001call to order the school board meeting on Monday, June 9th, 2025 schoolation. We'd ask you to silence your phones and if you would please stand and join me in the pledge of allegiance. I aliance 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. Our next item is roll call. Mr. Arnold prese to the consent agenda. There are eight items on the consent agenda. Approval of minutes of the May 12 meeting of minutes of the May 19 Special exact session meeting. The financials for ratification approval. The treasures report agreement for consultate consultant services. First Tuesday communications wage increase for special education pair professionals personnel recommendations and travel requests and 2025 summer school personnel. We have to approve
002the consent agenda. So moved. Thank you, Jen. Second. Second. Thank you, Tucker. All those in favor say I. I opposed consent agenda passes. There is no special personnel recommendations tonight. So the next item is presentations of district celebrations. Who's going to okay? We I will start and we will first start with introducing Mr. Scott up who is here to introduce some special guests from the high school this evening from the class of 2025. know everybody. It's a family affair everybody. So, good evening. Thank you everyone for having us. Uh, Leort High School is proud to announce its valadictorian and saludiatoran for the class of 2025. Drew Bush has earned the valadictorian honors and Liam Lily has earned the saludiatorum honors. Obviously, these two honors come come with a long list of accomplishments, which is a
003direct result of the character that Drew and Liam carry as young men. Both Drew and and Liam were excellent student athletes. They were members or volunteers of many different clubs and activities both within our school walls as well as throughout our community. So, I will step aside now. I'll let these two introduce themselves, their families, and what their next steps are. Hi, I'm Bush. This is my mom, dad, and my sister Sophie. In the fall, I'll be going to Notre Dame to study finance and political science. And um that's it. I'm Liam Lily. This is my dad and my mom. And in the fall, I'll be going to IU Indie to study uh biology. And I'll also be running for the track and field team. Great job. Congratulations. Well done. Very nice. We'll see you
004Thursday. Yes. They got some speeches. They got They're speaking. We're excited to hear it. Don't let them off. All right. So, they're going to get their pictures taken back there. Drive on. Um, is there more celebrations? Yep. We have one more and Dr. Tonogle will dis uh share that one with us. Yeah, we were excited at the May board meeting to have our principles talk to you a little bit about the STEM uh certification process that's being made throughout the schools. Well, shortly after that meeting, the DOE announced 16 new schools being recognized as STEM and we are very fortunate to announce that Critzfield and Kingsford Heights were two of those 16 schools. I want to want to congratulate Mrs. Shel and Mrs. Koser and their committees. They both had uh teacher leader team staff
005teams that put a lot of time. It's a very intense process. It's taken multiple years to get to this point. It's not just something you decide to do and a couple months later you do it. So um in the DOE press release it says STEM certification exemplifies a highly innovative approach to education employing a great deal of inquiry project based learning community engagement entrepreneurship student centered classrooms integration into humanities and related arts and out of school STEM activities. And if you could see our our application and our scoring rubric you would say yes we see that throughout the school at Kingsford Heights and Chrisfield. So, uh, the other part, and I don't want to forget about this, is Kesling was also designated as a developing STEM school. And so, there were, um, I believe six
006schools announced as developing. I'll have to double check that before that's published, but um, it highlights schools that are emerging in the same process that Kings for the Heights and Critfield. So, again, this is a multi-year journey. Um, congratulations to Mr. Wilson and his committee that is working towards that full uh, step certification. Great. That's amazing question. Thank you. Very good. Um, all right. Those are good celebrations. There any more? All right. So, the next order of business is the transition update. Dr. Wood, in your general, your report. Sure. Um, so we find ourselves in the month of June. Um, summer vacation already in full swing. So, this is my last official report on our transition timeline. um as next month marks the beginning actually of the 2526 school year. So hard to believe how
007quickly time has flown this year. Um for the month of June, we have two items that are listed as part of our ongoing transition planning. Um so first the preliminary specials assignments for the 2526 school year. Um this is an item that was actually drafted and shared with staff a few months ago. So we actually were able to work a little bit ahead on this one. Um moving from eight elementary schools sharing specials teachers to seven presented a minor challenge as we now of course have an odd number of schools to schedule. Um however we were able to develop a master schedule that works across all seven buildings and establishes between 24 and 26 sess sections for each specials teacher. Um and that is a very feasible number and one that all teachers are very
008comfortable with. Um this is of of course very preliminary as the sections themselves in each building will fluctuate especially this summer as we have enrollment changes. Um but we're very pleased with the schedule and we've received very positive feedback from all the staff who are connected with that schedule. Um so moving forward in in a good place there. Um the second item on the transition timeline is the co-op split structure item. Um this refers to the supervisory positions that hold duties in both the special education and general education setting. Um so specifically um in connection with the transition timeline, we're referring to our early childhood center principal um who splits time between principal of little learners, which is traditionally our special education preschool in its current form um and then as we move that to
