001and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [Music] Dr. Woods present. Dr. Mloud present. Mr. Johnson present. And I am present. We have four of our five board members present. So we have qu. All right. We need a motion to approve the agenda for the June 12th, 2025 school board meeting. So move. Second approved. Moved and second. Broing for the acceptance of the agenda. Yes. Um Dr. Woods. Yes. Dr. Mloud. Yes. Mr. Johnson. Yes. And I say yes. Four to zero. All right. Motion carried. Our care ready snapshots. Miss Wood. [Music] Good evening members of the board, Dr. Stokes, our amazing community, and those who are tuning in virtually. My name is Chelsea Woodton, and I serve as the chief of public and community
002relations for the Gary Community School Corporation. And that time has come again for us to share Gary Snapshots. It's our opportunity to share with the community and the school board things that we're celebrating and uplifting that are happening across the district. We have two items of interest. Starting with our summer passports program. We are delighted to partner with Mayor Eddie Melton and the city of Gary to present a summer program of enrichment for our scholars. It's taking place in two locations and it commenced on this past Tuesday. We are at Westside Leadership Academy and we are located at Glen Park Academy in the Glen Park section here in Gary. As you can see, a few snippets from what has transpired thus far. Our young people are engaged in a variety of activities, everything from STEM
003to uh physical exercise. They get their snacks and we keep them engaged in the sense that they don't forget about being out of school. they're still in an environment where they can have fun, thrive, and still prepare for school year 2526. [Music] We also would love, love, love to once again give a round of applause for our recent graduates of Westside Leadership Academy. The graduation took place of 215 scholars on Sunday, June 8th at Westside Leadership Academy. Our valad Victorian Davon had a had a GPA of 5.0 4. He is headed to Indiana University Bloomington to study biology with an ultimate goal of becoming an orthodontist. And I'm working to recall the name of our salvator and I just found her name and she is none other than Alexandra Cret and she is headed to
004Indiana University Northwest to study nursing. So, we want to give her a round of applause and all of our young people who cross that stage on Sunday. These are the items that we're highlighting and later in the board meeting, you'll hear more about some of our summer activities across the district. Thank you so much for this opportunity and I will turn it back over to the school board. Thank you, Mrs. W. All right. At this time, we'll have public comments. Um, pursuant to Indiana code 5-14-1.5-3, the Gary Community School Corporation Board of Trustees welcomes comments from the community. As a result, the agenda for each regular meeting provides time for public expression. The period of public expression is under three minutes per individual and 30 minutes total discussion of items on the agenda or to
005express concerns relative to the operation of the school city school board actions and other items of general educational interest. If there are many people wishing to address the board, we may limit the amount of time person may speak. Comments should be directed to the board not to individual board members. Statement shall not be abusive or argumentative persons making comics. Shall not debate statements made by other persons. It shall not be permissible to forally present or discuss complaints against individual employees of the Gary Community School Corporation at any board of school trustees meetings. Issues relating to personnel on individual circumstances or an individual school will be referred to building principal or an appropriate administrator and attempt to resolve the issue prior to an appeal before the board. Speaker cannot transfer their remaining time to another person.
