in in law last spring saying you will do this now department of ed you kind of figure out the process but here are here are the type of amounts okay here's what they have to be based on you determine
046how it happens so is Dr. Jenner, her staff has worked really hard to try to make the very best they can out of this, but it's got a lot of holes. It's got it's got some problems to us. I'm not saying it's all bad. That's it. I mean the yes, we should want our our very best teachers that work the tails off that they're they're you know their performance impacts me as a superintendent impacts obviously our principles and and we're getting evaluated on how well our schools do. So obviously those teachers that impact letter grades which are coming back have a direct impact. If they do outstanding work, they should be compensated for that instead of just thanks for helping us all out. We really appreciate it. I mean they we all have a role,
047but obviously they're they're putting it out there for us. So there are parts of this that are not necessarily bad. It's just it is going to create some some dissension. I think it will Principles, you got anything on tag? I know we really not talked a lot with principles. I've tried to keep them out of the minutia of all the details other than just tell your teachers to do the very best they can and we'll see how it all sorts out. Okay. Another activity there question on tech. Another activity we did Friday is Thank you Mr. Headland, Mr. Cantrell and Caleb Antrum, those three in particular, those others, but um we met with our office staffs and we went through what's called a reunification exercise. So, um, we don't talk a lot publicly about our
048school safety plans for obvious reasons, but I will tell you, um, something that we've not talked a lot about or a lot practiced a lot is this idea as if there is a school safety cons issue and we have to get kids, you know, maybe out of this building somewhere else and then eventually get them back with their parents um, after a school shooting. after a um you know a train era der railment after a chemical spill in the building or something. Um I mean how does that process work? So, we specifically worked with our office staff on that checkout procedure. And if you followed any of the mass school shooting activities, you always see that in the news, you know, this idea of reunification. And there's an organization called the I love you guys,
049which we're very familiar with school safety. Um, it came out of Col, not Coline, but one of the Colorado shootings. Um it was a a family affected by this that started this organization about how to better reunify uh families with their kids after a disaster like this. So we met specifically with the not the administration but uh Britney Melissa Beth I mean those those folks broke Becky here at the high school Amanda and we just wanted them to feel comfortable with how it work. We're going to meet with our teachers. We're going to meet with our our principles to talk about it. But we wanted them because they're going to be on the front lines. They're going to be the first ones to see you when you say, "I want my kids." All right. They're
050right now. So, I think it was a great exercise. So, one of the areas that we if something were to happen here on campus and we have to evacuate the campus, um, our our our first option if it's safe would be the Farmline Friends Church. So we we have to evacuate the entire campus. Okay. So how we get there and all that's through our plan, but once we get there um what's it going to look like, we wanted those people to see the building. So we went over and toured the building. We showed them exactly how, again, I don't want to publicly talk a lot about our plan, but exactly how we would, you know, get kids from holding areas to parents without creating hopefully mass chaos. So Brent, you want to talk about it?
051Brent really worked hard on this. He's put together all the packets and binders and it was good. I think it was we got good feedback from them. >> Basically what the idea was is we've always had this in our plan that we would follow this but nobody's ever opened it up really looked at it really rehearsed it. So by starting with the office staff what we wanted to do is is let them look at their internal processes. what stuff we have, what documents we have in paper, what the plans are, look at match that up, and they found a lot of deficiencies. So, they've already been able to correct it. They've already been able to make new new binders and all kinds of stuff to get the information that we would need and only the
052information that we would need so that the people running those different positions would have would be able to do their job efficiently, get the kids. The idea is to get the kids as safely and quickly as possible from that area to their parents and home. So, we started there, kind of building it out from there and then going to level up, bringing in medical next, bringing in the principles and the admin team. Transportation is going to be huge, but it's just going to be working that up, building the whole plan kind of from there and making sure that we're good at some point. I think it'd be good to run some kind of an exercise, but that's down the road once we kind of get everybody looped in and work as a team. I thought
053it was really good questions on school safety. >> No, but this aligns a few years ago at conference, we had a keynote speaker from um she was a family member of a victim of Sandy Hook and reunification was her big topic. So, she she talked a lot about that. So, I appreciate it. >> Yeah, >> good exercise. Hey, just a couple bits of information for you. Um, I know early on in the school year, we talked about free induced counts. Beth has put together some documentation for you in the packet, but just give you an idea of where we're running right now. We're running almost identical to where we were this time last year. This time last year, we were 48.1%. We're 48.8%. So almost identical percentage number of of parents kiddos that applied for