009be the comprehensive early childhood center um for our entire district. Um the other position that is a split structure position within our co-op is our director of alternative education. Um and that is Mr. Chad Hashel who holds that position. Um so as we looked at the number of students from each category of programming that these individuals were o will oversee um specifically in looking at the um early childhood center and how that building will come into play. We will be recommending a 7525 split for the early childhood center principal. This is a change from the current split structure of 8020. So just anticipating um as that building evolves and potentially bringing more gened students, especially with the integration of the three-year-old program that we'll now be able to offer that previously we were not. Um,
010so as we reach the end of this formal timeline, please be assured that we will continue working with students who are transitioning from Lincoln to other schools throughout the school year and I will provide regular updates to the board as on the ongoing transition supports as the year develops. Um, we know that while all the pieces have fallen into place now, we certainly still have a duty to our students to ensure that they and all the students in our district receive educational supports that they need to be successful. Um so the second item that I have um on my superintendent report for this evening um is connected to um a few months ago we had a conversation in a board work session about how we could best honor the legacy of Lincoln Elementary as we're
011coming upon the end of the 2425 school year. Um, so in that conversation, we discussed how the Lincoln building and location has evolved over time and it was suggested that there maybe is a story to tell and honor in that progression. So, as you're all aware, the current Lincoln Elementary site was the original site of Leaport University. Um, and over the years, the location later came to host Leaport High School, Leaport Junior High School, Lincoln Elementary, and now moving into next year, Little Learners Early Childhood Center. So, as we started to dig into that history, we connected with Danielle Adams, who was the director of the Leaport County Historical Society Museum. Danielle compiled a brief history of the original building and its changes through time, along with a plethora of old pictures and images from
012throughout the years. We were then connected with former mayor of Leaport and prominent community leader Lee Morris, who was once a parent of Lincoln Elementary as his children attended grade school there. Um, beginning I think in the 1970s, um, with Danielle's history, Lee's voice, and the technology skills of of our very own Mike Waltower and Aaron Meyer, we came together to produce a video that honors the legacy of Lincoln Elementary. If you could all direct your attention to the screens, we would now like to invite you to view the premiere of the video. For over 150 years, the block bordered by Harrison Clay Walker and Jack Streets has been the heart of education in Leaport, Indiana. Today, as Lincoln Elementary School prepares for its new chapter as an early childhood center, we look back at
013the remarkable journey of this historic site and the generations of students who have walked its halls. The educational legacy of this land began in 1841 when Judge John B. Niles and fellow visionaries Dr. Daniel Beaker, Dr. Gestavis Ross, Dr. Joseph Andrew and Dr. Franklin Hunt founded Leaport University. This pioneering institution housed Indiana's first medical college west of Cincinnati, a distinction that would shape the community for decades to come. Among its distinguished graduates were Dr. William Mayo, who in 1850 completed his education here before going on to co-found the worldrenowned Mayo Clinic. In 1864, the site saw the opening of Leaport's first high school, which measured 81 by 90 ft and could accommodate 600 students. John B. Niles, already instrumental in founding the university, helped to lead this new endeavor. By 1880, the community grew and
014so did the school's reputation. This building was renamed Central Public School and later simply Central School. In 1912, facing overwhelming enrollment, the building was expanded with east and west wings and its iconic thirdf floor auditorium was added, becoming the largest school in the system. In 1894, responding to continued growth, a new Leaport High School was constructed on the southern half of the block along Walker Street. Built for just over $24,000 by contractors FC Fullet and HF Droy, this building would later become Lincoln Elementary School and would stand for 75 years. As the port grew, so did its educational needs. In 1924, when a new high school was built at 1,000 Harrison Street, the 1894 building became Lincoln Elementary School. while the original 1864 building transitioned to Central Junior High School. By 1965, both historic buildings
015were were showing their age. On May 14th, Lincoln School moving day. Students said goodbye to the 1894 building and moved into the brand new Lincoln Elementary built on the site of the former central school. and Miss Edna Crowy's kindergarten class was the first to enter the new building that day, marking a new chapter in Lincoln's history. In December 1971, the original Lincoln school building was demolished, making way for much needed play space for the students. The land that once housed Leaport's first high school would now echo with the sounds of children at play. In 1999, Lincoln Elementary School experienced its most significant transformation to date. Under principal Wendel Tarno, the school underwent an 18-month, $4 million renovation project, the first major update to the building since its construction. One remarkable feature remains from the original
016central school, the 1912 gymnasium, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2012. This historic space stands as one of the oldest and most distinctive gymnasiums in the county, connecting today's students with those of past generations. As we prepare to turn the page to a new chapter in this site's history, we celebrate the countless stories, memories, and achievements that have taken place here. From Leaport University to the early childhood center of tomorrow, this ground has always been dedicated to one purpose, nurturing the minds and spirits of Lord's youth. The legacy of Lincoln Elementary School is not found in its bricks and mortar, but in the thousands of students who have carried its lessons into the world. As this beloved institution transitions to welcome our community's youngest learners, we honor its past by looking forward to its future.