006The board president will enforce these rules and may take actions necessary to maintain order at the meeting. Such actions may include but not only to interrupting the speaker to statements to lengthy unduly repetitive or otherwise violates the rules. The president may terminate the address of any speaker who violates these rules or limit the total amount of time vote to public comments. There's a large number of people wishing to address the board or there's a large agenda of other business for the board. So at this time I'd like to call Kisha L. [Music] to this wonderful and magnificent year community school board and all the beautiful people in attendance. Allow me to empower you to inspire you. To begin, I have this fascination with birds, the eagle in particular. I envy birds because when trouble comes,
007they can fly away to the uttermost parts of the world. If I had the wings of a dove, I would fly away and be at rest. One amazing fact about this majestic bird is that the eagle becomes excited when a storm arises. See, the eagle knows that above the storm there is no turbulence. See, above the storm, the winds are smooth. Scientists found out that above the storm, the eagle is just gliding from the pressure of the air. When I look at this amazing school board, I see a team of eagles that have been divinely constructed together with a razor sharp spirit of discernment in which you choose the brightest, the most talented, the most gifted employees. Gary community Let's mount up with wings life of evil. And let's soar above adversities. And let's soar
008above difficulties. And let's soar above challenges. And let's continue to just glide in our love and our passion for children. [Music] [Applause] Dr. Michaela Spannenberg [Music] Good afternoon. Not quite sure how I'm going to follow such a aful delivery, but um Dr. Michaela Stangenberg Education Coalition. Um couple of things I I want to make sure to address. one being how our schools and school buildings and history of our schools is depicted in the media. Um I always just want to caution people to think critically when they read things. Like for instance, if you have two pieces that come out in a paper that were actually written in November and were not actually updated very thoroughly much after that point and were suddenly printed seemingly for no reason that I can tell. Uh maybe just because
009somebody somewhere was in a mood. You never know. Um and that those articles are really really incomplete and seem very designed to cast this community and our schools in the worst light possible. I would just caution people, you know, if you're encountering other people that have read these things and just take them at face value. Just try to add some context. And if there's context that you think needs to be added, I am in the process of gathering that together. Uh you can certainly reach out to me by emailing education [email protected]. Um text is fun as well. 7072365800 is how you can reach us. Um, other thing is like something that I think keeps being brought up either here or just in general out in the community is a concern about transparency. And like if
010you look at our board dogs, it doesn't look like every other district's boards. We're not uploading things. I'm not sure we I'd have to check the website again, but that always feels like an undertaking. I'm not even sure that we're following the law in terms of uploading our administrative um employee contracts. Um I I even looked at Gateway. It doesn't look like we're uploading our contracts above a certain dollar amount, which I think we're supposed to be doing. I think there's going to be more uh stringent laws coming to place. So like beyond just legal requirements, I think it only helps to have more people involved. And if people can't even get the information by looking at the board docs for a meeting, then I don't know what we're expecting them to get involved with
011or how we're expecting to make that outreach because people are really struggling to understand what's going on. And they're struggling to, you know, understand that what we're experiencing now is qualitatively different than what we've experienced in the past. And I think that would be important for people to see. Thanks so much, Christy Sass. [Music] Hi, my name is Chrissy Sass and I think that um you know that the thing I care about the most is about the kids learning to read and do math. So uh there is some good news. The library, the Woodson Library is on Lake Street and Miller is open now 5 days a week. Hasn't been open five days a week in five years. So hopefully that was partly due to the discussion we had a couple months ago. So very
012happy about that. I got a couple kids lined up to tutor there uh during the week uh over the summer. So um as you know, we don't have the best test scores in the world. And how did we get here? Um I wanted to bring your attention to Are we broadcasting this? Is that like a camera right there? Are we broadcasting yes or no? Yes. Okay. So can I well I want to bring your attention to one of the slides from Dr. Treadwell from last month and it's from the year before last the I read DAS force. So uh the 2324 school year only 36% of the kids passed the uh reading which meant they were ready for fourth grade the reading. So but uh the other twoirds did not pass that test but were
