001Board of Education board meeting is called to order. Notices for the meeting were properly posted and provided to those who requested direct notification. Let the record reflect that all board members are present. And we will have a prayer by Mr. Young followed by the pledge by myself. >> Heavenly Father, come to you. Thank you you for such a beautiful day and thanking you for such a great start back to the school year for our second semester here. We just pray that you'll be with us tonight as we do the business of the board and it'll be in your life. We ask this in your name. Amen. >> 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
002justice for all. We have an agenda before us. Do I have a motion to accept the agenda? >> I'll offer. I'll >> second. I'll turn it over to you. >> All right. Thank you so much. Well, first of all, I'm really >> Okay. First of all, I'm really glad that um we've got so many folks here from tonight. Thank you guys for coming. And tonight we get to recognize students um from Clemets and talk about the UAH Frontier program. The UAH Frontier program is a 7-week university-based STEM research experience that immerses high school students in authentic scientific inquiry. Students work in teams to design and conduct experiments addressing realworld challenges including plant growth in Mars analog regalith while collaborating with university researchers. The program culminates in an expo day at UAH where students host a
003presentation table for visitors and judges showcasing their work through a scientific report trifold display and outreach component. Teams are competitively evaluated throughout the program on research progress, scientific writing, presentation quality, and communication. As part of the outreach requirement, students designed and delivered a STEM day. So, you guys were able to give back to Blue Springs Elementary, engaging and impacting more than 100 elementary students. The program promotes critical thinking, professionalism, teamwork, and college and career readiness in STEM fields. The students loved working together, doing authentic science, participating in the outreach, and competing and visiting the campus at UA. Three teams of 19 students participated. Two teams placed second in their division and one team won their division. All students had an amazing time. Students, you have an amazing time. Good deal. I would like the members
004of the Clemens High School Frontier team to come forward and be recognized along with their teacher and sponsor Brandy Glenn. So, I'll call your name if you'll come up front. We have a certificate for you and thank you so much for participating. But like I said, especially for giving back to Blue Springs as well. First, we have Eastston Bailey. Eastston here. Okay. Aaron Bankhead, Jaden Davis, Alvin Farley, Sydney Foxworthy, Jillian Frost. Thank you, Jillian, for being here. Yes. Madison Gilliam Madison. Thank you. Gregory Gray. Thank you, Gregory. Eliza Harris, Treyber Jones, Ka Cow, Alexander Malagon, Mandrean, Melanie Morelis. Thank you Melanie for being here. Anelise Moss. Thank you, Julia Norris, Logan Patrick, Annabelle Ringger. Thank you, Leslie Shores, Meline Turner, and the teacher and sponsor, Brandy Glenn. Thank you, Miss Glenn, for putting this together.
005This is great. Our kids are busy. >> I got you. >> Participating in everything. >> A lot going on, I'm sure. >> Just say if Ashley can't Thank you so much. >> They're not very good. >> I don't think so. >> They're not kids more than me telling them. Congratulations y'all. >> All the husbands get to buy dinner tonight. >> Yes. Yeah. Yes. Exactly. >> Congratulations, >> Dr. Maples. Some more STEM research going on there. >> I bet STEM teaching. I do too. Yeah. You know, they get excited about the little ones get excited about that for sure. >> Okay. This is also school board recognition month and this month marks the 33rd annual observance of school board member recognition month in Alabama. Alabama Association of School Boards is encouraging communities throughout the state to
006help celebrate local schoolboard members for their commitment to highquality public education for all of Alabama's students. This year's theme, school board members, the real MVPs, shine a spotlight on the critical leadership role school board members play in calling the winning plays for Alabama's public schools. Like the most valuable players on a team, board members provide vision, strategy, and steady guidance, often behind the scenes to ensure school systems can succeed. The theme recognizes their teamwork, dedication, and lasting impact on public education across the state. Under the board's leadership, Limestone County Schools has achieved many, many notable accomplishments. For example, um increased fund balance. So if you go back to 2019, the system um had in FY209 a fund balance of a little over 12 million. Currently in FY25, the school system has a fund balance of
007over $102 million. So you've increased that during this time financially. So we're in good shape financially as a school system. You know, we've also decreased system debt um by over $20 million. Um we've decreased our debt during the same time of raising our fund balance. We've had aggressive construction projects. Um we've done a lot of construction in the district. And while we paid off our debt, increased our fund balance, we paid for all those construction projects um with cash. We didn't have to borrow any money for that. So, thank you board. um for being fiscally responsible and making sure the system is in good shape um financially. We've also increased the number of educators in our system. If you go back to 2019, we had about 1,28 employees. Now we're up to 1322. many of
008those positions when you talk about behavioral techs, when you talk about more interventionists in the system, you talk about steam teachers, all those positions um were able to be put in place to help support our teachers throughout the district. Of course, academic improvements, that's what we're all here for. We've seen some steady increases um in our academic performance. Um we want to of course continue that and keep that going. We've had some great report card scores um in our district as well thanks to all our hardworking our teachers here in the district and um you know it's all about increasing opportunities for students and we've been able to increase opportunities for students um because of the many programs um that we have in our district. So, thank you board um for being committed and serving
009Limestone County in the way you have served us. These successes reflect the board's commitment to student achievement, fiscal responsibility, and community engagement. Members currently serving on the Limestone County Board of Education include this certificate. I won't make you get up. >> Mrs. Fqua district one Greta Kilgore order district two say my name >> Ronald Chris district three blind Maples District 4 Bradley Young District five Anthony Hillyard District 6 and Dr. Herring District 7. Although board members are elected to a district, we all know that they are one team and we are very proud to recognize them tonight because they all look out for the good of students in Limestone County. So, thank y'all. >> Okay. Um next uh just want to talk just a few minutes about um the CEO program is creating entrepreneurial opportunities
010um for students in Limestone County. And so this is being um this is a program through the chamber and there is a packet um some information in your um board packet um that talks about the CEO program, but um it utilizes business partnerships that provide an overview of business development and processes. And so this is going to begin in the fall of 2026. Students will actually um take a course that starts at 7:30, ends at 9. So, they'll get a couple credits, but they'll get dual enrollment credit as well. But basically, they learn how to run a business. And the hope is that 15 to 20 students will participate in this program from Limestone County and Athens City. And there's a person hired um that will run the program. There'll be mentors in the program.