017From the first medical college in the state of Indiana to Leaport's newest adventure in learning, the story continues. Very [Music] nice. [Applause] So on behalf of the corporation, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Danielle Adams who's here this evening. if she could give away if she couldn't reathering all of the artifacts and and helping to bridge some of the information that we had heard through word of mouth and um being able to put the script together with we're great very grateful to her. Um and then Lee Morris's wife Marca is here this evening. So um Lee did not attend this evening but we want to extend our our thanks to him as well um for for his narration. He has a very distinctive voice and um and we thought of him before
018we actually even knew that he was a Lincoln parent. Um, so, so it all uh lined up very nicely for us to be able to make this happen and and of course to um to our staff for putting the video together and investing the time. Aaron and Mike put in a lot of time too. You can add that your business card audio engineer. I know you like your title. And that concludes my super. That was great. So, thank you all that contributed. That is really, really, really good. I don't think most people know about that old history. I had no idea. I heard about it. I didn't know. I mean, there's a sign out there now, too, about that Leaport University, which it's pretty awesome. So, that's really that's really Yeah. And then you see
019some of those big pictures of those big buildings, you're like, "Wait a second, where was that?" Pretty cool. All right, moving on. The uh assistant superintendent of businesses and uh no, I'm sorry, elementary assistant superintendent report, Dr. Tom. And actually all my items are action items in addition to the STEM recognition. So you keep going. So then uh we'll move on to assistant superintendent of business and operations report Dr. Hunt. President Seabourg. Uh go ahead and pull up the financial dashboard. Next slide please. Okay. being consistent in what we've done over the past uh just to give you an update of the expenditures in the education fund. Uh in the month of May, total expenditures were $2,92,34857. um which then brings us to a total um at the end of May in our education fund
020of 17,829,730.34 which puts us in line at 40.46% of the budget expenditures and again keeping in mind goal of 96%. I will bring this to your attention though. Um again as we move to June and you'll take special note in June with the uh the presentation that would be without the special education cooperative payment during the month of June. That will again um rate that expenditure. I'm looking at almost right at 40%. So halfway through the year um not excuse me not 40 but uh 40 let's see what are we at 48%. So puts us right in line with with where we need to be halfway through the year as far as our goal is concerned at that 96% um of the budget expended. And then moving on to the operations fund a month of
021May expenditures or $1,375,761.93 which brings us to a total at this point the end of May of $6,857,788.81. budget of 17,103697. It puts us right at 40%. Right now, thank you. Thank you. Yep. There we go. So, it puts us right in line with that 8%. We're really, really close to that where we need to be um for that 96% goal. And then moving on to the cash flow for the month of May. One thing I do want to bring to the board's attention is if you look at the operations fund uh cash receipts during this time, we actually received our tax revenue uh earlier. This is the earliest I've ever remember receiving our tax revenue. And so normally it's it's in the month halfway month through the month of June. We actually received it
022by the end of May. So you will see that as is part of this particular cash flow. Uh but actual cash receipts in the education fund of $4,100,148.17 uh operations cash receipts of 4,987,778.91 and we did receive some monies in the rainy day and that money is is credited to the uh farm rental that property that we have there at the at the intersection of A and 18th Street. So we can receive um our rental amount from that particular farmer and has an amount of $7,626 and I already mentioned dispersements of education fund 2,92,34857 education and operations 1,375,76193 and ops transfer uh the $614,293. So if you look at your cash balances then in our education fund 8,354,82626 operations fund 3,260,19.93 and a rainy day of 621,46347 which brings us to a grand total right
023now for our operation balances of 12,236,393 $3966. Uh the percentage that you want to pay close attention to is we're sitting at a 20 uh 28% operating balance at this point. Again, we are trending in the right direction. So where we want to be, keep in mind where we'd like to be is at least 25% of an operating balance. And again, we continue to move in that direction. And finally, if we look at the next slide, which is the comparison between 24 and 25. I'm not going to go over the 25 numbers again because they've already given them to you. Uh but if you look at the comparisons uh for the cash receipts in the education fund uh 24 versus 25 uh were actually up $180,2242 or 4.6% uh increase. Uh cash dispersements uh were
024almost right neutral. We're at 0.25% 25% of an increase in the difference in our cash dispersements between 24 and 25. And the ops transfer of course is going to be a little bit more uh because of the additional revenues that we're receiving, but uh we have a difference of $27,000 and $27 for a 4.6% increase uh from 24 to 25. Uh and again looking at the cash balances, the cash balances we're looking at right now um is about a 1.3 1.281 um is a difference or 18.11% difference between 24 and 25 again trending in the right direction. uh brings us to operations uh differential between the two and you will see a huge amount that percentage is kind of goofy but but again it's because uh in 24 we didn't receive our tax revenue until
025June so you'll see that obviously the huge difference there but the difference of $4,835,91481 or uh a 3184.37% increase cash dispersements we did have about 13% uh more and cash dispersements in our operations fund. One of the things that we're we're seeing and as far as it's hard to make trends because of utility costs. Utility cost meaning this how they are invoicing us right now. So dips goes it may not be a month-to-month they may have two or actually we have seen three months of an invoice come at one time. So again, if you're looking at the differences between the two, if it was the month the the year prior, if it was just the one month, you're going to see some of the differences and that's what's accounting for. Uh but in all overall,
026as we're looking at a trend and the entire year, we're right in line with where we need to be as far as dispersements are concerned. Uh ops transfer um up 52%. Uh and then the ending cash balance uh you'll see a huge difference in that ending cash balance. Uh at this point in May of last year uh we were in deficit in the operations fund of $1,949,1942. With that addition again that tax revenue we're actually the difference is $5,29,000. So again trending in the right direction. And again if I may just letting you know if I am projecting out where I am seeing us in the operations fund uh at the end of June and again this is just uh estimating out I'm looking at a balance cash balance of about $2.6 million in a