054either free or reduced lunch. So it has not ticked up like we were hoping it would. We were hoping to identify more. Can't say that we have a little bit but hardly not even a percentage. Are some students identified without having notified the school or applied >> as being free or reduced? >> They have to fill out an application. >> Correct. You have to >> a YouTube corrected online. >> Have to talk about they Yes. You guys were okay. >> Yes. >> Well, so how did that happen then? So people got notification that they were free and reduced and they had never filled that out out an application. >> So we have um what's called direct certification through the state. And so monthly I pull that report. Sometimes I'll I'll do a what I call
055DC lookup if there's a new student that is enrolling just to kind of see okay are they DC. So, even if they fill out that application for free and reduced, um if they're on that direct certification through the state for whatever reason, whether it be income, you know, Medicaid, you know, foster situation, whatever, um they're automatically free. And so, we go into the meal time program that we have, and we just make sure like they're just automatic. And it's it's usually identified those students are identified through their STN number, which is their state test number. So, it is an automatic thing that goes straight to meal time to report it, but we we run that report and we upload it every every month. So, um >> I think they're talking about the one where it
056was uploaded wrong like it was sent out to people who didn't work for we I got it from Noah. >> Okay. Sorry. That was on the mail time side and Cindy Batty who's with um who handles kind of that, she's the one that got out there. So, yeah, we sent out the correct letters and we got that fixed. We had several people that received notification that they're were introduced and they they had never applied and they're not and that came from Sharwells. Correct. Yeah. >> By mistake. >> So with that since then because I'm new to the position I have got my own login now to mail me time. So I can pull any report now and not just be reliant on Chartwells. So hopefully with that accountability with the both of us being kind
057of new to this process and she was new with it too. I mean we just kind of finding our way but um but yeah we just did um we're in the midst of our verification process with all of that. So, um, we've we there was a random process of how we, um, pulled a handful of students that qualified and then we sent out letters and we had to have those families show proof of income and things like that. So, that is a report that the state requires and so kind of again just that accountability of what they're putting on their application is correct to what we're reporting. So at 48% we're really close to 50%. What are the And I guarantee there's kids out there who are not on it who do qualify and what
058are the benefits if we were to go over 50%. Is that like any kind of threshold or anything? >> So on the tech side your free and reduced rate calculates into our reimbursement. So right now we dropped this year from last year from 80% federal reimbursement for internet and when I bring the the category 2 all the network upgrades the federal government would pay 80%. Now they've dropped us down to the 7030 so they'll only pay 70% because of our free and reduced rate and we have to pay 30%. So the higher the free and reduced rate and more the feds will pick up on my side. I think that carries over into federal grants and other things too. Even on a community reinvestment act for the bank, I get community re reinvestment act money
059anytime I come to schoolboard meetings if our school's over 50. >> Um but we don't we don't get credit for it being under 50. So I didn't know if there's other things that line with that as well. >> We might being that close we might want to make this another push maybe try to get a few more. I do know just from the registister side from my previous position and I'm not sure how the elementary does it but whenever we're in that registration process with a new family if they're we always ask that question would you qualify for pre-ro or do you think that you would even if they're on the fence we always encourage them this is in your benefit to try it helps us it's a win-win for the school and for you
060so it's worth trying even if you don't have um you know SNAP or TANF or whatnot, you know, it's still worth it. And so >> that with any new student enrolled >> I did and that's how >> elementary >> that's how I've trained. >> I don't care for my own credit. I do other volunteering to get my credits. But but what I'm thinking is if there are other if my credit is tiered on 50% certainly there's other things that are tiered on that as well. So it would I imagine >> yeah I just talked few months ago that something to do with grant that we would have qualified for based off of that but I don't remember what it was. >> It's been several years ago but when we dropped the load before I worked
061with Paty and she really did a push on marketing how free and reduced application is not just for you how it helps the school and push that and that next year we did have an increase. I don't know if that's something to consider. Again, maybe just explaining how that benefits the school other than just getting an individual a free and reduced lunch. >> And even if we send what the qualifications are, they don't know. People don't know. >> If you look on the website, I have posted more information regarding that and explaining that. We've gotten more documentation that we're able to explain it a little bit easier. Um, so that is on our website as well, just kind of explaining in more detail about how it benefits them. >> Go ahead. I think I know
062what you're going to say, but go. This is scary. >> I was just going to say I think if we had a list, >> Yep. they go. We're thinking on the same line. I really think that the building principles, if they had a list, could identify some kiddos that >> Yeah. probably should be on and then we can target those kids to try to say and those families we will help you fill this application. >> I mean just going from 80 down to 70 is huge with that federal. >> Let's work on that before next month. We try to get your report out >> at some point soon that's where we're at on reducing uh solar just a quick update. We're still working with a on the bill. if you looked at your packet. Good.
