001To 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. >> Okay. First item on the agenda is public comment on agenda items. >> Yeah. And with none, we will move on to consensus items. Um Not as many um personnel movements this month. I always that meeting right before the start of school is is pretty loaded. Um I think you had Lori, did we add that late addition? You have one late addition um that was added under resignation. And um under the out of state trips, the FFA trip is kind of after the fact because it again we have a new teacher this year and that request came in a little bit um after our board meeting, but
002we wanted her to go ahead and go on that trip because um since she didn't get to have an officer retreat this year coming in later um thought it would be a great opportunity for her to kind of get to know her officers for them to work with each other and it was really a great educational um experience. they went to um the Department of National Natural Resources up by Lake Erie and did a lot of of work with their fisheries and aqua ad. So I think it was a really great um experience for the kids and something that's really different from around here necessarily. So that was great. And then they are going to be heading to national convention in October and that'll be two overnights. So that's why that's a other than that
003I don't think I have anything else on consensus items. Okay. Any questions or comments or motion to approve? I'll make a motion to approve consensus items as presented. Motion by Michelle. Is there a second? >> Seconded by Dave. M by Michelle. Seconded by Dave to approve the consensus items as presented. All those in favor announce by saying I. Oppose. Same sign. Approved seven to zero. No program updates um this evening. So next up we have old business policy update second reading. >> So you had one policy. It's the only thing I have heard um and this was from the last board meeting policy 2416 which you have an updated copy of at your seat. Sorry it didn't print color. Um but that is where Darlene caught that I had when I went back chosen the
004wrong um option I guess where it was about giving students identifying information to outside agencies through surveys and that was meant to say prohibit from doing so. Um, so that's been changed and updated there um to where it says the board will prohibit the collection, disclosure, disclosure or use of personal information collected from students for the purpose of marketing or selling that information. Um, that I think took care of that one. Other than that, um, we can kind of go through them by group and see if there's any more discussion. The first one was a recent. Um, again, it should have been back in some bylaw work we did earlier, but that particular item was missed. It's I think a 0165 now bylaw just encompassed four or five different policies. So, it's not that it's
005gone away for good. It's just it got absorbed into another one. Um, any questions on that one? >> The next group were things that dealt with the new legislation concerning human sexuality instruction. So um policy 2221 was about the mandatory curriculum. So that had a lot of updates in it. Um as well as the update concerning human sexuality and personal financial financial responsibility. Um it requires parental written parental consent. Um if if we um are talking about human sexuality instruction, including if the parent wants to know gender of the instructor instructor, whether students are taught in same gender groups or not, and parents can inspect the materials upon request and we have to also allow what we are able to allow that doesn't infer on copyright um allowable materials on the website. Second policy that
006deals with that area of legislation is 2414 reproductive health and family planning and human sexuality instruction. Um again emphasis on abstinate outside of marriage as the only means to truly avoid disease and pregnancy. The importance of consent and then just again um a lot of the same things about parents um providing written consent ability to review materials. Any questions on FATE or policies about human sexuality instruction? The third group deals with all the attendance related legislative changes. Um again adds to the exempt list of allowable exemptions um armed forces active duty or training and then FFA andor 4 exhibits up to six days as long as certain parameters are met. Um, that's policy 5200. Policy 5223 deals with release time up to 120 minutes for elementary and time equivalent for one period of high school
007for religious instruction. And then there were three policies that are very similar to one another. Um really the only changes in all three of them 5600, 5605 and 5610 was the addition that that schools may not suspend or expel solely based upon absences alone. Any questions on the attendance policies? This next group letter D parent related um legislative changes. So, this is where um parents may record any IEP meetings. Um and if they record meetings, we're going to record them. And if we record them, we have to maintain that as part of the student record, I believe, for seven years. And then policy 5771, parents have first right to remove their students personal belongings from their desk, locker, etc. if for whatever reason the students no longer attending the school in question. Any questions on