027cash balance which is about $500,000 more than where we were at the year before. Again trending in the right direction. And that concludes my report. Unless there are any questions. Anyone have any questions for Dr. Hunt? Ask away. No questions. We are going to move on. Thank you for that. Thank you. Um to new business. Uh we have quite a few of these. So uh number one, consideration for recommendation to approve the acceptance of grants, donations, gifts, and quests. Dr. Wood. Okay. So, we have a number of donations that we are asking the board to approve this evening. Um, first is a donation of $2,346 cents from Purdue AEC to p purchase supplies for the HOSA program um which is a program that's affiliated with one of our CTE programs, the CNA um health careers
028program. Second is a donation of $13,000.13 from the Leaport Economic Advancement Partnership to continue the advancement of the robotics club. Um that was part of a grant that was available um to us through a partnership with Halat. Um the third is uh a variety of donations from community businesses for giveaways that uh were utilized for projectaware wellness workshops. So that is uh was an opportunity we were able to offer to staff members in each building I think in Mon Bay. Um and so we have multiple items that were donated to the different schools that are all listed there. Um fourth is a donation of $32,000 from Kingsford Heights Elementary Parent Association to be utilized for playground renovations. Um and the last is a donation a variety of donations here that are listed in your report
029um that were received from Slicer Performing Arts Club to the LPHS music department. Um so four different donations there are $175 for senior banner replacements, 500 to spring choir concert shirts, $1,79.88 cents for jazzfest guest artist hotels, and 3,82 for marching band show music and copyright fees. Okay. Does anyone have any questions? Is there a motion to accept the uh gifts and donations that Dr. Wood laid out? So moved. Thank you, Tucker. Thank you, Jim. All those in favor say I. I. Opposed. Okay. Next order of business is consideration for recommendation to approve the comprehensive systems of support for schools agreement. Dr. Wood. Thank you. So, as you are all aware, Dr. Hunt's last day with the corporation is this Friday. Um and he is certainly leaving big shoes to fill with his departure. Um
030we had when we first um learned that he was moving on and headed to Westfield. Um we had initially posted the position as a combined CFO assistant superintendent for operations position which is the title that he currently holds. Um, in having that position posted for a couple of weeks, we quickly realized that a role encompassing both the CFO responsibilities and operational leadership would be incredibly difficult to fill. Um, so as we look to move forward with a seamless transition for our district once Dr. Hunt leaves, um, we have the opportunity to contract with a company called Comprehensive Systems of Supports for Schools, um, or CS3, which is an organization that's founded by Dr. Brandon Penrod. Um, and they work with districts to provide CFO leadership during times of transition. So, Dr. Penrod brings extensive CFO
031experience from multiple large school corporations. Um, and he will be able to oversee all of our financial leadership and evaluate our current processes and protocols to help us align our systems as we work toward a plan to ultimately fill the CFO role. So this partnership will provide us with an objective external perspective on our financial operations while offering recommendations for improvements and best practices. Utilizing his services will allow us to benefit from an independent financial assessment so that we can focus internally on the operations role and in time we will then be able to de develop a long-term plan for sustainable financial leadership. Um so this contract is a minimum fourmonth um commitment at the beginning. Um it does include our budget preparation for the 2026 budget which work on that will begin next month.
032Um and so then moving forward we are able to stay on on a rolling basis beyond that 4month period. Um and we just have to provide 30 days notice. Um one of the um nice things about this um this uh contractual agreement is that um he typically comes in in situations where a district loses a CFO. CO moves on to a new role. Um, and he will stay on while we don't have someone in that role. And then once we hire someone, he will also stay on and help to mentor and train that person. Um, so we have a lot of opportunity to be able to build. We want to focus on the right steps to to get moving in the right direction um with a new individual um after Dr. Hunt is gone. So,
033this will give us an opportunity to be able to take our time and work on filling that operational piece first and know that our our financial management and uh leadership is covered through this um this contract. Okay, any questions? I think it's worth noting that uh the contract is for $4,000 a month uh with a fourmonth commitment and then a $10,000 to help us with our budgeting. Right. So it's uh it's fairly reasonable as well. Um so uh is there a motion to accept the contract as laid out by Dr. Wood? We make a motion that we accept the contract. Thank you, Monica. Second. Second. Thank you, Amy. All those in favor say I. I. Opposed. Okay. Next order of business is the consideration for recommendation to approve the transportation pickup and drop off policy.
034Dr. Wood. Um, so this is uh policy that we've discussed at multiple points throughout this year as we've been looking at some of the challenges that are associated with our current transportation department and looking at ways that we can streamline things to be more efficient and provide more reliable service to our families. So the item is a proposed policy change to streamline transportation procedures which would begin for the next school year. It would require parents to select one consistent morning pickup location and one consistent afternoon pick drop off location for their children who are utilizing bus service. So currently we allow daily changes which creates a significant planning challenge for our transportation department also increases the margin for error which can lead to a significant safety concern for our for our students. Of course, we
035continue to receive feedback about the reliability and consistency of our transportation routes, and we recognize these challenges are very real. In order to make meaningful improvements, we have to begin by reviewing and adjusting policies that complicate our system. This is one important step toward creating a more predictable, efficient, and safe transportation experience for families. Um, this proposed change also aligns with policies that are already in place in many other districts. Um, so I would recommend that uh you approve this tonight. That would require parents to select one consistent morning and one consistent afternoon pickup and drop off location for bus transportation. Any questions for Dr. Wood? So just to clarify for anybody who may be watching, this is not like a designated bus stop away from their house. This is you just have to be
036picked up in the same place, the same home, and dropped off at the same Correct. Okay. Correct. They can utilize the same address in most cases that they're already using. Um, it's just committing to that single location on a daily basis, Monday through Friday for morning. They can also select a different one for morning and a different one for afternoon. It just has to be consistent on a day-to-day basis. Got it. Will this I mean, will this cause problems for our families that are from split homes? I mean, we have a lot of students probably who have experience with that. I'm just curious more than anything and probably. Yeah. So is are there any kind of considerations for those families? So So we um have the ability to have conversations with families that might have