013still passed on. So that's how we get to this place where we have high schoolers and junior high that can't hardly read. It's because they couldn't read in third in third grade and they used to be passed on which is why my main reason for wanting somebody from the outside because obviously people from the inside were not doing what I thought they should. So um this year's figures are a little better. Uh the preliminary data and I hope that this is Dr. triple will be here with more um today if she's not. The preliminary numbers for this past year was 46% which is better than 36 but still means that less than half of the kids are reading at grade level by the end of third grade. Um I also know from volunteering to help
014with reading intervention at Marquette that Marquette is at 72% of the kids. So that's really good. Yay. But that means if Marquette's at 72 and the overall is 46, there's some schools that are like 30 some percent of the kids can read. Not good. So, another good news though, I found something that should work for older kids. And I would love to have anybody out there who knows a kid, particularly junior high or high school, who you think is a smart kid, but they just never seem to learn to read. and I will be at the Woods and Library on Mondays and Wednesdays at 2:00. And I would love to take such children free. I might even pay them. I might even set up some kind of incentive that if you do this, you get
015a dollar because I think that we could uh move catch some of these kids up. And also, I encourage you again to listen to the podcast sold a story. [Music] Lucy said [Music] hello school board. Been a while since I've been here. I've had my mother in surgery and my husband in surgery, but I'm here and I'm glad to be back. I wanted to speak today about I'm so so thrilled about the summer program and how that is out there and Chelsea has let us know that the kids are having something for them that educates and is fun during the summer. I'm wondering if that can extend into the school year as an afterchool program. I'm wondering about the after school programs. I know that, you know, like several years ago they had some, but
016they were like in not till March and then the Boys and Girls Club was doing them. I'm just wondering if there's a way that they can be incorporated in the budget for after school. The baner school gets out at 2:30. So, what do those kids do? Do they go home and sit and vegetate? Do they go on their phones? Do they go to TV? And it would be so advantageous if we could have an extra time for them when they get out. For the ones that need help with math, for the ones that need help with reading, for the ones that would need help would want help with their homework. For the ones that just wouldn't want to go home. A lot of kids don't want to go home and be home alone or be
017home with whoever's there. We don't know. But if they want to do better and they have a way of doing better and it's easy for them, it's right after school and it's right there. I feel like that would be a wonderful thing to have for them. I know I grew up in New York City. I'm a Brooklyn girl. I was on the wrong side of the tracks, but we had after school and it changed my life. It really did. And now I'm I've been an educator. I homeschool my kids for 15 years. I teach everything from high school physics on down to reading. And I would be glad to volunteer to help with that situation. I couldn't have after school program, but I'd be glad to help at any of the schools. So, I want
018to just encourage that that be part of the budget. If it's transportation that's a problem, well, can we not budget some money to go to a bus that would take them home? I really wish that that would be incorporated because after school programs is vital along with good education within regular hours. Thank you. Thank you. All right. So, at this time, we're going to move to consent agenda. So we have uh item 5.1 approval of the minutes of the 528 regard meeting item 5.2 appro register 5.3 approval of federal register 5.4 for approval of personnel report 5.5 approval of salary schedule. So like to have a a motion to approve items 5.1 through 5.5. I'll make that motion. It's been moved. Second. Second. It's been moved and properly second. There any questions considering roll call?
019Dr. Woods, yes. Dr. McCloud, yes. Mr. Johnson, yes. I say yes. The vote is 40 to zero. 43 carries. All right. Item 5.6, approve of resolution number 15, district administrative support. Oh, okay. All right. So, items 5.6 and 5.7 approval resolution number 16 action, but they still need to be approved. Correct. So, [Music] so if for so pleases. Um I believe she's you were going to come back during the action item time. Is that correct? Yes, I do intend on coming back during the action item time that's related to stipen positions. Resolution number 15 is more to do with dissolution of any previously regarded administrative policies that were followed during state takeover. [Music] So for 5.7 the board so please we'd like you to approve 5.6 and 5.7 but Mrs. it'll come up now and
020then she'll come up and explain more about this during an action item. So, she'll just come up and say what it is, but during the action item time, she wants to come and be transparent and explain more about this particular item. Because they both have resolutions, this is why you're under consent agenda as per the hearing code. Understood. Good evening again, members of the board, Dr. Stokes and the community. I am before you to um share briefly information regarding the resolution that you are poised to review. Authorization of the litigation against social media companies. The Gary Community School Corporation has been invited to join 83 other school districts across the state in uh litigation against social media companies. It's a multi-dist litigation where um as we know social media, the creation of social media definitely
