0016:00. Go. All right. Uh, I'd like to call the meeting to order. Mr. Bursen, could you please call the roll? >> Uh, Mr. Balint? Mrs. Bitter? >> Here. >> Mr. Gosnell? >> Here. >> Dr. James? >> Here. >> Mr. Harris? >> Here. >> Uh, could everyone please stand and face the flag and we'll begin with the Pledge of Allegiance. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. >> Oh. All right. Thank you very much. All right, we'd like to begin the meeting as we begin every meeting with the district's mission and vision. Our mission is to create a culture of academic excellence through inclusive and innovative learning opportunities for the whole
002child. And our vision is to empower all learners to reach their full potential in a globally competitive world. All right, do we have a motion to approve tonight's agenda? >> So moved. >> Mrs. Bitter? Thank you, Dr. James, for your second. Mr. Bursen, could you call the roll, please? >> Uh, Mrs. Bitter? >> I. >> Dr. James? >> I. >> Mr. Balint? >> I. >> Mr. Gosnell? >> I. >> Mr. Harris? >> I. >> All right, do we have a motion to approve the minutes from the uh, um, April 9th meeting? >> So second. >> Thank you, Mr. Balint, for your motion. Thank you, Mrs. Bitter, for your second. Just to refresh people's memories, those we're doing those minutes, we added a few more details in it for our public participation. We made sure that
003was highlighted in the minutes. So, um, Mr. Bursen, could you please read the roll? >> Uh, Mr. Balint? >> I. >> Mrs. Bitter? >> I. >> Mr. Gosnell? >> I. >> Dr. James? >> I. >> Mr. Harris? >> I. >> All right. Um, approval of the minutes from our uh, board meeting on 4/29. Do I have a motion? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Thank you, Mrs. Bitter, for your motion. Thank you, Mr. Ballant, for your second. Any questions about the minutes before we vote? Person, could you please read the roll? >> Uh Mrs. Bitter. >> Aye. >> Mr. Ballant. >> Aye. >> Mr. Gosnell. >> Aye. >> Dr. James. >> Aye. >> Mr. Harris. >> Aye. >> All right, now that we've done that. All right, our first order of business is a resolution
004of the necessity, and this is about a current current expense and a PI levy. >> And so I I guess before we head down that path, I know after last board meeting the board wanted some additional details to make sure we were good with the 5.4. Um so I've been in discussion with our director of operations, uh Mr. Zimmerly. I've asked him to come tonight and just start a discussion around that so the board can feel um feel comfortable with that with that 5.4 uh number, and just to see see what it looks like. So I'll kind of hand it over to him and let you guys >> Should we do our motion first? Or does it matter? >> So >> Do we need to do it? >> from last meeting there was still the
005like undecided on if you wanted to do the 5 mil 1.95, if that was right. So I was going to let going to see if he wanted to discuss that first. >> have to decide that and then make a motion with the new with the numbers updated. >> Yeah, exactly. >> Thank you. >> All right, so um I just have two two slides here just to give a a little overview of capital improvement improvement um items here. So right now we currently operate with a 4.1 million dollar allocation. That is uh money that's moved over from general funds. Um and so what I did was just some high-level overview um for this past year um the uh main the main spend for us was roofing it. So it was 2.23 million dollars. Um and that's
006part of a phased uh replacement cycle. And so that doesn't replace every roof, that doesn't replace all the parts, that is purely just one portion of it for this year. The rest of those dollars um are allocated towards transportation, technology, facilities, maintenance, safety and security, and district improvements. So when you think about 4.1 million dollars and the cost of, you know, something like roofing, you know, that half of it's already out the door before we even start to address, you know, buying multiple buses, looking at our, you know, our our needs for equipment, looking for paving, looking at um safety and security. And so, you know, when you start to think about how far you can stretch that, we do our best to stretch it as far as we can. Um, but as you know,
007you know, prices only go up. Um, and so, again, these, you know, these funds go towards the, you know, operational continuity, you know, that we have, but um, going to the next slide. So, in talking with Bertie, um, you know, in terms of what what's the number that makes sense. Um, and so obviously looking at, you know, trying to keep it at a certain type of millage, and right now what he uh communicated to me was it would come out to about 4.4 million dollars. So, right now, through our assessments with Bradley Payne, um, and really looking at whatever what are all the mechanical needs, what are all our facility needs, what, you know, what are the items out there that we could really spend money on. Um, and and that need totals 28.29 million
008dollars over the next 5 years. So when you look at that from a funding standpoint, you know, if you take 4.1 and multiply it across 5 years, there's there's a shortfall there. Um, and so that would be at a a gap of 1.56 million dollars. So, from FY27 to FY '31, you see there that, you know, we look at a $7.8 million shortfall if we were to stick purely with the $4.1 million. Um you know, in in spending those those funds, we look at how can we spread things apart? Again, I mentioned, you know, the roofing is not just all of the roofing at once. It's It's phased out. Um through that process, we've, you know, we've kind of stretched it even more. Um you know, we've kind of deferred some of those, try to
009spread them out even more to keep our costs down. Um but through this time, you know, we've also talked about bus prices going up. You know, in years past, we used to buy at least three buses. We're down to only being able to purchase two within that 4.1 amount. Um and so, when you look at, you know, going up to a around $5.4 million, that would allow us not to be going after vanity projects, not to be, you know, putting in million-dollar additions or or any of those things that would truly be looking at trying to recoup and get more on the cycle of, you know, three buses a year. Um I can tell you right now, you know, you look at how much snow we had last winter, we literally have parts of our
010uh some of our work trucks that are rusting out and and falling off, and it's time for replacement. And those are things where, again, we have great mechanics. They've helped push those things along and and keep us operating. Um but we're really at a point where we need to to kind of reinvest in in some of those equipment needs. Um you know, we were very fortunate um few years back to get um a a large safety grant uh through the state through OFCC um that we put towards our buildings. As we spend every penny, I promise. Um and so, we've been riding that wave a little bit. And so, we we really need to start to look at, you know, what is a We have over 650 cameras across the district. And so when you
011start thinking about replacing those and having a system in place, you know, those are some of the things that we really need to start to be more proactive on and and put our dollars towards. Um that frankly right now with that 4.1, you know, if half of it's already out the door for you know, a roofing project or or whatnot, um it's just harder to stretch those dollars. So um you know, I'm I'm happy to to answer any questions you guys may have kind of in the the realm of projects or different costs, but um one of the sort of kind of give that overview of what spending has went towards and uh some of the things that we're looking to hopefully get caught back up on. >> And Mr. Zimmerly, correct me if I'm
012wrong, but everything in our current capital improvement plan is not additional projects >> Correct. >> being taken on. So I know we've talked in the past about playgrounds, >> Mhm. Yeah. >> screen shops, that is not in this forecast. So you would have to think about if we took on a project like that, something else has to be deferred. >> Yeah. >> So this is just to keep up with our current maintenance cycle. And again, it's predicting 5 years worth. We don't know what the costs will be in 5 years. We're going with our consultants and what they predict. Obviously, if we hit a recession or costs drop, that obviously changes our forecast, but >> I would I would also argue that by doing this last year, I know they built inflation into it, but
013I would say those costs are even more today than they were estimated to be last year. So I think that 7.8 is probably closer to 8 million if not higher. >> Yeah. And that's, you know, on there I have about exterior window replacement is, you know, a project that needs done at both Montgomery and at the high school. Um we had a number that was from years back, um you know, probably right after COVID. That's just a quote just as a placeholder. Um that was you know, around $350,000. The updated quote we got heading into the summer was $1.2 million. And so when you look at projects that are true needs, um you know, it's that that's what we're we're trying to battle through. And obviously, you know, we don't have to you know, eat
014that elephant in one sitting. You know, we can break that up over years and and try to be strategic in in how we use our dollars, but um you know, those are real projects and real costs that again are not you know, anything extra. It's purely, you know, needs of our facilities. >> So I think based on what Mr. Zimmerly has presented, I think the option in front of you is just to make a decision on how much how much is going towards operations and how much is going towards capital improvements. >> And so I would just like to remind the board that on like as part of that 5.4 million, Mr. Long does manage $1 million of that NPI funds for technology. Um so we're constantly working with him on replacements of, you know,