008that group? >> I know this is exciting. Next group deals with harassment related items. So this has a lot to do with things that support our title N and um student handbook. Um so basically the anti-h harassment has been almost largely reworked completely. Main emphasis is on mandatory reporting of title n which we did do that training with our staff the first teacher day and really emphasize to them the importance that it's equally important as far as the DCS mandatory reporting. Title 9 is just as important as far as a compliance situation. Um and then basically information about investigations, how things are documented, what options there are for resolution, and then follow-up requirements. This is all again parallel to the Title 9 legislation um that I am now becoming an expert on because I am
009now the compliance officer. >> Lucky you. >> Lucky me. >> We're on our sixh hour training right now. So, we're doing it. Um and then the next policy in that group, 5517.01, 01 is bullying. Again, emphasis change was on the safety, maintaining the safety of the victim as well as reporting to both the parent of the alleged victim and potential bully that an incident may have happened. Um, and then some followup about once the investigation is completed, kind of give some timelines. Any questions on harassment? Next group um are a lot of our IE related legislation. Um add information about mandatory retention if I read 3 is not passed before grade four as well as the new math intervention legislation. We've been talking about that for a while. So this is just getting the verbiage
010in our policy. The next group are athletics related and this was the big change that IHSAA made. Um, and that just eliminates the prohibition of transferring schools for athletic purposes that have been a big deal for a long time and now that's no longer a thing. Um, and then finally kind of the end of just some miscellaneous things. Um, there was a again 1220. I'm not sure why that wasn't a technical correction, but there were just a few verbiage changes on employment of superintendent. um was talking about purchasing and that one was a really long policy that we do have some things that you have to tell me on some of those pages what your wishes may be. Um I'll come back to that in just a moment because we only have one more policy
011just to overview. 3220.02 O2 is a policy about supplemental payments for teachers. Um, basically it says that we can give extra money above the pay scale that we have in our collective bargaining agreement. Um, as long as for the best interest of students in our district. Um, so it really kind of just makes it broad and wide open. Going back to the purchasing 6320. Um I kind of highlighted some of those things for you. Page 65 it looks like was the first place that we had an open question which is not matching 68. I'm sorry. Page 68 is where that one starts. And so the first question I have or place we have to have to make a choice. Um I believe is at the bottom of your page 70 and it's these are the
012things highlighted in yellow. My recommendation was just to select all of them because the stem of that is the board may request this different evidence from different biders who might be bidding on um different projects um that we might be doing. So again, I think it's most prudent to just say we could ask for any or all of these things. We don't have to ask for any of them, but we may. Um any discussion or recommendation on that particular I agree with your recommendation >> saying may within your all. >> Okay. Then the second one is in the middle of your page 71 if you have your packet. Um the board allows the first option is correction or withdrawal of inadvertently erroneous bids. Providing notification to the purchasing agent is given. Um, my recommendation was
013no later than five business days following the opening of a bid. >> And then also accepting letter B was cancellation of awards or contracts based on inadvertently erroneous bids if the correction isn't acceptable basically. So recommendation is by me A and B and then on A later than five business days following the opening of the bids can they correct the bid if they Then the next one is on page 72. Um that my recommendation was to allow the purchasing agent to be authorized to make emergency purchases without prior prior approval to keep the schools in operation. So again, if there were some act of nature, some the boiler went out and we needed to do something that was a very large cost before we had a board meeting that >> Yeah. Another another example a
014couple years ago was J County. >> I was struck. >> Yes. >> That was I hope that never happen. >> Yes. >> But he can certainly speak to it now. >> Yeah. Yes. And I just want to make sure um I recommended the inclusion of the federal grants procurement section. the bottom 77 because we do have several federal grants that we use. Um, and right above that, I also recommended the inclusion of $50,000. Um, being the threshold of anything below that. Um, contracts can be awarded by the purchasing agent without board approval for a single item. as long as they cost less than 50,000. Um, I think that's it. Oh, I'm sorry. The middle of page 77, that list of A, B, C, D, and E. I had recommended C and D be selected. And
015below that there's a question mark on the >> time frame >> the years. >> Okay. Yes. We don't really have that situation happen a lot. Scott, do you have a recommendation on the number of years a lease purchase agreement may or may not be considered. You want to have flexibility, sure, because you might have to get your installment payments down or something like that. So, I I'm not sure what kind of limit I even think to suggest we're going to do bond issue things that are going for 25 30 years at times. So you know how you limit that without every circumstance. I suppose we could strike that >> sentence, but I was going to say, is there any way you could edit it to read? Well, actually just to get rid of >> get