021was a way that we all used to communicate to get information out. However, as it began to expand on various platforms, we also saw the fallouts from mental health and the environments that created for our children to be distracted and bullying and other things. and I will go into more detail regarding what that would look like for signature of that resolution during the action item time. Thank you, Dr. TS. [Music] At this time, I would like to have a motion to approve items 5.6 and 5.7. [Music] I'll make that motion. Move a second. Second. Second. Any questions or comments? Dr. Woods? Yes. Dr. Mloud? Yes. Mr. Johnson? Yes. And I say yes. The vote is 40 to zero. 40. Motion carries. All right. Item six on the agenda, action items. Item 6.1 [Music] uh request
022for approval of the reappointing to Gary Library Board. So at at this time we would like to uh have a motion to approve Miss Jquis to be reappointed to the Gary Library Board. So moved. Second. All right. It's been moved and properly second. Roll call, please. Okay. Um, Dr. Woods, yes. Dr. Mloud, yes. Mr. Johnson, yes. Can I say yes? The vote is 4 to zero. Vote four to zero. Motion carried. Miss White couldn't be here tonight, but she definitely has expressed uh her excitement to continue that. Uh, item 6.2, to request for approval of the 2025 26 school board and policy meeting schedule. Dr. Stokes. Thank you, Vice President. Um, if you see on the board there, we have our proposed meeting dates for policy meeting as well as school board meetings. What you
023will not see are special meetings because of course they're called as we need them. However, our meeting schedule will be every second Thursday of the month at 4:30. So, we're essentially continuing what we started in the second portion of this current school year. So, for the 2526 school year, the board will approve our schedule second Thursday of every month at 4:30. And then, of course, our policy meetings will be on the I believe it's the first Tuesday of every month at 4:00. Need a motion to approve school board and policy meeting. So move a second. Second. Are any questions or comments? Roll call. Dr. Woods. Yes. Dr. Mloud. Yes. Mr. Johnson? Yes. I say yes. The vote is 4 to zero. Vote 4 to zero. Motion carried. Item 6.3, request for approval of revised policies
024updates based on Indiana code. Dr. Sto, thank you. Um, as we've often shared before and we know that this is a continuous work in progress when it comes to board policies. As the Indiana state decides that they will change Indiana code, we have to pivot and also change our policies. As many of us know and our stakeholders, if you don't know, I want to make you aware that we don't just make rules in tandem. We actually follow Indiana guideline, Indiana codes. And from those codes, we have board policy as well as administrative guidelines that we have to prepare. We actually had um a lot of revisions after the change in our governmental leadership for the state of Indiana. We had a lot of revisions. We work with a company called Eola. and ELA essentially verifies
025all of the changes with their legal team. They make sure that we don't violate any law and then they propose those changes to us. Some where we can make some minor decisions, others where we have no choice because of the law. So, if you look at these particular codes here, these are things that had some impact. I'm going to just cheat to just a couple. Um but once we get them board approved within a week's time or actually a week and a half's time the OLA will make the changes and they will be updated in our policies on our website. So with that being said, I just want to call out a few um policies. For example, 1216, 3216, 4216. They're all similar in nature. The 12,000, the 1200 series deals with administrators. The 30,000
026deals with professional staff, and the 4,000 deals with support staff. And of course, we also have policy 5511, which is aligned with those other three, but they deal with students. And essentially the state says that we have to come up with guidelines about how we show up in front of students and staff. And yes, that's important. The essentially our grooming, our dress, what we're able to wear. And so that's um the information was revised in those particular policies. Essentially, um they talked about just clarifying. I want to give another example of a policy that was changed. um policy 1220 which I hope we don't have to do anything with this policy because it deals appointment of the superintendent but basically the policy is saying that a board member could hire a relative under certain circumstances
027I think there would have to be a limit for a year that board policy would have to that board member would have to recuse themselves but they're essentially saying that we don't want to violate the nepotism policy however under specific circumstances if it were necessary and they were the best candidate that a board member could essentially hire a relative. Um there are other things. Um there was a policy that deals with um I have to find it real quick, but there was a policy that deals with um what's it called? ICE. Um and um we did not bring that policy forward, but I wanted to mention that we did bring it forward because there's some work that Mr. Caldwell, our director of security, needs to do um with that policy because essentially it is a
