001I 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. First item on our agenda is public comment on agenda items here. Hearing none, we'll move on to the consensus items. So, I do want you to know the yellow highlighted things on the agenda in front of you were added after we had sent the packet out. Again, this time of year, there's always um additions and changes and shifts happening. So there was um one update I think to football under assignments and then we had two new hires um added number seven and eight, two additional resignations and one additional LEA business. the things that I wanted to make sure that I addressed that we have
002three retirements. Um, Ann Burke Holder is retiring with 31 years in the classroom here at at North Adams Community Schools. Um, she has taught a plethora of different grade levels, job share, different things. She just finished teaching summer school and did a wonderful job for us there. So, we wish Ann all the best. I think that's all I have on on this one. Any questions, comments, or concerns on the consensus items as presented? If not, I'll entertain a motion. I'll have a motion. I'll do a motion, please. I'll get a second. Have a motion on the table by Wy, seconded by Darlene. All those in favor announce by saying I. I. Opposition, same sign. That stands six to zero program update. School business. So we had several handbooks for consideration. Five of them in fact.
003Um starting out with the student handbooks. I'll kind of group the student handbooks um unless someone brings up a reason that we need to consider them individually. Um, again, elementary handbook, really not a whole lot of changes there. Um, all of them saw an addition to address artificial intelligence eyewear, which hasn't really hit North Adams yet, but it's hit other schools in the Indie area. So, we're just going ahead and putting that language in there. Um, a little bit of revision of consequences for attendance issues and then the format of the book got changed so that all the schools kind of had a similar format. In the middle school, not a lot of big changes. again AI eyewear and format and then at the high school um the AI eyewear again a little bit of
004a blur about Belmont Next Academy we're still developing that handbook that will be in August um the change of the new graduation requirements and there's at least two if not three different cohorts now going through with different graduation requirements so they added the newest ones um added some language about provocation some additional language about driving and parking privileges is um also addressed the legislation change for 7 to 12 mandatory attendance conferences within 10 days of five unexcused absences. Um and then a blurb about participating in more than one sport at a time and the need to identify a primary sport so that there's less confusion on what sport takes precedent should there be conflict. Um so are there any questions on the elementary, middle school, or high school handbook? I guess just for clarification again
005um because I know there's been discussion in the past about students not being able to participate in more than one um you know a preference those types of things with the sports it doesn't prohibit them from participating in more than one it just they need to identify what's their primary and yes when they identify the primary And that is the one if there's a conflict that should take precedent unless the primary coach and the athlete come to a mutual agreement that they can that the secondary sport would be what they would attend, participate in, practice with, whatever. And then the next academy update will just come out as a separate line item next time. Yes, we have a whole separate. Okay, perfect. Any additional questions? Do we need to approve them one at a time
006or can we work them together since second reading? Okay. If there are no additional questions or conversation regarding this topic of the handbook second read, I will entertain a motion to accept all as presented. I'll make that motion. Thank [Laughter] all right. I have a motion on the table and multiple seconds. Um WY second. Um, all those in favor announce by saying I. I. Any opposition? Same sign. With that stand with a six to zero vote. Okay. Then we had the classified handbook. Um, on this one we just had a few changes, one of them to sick bank. And I did copy and paste. You see that in your notes in the red writing. The changes that Scott suggested on that language weren't really big. But again the the gist of this is that for
007classified sick bank it would move toward a borrowing format as opposed to the days are given and then no expectation of doing anything to make up for those days given. Um, again, if something would happen where the employee is no longer because of a disabling condition able to work, um, there were a couple other situations, there would not be an expectation of of paying it back with days or a cash equivalency of whatever the balance of days they still owed upon separation um, from the district. The other thing we changed um bereavement leave for grandparent relationships from six to three days. Um and then we did include a delineation of staff who serve in two different job roles. Um actually that was something that I did not remove from last time. So that's not new
008that was in there last year. So really only those two things. Bereavement leave reduced to three days for grandparent relationships and then the sick bank change and then regard to um gracious here as I'm going through and looking at it. Do you need us to we've got the permission to fill the positions prior and then we've got the approval. We still need a vote on the classified hand and we have the transportation still. Sorry. Okay. No, that's not a cup. Um, so we're doing the classified handbook first. Okay. Do I have a motion on the table or any additional discussion first? I'll make a motion to approve. I'll second. Everybody jump at once. We have a motion on the table. Seconded. All those announced. All those in favor announce by saying I. I. Any opposition?