015Chromebooks the biggest thing big expenditure that comes out of there. Um next week um Mark and I are actually meeting again with Bradley Payne because as we pointed out before, you know, the capital plan is a year year and a half, you know, old from when we worked with it with with Bradley Payne and Four Seasons you know, to begin with. And now we're in the process of, okay, what's been what's been taken care of? What's been what's been deferred? Um and just making sure that we're still on track with that 5.4 budget. But with working with Mark, we feel good about the 5.4. Obviously, when I go to operations and say, "How much money do you need?" >> Oh, I >> You know what I mean? >> ways to spend more if you would
016like me to. But, but yes, being being as, you know, conservative as we can be, and you know, like like you had said, I I could very much justify and say there's closer to 30 million in in other projects that are still kind of in the realm of HVAC, you know, makeup air unit replacements, etc. where again, thankfully we have a great team that takes care of, you know, with preventive maintenance and and all those things, and we're uh through our assessment with Bradley Payne and Four Seasons, they they very much complimented our maintenance team on "Oh, that that unit's how old and it's still operating?" Um so, you know, we're we're definitely doing what we can when we can, but again, stuff happens. >> also only so long you can kick something down the
017road. >> 1,000%. >> Um to where that gap gets even bigger and bigger. So, I think it's it's very critical that we take care of our needs from a capital improvement standpoint with this. >> Yeah, and like when Mark and I were talking, I'm like, it So, it still does not prevent the board from if there's if there's a there's a need that comes up that's outside the capital plan from transferring money over into PI. Like that's just something that you're kind of like it, you know, pops up just like anything at your home that may pop up unexpected. Um to where then the board may have to reevaluate, and maybe they have to make a transfer to PI. Um you know, to cover that. Um but what I've attached only agenda is kind of
018like modeling the 6.95 mil, um and then splitting that out with, you know, between the estimated 5.4 million, which is what 1.95 mils would get us, and 5 mils um for operating. I just kept it all into the forecasting still showing the transfer of 5.4 million out. Um and so that's that's all-encompassing in the general fund right now. Obviously, if we if the board does decide to do the the split, then those that 5.4 million is going to be directly deposited into the PI fund. But, this still just models that exact dollar amount, and I Mr. Zemly, you know, pointed to you could have close to $30 million. So, I said, "All right, well then what's, you know, what's another $200,000 on the PI on the, you know, operating and PI split look like?" And
019then the next slide is just models you know, it does model the 6.95 still uh to keep it underneath that 7 mil ask, um but moves the the transfer to $5.6 million a year, um as opposed to the 5.4. Um You said there's not a whole lot of difference. I kind of made some notes on those slides to where the 5.4 million, you know, still shows FY 35, uh shows a positive cash balance. Although, I would anticipate the board would have to the, you know, start discussing a levy, you know, a few years prior to that. Um I I think the intent of the board from what I'm understanding is for this one to last at least 5 years, um with the hopes of it obviously lasting longer like this one is, you know, been
02010 years, we're in year 10. Um and so just kind of give some, you know, details on what that additional split looks like. Um I'm just going to If you guys have any questions about about those slides. >> Yeah, I want to um There is a uh there's a chart that I'm looking at right now that I feel like is really helpful. It's the PI needs um of Four Seasons and Bradley Payne. It's the It looks out to like 2034. Um I feel like this would be nice to just show everybody cuz I think it it gives a lot of credibility to the 5.4. Um, I pulled this from the financial overview from October 13th. Can I Yeah. Do you want to come see it? >> Uh, Mr. Gosnell, we we have That is what
021he That's the data that he's using in his slides. That That You're saying it'd be good for everyone here to see it. Is that what you mean? Okay, got it. >> If that's an option. >> And that is the presentation that uh we had with the board where we went over those those dates. Yeah. >> Um, well, if we're going to pull that slide up, is it okay if I say something while he's in the process of doing it? >> Um, I just I would like to say that I, you know, I know this has been a conversation that we've been having for several months and um I do think it's very helpful to update those numbers. So, thank you for doing that. Uh, do you have any s- I guess I I don't want
022to forget what you just said about the two the difference between the two slides. Is this what we will probably decide tonight is which version do we do if we do the um the increase to five or we say it 5.4 versus 5.6. Is that And do you have any recommendations for us for that or do you have some input on that? That to me is what I would kind of be helpful. >> realistically, if you if you approve 5.6 million for capital improvements, then you can't move it. >> Yeah. >> Like the money is stuck there. So, the other way is probably the way I would recommend just because of what Mr. Burson said, which is if you approve it as operational dollars and something does come up, you can move it. So, I
023would tend to lean towards uh first option which is the 6.95 with five going to operations and 1.95 going to capital improvements. >> And can you just explain why you I mean I I agree with what you're saying cuz it is more flexible. That's that is how this Board of Education has done it in past years where we have we have not even had a PI fund directly. We just we had a PI budget but we didn't which we adhered to but we didn't have it like this. So why did just out of curiosity what was the reason for having the two versions? Why did you show us the two versions? >> Um so >> Just to show us what it would look like. >> Yeah, I can I can let Mark touch on that
024cuz we touched on a little bit. >> You know, and so with the regard to the the Bradley Payne sheet that's coming up, you know, there was a number of things within there that again I pulled out big projects so they're for like they're were vanity of hey, these would be additional ask or things that are not a true necessity at this point. Um even within that, you know, there's still you know, you think of you know, that if anyone's been in the Gregory, you know, that gym floor has has seen better days, you know, you you start looking at replacement of those items. You start looking at like bigger projects where again we we do preventive maintenance and we follow through on those things, you know, year in year out. Um but there's you
025know, so again those those are some of the items that could very much make it go from 28, you know, million to 30 million real real quick. Um and so we were just kind of talking of you know, thinking of how does that translate to millage and and you know, how to split and how much um and whether or not it'd be worth it. So >> I think it's helpful to have the conversation even for the board and for the community just because it does remind us of the point that we will that will happen. I mean, it will. >> Yeah. It's >> There's no sense in saying that it won't because it will. >> No, it definitely will happen. >> And the question now will just be it won't be potentially for lack of
026a better word, stuck in that particular funding mechanism. It would be we would still be able to cover it through the general fund, right? >> Yeah. I think your your original question was a good one is why cuz we have never at least I've been here 14 years. We've never had a capital improvement fund. So, why now? And I think what it does is it I think the reason that we want to pursue it is it shows our community that we are dedicating a specific fund and an specific amount to take care of their investment which in 2019 they voted to approve a large investment in new buildings and renovated buildings. So, it proves without us transferring money that there's a dedicated fund to do so. So, I think we all as a team our
027recommendation is to have that because we believe in investing in our facilities. Obviously, we still need money to operate and provide salaries and benefits to um our staff and you can see the projections that that's enough for uh that period of time. I think the other good reminder for our community is that if we do this now the next ask will be most likely, again, not knowing what happens at the state level, but most likely a less um millage because we already have a dedicated capital improvement fund and that continues on um for us to collect um 5.4 million to be able to keep up with our buildings. May at some point we might have to ask for additional millage for that, but again, right now we believe the next 5 years that's enough to
028sustain our buildings. So, I think it was a good question that we we just have to um explain to our community that the flexibility in operating funds is one thing, but I think knowing that there's a dedicated fund to take care of our buildings and facilities and keep them safe, warm, dry, etc. is a good thing for our community. I think it shows responsibility of the board because we have to keep investing in our facilities or they, you know, start getting dilapidated and then the ask will be more. Um, and you're right, it will happen because I remember the He mentioned the gym floor in the Gregory Center. I remember exactly when it got put in because a 2-in water pipe burst at an elbow and it was coming out It was shooting up in