028policy that would allow ICE to come in to our schools and there are things that we have to do as administrative staff and teachers to support them if they were to come in and want to um remove a child or a staff member. But because that policy is so critical, we did not bring it forward. But I did want to just mention some of the things that are at play for us. There are way more policies than what you see, but we can only tackle so many at a time. Our goal is the start of school to have all of these policies tackled in that plate. So here before you're going to see more. With that, I'll just remind you that in a week and a half's time, the owner will after the board approves
029have the policies updated for your um review. I'll turn that back over to Thank you, Dr. SS. a motion to approve or revise policies and updates based on Indiana code. I'll make a motion to approve policies based on Indiana. We need a second. It's been moved in a second. I'll second. Any questions or comments? Roll. Dr. Woods, yes. Dr. Mloud, yes. Mr. Johnson, yes. And I say yes to the vote four to zero. of 40. Motion carries. Uh item 6.4 request for approval of Bailey plumbing contract with Gatling plumbing and this is [Music] good evening area community school board members, Dr. Stokes and community members. I am here on the on the behalf of Miss Wright who cannot be here this evening. Um, what we like to do is we have a we had our
030uh interim building grounds and maintenance director go to Bailey and kind of assess some of the needs that the building may need, you know, some renovations. And it was identified that a lot of the light fixtures either were broke, not working, were missing even. So, Miss Wright put together, she got three quotes. We followed our procurement policy. Um, we got a quote from Reich Plumbing, Mets, and Gatlin Plumbing. Uh, Gatlin Plumbing bid came in at 50,450, which was the lowest bid. Um, Reichar Plumbing came in at 69,000 and Mets came in at $68,755. So, with that being said, I request the board's approval to go with Gatlin Plumbing, which is the lowest bid. Any questions for Missy? I do have one question. Sure. Thank you for stepping in for your colleague. My question is although
031they may be the least expensive um provider or vendor is there any issue that they would provide less less services as a whole? No, actually the scope of work was exactly the same given to each all three vendors and it all came in relatively same. It's just a little bit of the labor was less expensive. All right. Thank you for that. You're welcome. Any other questions? for us. Sure. All right. Uh, need a motion to approve plumbing contract. So move. Motion by Dr. Mloud. Is there a second? I'll second. Second. Second, Mr. Any questions or comments? Roll call. Dr. Woods. Yes. Dr. Mloud. Yes, Mr. Johnson. Yes. And I say yes. The vote is 4 to zero. Vote 4 to zero. Motion car. Thank you. All right. Item 6.5 request for approval of curriculum resources.
032I am here on behalf of Dr. Treadwell who could not be here. Um Dr. Treadwell had presented a lot of information to all of you in regards to the curriculum for on my way prek and K through five. um at the last ravine. You asked a lot of questions and this evening I'm requesting approval for us to move forward with the wit and wisdom quote. That quote is approximately $743,000. Now, Dr. Treadwell and her curriculum team have done extensive work looking at this curriculum and making sure it aligns with and the science of reading. I believe that they also had some input from coaches and their teachers as well. So that's important to share that. Yes. Thank you. So on behalf of Dr. Treadwell and her curriculum team, I request that we move forward with
033the adoption of the curriculum. Thanks, Miss. Sure. U motion to approve the adoption of the curriculum. I'll make that motion. Second. Motion made by Dr. Wood. Second by Dr. Mloud. Any questions or comments? Roll call. Dr. Woods. Yes. Dr. Mloud. Yes. Mr. Johnson? Yes. I say yes. The vote is 4 to zero. Four to zero. Motion car. Thank you. I did want to add one thing for all of you since I'm up here and it's related to finance. Um, back in December, I had mentioned to all of you that uh, state board of accounts was eliminating the textbook rental fund. So, we moved that money into the education fund and it has its own line item. So, um, as it stands, this curriculum, we have $3.9 million that is earmarked for curriculum supports for our
034scholars for any and all adoptions. So, this will be part of that. Just to let you know what the balance was. Mr. Vice Chair. Yes. I did have a question. It just came. Sometimes my brain is a little slow. Do we adopt a curriculum every year? No, we do not. They're they're on cycles and I'm not I think Dr. So so they are on cycles. Historically it's been four years but some of that can be at the discretion of the district. Typically when you have a new requirement for example the science of reading if the curriculum that you're utilizing does not match that mandate then you have to figure a path forward which is usually adopting more curriculum. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Item 6.6, request for approval of sting positions. [Music] Good