009Same sign. Let us stand with a six to zero vote. Now on to transportation. Yep. Not many changes at all on that one. I did just add the information, the same information and verbiage that was in the classified handbook from last year about the duly employed employees because that's typically been bus drivers who serve in another position. Um other than that, there really wasn't weren't any changes for transportation. Any additional questions, comments, concerns with regard to the transportation handbook? Not I'll entertain a motion to accept the line item as presented. I'll make that motion. Thank you. I have a motion on the table by Dave. Do I have a second? I'll second. We go from all to none. I have a motion on the table by Dave, seconded by Darlene. All those in favor announce
010by saying I. I. I. Any opposition? Same sign. With that stand six to zero. Now on to new business. There you go. Great. So, first thing we have is our annual July um request for approval for permission to fill open positions prior to the August board meeting. We still have just a few um positions open. Um again this is something we do annually just so that we have we are fully staffed when kids enter because our first board meeting will be after school has started basically. So I know we I don't know what happened in June. I think it it just wasn't here somehow. Um but just for those listening at home we are still looking for an elementary teacher and potentially a special education teacher at the elementary. I think we're fully staffed in
011the middle school um and math in the high school. So, we're getting really close and I know we have um some folks who have expressed interest in all those. So, we have our fingers crossed that'll be that will be fully staffed here in just another week or so. But for right now, that's where we stand. Do I have any additional questions, comments, concerns with regard to the permission to fill the open positions prior to the beginning of the school year? I'll make a motion to approve the motion. I'll second. Have a motion on the table by W second by June to make or to approve the permission to fulfill the positions prior to the 2526 school year. Say that fast. Um all those in favor announce by saying I. Any opposition? Same sign. Let that
012stand with a six to zero vote. approval classified payments staff payments. So this year in trying to work on budget and um figure out what we can do, what we can't do, where we need to look at reductions, um just like all other districts are doing, um it was a little more difficult to try to get this at a finalized point. Um we did work with Chad Blackoff better than I did in the last couple months and I think we have something that is doable for us right now. Um, unfortunately I wish we could do more, but there's something. Um, and that's because we've been frugal and we have done a lot to try to again move a lot of our cap project monies and operations to bonding. We are throttling down our ed ops
013transfer pretty much to a minimum and we'll just monitor that and make sure we'll be okay. Um, we've moved some some staff who are paid from education to get paid from operations because operations for us, which is a little opposite. Some area schools are going to be is going to be a much stronger, healthier fund. Um, so again, basically, I sent you what that was going to be. Um, raises, these are mostly hourly employees. For the most part, they're around a quarter an hour to up to a dollar. um because I still had one area that I wanted to get a little more competitive that I've been kind of focusing on a group every year. Um and I provided you I think kind of what my just penciling out savings and increases were going to
014look like. Um there was one mistake that um food service did kind of have a um change in that they did want their production staff, the cooks and courier and um the cafe custodian to be the 1815. Um that was a late today request. Um food service, just for folks who know, they kind of have to provide their own funing. It's a forprofit. Um, so we put that on there just because it makes it cleaner for audit purposes, but they they really do their own thing, but they've been really trying to kind of match up what what's happening in the other parts of the district. So, she did ask because they've taken a lot of cuts from the federal government in particular um with what's happening um with USDA and things like that. So, she
015decided that she she wanted to do that and just try to keep those positions equal. Other than that, I'm hoping that this won't be the year that I have to have three color codes on about when different items were approved. I think we've got everything I hope said. The minute I say that, I don't know why I even said it. It won't won't work that way, but thankfully there's no colors. True. Do we have additional questions, comments, or concerns on the classified staff pay rates as presented? Hearing none. Do I have a motion on the table to approve? Motion to approve. Second. Motion on the table, seconded by Jill to approve the classified staff pay rates as presented. All those in favor announced by saying I. I. Any opposition? Same sign. Let that stand with
016a six to zero vote. The approval of the 2526 food service crisis. So um again food service is taking some hits too across the country and in Indiana. Um I think she is still planning on being able to provide free breakfast and lunch for middle school and elementary kids. So that's great. And we are appreciative to our federal and state legislators for allowing that. Um, Belmont High School, I don't think we have any huge increases. Paid breakfast will be$ 225 for students and lunch will be $3 and adult breakfast 2.85 and lunch $5 for adults. Seems like it's an ever changing process. It is still cheaper than I always say what I could feed my child for at home. Probably by far. Do we have any additional questions, comments, or concerns on the 2526 food
