001Do you need to move that chair? Is that chair in the way? >> Uh, it's good. We got all got all five of you plus you. We're good. >> We're going to go ahead and call the meeting to order. We're going to start the pledge of allegiance. >> I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> We're going to pray if you'd like to join us. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the chance to be here tonight. We ask that you would lead us and guide us in all the decisions that we make here. We ask that you would keep your hand on the community. Please be with us processes and please continue to
002bless the school and everyone involved with it in every way. Since this is the first meeting of the year, we have to start with um getting all of our officers set. So that's where we're going to start the election of officers. Does everyone want to be president? No change. >> Okay. So if there's no change, then I'm the current president. So I need a vote. >> Motion and a vote. >> I'll make a motion. Second. All those in favor I >> vice president currently that is Christa. >> No change. Okay. Need a motion. >> Motion. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> Secretary is currently Jack. >> Change. >> So I have a motion in a second. I'll make a motion. >> All those in favor? >> I.
003>> We second. Move on to appointing the corporation treasurers and ECA treasurers. Um Abby Lindsay as a corporation treasurer, Sammy Nip for the elementary and Ryan Cheddar as the interim until we hire this evening. Do I have a motion to approve all AB and C? I'll make a motion to approve. Do I have a second? >> All those in favor? appoint the Newcastle vocational delegate. Christrista, did you want to do that this year? >> They just particularly >> it's currently me, so that would be we can keep it the same. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I appoint the corporation attorney. It's currently Mike Lacy. Do I have a motion to approve? >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I establish
004the school board compensation at $5,000 for the school year. Do I have a motion to approve? >> Have a second. >> Second. All those in favor >> I establish the school board committees. I think currently Christa and I are on all all three of these finance, technology, and bargaining. Did you guys want any changes to these? >> Changes. >> You're welcome to make changes. >> Okay. If there's no changes, then I need a motion to keep them the same. I'll make a motion. Do >> I have a second? >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I establish the dates and times for the 2026 regular school board meetings to be held at 5:00 in the media center. Um or all of these, not all of them are. So I'll just January 19th, February 23rd,
005March 16th, April 20th, May 18th, June 15th, July 20th, August 3rd, September 21st, October 19th, November 16th, and December 14th. And as always, if we need to make a change based on schedules later on, we can. But for right now, can we get a motion to approve these dates? >> Make a motion. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> All those in favor? All right. So, we'll move into our action items for this month. I'm going to start with an approval of the December uh meeting minutes and financials. Do I have a motion to approve? >> Motion. >> Have a second. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I need an approval of Chelsea Howard's resignation as high school science teacher. Have a motion to approve. Do I have a second? >>
006Second. >> All those in favor? >> Need a motion to approve the hiring of Mr. Kirby Tipple is our new high school science teacher. >> Motion. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I approve Shelby Workman as leader and me coach. >> Do I have a second? >> All those in favor? I approvection as high school assistant track coach. >> Do I have a second? >> All those in favor? >> We have a facilities request from for family literacy night on February 4th from 3 to 8. Do I have a motion? >> Who is doing that? >> It's our Renee and counselors. for a school event. >> They they like to put it on there just so you're aware. >> Okay, that's fine. I just I don't think
007we have to if it's like our school event. I don't >> I just wanted it on there just so you could you're aware that we're doing make it public. >> There's a talent show attached to that as well. >> Oh, okay. >> Are you leaving that >> teachers are also supposed to be there? Just so you know, it's not just >> used to be called a title N >> elementary. Do I have a motion to approve? >> Do I have a second? >> All those in favor? >> Um, approved. Jacob WLE as volunteer assistant elementary boys basketball coach. >> Do I have a second? >> All those in favor? >> I. The next one is just for us to review the 2627 proposed school year calendar. The teachers association has the same copy too, right?