016rid of everything after purchase the last purchase. >> So basically lease installment lease agreements or lease option purchase part of the contract. >> Well, right there boom right after that purchase. None of that provided stuff or anything. >> All right. >> The flexibility to enter into those contracts. >> Sounds good to me. Again, besides responds for major renovation >> projects, >> we don't want to yourselves, >> especially in both good fiscal decisions, >> there anything else in that that I missed? So you can again vote on each policy individually >> or as a group. >> I think we'll try it for the group if everybody's okay with that. Um is there a motion to approve the policies with the the changes as noted? Um or any other questions, comments, or discussion? I'll make a motion
017to approve. >> Motion by Jill. Is there a second? >> I'll second. >> Second by WY. Motion by Jill, second by WY to approve the policy updates as noted. All those in favor announce by saying I. >> I. Oppose. Same sign. Approve. 70 to zero. Next up is the Belmont Middle School Athletic Handbook. Second reading. >> Okay. So, we had two of these handbooks from Mr. Meyers um asking for approval. If you remember, Tim is applying to become a certified master athletic administrator through the National Intermediate Athletic Association. And part of what has to happen for that is to have a project that's been completed under his guidance, which he created from scratch, both of these handbooks back in 2009 2010, and has annually revised them. So, not wanting to reinvent the wheel, and I
018can't blame him, he's like, "These are my projects." and because they took a lot of time initially and they're very important and a good tool to have. Um and so he is requesting that this go through the board and be formally approved so that he can submit those as part of his um documentation if you will. >> Okay. Um any questions, comments, or motion to approve? >> Motion to approve. >> Motion by Jill or Jill's [Laughter] >> motion by the I can't believe that. >> It's too close, guys. Sorry. >> And there was a second by Darlene. So, motion by Joel, seconded by Darlene to approve the handbooks as presented. All those in favor announce by saying I. >> I oppose. Same sign. Approved. Seven to zero. Next up is new business uh public hearing.
019So we will suspend the regular meeting and open the public hearing for the 2026 budget. >> So basically what you have in front of you in hard copy is that first page is really what it is is what are our tax rates and projected um revenue going to be. Um so as far as tax rates go um our advertised tax rate for fiscal year 26 is looking to decrease quite a bit. So our adver advertised which it never ends up being as advertised um tax rate for 25 before we submitted it to the state was $1.41 basically. This year our advertised tax rate is projected to be a$1.13. So that's great news. Um some reasons for that are because our net assessed valuation went up 6.25% again in in our district um in our boundaries.
020So um when a goes up tax rate comes down. So that's a good thing for taxpayers um in some respects. Um, now what will end up actually being the rate is probably lower yet because if you look at the comparison between what is initially advertised versus what it actually ends up being in that top section, usually it's much lower than what the advertised rate is. So my guess is it's going to be even better news. So that's great. Um, then you see some of our projections for revenue. Um, and this is again just what we have kind of put into our form nine as we ask the state to consider these budgets. Um, and Beth also gave you at the bottom of that page what the net assess valuation is for historically as well as
021what it's projected to be currently. I provided you just a few more things. This isn't really the budget, but it feeds into it. Um, the next page is just what we get from the state every year. And again, it's another one of those things. It's an estimate. So, it very seldom ends up being exactly like this. But before we start collective bargaining, which September 15th is the official start of collective bargaining, we had our pre >> collective bargaining hearing at 3:30 this afternoon. Um, but the state gives us what our projected revenue for education fund would be. And I gave you um what our fiscal year 25 projected revenue would be just handwritten in there. But right now, it's looking like a 2.5 2.7% increase. You're going to notice that later on after we're done
022with the budget meeting, another one of our new business items, we also um have been told we have to have a resolution from the board about how much of this revenue is earmarked for curricular fees and that's a a legislative requirement. We also have the legislative option which I am suggesting we take this year to also um put so much money um aside for supplemental payments because every year we end up having to give some whether it's part of bill a master's bump or just stipens or different responsibilities that folks take on. The next page you have is our estimated fiscal year 26 tax caps. Um so a lot of the property tax overhaul bill that just went through this last legislative session um tax reform um has been touted to give a lot of