037those challenges. The policy does state and this will be dispersed. Um there's a survey that's going to be going out to families. I think this week um that typically we send out a survey to gather information for who's utilizing bus service. Um so this will be included as part of that that if they have a unique situation they can certainly call the transportation department and discuss that. There's also provision for emergencies that might come up um because we know that that happens and and there's a a protocol for that in place so that we can be accommodating for that. Um but at at the end of the day um you know we we do recognize that families do often have schedules that can get complicated. um we we will do our best to work with
038them, but we also have to make sure that we're taking the best consideration of our district in mind. Any other questions? Okay. Does anyone want to make a motion to approve the transportation pickup and drop off policy? So moved. Thank you, Amy. Second. Second. Thank you, Jim. All those in favor say I. I. Opposed. Okay. Motion carries. Um, next uh item of business is uh 8.04 consideration for a recommendation to approve the DG marketing proposal. Dr. Wood. Uh, so this is a proposed contract for marketing services for the 2526 school year with DG Marketing. Um, so as you're aware, marketing our district has been a top priority for us in this past year. Um, earlier this year, we engaged with a company called EEES to create digital content for us. um which we are excited
039we will begin pushing out here very soon um in the next few weeks. Um now we are recommending the next step in our marketing initiative which is to contract with a company that will build a digital platform for us that is focused on attracting new students to the schools in our district. So we are requesting board approval to approve this contract with DG marketing. Um which this company offers digital marketing through identifying and targeting leads, directing digital traffic, automating our open enrollment process, and funneling feedback to build a greater audience. We are recommending approval of tier one for the first year of the contract. Tier one is a $40,000 commitment. Um DG will support marketing for both both our Leaport online school and our traditional schools. And we will be able to track um and
040specifically target individual um families or students that may um potentially be interested in enrolling in in all of our different programs that we have to offer. Um specifically emphasizing attracting out of district students during peak enrollment times. Um, so I would ask for your approval this evening um to take this next step in our marketing initiative and this will be implemented for the 2526 school year. Anyone have any questions for Dr. Wood? So just for a sense of this, this is like a lot of Google ads and meta ads and Facebook things and right. So when when people are in social media, they might see some report stuff start to pop populate what they're what they're seeing. Um and I I know that these are, you know, goals and things, but the, you know, the
041hope would be that we would get 75 to 100 new students through these through these endeavors. Um fair. Yeah. Yes. Absolutely. All right. Will that also be um television, commercials, radio, or is that just strictly? They encompass all of those things and it'll be based kind of on a market analysis. um we sort of give them I think it's called like geo fencing or something is the official term where where we kind of identify the target geographic area that we want to emphasize and I think they utilize some knowledge and information about what works in that specific area and what has the best reach but yes um we were just talking the other day just about how Netflix now has localized marketing with commercials and things like that so that's the type of thing that
042they engage in yesh Any other questions? All right. Does anyone want to make a motion to approve the DG marketing proposal? So moved. Thank you, Jen. Second. Second. Thank you, Amy. All those in favor say I. I. Opposed. Motion carries. Next item is consideration for recommendation to approve the online school comprehensive plan. Dr. Wood. So, as you are aware, the this past 2425 school year was the first year for the Leaport online school. Um, and as we incorporated the school into our district, we initially planned to manage the administration of Leaport online through existing staff. Um, with the purpose of really establishing and developing a solid foundation before we move forward with a commitment with dedicated personnel. Um, so by February of this year, as you know, we report enrollment to the state in October
043and February. By February, Leaport online school had grown to over 110 student enrollments. Um, this brings us to the point that the program is fiscally solid and capable of sustaining its own dedicated staff. So, included in your board documents this evening is the Leaport Online School comprehensive plan, which outlines our goals for the program's continuing growth for the next year and beyond. Um, specifically, the plan outlines the staffing structure we're proposing for the online school for next year. We are requesting this evening approval for three new positions for Leaport online. Um an academic counselor, an administrative assistant, and a success coach. So these roles are aligned in compensation to similar positions elsewhere in the district. And all of that is outlined in a chart and this uh document. Um even using conservative enrollment estimates. Um,
044and we certainly hope that the estimates we're using are are very low because we believe that this marketing attempt is really going to foster some additional growth. But with with conservative estimates, we anticipate that beyond the additional staff um and the the financial um component that is involved with purchasing the curriculum for Leaport Online, we still expect to generate approximately $200,000 in excess ADM revenue that will then just support the general education fund. Um so certainly far beyond self- sustaining to add these three positions, continue purchasing the um the uh curriculum commitment that is required for the online school. Um and of course you can also think of it as the marketing could could fit right in and uh under that umbrella from what we're profiting as well. Very good. Anyone have any questions for
045Dr. Wood on the online? Okay. Does someone want to make a motion to approve the online school comprehensive plan? So moved. Thank you, Tucker. Second. Second. Thank you, Monica. All those in favor say I. I. Opposed. Motion carries. Next order of business is 8.06, which is a consideration for recommendation to approve the Learning Tree Academy contract for child care for the 20 2526 school year. Dr. Wood. So, as you know, as we've embarked upon the journey to establish an early childhood center for our district, one of the um key components to being able to establish a dedicated early childhood center was the ability to offer child care in conjunction with our half-day preschool program. Um so as you know we've heard a lot from families who have found it difficult to manage sending their children
046to preschool just because um with working families it's very difficult to manage that half-day program. Um so we had the opportunity to reach out to Learning Tree Academy who operates a daycare within the city of Leaport as well as many other locations in Porter County. Um and we have come to an agreement with them to lease some of the space in our early childhood center for them to operate um daycare services within three classrooms for families that would like to participate in that. Um as part of this lease agreement, Learning Tree Academy will also begin taking um taking on the role of managing our employer child care program. Um so right now we are offering a program for employees of the district through a grant um that is only available through this year and so