035evening board members and Dr. Schos and community members. Yet again, I am having uh assistant director of athletics ter join me for one of the stipen positions. Um two of the second positions that I will be presenting are to support the education committee for the Gary commission on the social status of black males. The commission is to is set to examine the social conditions affecting the city's black male population and develop strategies to address serious challenges. The commission is tasked with making informed recommendations to improve outcomes related to education, social well-being, economic advancement, employment opportunities, and overall quality of life for black males in Gary. So that is the first position. The second position is related to a an initiative that Mr. Mr. King Mr. Aaron King brought forth to the board called AAA. AAA
036stands for Aspire, achieve ascend. It is a mentorship program. The program overview briefly that Mr. King explained a couple of months ago is designed to provide young men within our district the opportunity to connect with positive male mentors and who can offer guidance, support, and real world advice. The program focuses on equipping students with essential life skills such as effective communication, goal setting, and financial literacy tools that will help them grow into responsible and successful adults. And the third second position is again going to be introduced by Miss Proider. All right. Good evening. I am Jay Proider the assistant athletic director for the district and I wanted to present to you all some information about girls slag football. Girls flag football is a sport that is gaining a lot of popularity. The ISSA, Indiana High
037School Athletic Association, has approved girls swag football as an immersion sport with hopes of it becoming a fully sanctioned high school sport. This sport has gained so much popularity that it will be included in the 2028 Summer Olympics. Indianapolis Colts have jumped in and done a great job of promoting this non-cont sport in the state of Indiana. If you went to a post game last year, you would have seen during halftime, they had exhibition games of girls flag football and they even had it after their game just to kind of increase visibility and awareness of what the sport is and what it could possibly be. Uh the Indianapolis Coast did not stop there. They have also gave financial support to high schools that pick up this sport and we are one of them. So, what
038they will provide us is $5,000 in year one, $1,500 in year two, 25 Nike uniforms, jerseys, and pants, USA football equipment kit, and a USA football coaching membership for one coach that would kind of just keep them afloat of the different safety protocols and just any trends that might be changing with this emerging sport. the athletic department. Our vision and our mission is to make sure that we provide our student athletes with skills that they can use on the field and just for the rest of their lives. And we do believe that flag football can teach them discipline. It can also just encourage them to learn how to work well with others. We truly believe that this is a sport that our athletes will eventually be able to get scholarships for. A lot of our
039athletes have already been asking because they've seen it on social media where other schools are participating in flag football if we would be bringing it. So, I do think this gives them just kind of more of an opportunity uh to kind of get away from some of our traditional sports like maybe if they weren't interested in it, but flag football could be something that they enjoy. So, we want to just make sure we give them that opportunity. We're excited to see where this sport can go and just excited to see it grow in our district. [Music] Any any questions from the board? When when will this program begin? It is a fall sport, so we would begin in the fall. with summer training. And I appreciate you bringing up the fact that this is going
040to be sport a sport in the 2028 Olympics, but do can you give us some information in terms of why there's such an impetus or interest in flag football as a whole? Well, I I do believe that there are a lot of girls that are interested in just doing football. We have girls at Westside that want to be a part of the football program. So I think this kind of just gives them a opportunity even though it isn't contact like football is very similar. So a lot of girls have just been really sparking interest in it. So I do believe that that probably has something to do with it emerging so well. Thank you. Will this only be at a high school or will we incorporate younger students as well? As of right now it's
041high school only. Okay. But as it moves, which we hope it does, to a sanctioned sport, then hopefully we can start at the middle school level as well. If you will, can you share with the board other school districts that have a flag football team that we would potentially compete against? Yes. Last year, Bishop Null and Christian were the schools locally that participated, but this year, Gary Lighthouse, Via Balman, uh, as well as the Hammond schools have also picked it up for this upcoming school year. That was my question I was going to ask you. Who else? So, who your competition be? Um, and then I just want to congratulate you on your partnership with Indianapolis Coast. That's a good one. Okay. [Applause] Need approval for a motion to approve the second positions. So move.