017service prices as listed? Hearing none, I'll entertain a motion to approve the information as presented. Motion on the table by Darene, seconded by WY. All those in favor announce by saying I. I. Any opposition? Same sign. We'll let that with a six to zero vote on to line item number four, the permission to sell the 2003 Dodge van. So, just like when you end up doing a renovation at home, you end up having to go through a purge process lots of times. And so, when we were getting ready to put the new fencing up out at the bus barn, you see it kind of going up around it. There was a lot of cleanup that had to do and moving things. And there's been a 2003 Dodge van that has not been running um parked
018back there for a while. Did you find it behind a box or something? Oh, I have a feeling we knew it was there. Maybe. I don't know. Anyway, um basically just to get it out of here because it's really not it's not fixable. It's not a able to be used. Um we're just asking for permission to sell it for salvage. And just out of curiosity, when something like that is done for salvage out, where does the fund go? Like a general purpose? Does it go back into transportation? Does it go back in? It goes into cash balance probably in operations. Okay. You say, Lori, yeah. Okay. It doesn't ever go right back to the fund that you think it would come to. It just has to go to your general. Okay. um because it can't
019impact your allocation or your appropriations. Yeah. So, it just goes to the bank. Goes to the bank, which is nice to have. Yeah. Some of that, but Okay. Great. Do we have any questions, comments, or concerns on the permission to sell the 2003 Dodge? Michelle, you didn't read the number. Oh, I'm sorry. I can move that really fast. I feel like starts with a two. There we go. Oh, wait. As presented. How's that? Any additional questions, comments, or concerns? If not, I'll entertain a motion. I'll make a motion, too, please. I have a motion on the table by Jill. Do I have a second? I'll second. Okay. Motion on the table by Jill, seconded by Darlene. All those in favor announce by saying I. Any opposition? Same sign. We'll let that stand with the six
020to zero vote. Approval of the 2526 public official position bond renewals. So we did these always have to happen usually in two separate votes. So we did um the folks who handle a lot of money last month which are like Lori and Beth and Beth Lipton Stiger. These are the folks that handle money just maybe not as much. So, we have 11 people who will be bonded at $5,000 each who are lunch cashiers, our BMS secretary, our high school athletic secretary, our elementary secretary, and our district administrative assistant. And again, this just is basically if there was anything fraudulent that would happen, it would help protect the school but also those employees potentially um depending upon what actions have happened. Um if there was any attempts of fraud, I guess and it's a pretty standard
021amount for the bond. That's pretty small. You're line item number nine, Belmont. Spelled wrong. Missing an L on Belmont Middle School secretary. At least it at least in my notes it is number on on uh on the notes. You know, you gave one number one. It's not in here. It's on your in the board notes. So that's if that's part that's presented for legal documentation. Right. I didn't know spelled right or wrong. So Oh, was it in the actual Yes. Yeah. line item number nine Belmont Middle School secretary. Pass that over to her. Number nine. We're missing that. Oh, it's on the actual Oh, that's on the actual bond sheet. Thanks for pointing that out. Yep. Because that always drives me crazy when people send stuff in. So, thank you. You're welcome. You probably hate
022reading my emails. I don't prove anything. just speak to text. Speak the text. That's pretty typical. It's more about when I have a potential hire or something. Okay, that's it. No, that's important to know. Thanks. Do I have any additional questions, comments, or concerns on the 2526 public official position bond renewals as presented with the correction? If not, I'll entertain a motion to accept as presented. Motion to accept the correction. I have a motion on the table. Do I have a second? Second. Second by date. All those in favor announce by saying I. I. Any opposition say sign. Hearing none, we'll let that stand with the six to zero vote. On to line item number G. Number G. Listen to me. I need to go back to school. Grammatically correct. Letter G. Board members andor
023public comment. Um, yes. I guess this that I just handed out this evening. Uh, it's just some uh rather brief notes. Uh I attended this virtual uh chat session on AD to F that was held by the school Indiana schoolboard association. Um kind of the there is this is not finalized for the the accountability process. It really has been on hold uh since CO. Uh they're now working on developing a new program strategy that actually all students will contribute at least a few points where in the past was kind of either you pass or you fail as a student and it this even gives points for students attending school. It's not finalized at all, but that's the direction they're they're going. Um, and uh it it models the value of pathways, uh, enrollment, employment, and
024enlistment services, which it mirrors the new graduation requirements. Um, and they really don't start um it until grade three. So K12 is I mean that's definitely important but it's not going to uh impact the accountability process. Uh it's giving students a chance to learn before they begin to you know have certain requirements and then they've grouped it here grades four to eight. uh they skip grade nine because of the transition and typically historically and this has been for years transition from a 8th grade to 9th grade into high school. There's lots going on with those those uh young people and so it is kind of accounting for that and and uh the next level then would be grade 10 and then final grade 12. It's not anything totally finalized. Um, but their deadline is going