023relief to taxpayers and all of us in here are taxpayers. So that's great. Um, but local government units are going to feel the pinch largely. And what I wanted to show you is for North Adams in particular, our tax caps um grew quite a bit from 21 to 22. If you see in the chart in the middle of the page, um, from just about 356,000 in 21 to over 540,000 in 22. It's hovered over that or around that 550,000 mark for the last four years. Our projected tax caps, which means the money that we will not receive in revenue from property taxes, is going to be almost 1.2 million this coming year. So, ours doubled and that's pretty significant when you're looking at really a certified levy of about 9 million. Um, so losing a
024a pretty large percentage of what our anticipated revenue could be. Um, not really going to get into this piece because it kind of goes into the wise and hows. Um, but just wanted to show you some area schools and what their 25 versus 26 tax tax caps. Um, their actual tax caps in 25 versus their projected in 26. So, everyone's are increasing. Some folks buy far more than the two times amount. Um even though their total amount may be lower than us, we by far have the highest um amount in tax caps, but the multiplier I'm I am still trying to figure out where the multiplier is coming from. >> But um it is significant for local government, schools being an entity of local government. Um the other piece of information I provided you was
025just our feedback from the state on um some of the legislative requirements for teacher compensation. Um so we did meet the 62% um teacher compensation. is just legislative piece that says 62% of all the state tuition support revenue we've received has to go toward teacher salaries and it's teacher by the definition of the state. So that does not include all people who work with kids. It's people who full-time or their whole day is spent instructionally with children. Um so some staff don't necessarily fit in that even though they're on a teacher contract. Um, so we met that. The funding floor just says that they want us not to spend less from one year to the next on teacher salaries. We did not quite meet that this year. Um, and that would be because we have
026a declining enrollment. And so we also have a large amount from 24 to 25 of retirements. And so we did not replace a couple positions. Again, anticipating declining enrollment, anticipating less revenue coming in. and you're hiring less veteran teachers. Um, so that makes a difference. But basically what has to happen there is we have to discuss this in a board meeting and we have to post something on our website and give some explanation. And I can tell you the explanation is anticipation of needing to become leaner. Um, the last piece was our funding percentage. Some of you have asked about that every year. So this is the legislation that says you can't transfer more than 15% from education to operations fund in any one year that of your revenue. Ours for our six-month transfer percentage
027was 7.3%. So we're in good shape there. And actually it will be lower the next time unless something changes because we lowered that amount that transfer amount quite a bit again if you remember. So some of this was just extra information for you. Um the real thing you are >> just that last statement you mean pulling more from operations into education with the intent of covering some of these deficits that you're talking about. Is that part of >> Well, we're actually pulling less from education than we ever have into operations when >> Well, that's what I meant to say. >> Yeah. Well, actually, even though we have a tremendous amount of loss in tax caps, our operations fund is still much healthier >> projected wise than our education fund. So, we actually are able to
028withstand and have moved some salaries from education to operations that we could um because we >> are wanting still try to give our teachers a raise and >> provide some financial incentive there. But yes, many schools I can tell you are increasing their transfer right now um because their operations fund is far in far less healthy situation. And I asked our financial consultant why is that? How are we what is because I was getting worried. I'm like why why are we feeling like we're bettering the one and not the other? And all my other superintendent colleagues are saying quite the opposite and you may remember better. Um, but he said he questioned that too. So he went and gathered information from other schools that were similar to us in demographic, budget, those things. Um, and
029we are by far in better shape than most of them. And he said the key happened when the fund change from general fund and cap projects and buzz replacement, all those changed to operations and education. there had to be a maximum levy rate calculated. >> Okay. >> And at that time we got a really good rate, a far higher rate than other districts did. And so that has allowed us to I think revy levy a higher return I guess than some schools were able to. And so it has allowed us to capitalize in that in that scenario and >> it's supported. I mean it's you know who >> thankful. >> Yeah. And our tax rates still aren't crazy high at all considered compared to other places. But I can tell you there are places who