042Motion by Dr. CL. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Dr. Woods. Any questions or comments? Roll call. Dr. Mr. Woods, yes. Dr. McCloud, yes. Mr. Johnson, yes. And I say yes. The vote is 4 to zero. With the vote 4 to zero, motion care. All right. Item 6.7, request for approval of contract with parallel learning behavior health PC. For the next two requests for approval of action items, there are two contractors that our uh director of exceptional learning has very actively researched. So both parallel learning behavior health as well as messy speech um are two contractors that provide speech and language services to students within our district who might require those services. Unfortunately, just like with our teachers, there is a huge shortage with speech and language pathologists in the entire nation and
043especially in Indiana. So, we do have to look for outside resources to support. We initially um were requesting information from Messi speech where they have been doing some great work with the Elcart community. Um unfortunately they only had one speech therapist who was available which required mission at Grady again our director of exceptional learners to seek more than one contractor because they could not guarantee that they could even from a contracting perspective provide us even a second speech and language pathologist. So the two action items before you for both parallel and for me speech are in order to support speech and language services due to the massive short shortage for speech language pathologists. Any questions from the board? [Music] So we make a motion to approve the contract with parallel market your health PC and
044contract with messy speech and language there. So my motion I'll make a motion to approve the two contracts with parallel learning and behavioral health as well as messy speech and language moved by Dr. Woods. Second second. Second by Dr. Mloud. Any questions or comments? Roll. Dr. Woods. Yes. Dr. McCloud. Yes. Mr. Johnson? Yes. And I say yes. The vote is 40 to zero. Vote 40 to zero. Motion carries. Item 6.9 request for approval of National Social Media MD. Miss W. [Music] Good evening for a third time. Dr. Sts, members of the board, this is amazing community and those tuning in virtually. Um, I would be remiss just not to create additional work. I would ask permission to just address my colleague regarding after school programs. Just like to let you know that there are after
045school programs in all of our schools program called out of time and um that with an activity bus for transportation to go along with it and I'm happy to talk offline to talk more about it. I just didn't want the community to think that there was not a after school program already in place in the air. I digress. Now the of social media multidist litigation. I want to start by saying that social media was one of the most creative um technologically amazing creations ever when it comes to reaching real time millions of people with information which made sense that the Gary Community School Corporation consistently employs it as part of our way to reach our audiences. We use Facebook, we use Instagram, we use LinkedIn, X, YouTube, you name it, we are on those platforms
046and it has proven successful for us to stay connected to our various audiences. However, there is also a reverse effect when it comes to social media, when it comes to our young people using their phones in the classrooms and in other places. And there is a multi-dist litigation that has been created and inviting school districts across the state of Indiana to participate to hold social media companies accountable for the reverse effects that potentially happen with young people when it comes to bullying. when it may come to escalating fights, recording things and posting things inappropriately, not paying attention in classes, mental health issues, etc. And so what this multi-dist litigation is asking is that school districts sign on to hold these companies accountable. There is no cost to our district to be a part of this
047multidist litigation. And should there be any settlements out of this process, those funds would go toward the support of the young people who may be experiencing those mental crises, um the bullying and just different ways that we can assist by using those funds to help us to write the ship when it comes to social media because we are certainly not saying that it is not a helpful tool. What we are saying is that we have to look at what those impacts are when it comes to our children in and outside of the classroom and how it is affecting them socially and emotionally and for our teachers who are attempting all the teaching and learning. And then there are those who want to um be distracted with these social media platforms. In your packet is more
048information regarding the resolution that our school board president is being requested to sign. Um but I am here to answer any questions should you have them. But um again 83 other school districts including some locally um the Griffith schools, Marville schools, select central schools, Hammond schools have already signed on. We have been afforded this opportunity as well and it is at the pleasure of the board that we move forward. Any questions for Miss Wington? I just have one. Um, and I don't even know if you can answer this question, but what does holding the social media companies accountable look like? Well, it's basically going after getting some funding to help to uh provide resources for the young people education for our parents and community to say here's what happens when you spend this amount of
049time on social media. Here are the potentials. the fallout u even resulting in suicide in some cases where young people have been bullied uh their personal business may have been exposed in a wide range. So holding them accountable to say what u resources can we give to our parents and children to help us to be responsible when it comes to social media and Dr. So please yeah essentially as Miss Wington has shared we're not saying that these platforms aren't valuable because they are but what we are saying like with any any support is that we make sure that we work with schools that we work with families and community to make sure that we provide them in ways that are safe or safer for our scholars. And what comes to mind for me Dr. This