029the parking lot, but it flooded the gym floor on the inside. So, um, until we turned off the water, but it took weeks for that thing to dry out to be able to get that new floor in there. And he's right, I can't believe that's been about 10 years. So, >> I have one >> I, you know, looking at this to me, I think it's it's necessary that we split into two for all the reasons Mr. Lewis said, but I think it's also it reduces the transferring money back and forth and really shows what the true expenditures of the district are from an operational standpoint, which I think makes the five-year forecast cleaner and easy more easily explainable to our community. Um, I also agree with Mr. Lewis that if you have a fixed bucket
030bucket for permanent improvements, the next ask for operational, we should be able to ask less, which would be great news for our community. Um, the difference between one and two to me is pretty minimal. I don't even know if we need to spend a whole lot of time on it. I think the flexibility of one allows us to have that ability to move money if we need to, um, but we can't move it back into operating. I think with how tight our five-year forecast is, I mean, there this is not going to be an easy 5-year forecast to to achieve. Um you know, with the cost of everything going up, with new contracts being renewed over the next year and renegotiated over the next few years, I think having a little bit more flexibility in
031operations uh versus capital improvement would be the smarter way to go. I don't think it makes a huge difference. It's $200,000. >> Mhm. >> Uh but to me, putting that to where you could do something with it in operations and then transfer it if needed would be would be the smarter >> And and I would just add to that. I I think that this increases transparency in the in the story that we're trying to tell. And it's one of the reasons I apologize for going off script. Thank you guys for for uh acknowledging that. Um because a lot of work was put into where does this 5.4 actually come from? There's There's a lot of effort that went into going through the different needs of the facility over the next 5 years. And you guys
032worked really hard on that to not just pull numbers, but actually put tangible plans and operations on paper in a dashboard that we can then build against. So, I I appreciate all that effort. Um because I that's important to be able to show the community, yes, we're asking for this money for this set of reasons. Um so, yeah. >> I'm still concerned it's not enough, but you know, it is the numbers are what they are. >> Mhm. >> I I like how we're separating it out because it shows it it it forces all of us, not just the board, but the community to also see what those costs are. Um you will you have no choice but to see them, not just at a board meeting, but you'll you will see them and to monitor
033the uh inflationary rise in them, right? So, we can say that 5.1 million or 5.4 million is going to be okay. We'll find out. Right? Hopefully, we can just keep it there and then when our next the next levy ask we'll just you know, that'll stay the same, but we'll find out. And that will show it's another example of what school districts like Sycamore need to pay, right? This is part of running a school district. This is part of This is what we use our taxpayer money for and this is really important and it just adds to the transparency and understanding of the way we are um making sure that our buildings and facilities are modernized regularly. >> And our hope is to after meeting with Broadview Payne next year, Dan Shaw, more specifically who
034prepares helps us prepare this and goes through all of our financial details and everything like that. Um is to bring it back at the future work session to actually you know, present the capital plan um that's finalized. There's There's a There's a new tool and then I've already asked Mark, I'm like, we've got to get this in front of the board again um you know, before that August forecast. Um and and even with talk uh you know, and talking with uh with Mr. Swan as well you know, on making sure his eyes are on the capital plan, making sure he's up to speed um so that we can plan accordingly. >> I think we're ready to make a motion. >> Brewitt. All right. So, is there a motion to hold on the resolution of necessity?
035>> So moved. >> I think we need to say >> we have to say the same. The first version. Can we >> No, we have to or the Let me see. >> We have to say >> five and 1.95. >> Yeah, five and 1.95. So, it'll be five mills um and 1.95 mills for PI. That is our motion that is on the floor. Is there a um motion and second for that? >> So moved. >> Second. >> All right. Thank you, Mrs. Bitter, for your motion. Thank you, Mr. Ballot, for your second. Okay. Mr. Person, could you please read the roll? >> Mrs. Bitter? >> Aye. >> Mr. Ballot? >> Aye. >> Mr. Gosnell? >> Aye. >> Dr. James? >> Aye. >> Mr. Harris? >> Aye. >> Okay. >> And do you mind if I
036chime in just for a second? So So after we did the resolution of necessity, now we'll be a you know, a time you know, I'll get this filed with Dinsmore and then we'll get it filed to the county. Um they'll give me guidance on that. But then the next step will be uh the resolution to proceed. I'll kind of touch base with Tom on you know, kind of when we're thinking about that. Now that Now that the board has made it their decision, um that way we can kind of keep this timeline moving and be a um maybe ahead of schedule on the resolution to proceed. So I'll bring some more information um back to the board by the end of the month up for our second board meeting. >> And thank you to everybody
037who's kind of worked on this and gotten these numbers together and and was able to make the presentation to make it clear to everybody why we need to do this, what we need to do. Um that's much appreciated. So. >> And I I just want to say thank you to our new board member because I think that although, you know, we were you are new to the board, so to us this was something that we had seen and we know about and we talked about, but I think what you did was you highlighted that the community might be reminding us to continue to tell that story over and over and over again because we did the work behind it. So to us it feels like, yeah, of course we know what those numbers are. But
038thank you for bringing that to our attention because it's really valuable communication. So thank you. >> Mr. Gosnell, you get a mint. All right. Next up is a resolution for support for Ohio school funding education system and opposition to expansion of the state funded vouchers. We've looked over this. Hopefully everyone's looked at it and everything, put the things in there that we wanted to put in there. Is there a motion for this? >> So moved. >> Thank you, Mrs. Bitter, for your motion. Thank you, Dr. James, for your second. Okay. Any questions? Spurse, could you please read the roll? >> Uh Mrs. Bitter. >> I. >> Dr. James. >> I. >> Mr. Ball. >> I. >> Mr. Gosnell. >> I. >> Mr. Harris. >> I. >> All right. Uh next up, uh talk about our
039summer board meeting schedule. I know we kind of changed times a little bit on that and we just want to make sure everybody's aware of that. Have this discussion here. Um Everyone break out the calendar. The big thing the dates will for the most part it'll be Wednesday. Those dates will be the same. The time may change. We're looking at a morning meeting. Possibly at 9:00. >> So when we say summer, are we talking June 8th the first one? >> June it'll it'll be it'll be >> No change to the May 27th? >> Not May 27th. Uh some of us are still in school um on May 27th, so we still have to do an evening meeting. I said that with a smile. Um so we're talking I think what's is that June 10th we'll
040do that. So starting with the June 10th meeting and probably going until August. >> I would say through the end of July. I would say August 5th meeting probably back to normal schedule. >> Okay, so June and July for the most part. Those would be morning >> We could I guess we could do an August morning meeting. >> Uh actually August 5th we'd have to meet an evening meeting cuz new teacher orientation starts that day, so >> So June and July would be morning >> That'll be great. We'll be wearing suits that day, so perfect time to go back to normal. >> Um Does 9:00 does that work for everybody? >> I can make it work. I would certainly prefer earlier um just to get back to work. >> I can make it work. Obviously,
041I would prefer earlier. Mr. Gosnell, can you do any earlier than >> Would prefer later. Um I I can do I just have to drive downtown for daycare and then turn around and drive back. Um 8:30? You're right there. Okay. I I can >> I just want to say on behalf of our administrative team that obviously sits with you at every meeting, we appreciate you indulging us in doing a few summer meetings at 8:30 because obviously we would like to enjoy summer as well, not at evening meetings. So, I really appreciate you doing that. >> district office or would these be here? >> Um based on the fact that already on my calendar I see there are already district-led meetings at district office, they'll be here. >> Those meetings will be here and the one
042slight adjustment to that calendar and we'll make this official in the next week or so, everyone check their calendar, is the July meeting, the second July meeting that was supposed to be on the 22nd, we're going to move may move that to the tentatively move that to the 29th. Cuz a couple of us will be on vacation. >> July 22nd's going to the 29th. Does that cause you guys any issues? >> everybody. >> The 29th? It'll be in uh we will we could just do it in the evening. The 29th? >> Do what in the evening? Board meeting? >> Yeah, cuz we have a on the 29th we already have a full day admin meeting schedule. >> We could go to the 28th or the 30th? >> 28th looks open. >> Guzzle? >> 8:30 a.m.