030are already at their maximum transfer and they're hurting. They don't they might not have a great cash balance to kind of weather the storm. Um, and so there's there's people who are cutting, there's people who are having to have conversations about can we provide bus transportation, um, layoffs and rifts. So, um, very happy, relieved, grateful that we're not in that situation having to have those conversations. Any other comments? Anything from the public? Okay, think we can reconvene the regular board meeting and we will move on to approval of the resolution to designate revenue for collective bargaining purposes. So again, the legislative in this last session, this was a lesser known um new requirement that hadn't really got on a lot of our um radars until many of us were sitting in this collective bargaining webinar
031last week. And this was one of the requirements they talked about is that you need to have a resolution by your board that identifies how much money you're going to save from your new revenue, your new monies we call it, um that are set aside because it was earmarked for curricular fees. >> Okay. So, we all got our heads together and and prepared something. So, basically, right now, we don't know how much money we're going to get in curricular fees. We know how much the state set aside, but it's basically this much money divided by how many ever students are enrolled in the state of Indiana? Well, nobody knows that right now because enrollments are not not only not advertised, but they're not final. >> And so what the guidance we were given was just
032to base that on our enrollment and how much money we received for curricular fees for last year. Um so last year this time or October 1st last year, we had an enrollment of 1483. Um, I calculated 157 times 1483, which is about 232,000 to set aside for curricular fees. We're probably going to have potentially a few more kids than that. We're hovering kind of in that 1475 area today. Um, but the amount for reimbursement was closer to 158. So I kind of just it's going to be 1500 probably one way or the other whether we increased it to 158 or if our enrollment drops a few kids. So that's what I recommend we say we're setting aside for curricular fees. Again I want everyone listening to remember the state is giving 15758 a student more
033than likely that does not meet the curricular fees cost and expense that we have at all. So 232,000 is what the state put into our foundational grant for curricular fees. We'll spend over 400,000 all things considered technology and everything together in curricular fees. So um that's just the reality. But for collective bargaining purposes so that the union and the district when we sit down to bargain can know really what monies are we really working with. We need to have this as a resolution so that we can say this much is excluded from those new monies because this is what the state said we are using to pay curricular fees. The second item that I put in the resolution is for supplemental payments. Um this one is not a requirement. It is optional. I can tell
034you my superintendent colleagues and I all felt this is probably something just for the purpose of transparency to start having some conversation with our unions about. So, you have in your notes a chart that I tried to put together the last five years um about how much we've spent on hard and fill, how many masters bumps, which are $3,500 per masters that is that are recognized, and then any other supplemental payments, whether it's a stipend to oversee a new program, and some of these are, like I said in the notes, are have been paid for from grants, but as we know, grants can go away. Um, and so I'm just trying to keep all this kind of all up in the front end. So the average of the last five years for all three of
035those areas annually is just over $18,000. And so that's what I put in here as a starting point for kind of what to earmark annually for the amount of supplemental payments you might have. I guess one thing I would also just offer is the other things that go into consideration for collective bargaining are not just the new monies. That's a if you have a ton of new monies, that's a great place to be because then you don't have to worry. But we also because we have been in a situation of having to consider enrollment questions and things as WY knows you become also very good at trying to be not only frugal but being creative and so you look at your attrition of the staff that you've replaced and if you replaced them with a
036less senior staff member you're saving some money there. >> If you've not replaced a position you save some money there. So looking at some of those situations too is okay so how much money can I add to the potentially um considering insurance like last year even though there were 3% increase on premiums we actually saved money as a district not a ton but about how just a little less than we had projected with the union because we incentivized folks going on the high deductible plan which is less premium for everyone, but we put a lot more money as a district into it, but it still saved us money that we could put toward giving raises to staff and some of those kinds of things. So, there's other things that go into it. It's not just,
037okay, we don't have we only have x number of dollars of new monies and we're taking this much away. There's there's other monies that go into consideration. Any questions on those? Anything else? Questions or comments or motion to approve the resolution to designate revenue for collective bargaining purposes? I'll make that motion. >> Motion by Dave. Is there a second? >> I'll second. >> Seconded by Darlene. Motion by Dave, seconded by Darlene to approve the resolution to designate revenue for collected bargaining purposes. All those in favor announce by saying I. >> I. Oppose. Same sign. Approve. Seven to zero. Next item is the Belmont Next Handbook. First reading. So Katie and her team wanted me to remind you that as this is a new program with a lot of fluid parts, um we're going to learn