047next year moving forward that grant is no longer an option. And so as part of this lease agreement we were able to um arrange for the Learning Tree Academy to take over the employee child care program at their Monroe Street location. Um so with this new arrangement employee the children of employees as young as six weeks old will now be able to participate in in the childare at a significantly reduced cost. Um which is a great benefit for our staff moving forward. Um, so the agreement with Learning Tree reflects our mutual understanding that we would provide Learning Tree with a discounted rental rate for the use of our facility in exchange for deeply discounted child care rates for Leaport families who are utilizing the early childhood center for preschool as well as our staff who
048are going to utilize the learning tree at their Monroe Street location for our employee childcare program. Um, so I would ask for your approval of this lease agreement so that we can continue moving forward with setting them up um with the space to provide this service to our families next year. Any questions for Dr. Wood on this? I think just for transparency sake here, I think it's $525 a month, right? Again, we didn't view this as a a big money maker for us. We wanted to be able to provide the services to not only our families but also our staff. Absolutely. You laid out. So, okay. Hearing no questions. Does anyone want to make a motion to approve the Learning Tree Academy contract for child care for the 2025 2026 school year? So moved. Thank
049you, Justin. Second. Second. Thank you, Tucker. All those in favor say I. I. Opposed. Motion carries. Next order of business uh 8.07 107 is consideration for the recommendation to approve funding by the health foundation of report for support for youth mental health social worker positions. Dr. Tonic. Yes, thank you. Um this is an amendment uh to year three of a previous grant. So it's not a new grant. Um the health foundation has awarded us $100,000 to support additional social workers in the corporation. So we currently have 2.5 social workers. This would take us to four for year three of the grant. Our social workers play a key role in our our framework for supporting students uh academically, behaviorally, social, emotionally, and so this will provide some muchneeded funding um throughout the district. So, we would
050have a district-wide schedule where uh the social work team would cover all buildings. I'm asking that the board approve the health foundation grant of $100,000 for those additional social workers. Anyone have any questions for Dr. Tonic? There none. Does anyone want to make a recommendation to or a motion to approve the funding by the Health Foundation of Leaport for support for the youth mental health and social worker position? So moved. Sorry. Thank you. Second. Second. Monica. Second. Any questions? Jim. Okay. All those in favor say I. I. Opposed. All right. Motion carries. That's That's a good I'm excited about this. That's a good thing. Yeah, for sure. Thank you. Uh, okay. Next order of business is the consideration for the recommendation for the approval of the Kingsford Heights and Critfield Elementary playground projects utilizing the
051Health Foundation of Leaport grant and donation from each school's parent organizations. Dr. Thomas. Yeah, this is not a a new grant, but this was a 2024 grant that we received that we've been continued to try to refine and have a better design. And so, um, I'm pleased that we're we finally arrived at a point where we have a recommendation to accept the Health Foundation grant, uh, for just under $760,000 for projects at Kingsford Heights and Critzfield. Tammy's going to put some renderings up on the screen as I make a few comments about those so you could see the new designs. want to thank the Kingsford Heights and Critzfield PTO's who also donated about $90,000 together. Uh this is Kingsford Heights um their new design and part of the work that we went back to the
052drawing board was about u making these more inclusive these playgrounds. So you'll notice some features as we scroll through the renderings of uh the port in place. We tried to do that as much as possible. would have loved loved to have had the the whole um you know ground be PIP but it's it's just not affordable. So we did what we could do within the grant. Um that's Kingsford Heights and I think we'll be shifting to Critchfield here in just a moment. But those uh ported place uh uh sidewalks and pathways lead right to the equipment and you can see you can get on the different uh slides and swings and and different thing. So that's area A of Cridgefield. There are three areas to Critfield's playground. They have a kindergarten playground. Um an upper
053playground. Both of those are getting completely redone. And then there's a lower level playground that's getting modified a little bit. Um total projects come in the designs uh quotes were just under $850,000. So again, that grant um for 760,000 plus the donations of the PTAs um bring us to the total amount. And uh we would like to get this work started as quick as possible so that it will be ready uh this fall for the 2526 school year. Does anyone have any questions for Dr. Tonagle? So I think it's great we're doing the inclusive things. I know it's a little bit harder and cost a little bit more money but means a lot to a lot of people. So it's real good. Um, and I also just kind of want to say, uh, you know,
054thank you to the health, uh, foundation. That's $860,000 potentially we're approving tonight that they're giving us. So, um, it's good stuff. Yeah. But someone want to make a motion to approve the playgrounds? Thank you, Jim. Second. Second. Thank you, Tucker. All those in favor say I. I. Opposed? None. Okay. Motion carries. Next order of business is consideration for the recommendation for the approval of curricular materials to be used for human sexuality instruction in grades 6 through 8 and high school. Dr. Thompson. Thank you. I'm going to invite Angie Early up from Franciscan. She is a Franciscan project respect health specialist. I believe she has some materials that uh she will pass out and she'll be available to answer some questions. Um thank you Angie for coming. she presented to our administrative team um and we
055met about this. So I'll just tell you a little bit about this. This is a project um through Franciscan who is a partner of our school corporation. Um this is sex education, human sexuality and it's aligned to the Indiana state standards and Indiana code 203513 for instruction on human sexuality. And the whole premise of this program is based on abstinence, which is the expected standard for any sex sex education in the state of Indiana. So topics like uh puberty, uh abstinence, sexually transmitted infections, pregnancies, um those sorts of things. The grade levels are grades 6 through 8 in high school. And um again, it aligns with the um state of Indiana standards. uh parent notification and permission are integral components of this program and this process. So we would u make sure that parents uh
056sign off before this instruction is given to their children. We also will post all the materials on our school website under curriculum and these are all requirements of uh Senate Bill 442 and the Indiana code that I mentioned earlier. So we will be in full compliance with those uh requirements of the legislation. be glad to answer any questions about the program. Again, thank you Angie for coming and being available. I'm here for any questions. Um, right now we are in Lake County. We are in the Marville, Sherville, Griffith, Hammond, Gary, EC, Widing, Low, Crown Point schools. And, you know, each district has about three or four three or four schools in it. Two middle schools and some high schools. We just hired somebody um two years ago um because we want to recruit Porter and