043on the 28th? I just want to make sure from an HR standpoint, Mr. Lovell, that you don't need it before then. >> It that >> The 28th? >> And I think it's important to point out like yes, we you have all the team here for most of our meetings. But on these summer meetings, if there are things that they're not needed for, they're going to go on with their work days. Cuz there are like one of the meetings that I looked at on here, we have these Wednesday kind of workshop meetings. So, I'm looking at Megan and others down to my right. If they're better used or better served to be at those meetings serving our administrators, they're going to be at those meetings. >> Perfect. That's absolutely understood. >> Not that we don't want
044all of them here, cuz we do. But if there's not a topic that needs their attention, then I know they would rather be doing the work with our administrative team. >> And I will make sure to re-notice those meetings, since I've already sent out the blank one at the beginning of the year after the organizational meeting. Uh so, I'll I'll send you I'll send everybody an email before I re-notice just to make sure we're on the same page, and then I'll notice. >> Perfect. >> Okay. >> Thank you. Thank everybody for the flexibility here. All right. Our work session topic today is we're going to have a presentation on AI. And uh going to filter this off to Mr. Long's going to start us off, and you may go, sir. >> Wonderful. Thank you. Um
045Hello. It's nice being behind the uh out from behind the computer a little bit. So, appreciate you guys giving us a few minutes to talk about AI. I'm super excited to share with you a little bit about what we're doing with AI in Sycamore. Um I got some teammates here that's going to be uh sharing a little bit about our story as well. Um, we have Chris Gudermuth who's our uh supervisor of instructional technology. We have Kate Gesky who's a sixth grade science teacher at Green School. And then Rebecca Tompkins, as you know, our executive director of curriculum and instruction. Um, so we represent a larger group that has been working on AI really for like 2 years now, um, a little bit more than 2 years. And so I'm going to give you just
046a high-level kind of where we've been with AI and then turn it over to these guys to give you some more um specifics and let you hear a little bit about our process and some of the things that we've been doing up until this point now. Um, we really started this work really in the summer of 24, uh, Mr. Gudermuth and I put together like an introductory course on AI. Um, if you've had any involvement with AI, you know that it's changing very quickly. What it is today is different than what it was 6 months ago. Different than it what it was 2 years ago. So we're working very hard to try and adapt to all the changes that we're seeing. The initial course that we put together, uh, it really was the game that
047giving people a general unders- understanding of what AI is, understanding of what I what AI can do, and what it's like to be used in education. Last school year, we had a team of teachers and administrators who came together to start having the conversation around AI. We felt like we needed to start bringing people together, talking about AI, how it could be used in our classrooms, and what it could look like moving for- moving forward. Um, part of that work was to try a specific tool. So we piloted a specific tool, School AI. Um, and part of that was trying to identify was is it the right time for us to get a tool for all of our students and staff to use, a paid tool. And the outcome of that pilot, uh, we found
048that it was useful, but we didn't feel it was the right time for us to get a specific tool. During that same time frame, uh, Google Gemini was evolving as all of the AI tools are as well. And that's a tool that we have already uh, ingrained with our Google Workspace account. And Mr. Gooden will just going to share a little bit about that as well. Um fast forward to this school year, we had a another AI team come together with many of the similar people that were on the team, but we brought some new new faces involved as well. Team of teachers and administrators from across the district. All right, so we had a good mix, really good mix of people. The two main goals that we had for that group was to come
049up with a usage guideline document. We kept hearing from teachers, from parents, from students, "What are we doing with AI? What can we do? What can't we do? What's kind of the guardrails around AI in Sycamore?" So that was one of our main task was to come up with those guidelines, and we're going to be sharing those with you tonight. Another thing that we were doing with that group was to review the policy that you guys recently approved at one of our prior meetings. All right, so we put that policy in front of our team, had them give feedback, had them give recommendations, and that's what you saw come to you. So I'm very pleased with the work that this team has done. I'm super excited to have our team share a little bit more
050about what we've been doing. And then we'll have Ms. Tompkins wrap up and tell you a little bit about what's coming next, where we're going with AI, what our plans are coming down the pipe here in the future. So I'm going to turn it over to Mr. Gooden, who's going to share with you a little bit about Gemini and the AI tool that we landed on. >> [clears throat] >> Uh good evening. My name is Chris Gooden, as Christian stated. I'm the Sycamore supervisor of instructional technology. And I'm going to talk a bit about Google Gemini for education. It is our chosen AI platform. And why is that? Why Google Gemini for education? First of all, it is a Google product, and we're a Google district. We use Google tools such as Docs, spreadsheets, presentations,
051Gmail. All of our students have Chromebooks, which is a Google product. Teachers have Chromebooks. All these platforms are managed behind the scenes through a Google Chrome management console. So, we have controls, we have insights, we have oversights. We control accessibility and we see histories. So, Google Gemini for education fits our ecosystem. But more importantly, Gemini for education is distinct. The AI platform, it is not the general Gemini platform that is available to just anyone to access. This particular platform is Gemini for education and there's a distinct difference between the two. Gemini for education is designed and engineered for under 18 students. It is age-appropriate with safety controls. There are guardrails in place because the outcomes are for the educational purpose. Histories are kept. The platform is managed. Student data privacy is at the forefront. And
052we take that very we're very concerned about student data privacy in everything we do. Google Gemini for education is FERPA, COPPA, and HIPAA compliant. We manage it. We control who has access to it. We've integrated it through our learning management system. The outcomes are for education. So, how might this tool be used? And I'm going to give some personal examples of how I'm currently using it with students. Prior to me coming into this current role, I taught at the junior high for many years in the social studies department. In fact, I worked alongside of, beside of, and with Mr. Harris in that department. And worked under the superintendency of Dr. Adrian James while in that capacity. While there, I sponsored two clubs, the technology club along with Mr. Brenner, my co-sponsor, and a club called
053We the People also co-sponsored by Mr. Ben Brenner. We the People, we started 25 years ago. It is a club that's sponsored by the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education, supported by the State Supreme Court, the Ohio Bar Association, the Ohio ACLU, and the Ohio Attorney General's Office. That club's focus is the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Yes, we have students that join this club, 12 and 13-year-olds that choose to come at 7:00 in the morning to have our club meetings, all focused on the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights. We discuss it, we talk about applications. We have our school resource officer come to talk about the Bill of Rights and how it applies to students. It is a wonder wonderful opportunity, and I think Mr. Harris, he supported us over the
054many years because it is a topic that he taught as an eighth grade history teacher for some, well, for decades. But one of the highlights of this club is we take a trip to Columbus each year, and we're going day after tomorrow to Columbus, and I want to thank the board for approving our field trip once again. We will take the students to the State Supreme Court building, this lovely facility built in the 1930s, Art Deco, marble artwork on the ceilings and on the walls. It is where our Supreme Court Justices of the state of Ohio meet. And our students will go and they will tour the building, but they will present to a panel of adult judges, many of them lawyers, former officials, current educators. Our students will present in groups to these adults