063Another good one, but still got a couple things that we're tweaking there. Um, making improvements. The big the big news on that though is uh the the federal tax credit. So, we're in the process of trying to get our uh our application submitted so that we can hopefully get that credit at some point in 26 because it goes away at the end of this year. So I'm working with Rei Financial Group. They work with a lot of municipalities, schools that do this. Kevin Lester, he actually emailed me today and very got the information to him that they needed. Building permit, I think, whatever. So I just want to keep you updated that's out there. Don't know what the amount's going to be, but obviously it's a that's a sizable chunk of money that hopefully we
064will get at some point in 26. Comes straight from the federal government. It's not paid in installments. I have been told literally you will get a check. They will send it one check to the corporation and there it is. So, >> and we were thinking that's like 230 from the varies paperwork in that wasn't there an estimate on that when they gave us that 25-y year payout >> the 27 and a half% or whatever it is I can't because it was three 33% at one time. It's about 650,000. Okay. Yeah. Now, working with these folks, they said some of that stuff won't apply like the fencing. You can't the fencing won't count or something. I mean, so it's not going to be it could that would be the max amount. >> Sure. >> It's going
065to probably dwindle from there. But yeah, it's a it's thousands of dollars that we're looking at getting back at some point in 26, which will be >> and it would just go into the operations fund. Is that >> go wherever you tell me to put it? Okay. doing rainy day. It could go wherever you the board decides. I don't want to get too far ahead because as you know with the federal government, we want to see the check first. I get get real nervous about making plans with that until we see it. Um so that that's where we're at on the on the solar bed rebate. Um the sheep are gone, correct? Did I I thought I saw that they pulled them out here toward the snow, but that's been fun. I think we've had
066got some raving reviews about the sheep. So, and the last thing I have, I believe, uh I want to thank Brad and Nathan and Bradley for going with me down to Hagerstown last week. We had a good meeting, ISBA, good presentation on upcoming legislation. Um, don't want to scare anybody, but it's just going to be out there a lot. Everybody's worried about SB1 bill one, what impact that's going to have on operations. And then there's going to be big talk whether anything happens, but there's going to be big talk about consolidation just is. So, there'll be probably be some legislation introduced. doubt if anything will happen with it this session, but there's going to be somebody going to put their name on a consolidation bill. And so, just be prepared to hear some things. The
067number that they threw out the other night um was 1500. I've heard every I've heard 2,000. I've heard a thousand. Um the number that Terry Sprdling said that and he had just came from a meeting from Bob with Bob Bainy which is head of the education committee on the house is is 1500. If you're less than 1500 then they're going to target you for some type of consolidation. So but he also said that it'll likely come up in a short session just to get a feeler of the push back. So, I encourage anyone who's listening on video or in person or whatever else, if that is presented, please contact your representative because that's exactly why they plan on pushing it out there to see how they hear people coming back at us. We'll float it
068out there, see how it goes in the short session and then after the election to do it or not. So, we'll see. I mean, we've got a lot of things in place. We collaborate well. Um, we had a meeting Staylor and I did last week as Cheeseman with Liberty Perry to see if we could team with them more to collaborate more to share more services just to cut on cut down on costs. So, we'll continue to do that. I'll report out as as we do, but we're going to have to try to be better stewards, collaborate where we can. So, uh, one last thing I I did forget to say about athletics. So, um, been a lot of talk about athletic conferences, uh, new conferences being formed, lost a couple MEC schools. Uh, TEC lost
069a couple schools. Um, Mr. Middleton, Mr. Beach met with the other MEC schools. had a good meeting last week and uh I think hopefully you've seen the press release if you did um MEC schools unanimously those that are left the the nine that are left said nine yeah nine said I want to stick this thing eight it's eight right >> I think there's nine >> it's eight >> there was 11 before it's eight >> um the eight MEC schools minus Shannidoa [clears throat] and Eastern Hancock are uh committed to trying to make this thing work and possibly expand. Those eight are Westell, Walahani, Delville, Calen, Blue River, Randolph Southern, Monro Central, and Union. There's your eight MC schools. So, good meetings. I mean, do you feel good about the direction of the NBC? And >>
070yeah, we I mean, a lot of discussion and you know, we went into that that meeting not knowing what to expect. I thought it might get a little contentious and and uh you know, Grant Adams from C spoke first and what he said was like what everybody else was thinking and it was just like ditto everybody with that. So like we were the NBC, the administrators, the athletic directors, we get along very well. You know, it's a good group of people and I mean it couldn't have gone better than what it did. So everybody wanted the exact same thing. So >> and now we don't have to redo our gym floor because it says MC, right? That's all I have. We have anything else going on? Have a couple things. Um, speaking of sports, I
071appreciate I'm not not looking to do any movements on this or anything, but I did have a parent complain about a kid cut from a a Monro Central child cut from a team and a homeschooling child made the team. Um, so appreciate the administration talking more about that. We'll come back later on to get a recommendation from you guys. I really appreciate that. Uh other thing is just we're talking about veterans day earlier. We have our own veterans. So thank you for your service. Michael Yeah. I'll just thank you both again for the great program today. It was fantastic and and I heard the same thing as other veterans were walking out how much they enjoyed the program. So great job. This meeting is adjour.