057Leaport County and we just hired someone two years ago um for for that reason. Uh we just recruited the Michigan City schools. We have the high school, the four middle schools. I'm can't remember how many of the elementary schools and some of the Catholic schools. And we met with Mr. Tom. love to come into Lore County. I'm just here for any questions if you have any questions at all. Does anyone have any questions for Dr. Tonagle or Franciscer? All right. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you. Thanks for having me. So, uh, hearing no questions, is there a motion to approve the curricular materials to be used for human sexuality instruction in grades 6 through 8 in high school? So, thank you, Jen. Second. Thank you, Jim. All those
058in favor say I. I. Opposed. Okay. Motion carries. All right. Next order of business is 8:10. Uh, consideration for recommendation for the approval of the Boys and Girls Clubou for learning summer learning lab. Dr. Tonagle. Yes. Thank you. Uh, Mr. President. in your materials is theou from the boys and girls club who will be um operating the summer learning lab program at the Kesling campus with your approval. Um as you know we have a boys and girls club at that location in addition to other schools in our corporation and this is an extension program that's designed to enrich and enhance learning throughout the summer months where that uh really unfortunate phenomenon of the summer slide happens to our kids. So this is a good opportunity for I think 150 175 students um to uh take
059this uh program at Kesling and we're asking that the board approved theou essentially theou says we will provide the space we will help with the data collection and the reporting it is a program through the state of Indiana uh in the Indiana Department of Education. Okay. Does anyone have any questions for Dr. Tom? Hearing none. Uh, does someone want to make a motion for the approval of the Boys and Girls Clubou for summer learning lab? So moved. Thank you, Amy. Second. Second. Thank you, Justin. All those in favor say I. I. Opposed. Motion carries. Next order of business. 811 is a consideration for recommendation for approval of athletic training services agreement with Franciscan Health. Dr. Tonic. Again, we're very grateful for Franciscan who is excellent partner of the school corporation. Um, in in addition to
060the program that you just uh approved, we do our drug testing through Franciscan and now I'm recommending that we change over our athletic training services to Franciscan. So, we've been uh in conversation with them for a few years now um with a corporation our size, a high school, with a number of sports programs and facilities that we serve. We felt strongly that we needed two athletic trainers and unfortunately our pre previous um provider was only providing one trainer and so we had kept an eye out and an ear out for another possible uh partner. Franciscan has stepped up and so included in that agreement would be two trainers uh for this next school year. One is uh paid for by the school corporation and one is paid for by Franciscan. Um this is a similar
061arrangement as what we had with Northwest Health previously. Um that last agreement was updated in 2017 and the cost was uh $51,750. Uh this year it would cost $65,000 with Franciscan, but again we only had one trainer and that was from 2017. Cost for certified athletic trainers has risen just like the cost for all other staff has as well. Um, we're really excited about this and think that it will be continue to be a great partnership for our student athletes. Great. Anyone have any questions for Dr. Tonigle? If I hear none, does someone want to make a motion for the approval of athletic training services agreement with Franciscan Health? So move. Thank you, Justin. Second. Second. Thank you, Tucker. All those in favor say I. I. Opposed. Motion carries. Thank you. Thank you. Um, next
062order of business 812, consideration for recommendation to approve items for sale through an online auction. Dr. Again, President Saber, uh, this evening I'm bringing to the board just to get permission in which to hold an online auction. Uh just to kind of give you a little bit of background, uh according to Indiana code and the state board of accounts, if any one particular item is valued greater than $1,000, uh we have to open it up to the public and it has to be done through an auction. We're choosing to do an online auction. It's it's more feasible. Um it's more efficient way in which to hold an auction. or if you have a collection of items that need to be sold uh or disposed of that would have a value of greater than 5,000. Again,
063you had to hold an auction in which to do this. So, this evening uh part of your port packet, you will see the items, not a lengthy list of items, um but some larger um obviously valued items. Um we have a mower, we have a transformer, um we have a gas pump. Uh you will see that we have uh five school buses. Uh this will be a first for us. We have seen through the the tradeins the trade-in values that we are currently getting um are nowhere near what we think the value of those buses are. Um especially with the market the way it is right now and and Senate enrolled act one. I think there could be some real potential of of some true buyers as far as those buses are concerned. So uh
064we wanted to put those as part of the auction. Uh and then there's food service items. There's a number of milk coolers that we are also going to auction off. Uh so any of the proceeds other than those food service items would be then receded back into the operations fund. Uh because food service is a federally funded program. Those proceeds from the auction would then need to be uh receded back into food service. Um also part of the packet you will see that we have used Linski uh in the past. You will see um their proposal as part of the board packet. So this evening I'm asking that we approve the online auction, but part of that again is is the agreement with Lazinski and the legal advertisement that needs to go along with the
065advertising of the auction. So I ask that the board approve this this evening. Anybody have any questions for Dr. H? There are none. Is there a motion to approve the items for sale through an online auction? So move. Thank you, Justin. Second. Second. Thank you, Tucker. All those in favor say I. I. Opposed. Motion carries. All right. Round and third here. So 8:13 consideration for a recommendation to approve adult meal prices for the 2025 2026 school year. Dr. Sounds a little bit goofy. Uh but again uh part of being the C program that we have for our students there are certain guidelines that we have to adhere to as far as meal pricing for adults is concerned. Part of your board packet you'll actually see an example of how those things are calculated out this
066evening. I'm I'm pleased to announce that there would be no increases uh to the adult meal prices. So the prices would be set at $2.85 85 cents for adult breakfast and $5 for a lunch um adult lunch. And then I just ask the board approved those prices uh for the 2526 school year. Anyone have any questions for Dr. Hunt? Hear none. Does somebody want to make a motion to approve the adult meal prices for the 2025 2026 school year? So move. Thank you, Tucker. Second. Second. Thank you, Monica. All those in favor say I. I opposed. All right. Motion carries. All right. The last order of new business is the consideration for recommendation to approve cyber security and physical security engineer position. Dr. Hunt. Thanks again, President Seg. Uh I've been working with uh Mr.