055about matters of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It is a real-world opportunity in a setting that is second to none. It is special, to say the least. Back a few years ago, a grandmother came to watch her young granddaughter present and she sat in the gallery and cried because she was so proud of that young child being able to engage in a conversation that quite frankly many adults would be challenged with. I say this because these children have to prepare for the presentations. And how might I use AI to help better prepare them? Well, I have intentionally used Google Gemini for education to create products with guardrails, with intentionality, and with a purpose, and that is to teach the children about the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights. I did this intentionally,
056with purpose, with academic outcomes in mind, and I deployed all this through our learning management system. So, I control the accessibility of these tools. Children have access. I'm not teaching a curriculum, it's a club, but they need to prepare for a very difficult presentation. They have these tools available to them focused on the outcomes, but I'm not mandating the use of AI. It is but a resource that can be utilized in the preparation for their presentations. I'm also providing them a textbook which covers the same material, but I'm giving the students the opportunity to choose the tools that best fit their needs as they prepare. This is an example how AI is utilized, can be utilized, and how we expect it to be utilized in our classrooms. Purposeful, intentional, with academic outcomes in minds, utilizing
057a tool with guardrails and with safety built in. There you have Google Gemini for education, and there you have an actual real-life example of how me, the educator, is employing it for the use of our children in real-world preparations and experiences. Thank you very much, and now I turn it over to Miss Kate Gaskey. >> All right. Hi, I'm Kate Gaskey. I'm a sixth-grade science teacher at E.H. Green. Um so, I'm going to talk to you a little bit about like the team makeup and then how we got to where we were with our guidelines and why they look like they do right now. So, I'm going to skip to this slide. Um so, this AI team was created to be inclusive of a variety of perspectives and levels of comfortability with AI. So, you
058had teachers and administrators who were super comfortable using AI and then those who had not really indulged yet in the tool. Um and throughout the process, we were really constantly refining, discussing, and analy- and analyzing, sorry, what was being done um by looking at various examples, um coming up with a draft, coming back, discussing it, recreating it, and then until we felt like we had a draft we were comfortable with, then putting that out for informal feedback and getting um some feedback from all parties. So, this is including staff, students, administrators, and our PTO parents. Um and that feedback then later led us to go back to the draft, revise again, and uh we now have the guidelines before you. Um, so some key highlights that our team wanted to emphasize right away in our
059guidelines that our use of AI is not a shortcut in any way. It's not to replace critical thinking skills. It's not to replace human connection. This is really a tool to help our students grow as whole learners. Um, again, Sycamore is committed to using these privacy AI tools, as Chris pointed out with using the Google AI tools. Um, and then we also felt felt that connecting the guidelines to the portrait of an aviator made it specific to our district, and then also emphasizes the importance to our students needing these AI literacy skills in their future careers. Um, so the second part of the guidelines, um, this is where we really received the most positive feedback from, um, staff, students, and parents. And, um, they actually asked us to break it down further. So, you can
060see it's really specific to our district in that it's like almost breaking it down by building. So, yes, it's K to 2, and then 3 to 4, but you have that 5-6 for green, 7-8 for the junior high, and then 9-12 for the high school. Um, and so it's really just showing those AI literacy skills by grade grade bands. Um, this is with a hope to provide better clarity to staff, students, and parents on how AI can be used or at least talked about at that appropriate age level. And then the last page of the guidelines is more for that guidance and support. Um, so really pointing out, um, how each party could be using this. Um, so again, looking at specifically for the students, for the staff, and then for families, and just kind
061of providing those, um, guardrails again. Um, and then the favorite part that we got again with the feedback was the traffic light, which allows all stakeholders to get clarity in the instruction and the expectations with the AI use. So, obviously pretty straightforward, green, yellow, red. Green, AI is permitted, so students could be using this for like brainstorming, researching, synthesizing information. Of course, citations would be required if they use it. Um yellow is more like caution, so this is um under just for assistance, under teacher guidance and supervision. And then red, of course, is not allowed, not allowed to use at all, and this would be considered academic dishonesty. So again, our team just really wanted to create a a document that was easy easy for all stakeholders to understand and use. This is why really
062that last page, going back to the highlighting each parties and the traffic light, we felt was super important. Especially as a teacher, I don't have a lot of time to consult. I want to be able to look at something and be able to see the clear expectations. Um and then also by co-creating and refining this document at every single meeting we had, and incorporating the feedback from those that we talked to, this is ensuring practicality and trust. Um as a team, we were very thoughtful with our approach and to these guidelines, and we wanted to provide as much clarity and support. Um cuz we know it can be intimidating. And then every member of this team was committed and dedicated to preparing our students for this rapidly changing world, especially with AI having a bigger
063influence more than ever. And with that, I will pass it on. >> Good evening. So, we know that our next steps are to be very strategic in our communication about and implementation of both our AI policy and our AI guidelines for use. So, this will include opportunities for staff and family learning around AI, and will be a major emphasis of focus for us as we move into the 26-27 school year. We've partnered with Shannon Eastep. She is an instructor at Northern Kentucky University and is an expert in not only AI, but AI in education. So, she's helping us shape our communication and professional learning plan next year. We want to be careful about is knowing that there is there's a bridge between AI tools and really understanding AI through being AI literate and understanding the
064ethical use of AI. So, next year not being a focus so much on here's a whole bunch of tools that might be used in AI. Although, that is something that is appealing. But, really calibrating on how do we understand AI? As uh Mr. Long has pointed out, AI is continuously being changing and updating. So, we need to understand I AI and be AI literate as educators and as students and being able to clearly share with our students what does it mean to be ethically use using our AI within the classrooms and then as they move out into the world and within our portrait of an aviator. >> Awesome. Thanks, team. Um so, just to kind of wrap up a little bit. I hopefully you heard a little kind of about our story, where we've been
065with AI. What you did not hear is that we are mandating the use. We are requiring the use. You didn't hear that. What you heard was it's an important part of the story. It's an important part of the conversation. AI is in our society. It's it's we know kids are going home and they're using AI. All right. So, we feel it is our responsibility to start teaching the good habits and the fundamental habits of of using AI not only in their educational world, but in their their personal lives, too. We want to teach those positive good habits. Okay? So, um we've had a lot of fun on this team. I I appreciate so much the team members here that have presented um in the larger group that worked on this together. Um and this is
066not the end. Um again, with this with AI changing and evolving so much, uh we have to continue the conversation. So, this is where our guidelines are today, um but certainly they have the ability to adapt, to shift, to mold as we need to as the landscape of artificial intelligence changes over time. And with that, if we have any questions, we'd be happy to answer. >> I have questions. >> Sure. >> First of all, I have a comment that was very helpful presentation, so thank you. Um, I know that um there's a lot obviously this is just one of the biggest issue one of the biggest uh topics in education, right? It is and not just education, but in in in our lives right now. Um things I just want to say that was great.