025to be this December, December 31st to have it in place. That's by statute. That's by law. And they're moving toward a letter grade because they have come back to thinking that's what the community understands. Yeah. and and it sounds like kind of the letter grade of 90 to 100 A, you know, kind of the typical spread of 70 80 80 to 90 B and then C 70 to 80. Is their deadlines the 31st? Did they say that they may be doing a final approval of Yeah, they're they're going to actually you can go on the website now, Department of Vets website and make comments that is open uh and people can make comments. So, they're going to utilize that information to assist with their decision. really sound it's the same process they just used for
026the high school graduation uh process which I think they really did listen to people when they were uh creating the new high school requirements not everything maybe turned out the way some would like but I there were a lot of changes made in that process due to people's input for I also have a few things. So, our construction for this summer is still going. We have I think our asphalting is pretty much done in all of our smaller lots and still working on some concrete. Um, we still got some fencing going on. Um, in the buildings, I think they're probably I think they're pretty much done at the high school with what they're doing. Um, in the auxiliary gym area, B Hall um might be finish up a few things in the engineering lab. That
027one was going to be a little bit more um cumbersome than we originally thought because of where a cleanout was placed. We had to do some looking. Raz Hall is still it's starting to get moving back toward the right direction and we're still on track to be done right when school's starting. So fingers crossed still they're doing a good job for the short time. They have wrapped up summer best at the end of June. had great participation from students um or summer learning camp, excuse me, and summer best is still going with our with our daycare. Summer learning camp is basically summer school. Um again, had really good participation every day and I can't really say because our I read scores are still embargoed, but I will say I am perfectly happy with them. Um,
028and right now we are well on our way also to be in a really good place with our second graders who have taken the test. So, we are um really excited about that. Still gathering and still receiving Belmont Next Interest for anyone interested in an alternative homechool pathway or an online option through North Adam schools for grades 6 through 12. Um, right now I sent you information. I can't even remember my own information. I think we're at around 16 kids have shown interest. Um, so that's good. Again, kind of keeping at what I was hoping. Some of those kids are current students, so they may or may not opt to to do the virtual, but we're still going to be in that 10 to 15 range, which is where I was hoping we would we
029would get. Um, I can't believe we're already here talking about start of school for 2526, but we are. Um, registration should be opening up early next week. We did get powers school rolled over. Um, and P school has to open that registration link. So, we are waiting on P school, but look for it early next week to open up. July 28th is backpack bash over at the elementary middle school from 5 to 7. August 5th is the elementary back to school night and it is going to be if your student's last name is A to M, it will be from 5 to 6. And if it's N to Z, it's 6 to 7. And if you have kids who have different last names, that's fine. Just pick one and come. We're not going to get
030we're not going to be legalistic about this. Um August 6 is going to be the high school openhouse. Again, that's just where you come and you can tour kind of at your leisure, practice lockers, walk your schedule. That's going to be from 2:30 to 6 anytime you want to come and go. And middle school's back to school night will be 5 to 7 August 6th. And then August 7th is our first student day. Um supply list will be coming out soon. Justin, do you have a date for supply list to be posted? Uh they're coming in slow. Um preschool is up. Elementary school is up. middle school, we're waiting on one more grade and then that'll be it. Okay. So, basically elementary, you're able to get yours right now. Middle school, you'll be very quick
031to have yours. And then high school, usually we recommend just get basic supplies and your teachers will tell you those that first week what you may or may not need extra. They usually don't require a lot at the high school level. That's all I have right now, I think, for Any other board member public comment? Was anyone thinking about going this September to the super? Well, yeah. Superintendent and school board conference in Indianapolis. That's September. Looking at that's September 15th and 16th. I was looking at going to it potentially. So it's a Monday to Tuesday and you don't have to go to both days if you would. I think the first day is usually a full day and the second day is a half day. It's a half day. So yeah, you could just drive
032down Monday morning and drive back if you wanted to do that too. They usually have some good do they have a list of like the topics, right? Yeah. They will closer time. But yeah, it's be online. Okay. just let me know and we'll get you registered if that is something you want to attend. Any additional hearing? Join me.