038a lot and we might have some additions to this or some other recommendations especially for next year. Um but if we encounter anything big um again a lot of the we had a pretty good handbook put together for the full-time virtual student. The consideration came into those students who are hybrid. So they're part-time in person, part-time homeschool from their own curriculum or part-time online and out in Belmont Next. So those again almost it's almost a smorgus board of options, which is what we wanted. We wanted folks to see this as a very flexible alternative to traditional education, but flexibility produces idiosyncrasies which produce the need for very different policies or um trying to anticipate different questions or needs that might come up. And so this is going to have a probably a it's going to
039morph quite a bit I I suppose in the next year but it's a starting point. >> So nothing more with that because it's just first reading. Um next is the approval of the Belmont High School course additions and changes. So, as you know, we have to approve um anything that has a new course title and anything that um has a new course number, not just new courses. I'm trying to get down to that in my packet, too. That next handbook is very long. Okay, so we have German three and four that are new dual credit opportunities through IU Cooko. And I think that's awesome for kids to have um IU credit foreign language. um a title change to what used to be introduction to transportation, introduction to construction, now our principles of automotive technology, principles
040of construction. Um we have a new course, the early childhood capstone, which I'm assuming that is basically what you used to call co-oping out where you would actually go get a job in an early childhood placement. It's not just an internship or getting so many hours experience. Um, Belmont Next is basically we have to have something to attach a code to for those kids who are for attendance purposes in our virtual courses because this allows us to build that course in Power School so that they can have an attendance accounting for those students. And then our dual credit chemistry is now going to be through IU Cooko as well. So that's again a great thing for those students who want a chemistry credit. >> Any questions or comments or motion to approve? >> I'll make
041a motion to approve. >> Motion by Dave. Is there a second? >> Second. Second by Michelle. Motion by Dave, second by Michelle to approve the Belmont High School course changes and additions as presented. All those in favor announced by saying I. I. Oppose. Same sign. Approve. Seven to zero. Next is the approval of the addition of the Belmont Elementary School Extra Curricular Fund. So, Officer Hess has already been meeting with some grade levels of kids and he's just getting through a couple right now. And um he's so excited and it's so fun to see how excited he is and the kids are excited. But he's also learning, man, there's a big difference between kindergarteners and seventh graders. Like, yeah, I don't envy you. That's a total gear shift change. But the other thing he's excited
042about and I'm so glad that he is taking this on himself is that we need to be planning ahead to sustain this program because grant monies that helped us get this started will one time at one point kind of fall aside. So he is wanting to do some different fundraising opportunities to try to get money to again help self help self-support this program. So he has some fun stuff. um if you see him walking towards you, you might want to run away because you might end up having to do something like getting handcuffed and someone bail you out or something like that. But that could be fun, too. So, um he's doing a lot of things that I think are kids centric. I think they're going to do some where you get one of the
043old wrecked cars and the kids can pay money to take a sledgehammer on somebody wax on the car and choke or something. >> Yeah. Oh, that'd be fun. I should tell you that. Yeah, >> kids will get a kick out of that. >> So anyway, um he's doing he just has a lot of ideas, I think, to get the kids engaged, get the adults engaged, and again raise a little money as as we go on. So we have to just set up an ECA account so that we have a place to put that money and it's earmarked for DARE moving forward. >> Any questions or comments? A motion to approve. >> Motion to approve. Motion by Joel. Is there a second? >> I'll second. >> Seconded by WY. Motion by Joel. Second by WY to
044approve the addition of the elementary school extracurricular fund as noted. All those in favor announce by saying I. >> I. I. >> Oppose. Same sign. Approved. 7 to zero. Next we have superintendence report. So our first days of school. I can't believe again we're a month out and time just keeps flying. And overall been a really good start. Pretty um >> I know pretty smooth. Um excited to have the kids back, excited to have the teachers back and already seeing some exciting things happening. Um a couple things upcoming is tomorrow is our first flex day. So no school for students. Staff have to come because we've got busy days planned. Um, so I hope the kids enjoy that day. Um, our fall fest is going to be our first big activity. Remember we did fall