067It was excellent. Thank you. Um things I didn't know, which means probably other people don't know it, too, right? And may you may want to communicate this a little bit wider and far, you know, to our families and community and teachers um that this is Gemini for education and that it's distinct. Then I know that that helps a lot to know that. Um that it's for uh HIPAA COPPA compliant. That's really, really helpful information to know. That data privacy, student data privacy is at the center. We're already have Google, so this is part of that Google educational platform. I think that would kind of help and ease people's um understanding as well. Um those just struck me and I think that that um that's really, really powerful. Um I think when people think I I
068mean when I think of AI, I just think of this like the AI that we can all get on our phones as adults and people like that that's what kids are using at school and that would be really horrible, right? So I maybe I'm the only one who thought that, but um I think telling people continuing to say that would be helpful. >> Yeah, I appreciate those comments. Thank you. Um what I forgot to mention, too, is that we do have a plan to communicate um this document out with all of our parents, families, and students. Um so, that'll be going out in the next week or so before people leave for summer break. Um, so we'll go back to our communication plan and try to insert some of those specific things. >> Because that's
069so important. And let them know this is a different version of of Gemini. This is not the same one that we can just all have on our, you know, get on our phones. And that the history is created. And that you can go look back, right? Um, that's that's a really really important safety feature that we have. >> And honestly, it's one of the main reasons that we chose we landed on that tool specifically, right? It's cuz it does have those guardrails. It has those things that we felt important that we needed to have in order to have a tool that was going to be used by our staff and our students. >> And I just want to I said this at a couple of meetings um, and I'm going to say it again. Um,
070at our Ohio School Board Conference that we went to in the fall, we all divide and conquer and go to different um, presentations. And I know that uh, Mr. Long was at this presentation. I believe you were there. There are others there, too. But it was an AI and curriculum presentation. And they had some of the top school districts in the state of Ohio. And the people who presented together were just like you. We had our curriculum director there. They had, you know, they had their technology director. They had teachers. They had And it was so powerful. And the main message is, yes, AI can be sound scary, but it is incredible the opportunities that will come about from AI for our students if we do it the right way. Uh, but then um, just
071the other, you know, it it's just a really important thing that kids the message was, and who knows if if this is true, but it probably is, you won't be employable in the future if you aren't able to use it. So, we have to teach our kids how to use it safely and responsibly. And you still have to be able to think critically. Clearly. Like that's the number one thing. This is not taking away the ability to think and reason. You have to know how to do all the basics first and then use AI. So, that that is that was the key takeaway. >> Definitely great. There's always going to be a human element that we want to make sure that came out very loud and clear with our work that our team did that
072there'll always be a human element involved in this and that the AI piece is a technology as a tool, right? That that is is becomes more powerful in the hands of an educated person who knows how to utilize the device, utilize the tool and the platform. >> Right. And I And again, I'm just just telling you my opinion here. On the communication point, um I think flipping the the the emphasis on the skills will will be taught, right? Critical thinking skills will be taught. This is the tool that that's added, right? Instead of the will you know, like instead of putting that at the the last part of the sentence, I would put it at the front part about the human part because that is what families are concerned about, that's what parents are concerned
073about, that's what everyone's worried about and I think that would ease the minds of our um the people who are wanting to know how this is going to move forward. >> Awesome. Great feedback. Thank you. >> Yeah, I just thank you very much. Um you know, that this is something that we cannot be afraid of. This is something that we have to embrace. We have to learn how to use this as it's evolving because, you know, as Mrs. Bitter said, um our students will fall behind. They will fall behind going into college and workforce if they don't know how to use AI. I personally use it almost every day in my profession now. Um and the more I use it, the more I find out that I can what I can do with it. My
074company has done multiple training sessions and it's not a one-time training. You know, so I I I think that we need to keep in mind when in professional development is, you know, this this is ongoing. You know, we're going to have to learn and we're going to find out what we don't know and we're going to have to learn some more and we really need to build, in my opinion, you know, AI into our curriculum, into our critical thinking skills, for all the reasons that we've all just said. And, you know, I'm glad we're on the forefront of it, if you really can be on the forefront. >> Sure. >> It's evolving faster than we can keep up with it. But, we just have we have to continue down this route, and we have to
075make sure that it's being used throughout our schools, throughout our classrooms, and really embedded in the curriculum learning learning for our students. >> Great. Thank you. >> Thanks for the the presentation. You might want to consider how to get this information to the the parents, not just through a paper. You may want to invite some parents to come in, so that they can see how their student would be used using the tool. Just a consideration. I'm really curious about the traffic light. And where that appears. Who chooses which light to use in a particular on a particular assignment. Is it the teacher who assigns that light and >> Sure. Yeah. >> And that's written someplace? >> Yeah, so the intention that is that with assignments that are utilizing AI or with students who are using
076AI in the classroom, that teachers would identify red, yellow, green, and what the acceptable use of AI on that specific assignment would be. So, it would be clear. It'd be something they go over at the start of the year, so students would have a a general understanding of, you know, when when I can use AI on this. So, it would be something that they would just get used to as they're utilizing technology with any of their assignments, and have a better understanding of what level of AI I'm permitted to use with this specific assignment. So, teacher driven. >> So, that that really supports my first comment, which was to maybe have a session for parents, because as they are helping their students with assignments, they need to understand the traffic lights and what the guardrails
077are. >> Sure. Great feedback. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> I just want to say thank you to Mr. Long for and the rest of the team, cuz I know you guys spend numerous hours after hours in addition to your teaching day. Thank you for being here, by the way. Um and it's a long day, but it's obvious that you're bringing tremendous value to this conversation by involving all these people. So, um our practitioners in the classroom are the best to kind of help us navigate, how are we utilizing it the right way? Um but also, and I think we're looking at some training of how can it be used in the wrong way? Um so, that our students don't get um into trouble uh with the use of AI. So, I really [clears throat]
078appreciate the group digging in and I know this has been a long journey and the journey's not going to stop. It's going to be a continual journey. Um but thank you for your work in this area. >> Thank you. >> So, I had a quick question though, before you >> Sure. >> before you leave. >> Sure. >> I'm assuming that part of um PD starting the school year will be in this, too. That teachers will be exposed to this, so they can understand how all of this stuff works and that's part of the PD plan coming up as well. >> Yes, that would be part of the PD plan. And I would say it's not the first. Like, we've already started doing some training. We've had conversations. Um certainly, our team of teachers that were
079on this team um had they started having conversations with their departments, with their grade levels. Um so, this is not new. Um so, we we we've started that, but that is part of the work that we're doing with NKU and Shan and Aista uh is to develop what that professional learning plan looks like moving forward. Yep. >> Okay. Thank you very much. >> I just uh I wanted to jump in and say I feel like this is a really >> [clears throat] >> healthy path that you're going down. I love the language. I've heard it said multiple times choosing the correct tool >> Mhm. >> for the job. It's not being forced on anyone. It's It to me this this is still a conversation of a hammer. A hammer is a tool that can do
080some really powerful things. It can build, but it can also damage. >> Mhm. >> Right? >> It shouldn't be left laying around the house where people who don't know how to use it can get hurt. It should be pulled off the shelf. It should be used intentionally. It should be put back. And I think that that that frame of reference is is a perfect place to be in. We understand how to use it. We bring it off the shelf when we need to, but it doesn't replace sitting down and looking at a textbook. It doesn't replace going outside and touching grass. It's It's all these different tools that we can use to supplement the students' critical thinking and and their overall education. >> Totally agree. Totally agree. Yep, we're totally in line. Great feedback. >>
081Thank you. Very good stuff. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Thanks for your time, everybody. Thank you. >> Right. Uh now we're going to move on to the superintendent's agenda. And we need a motion for this. A motion to approve uh This will be fun. Enjoying this. A motion to approve the class of 2026. >> So moved. >> graduation. >> First. So moved. >> Second. >> Mr. Bitter, thank you for your motion. Mr. Ballant, thank you for your second. And Mr. Person, please call the roll. >> Uh Mrs. Bitter? >> Aye. >> Mr. Ballant? >> Aye. >> Mr. Gosnell? >> Aye. >> Dr. James? >> Aye. >> Mr. Harris? >> Aye. >> All right. Congratulations to the class of 2026. But behave till you get those diplomas, okay? Just saying. Same. Got a few more days
082now. All right. >> They actually their last day of school was Let's see. What's today? Yeah, it was yesterday. So, they're they're at least just they're on they're on coast mode until Sunday. But >> Still behave. Still behave. >> Still behave. Yes. >> All right. All right. Uh we have a another part of the superintendent's agenda. Mr. Lewis, do you need to introduce this? This the resolution for the adopting the cybersecurity. >> I think it's just a a resolution. I mean, I think Mr. Long sent you some information about this. It's just something we have to approve. I don't know that there's many comments about it. >> Any questions? Is there a motion to approve? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Thank you, Dr. James, for your motion. Thank you, Mr. Bout, for your second.