067Waltower um as far as positions are concerned. What are the needs of the corporation as far as the technology is concerned? Uh, one of the things that you as a board did approve last month was the insurance for the Chromebooks, which then allows us some freedom as far as our building techs are concerned and they're able to focus on other things just than the Chromebooks and repairs to the Chromebooks. Um, we have normally had five techs. Um, we have kept it at four here recently with the anticipation and the excitement of this particular position. Um, you know, we talk about all of our security cameras throughout the district. We're talking about all the keyless entries throughout the district. Uh, there's a lot that goes into to managing this. And so, the recommendation this evening would
068be to uh to reorganize the technology department that would open up this particular position um and allow us to post for this position. As part of the packet, you would actually see a sample of what that job job posting would look like. uh there would be a little bit of an additional cost to this particular position, but again looking globally as to the needs of the security of the buildings, we think that this is uh very much in line. Um, so with the reduction of the tech and the addition of this particular position, we're looking at a about a $10,000 increase with the understanding that a lot of this will again not going to have to contract out what we've had to contract out here recently because of just the needs uh throughout the district.
069So we would be able to have that individual be able to handle uh a number of those tasks. So again, uh reduction of amount that we are paying out to a third party uh contractor for that particular work again would equate to about a $10,000 increase to what we're currently spending on our technology budget. Uh so that being said, I ask for the board approval position this evening. Uh upon the approval, then we would be moving forward with to post that position. Okay. Anyone have any questions for Dr. Hunt? So to clarify, you're saying we would see with the creation of this position, we're hoping to see roughly $10,000 decrease a year in like contracted services or Yeah, roughly about about $10,000. I would say between 10 and $12,000 decrease. Yes. So it off offset
070itself, but the response time will probably be better. Yeah. Okay, I got you. Because the job itself because this job is going to pay more than the old job. Correct. It does. It will pay to the tune of about $10,000. Correct. Yeah, but we hope that we would be able to offset that savings and possibly more by not having to hire outside contractors to do the work that this person correct. It may not be immediate. I mean, with with the training that would be in place for this individual, but yes, that the goal would obviously be as time goes on, it would see a greater increase. Obviously, there's equipment that would still need to be purchased, but for the the installation and the upkeep that we would be able to do that in house, right?
071Okay, great. Anyone else have any questions for Dr. Hunt? So, we want to make a motion to approve the cyber security and physical security engineer position. Thank you, Monica. Second. Second. Thank you, Jim. All those in favor say I. I opposed. Motion carries. I saw Jim's hand go up. So, uh Okay. So, that is the end of the new business. Uh there is no other business. Board comment. Jim, I just want to take a moment to uh to tell Dr. Hunt for the last nine years I've had the honor and pleasure of working with Dr. Hunt. There's never been an a poss never been a question I had regarding finances or legislation going downstate that Dr. Hunt didn't have the answer right top. So, I really appreciate it. Working with you has been a pleasure.
072I'm going to miss you. I wish the best of luck down there. You'll do well. We'll probably see your name someplace on a bathroom wall or something. I want to tell you it's been it's been a pleasure. I look to our pre meetings that we've had before the the board meeting so forth and thank you for you made this school system very very proud of what you've done. Thank you. The only complaint I had between you and Dr. Tanigle, I couldn't have any perch over there at the state. move past that. Maybe I'll have an even break this. There you go. So, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Any other comments? I want to pile on what Jim said. Uh Greg, I really appreciate uh especially as a new board member, you taking time to
073go over any questions that I had or um whatever. You were always very very available. I know some of the times you've been here haven't been as as fun as others and I appreciate all your your grit and your determination. I think it's worth noting too, you've been here a long time. Right. Started as a teacher. Yes. Right. Teaching remind me accounting and and advanced accounting and computer applications and then you were assistant principal. Yes. Right. And then a principal at uh Kingsbury. Yes. Right. And then this current. Yes. Right. So you've done a lot of things here for a long time. And I think it's really quick to just think about like what you're doing right now, right? But you've spent a lot of time here doing other things and you've impact other people's
074lives and other roles than just just this. So, thank you for for for all of that. Good luck to you and understand your wife has a job there, too. So, you guys will do great. Thank you. So, and this education world that I've I' I found is a pretty tight-knit group. So, we're going to see you around. I'm sure you will. Um, so, but thank you. Thank you. Yep. And and as a reminder, graduation is Thursday, uh 7 o'clock start time. Hopefully. Has anybody looked at the at the radar? Not looking good. No, not yet. Okay. You won't look yet. Too early. So So hopefully it'll be on the football field. Backup plan is in the gym. Um but that's uh for Monica and Tucker. That's probably the the best part of this job in
075my opinion, right? It's great. Um it's is out. So, um, all right. Anybody got anything else? Okay, next meeting is July 14th, which is not fair week. Um, uh, at at 6 p.m. Um, so, does anyone want to make a motion to adjourn? So, move. Thank you, Jen. Second. Second. Thank you, Tucker. All those in favor say I. I. I. You're end of the meeting.