008So, did anybody have any comments on the calendar that they wanted to talk about? >> I want to know, do you want the trial date cleared with like an a because right now you would not be you would be in school one of those days and we could make that asynchronous e-learning or something like that so that teachers are free. >> Okay, that's what I figured. >> And we are just reviewing this, right? You guys are not voting on it. No, we're not moving on that time, but it's good for us to know if that's something you want >> that. And did you guys want Martin Luther King Day and President's Day is currently on this those are normal school days. >> We were talking about it tonight, but we haven't really talked to anybody
009else. Newcastle is not going those days, so kids won't be there. Right. >> So, President >> Yeah. and Martin Luther King Day. >> So, how will that affect that graduation date? >> Well, if you if we take the 17th of December and move it to one of those days, that's one of them that could be left alone. Um, so I don't think it should really we could go a virtual day on one of the other ones. >> Well, the other option, too, is you you do have a full week before Christmas. So, a lot of schools will do is they'll come back on that 21st and 22nd. Um, that gives you a little bit more time. and then extend on the other side of that in January. >> Well, our our kids our kids get
010the 21st all the way to the fourth off. I think I mean the 17th the only thing is if you move the 17th and 18th there's no teacher work day. So the teachers work day could be moved to the 21st and then both of those days would >> that makes more sense to me. You trying to have kids in here the 21st and 22nd. Yeah, >> you might as well do that. >> So anyway, just a thought. That's something for you >> for you guys if you want those days. So, >> okay. Well, we'll that's still in the review stage. So, we'll move on to the next line and that's approving Brian Clark as the high school car. Do I have a motion to approve? >> I'll make Do I have a second? >> All
011those in favor? Hi. >> The next item on here is approving the transfer of Jamie Francis to high school secretary, ECA treasurer for the high school. >> Do I have a motion to approve? >> I'll second that. And that makes the interim that we named in the last meeting now become Jamie Francis. >> Yes. >> Have a motion to approve. Okay. So, all those in favor? >> And we'll move on to the financial update to the board. >> Um 2025 was I mean, the financials were definitely good. I know you guys were concerned about the lunch account, but we knew with going by ourselves, it's going to be a little bit more difficult. That's why we had to transfer money into that account. But I don't know about you, but we don't have any complaints
012at Central about the cafeteria food like we had before when we had the actual company that was helping us. So, I think that's a positive. Um, I don't have children complaining uh or anything like that. So, yes, we're going to spend money that we did aren't used to necessarily spend on that, but on the other hand, everyone's happy um on that end. So, um I think that's good. We didn't transfer any money to the um rainy day, but I do believe we're on schedule to do that next year if that's what the board is wanting. And we do need to set that amount to make sure that the board wants to set that amount. And I think that's all I have unless you guys have questions for me. >> Did we need to set up
013the bank and everything? Oh yeah, for the finance committee. Don't we need to set our banks? >> Okay. All right. >> It was on the last >> national. >> So I make a motion to set the banks as old national and first >> and first merchant. Do we do we have an account at Greenville National? >> I think we should open something there just so that because we can use their notary then if we have an account there. >> Yes. And so I don't know just some kind of >> Greenville National. >> So I'll add that to the motion to also open some kind of an account at Greenville Nashville to support the local business and give us some of the services that they have in the local area. >> All those in favor? We'll
014move on to the legal update. >> Thank you. Our court dates um have been talked to Delta McNal last week and they were in a in a preliminary hearing. Um this private hearing with the judge and and to find out exactly when when we could have our trial. Uh the trial dates came out right before Thanksgiving, the 24th and 25th of November. um which um we we were told it would take a while to get into court. The thing I don't like about that is right after the election. I think we need to be make sure we're vocal about those types of things. Um but I want to thank Dela McN for for their work with that. And so that we have a a um summitative hearing and and Mike you can fix help me
015with this if you need to, but some hearing in July uh where we'll start to get everything together. Um but right now I just want to encourage people to continue to reach out to legislators um as as amendment 45 is still on the table. Um you know we we feel strongly uh that we will win this and so it it's going to take a lot of resources from Union School Corporation. It's going to take a lot of resources from the state and we encourage I encourage our legislators. I encourage governor, I encourage everyone if there's an issue with Union School Corporation to go back and do it the right way first and foremost. And then secondly, if there's a problem with us, send us to the DAB board. Uh that's a distress board in Indiana,
016which is like Gary had gone there, Muny had gone there. So if there's a problem with with Union School Corporation, then then let's go through that proper process. The the the amendment 455 was passed with absolutely zero input from from the public. And if you saw what happened now with the redistricting vote from the Senate, um that to have a supermajority to lose is is pretty telling and and I' I'd like to believe it has a lot to do with us. Um to shut down a school shuts down a community and so we're asking for help from people on that. Um the the other part of it too that I want to highlight tonight board um you know the a lot of people will argue about whether this is about union or whether it's about
017our our ties with the online community and we work very closely with our online partner in INDLS and we we value what they do for for students and it continues to be a popular option for stu for parents and students across the state is for for the online version whether it be for religious reasons or whether it be for um medical reasons or whatever it might be. We have we have a large population of students uh since co that are online and it continues to grow. And so what what's happening right now across the state in your municipalities, your governor, your your mayors, um your your superintendents, your school boards, um financing is very thin. It's become a lot less. And what's happening is if if the if we do end up closing down schools,
018I get calls all the time from other schools that are concerned about their next if we do end up closing down schools, understand that when those schools do close, it's going to continue to increase the online population. Um that's the uh that's that's just something that's so the very thing that they're maybe fighting against may be the very thing that they're actually encouraging along the way. So that's another thought there. But we continue to monitor this closely. We need to watch it closely. I'm spending time at the state house um and talking with legislators and and seeing if we could get traction to get this somebody can can get amendment 45. Um just just whether it's taken care of completely or it's taken a different route. Uh so that's our intent. If not, we we
019feel strongly that when we get to July and we get to November, uh we will win this case. And so we appreciate everyone's support around that. >> Does anyone have anything else to add? Not going to ask for a motion to adjourn. >> Oh, wait. We didn't get a chance to make any comments. The public comments were like number three. >> Oh, go ahead. Sorry. >> Okay. So, if we are moving Jamie Francis, why is there not discussion about replacing her in the classroom? >> That's next. We have to pass first and then next will be next will be replacement next. >> Okay. I just want to make sure. She's very valuable and >> yeah, she does a great job. >> No, I'm good. >> I just I just one just This says February 26
020and this says February 23rd. What >> down here it says the next meeting is February 26. On the back it says >> I think originally it fell on fall break. >> No >> February 23rd. It's a Monday. >> So this should >> Where does that say? >> I'm sorry. Yes, it does. Yes. So the next meeting would be February 23rd. We'll make sure that's published properly. Make sure that's correct. >> The ones being voted on, >> the ones you voted on is is is correct. >> Yes. >> I have no idea why this is the 26th. Whoever made this is just go