083Mr. Burson, could you please call the roll? >> Dr. James. >> Aye. >> Mr. Bout. >> Aye. >> Mrs. Biller. >> Aye. >> Mr. Gosnell. >> Aye. >> Mr. Harris. >> Aye. >> All right. Next up, um Mr. Lovell's favorite part of the meeting, we have policy. Uh first read of the 7,000s. Uh first read of the 9,000s. First read of the zeros. Questions on those? >> I have a It's not a question It's not a question about one of these, but it is a 7,000. So, I feel like and it's the AI one, actually. So, I know we just went through I believe this is the one that um we just uh passed. Mhm. Uh but I just wanted to go back and just um reemphasize um the last So, this is the artificial
084intelligence um policy that we have from NEOLA, which is much more robust um than the one we had before. >> Yep. >> And we passed it and we know that we talked about, you know, there was a need to pass this quickly, but we could also talk about it. Um of course. And what I wanted to say is that I in light of just general safety concerns about AI in general, and I'm not talking about Gemini for educational use. Okay, I'm not talking about that, but in general, when students are off campus um and they're using their computers, um the last section of our policy talks about the non-consensual intimate imagery. And it says in our policy that there's a national digital safety the national digital safety experts have emphasized the importance of addressing issues
085related to non-consensual intimate imagery, which is called NCII. And particularly in terms of local policies and digital wellness and cyberbullying. And then it just sort of recommends model policy related to and related resources that districts and schools like Sycamore district could and may want to consider incorporating into relevant other local policies. So, I would just like to say that I have a an interest in our board looking at that as well and understanding like what how we may better educate our students and our parents and grandparents and community members so that they can keep their kids um safe from the out the external part of AI that maybe they're not receiving at school, but if you do something outside of school, it can still impact people in school and themselves at school. So, I just
086like to note that. Thank you. >> All right. >> The other >> All right. We will policy second read. 8760 and the 2000s. Okay, are there any questions on those? Okay. >> The The only thing I If there's no questions over the policies, the first read or second read, we're still on track to get the full manual approval at the second meeting in June. We don't have to have a discussion about it now, but if you could just send me your thoughts about what it is you desire at that meeting. I mean, obviously we could spend a lot of time going over a lot of different policies for approval, but I'm hopeful that we've kind of chunked this and brought this to the board in increments that the approval process in June could be pretty
087streamlined, but I also don't want to assume that there's not more information or a presentation that you might need during that time, whether it's giving an introduction of the policy manual itself, what's covered in there. I don't really know what that might be. I just want to let you know that I'm willing to put something together and walk through that. I'll just need your feedback to help kind of gear towards what that might be or what how that might look. >> I was going to I I guess if I would say anything for those for the thousand or sorry sorry for the zeros, definitely spend some time. We spent a lot of time in policy. Dr. James and and the team trying to make sure that we crafted that that's the language of the board,
088right? How we function and what we do and and we tried to make sure that all of that was crafted to meet as close to what we currently do as possible under NEOLA advice. And so just I I would definitely say make sure I I know you guys are going to read every word of every page, but make sure to to spend some time on those for sure. >> Well, and what we could do is in policy committee, Dr. James and Mr. Gosnell, we could actually look at the the OOs and we could sit down and say what are the ones that you believe we should bring forward just as a general conversation with the board, maybe not touch everybody, but from your perspective, from a board perspective, what might be important and we could
089do that and then I could also focus again on a high level overview of how is the manual laid out? Like how do you know what a thousand is? What's in there and not go into weeds, but just an overall kind of perspective for our families. >> I I would like I mean yeah, I agree with focusing on the zeros because I feel like that that is specifically related clearly to to the board and I would be happy if you would do that where you would highlight the ones that you feel that are critical. I I've already you know, I have already highlighted for myself several, but yes, if you would do that and then what was the second part of your offering? >> Um what I thought I could do is just >> section
090is? >> Yeah, you know, I I for those who have been in the policy with OSBA, it's just laid out different and so being able to provide a high level overview of how is the manual actually laid out, you know, the Os are the bylaws, that's how the board governs, you know, and as you move through and talk about the 5000, those are our student policies. Um maybe just helping people understand how to navigate it when they get in there might be helpful. I don't know. >> would say that I would like I mean I wouldn't want to I wouldn't want to have like zero time at the meeting when we're doing the approval. I would like >> to have some >> Okay. Time. >> Sure. >> So if you could a lot time for
091that, I think that would be helpful. >> Yeah. >> You mean NEOLA doesn't have an AI tool to just search >> Actually >> funny enough >> They're getting ready to release we hear rumors they're getting ready to release a new platform will have some artificial artificial intelligence kind of built into the platform. >> I'm certain OSBA does not have an AI tool. >> they don't know. No. I'm happy to like I said I'm happy to um do anything that will help the board and during agenda planning you will can all figure out what amount of time that is or what exactly we need to do but happy to prepare something. >> Yeah, I mean they're just they're just very very dense and I we appreciate the amount of work that you put into this and
092to Dr. James and Mr. Gosnell as well as board representatives but as much as you can say these are ones to pay attention to you should I would recommend doing that. We did that the last time when we did OSBA. We pulled out everyone I mean every board member reviewed all of them but there was it's really hard sometimes to pick up on a nuance from a change. >> Yeah, I will say please do not put us through the three hour session that or four hour session that we had on policy. I'll lean on Mr. Gosnell and Dr. James to in policy committee come up with what you should present cuz they've been the most intimately involved so if they can give you guidance in your like maybe in leading up to that meeting I
093trust them to not put us through >> And I I will say I was the I was Dr. James and and Mr. Gosnell in the last version but board members have every right to ask questions and they have every right to even at the board meeting spend three hours to do it and so we obviously did that and but I don't want to do that either but I just I would I will I will accept any highlights that you would offer. >> I think you know focusing on what is required by law >> Mhm. >> versus other policies. I mean if it's required by law there's not a whole lot of discussion we can have. It's the law. >> Yeah. >> So I think if we can even separate it that way and focus on