011bankers will participate where students at the end of the program when they develop a business plan, they'll actually go to the banker and there may be some seed money that they can start their own business. This will be for juniors and seniors. Um, but we're going to start the registration process soon. But I think it's great and like I said, the chamber, they've got sponsors and what a sponsorship is is $1,000 a year for three years. So, they have commitments for that. Innovate Alabama is also contributing to this program as well. Uh Madison City has it currently locally and Decar um has it, but um us and Athens will be joining and they're looking at expanding even more throughout the state of Alabama. But um I think it would be great for our students um
012students that may have an idea. It's kind of like they have to present kind of like Shark Tank where they have to present their business plan, their business and you know people will ask them questions and see if see whether or not it will fly. Um they gave us an example of one student who came up with actually striping um parking lots and what they found out is a lot of people that strike parking lots but a lot of people won't stripe small parking lots. And so there was a little niche that um that student found that he could actually strike the small parking lots because a lot of the bigger guys wouldn't bid on those and he was able to be successful with that. So um this is coming like I said fall of
0132026. They still are looking for sponsors if you know of anyone um that would like to help out with this program. Um but it is a $3,000 commitment um 1,000 a year over three years. Um, but I think it's going to be a great opportunity for our students. Just as we mentioned, um, it's all about having more opportunities for the students here in Limestone County. >> Miss Hab financial statement. We're going to look at November. So that's two months into the fiscal year, which is about 17%. Um, if you look at our local revenue, it was 4 3 million. You're going to see a big jump come in like we usually do in December because that's when everybody starts paying their property tax. We're still a little under our 17% but we're still on track
014to what we were this time last year in November because it's just October, November slow months. If you look at the fund balance, one month is 13.1 million. We're at 38.3. So we've climbed to 2.91 months. our money market interest for October and November, we're already at 514,000. And if you look at my chart on the the back page, you can see we actually came up a little bit in fund balance from October to November. And sometimes we we come up a good bit and sometimes we go down in November. So that's because of all that shift in revenue where it's starting to flow in and everybody's starting to get their percentages. Do y'all have any questions? All right. Item number six, the consent agenda. Do I have a motion? >> A second. >> Young
015seconds. Okay. Any discussion? All in favor? >> Passes unanimously. Okay. Agenda item seven, discussion and approval of personnel actions. Do I have a motion? >> Okay, Mr. Young, Mr. Well, Mr. Hillyard offers. Can I have a second? >> I'll second. >> Y'all, I'm taking medicine for my hands. Forgive me. Okay. So, Mr. Chris, you second. Did I hear? Okay. Mr. Chris seconds. >> Any discussion? I need to abain from 7H4. >> Anything else? All right. All in favor passes unanimously. Agenda item eight, executive session. Do I have a motion? I move that the board go into an executive session to discuss consideration that the board is willing to offer or or accept when considering the purchase, sale, exchange, lease, or market value of real property. >> Okay. >> Thank you, Mr. Harry. My second uh
016the board will now go into executive session. We anticipate the executive session will last for approximately 15 minutes after which time we will resume the board meeting. >> We need to vote. >> Oh, I'm sorry. >> Did we do need to vote? I'm sorry. I missed that. So, did I did I ask for a motion yet? >> Yeah, we got a motion. We >> got a motion and a second. So, all in favor? All opposed? Okay. It's regular session meeting. >> You ready? >> Yeah. The board will now return to its regular session. Do I have a motion to adjourn the board meeting? >> You do. >> Offer. >> Sounds like I have an offer and a second. All in favor? >> Yes. >> It's unanimous. >> Thank you. >> You wanted to say well
017>> discuss the adjournment. >> I think it's a real good idea. >> Yeah. >> Everybody be careful going home. Yeah. Discussion. >> Yeah. >> Can't wait for the next board meeting to see y'all.