045fest last year, the elementary and middle school together and that was our first year doing that and they have that scheduled I believe for September 26th. And so I know they're doing a few things differently. So big fun to be announced for that one, but keep that on your calendars because that was a lot of great great fun for the kids and I think the adults last year. Um, Calumpian parade will be coming up here in a couple months and we're going to be asking for some students and any parents wanting to walk as part of North Adams on that to let your administrators know. Um, any board members that'd like to do that too are more than welcome. Um although some of you I'm sure are doing your own. >> Are you doing a
046float with it? >> What we've been doing is just driving a bus and the kids walk beside the bus. >> Yeah, we did that when I Yeah. >> Some things just come right back. >> Um it's already midterms, believe it or not. >> Wow. >> The first quarter. >> Yeah, I know. It's It's here. Um, Belmont Next is going pretty quickly. We are virtually at capacity at the high school and have about six kids enrolled at the middle school. So, it's about where we wanted to be. We're at kind of that 18 to 22 fluctuating in there um mark. So, that's about what I was hoping for and what I thought we could handle with adding no more staff. Um, again, it's been a learning curve, and I give my hats off to the middle
047school and high school staff, Aaron Shyman in particular at the high school for diving in and trying to learn all the things about a new online platform, consider all these different policies, having to interview because every kid had a personal intake that was interested. So, that was a lot of extras right at the beginning of school where all kinds of other fun things are happening and busyness. So, thanks to all of them. >> I appreciated Dave's statement from early on because I'm getting so many compliments about our grounds. And so, big thank you to Deb Misheller and Ryan Fush and Scott Miller and Jeff Schroeder. Um, and I think uh one of the Miller boys, Payton Miller, too. He um does some of his ice work with us, I think, and he's wanting to be
048a heavy equipment operator, so um he he likes doing all the tractor work and things like >> it works >> and he's good at it. So, good for him. And but they have really you can really see a huge difference. It's just >> everything is very pretty and um we're getting there. There's always more to do, but I think the soccer stadium, it's kind of facelift is finished now. So, the restrooms will be open and new windows, new stairs, a safe upstairs for anyone doing the housing. So, a little more work to do out the soccer is a ongoing need that we recognize. So, we'll do that. And I think we're going to go ahead um and extend the decorative tents out to baseball. Um, number one, just to help protect the gate at football
049because it's just too much openness. But, um, I think that really spruced up stay or North Adams drive there and made that look really nice and the guys did a great job on that. And so, that's been something we've been talking about for a long time. Glad to see that going. Want to say thanks to the teachers and parents. We have had a lot of curricular changes, especially with the early literacy requirements that the literacy endorsement staff are having to get several of them and new ELA curriculum in elementary and middle school and those are heavy lifts. Um, and we know math is right on the heels >> with the state and um so appreciate their willingness to dive in. It's makes for some long days, I know, and a lot of probably a lot
050of extra stress of wanting it to be right and not really knowing what you don't know yet until you've gone through it a time or two. So, appreciate their work as well. I'm sure I'm missing something, but right now, >> any other matters come before the board? >> The band is having a mattress sale on Saturday. Little plug for them. Anyone needs a mattress? >> Yes. And they're not bad. They're pretty good prices. >> Yeah, we got one last year. Really nice. Would really encourage people if you're thinking about it, this would be the time to go look. >> Um Katie Todd did a great job at the redevelopment commission. She came and spoke to them last Tuesday. Um if you don't know, they give Belmont Adams um some money for some of the different
051programs and everything. And so she came and shared about the Vette program and some other uh ideas that she has and getting students out into the community working with different businesses. And so she did a she did a phenomenal job. And so I was proud to sit next to her as she was talking about and they kept asking questions and hey they were really supportive and so excited that they wanted her to come share about the different opportunities and and she was willing to do that. So that's pretty cool. We appreciate their willingness to >> support our programs >> because that's a huge boost >> to us just like everything else purpose dollars which is what helps support CTE that funding is continually cut. >> They've held that as a priority for number of years.
052>> Yeah. >> We certainly appreciate that. It has been a huge help to several of the programs. >> It sounds like they are wanting to do more a little bit. So >> that's awesome. Any other board member public comment? All right, we can enjoy the meeting.