094the ones that you had questions or concerns about that are different than what isn't isn't legally binding. Uh might be a way to look at it, too. >> But I think there's a difference between I just want to make sure we're all on the same page. When we went through the OSBA policies, we were literally doing what you have done for the past year in one meeting. So, I don't think you want him to go back through every policy and point out >> No. >> things to approve or things that were complicated or state law or whatever. Think what he's asking is from a policy standpoint, from a manual standpoint, what do you want him to present cuz we've chunked it all the way to get to this point. A high-level overview of I think
095how does the policy manual operate is great for our community because the people here have been intimately involved and you guys have done an amazing job getting us through this and asking questions and you know, we've done it if you look at the amount of time you all have spent, it probably way exceeds that board meeting. So, now it's kind of what do you want presented to the community so that people have a great understanding of here's the policy changes, here's what it means to you, and here are some highlights of things to keep your eye on. I think being able to say what those numbers mean is huge cuz being able to switch from what it was. >> What I can do for the first meeting in June, I can provide maybe an outline
096of what I think we should cover at that meeting and that can include the overview of the manual itself and then I can identify because every section of policies, they're the ones that we saw that we either thought, "Man, we need a deeper dive into this whether it's inviting, you know, Mrs. Lawson in or Mrs. Tompkins, whoever that may be." But then there are others that we felt like we just need to bring this forward because the community needs to see that we're wrestling with this policy, right? So, I can go through each section and do that, provide that to me at the first meeting in June and you can say too much or this feels right, and then that way when we head into the meeting, we're pretty clearly defined about what we want
097to discuss or overview. Does that work? >> I think that sounds good, too. I mean, I I I trust your process, and and you have been giving us updates of what is legally required, what legislative change, and this is this is the word This is the wording you have to use, and then there's where we have some I know you've been doing that along the way. Um but again, for the I would still would like to have some time for the zeros. I mean, I think that's fair, and I would maybe need more time for some of the other ones, but I would probably I would be a happy to reach out to you individually and ask those questions, too, which I have been doing. So. >> It's great. Yeah. >> So, thank you. I
098know it's a lot of work, and appreciate it. >> Sure, absolutely. >> All right. Um Do I have a motion for the approval of the administrative handbook? >> I move. >> Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Balog, for your motion. Thank you, Dr. James, for your second. >> I just want to thank whoever put all this work together. It was a lot of work. Um I think it you know, it's very comprehensive and looks great, and it was much needed. >> Yes. >> Appreciate the work on it. >> Thank you. >> I agree. It was great. Thank you. >> Absolutely. >> It is a great document. Thank you. >> And this is going to be a version 1.0. Um the administrative team is very excited. I've heard a lot of positive comments from them as well
099about having this. It's clear, clear is kind. Um but we also know there's a lot more things that we want to put in there moving forward. So, my intent is every year to bring this back the first meeting in May for an approval for the upcoming year. >> Yep. I think the the only thing I wanted to add to that is I I do like how we're taking the opportunity to Sycamore-ize >> Mhm. >> things. I I think that that does help bringing in the the culture and like just continuing to tie everything together, even if it's a a handbook of policies, it still has that that kind of core mission and and vision writing underneath it. >> Thank you. >> Mr. Person, could you please call the roll? >> Uh Mr. Balon. >> Hi.
100>> Dr. James. >> Hi. >> Mrs. Bitter. >> Hi. >> Mr. Gosnell. >> Hi. >> Mr. Harris. >> Hi. >> All right. Do we have a motion for the approval of an agreement with St. Cecilia? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Thank you, Dr. James, for your motion. Thank you, Mrs. Bitter, for your second. >> I sent the board an update about this. Um so all the information was in there. I I I won't go over all that, but just in general, this is our contract to operate food services out of St. Cecilia. Ms. Helmbrecht at her presentation gave a great overview of why we do this. It's a great um benefit to the district, but also more of a benefit to smaller school um that needs our help. And so this contract, Ms. Helmbrecht
101did a fantastic job um positioning us in a in a way that um it not only helps them, but it also helps us maintain costs long-term. >> All right. >> Good. >> Mr. Person, could you please call the roll? >> Uh Dr. James. >> Hi. >> Mrs. Bitter. >> Hi. >> Mr. Balon. >> Hi. >> Mr. Gosnell. >> Hi. >> Mr. Harris. >> Hi. >> All right. Do we have a motion to approve an out of town uh out of town field trip to Power of the Pen? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Gosnell, for your motion. Thank you, Mr. Balon, for your second. All right. Mr. Person, could you please call the roll? >> Uh Mr. Gosnell. >> Hi. >> Mr. Balon. >> Hi. >> Mrs. Bitter. >> Hi. >> Dr.
102James. >> Hi. >> Mr. Harris. >> Hi. >> Uh do you have a motion to approve the personnel consent agenda? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Thank you for your motion, Dr. James. Thank you for your second, Mr. Gosnell. Questions? Mr. Person. >> Uh Dr. James. >> Hi. >> Mr. Gosnell. >> Hi. >> Mr. Balan. >> I. >> Mrs. Bitter. >> I. >> Mr. Harris. >> I. >> All right. I think those are all >> [sighs] >> that included supplementals and stipends and the rates of pay. All right. Okay. Um Wait, do we have to approve the miscellaneous rates of pay? >> All of them. >> That was all of them. Okay, just making sure. Okay. All right. Now we're at the treasurer's agenda. And uh this is a resolution doing movement to approve a
103resolution accepting amounts and rates as determined by the budget commission and authorizing the necessary tax levies and certifying them to the county auditor. >> I move. >> Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Balan, for your motion. Thank you, Mrs. Bitter, for your second. Mr. Person, maybe you can explain to the people at home what is going on here. >> Uh this is just our annual um annual approval of the rates set forth uh by the county and really by our voters. Um so if you if you have the the document in front of you, if you scroll to the second page there, you'll see that is our voted millage. What is not on here is the voted bond millage and the inside millage. And I just I went out to the county's website and grabbed the
104rates of taxation from tax year 25 um and it does foot. If you back out uh the 2.7 for the 2019 bond, the 0.46 for the 2010 bond, and back out our inside millage, it does foot to what's in um the resolution that you're approving. So, just a All right, thank you, uh Mr. Person. Could you please call the roll? Uh Mr. Balan. >> I. >> Mrs. Bitter. >> I. >> Mr. Gosnell. >> I. >> Dr. James. >> I. >> Mr. Harris. >> I. >> All right. Uh lastly, the board will be moving to executive session um for two things, a recommendation to move an executive session to consider the employment, dismissal, discipline, and the investigation of charges or complaints against a public employee or official, Ohio via Ohio Revised Code 121.22G1, and to also
105to consider matters required to be kept confidential by federal law or regulations or state statutes, see Ohio Revised Code 121.22G5. Is there a motion for executive session? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Thank you, Mrs. Bitter, for your motion. Thank you, Mr. Gosnell, for your second. Mr. Burson, could you please call the roll? >> Um Mrs. Bitter? >> Aye. >> Mr. Gosnell? >> Aye. >> Mr. Balow? >> Aye. >> Dr. James? >> Aye. >> Mr. Harris? >> Aye. >> The board will now be moving to executive session. We will not be reconvening. Thank you very much. Everyone have a great night.