050is even um harming our parents. I find every day that a lot of our young people know far more about social media than their parents. So they are able to go to sites that may be unauthorized, move around and and and communicate with individuals that are not in their age group. Those types of things. So even the training of parents and guardians to me would be a viable resource to help us to cut off cut it off the past of those negative triggers. But we do love social med. I would go on record. We do use it and we will continue to use it. Thank you. Any other questions? Thank you. Thank you. Item 6.10 question. Okay. So, I need a motion to approve the National Social Media MP. So, move second. It's been moved
051by Dr. Mloud, second by Dr. Woods. Any questions or comments? No. Roll call. Dr. Woods? Yes. Dr. Mloud? Yes. Mr. Johnson? Yes. I say yes. The vote is 4 to zero. The vote 4 to zero. Motion carries. Item 6.10 10 request for approval of affiliation agreement between Southshore Health and Rehabilitation Center and GACC. Dr. All right. [Music] School board members, Dr. SS and community. So the um Gary Eric Caris Center is operating on a grant called the Perkins 5 grant and in that grant um one of the stipulations is that our students go out for uh WPL which is a workbased learning opportunity. And so um we go out to find partners that will take our students and assist them in success or uh becoming concentrators in order to complete the work at the career
052center and uh community health is one of the people who has accepted our students. So at this time I'm asking that you allow our students to work um work at the community health center. Thank you. All right. Any questions for Dr. Move forward? No. All right. So, we need a motion to approve the affiliation agreement between carrier center. So, move second. Been moved by attorney. Second by Dr. Woods. Any questions or comments? Roll call. Dr. Woods. Yes. Dr. Mloud. Yes. Mr. Johnson. Yes. And I say yes. The vote is 4 to zero. The vote 4 to zero. Motion carried. All right. Request for approval of conference experiences. [Music] Dr. Stokes. So school is out. However, we do have professional development opportunities which we call conference andor build experiences when it's children. But for adults, this
053is conferences. Um we want approval to be able to send some of our fearless leaders into to different environments. I believe one environment will be out of state in um Atlanta, Georgia. So, we want to make sure that we have the board's approval to be able to send them out for professional development. Any questions or comments from Dr. Stokes? All right. Motion to approve conference experiences. So, move second. Motion by Dr. Mloud, second by Dr. Woods. questions and comments. Dr. Woods, yes. Dr. Mloud, yes. Mr. Johnson, yes. And I say yes. The vote is 4 to Z. Vote 4 to Z. Motion carried. All right. On to information items. Item 7.1, registration updates. Just crystal blind. [Music] Good evening board community. We are so excited to share with you some of the opportunities that we
054will uh be visiting this summer for our scholars to be able to enroll for the 2025 2026 school year. We will be at the schools Monday through Thursday uh this week and next week, but next week we have a very special surprise where we'll be doing school tours for so for individuals who really wanted to be able to get a feel for the school, see what the building is like, uh we will be having our doors open from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. U for you to be able to visit. Um, we will also have the uniform voucher slashenrollment happening in July and that is a very unique opportunity that the Gary Community School Corporation has where we've partnered um again with Township to be able to provide our families with a uniform voucher. Usually
055families have to go through some extra steps and go down to township, but we're bringing Township to us. The only thing you have to do is be enrolled. So these next couple weeks, we charge our families to go ahead and get enrolled, go into the schools, call, have our face assist you with getting enrolled for next school year so that you can get the information and the documentation you need to be able to get your voucher um from July 7th through the 10th at Westside Leadership Academy. And all this information will be available on our website. We also have partnered with the city of Gary on numbers that they're doing. They're doing a program called 16 weeks of summer and that's every Wednesday from 3 to 6 PM and they are rotating in different parks
056in the city. And so we are there enrolling giving information about the things that are happening in our schools and we just are so happy that the city thought of us to be able to give that support to our families throughout the summer and in their neighborhoods, right? because they want us to be able to be more visible and not just uh at our convenience. And then of course they have their fourth fourth of July parade, but of course this year will be on July 3rd and we are excited for the second annual back to school fest hosted by first lady. It was a huge success last year. We will be there again this year enrolling children uh helping them with on my way prek. Any information that you need related enrollment. Our staff will
057be there to assist. And then we have some special surprises as it relates to family engagement. And I will just say continue to be on the lookout, but we will have a movie Monday coming in the near future as well as another surprise partnership with the city of Gary. So, thank you all so very much. We hope that you bring the whole family out because we will have fun, exciting activities for you all this summer. Thank you. Question. I have a question. If it's a Fourth of July parade, how was it on July 30th? Just joking. But back to school first. That's at the broadcast game. Yes, it is. that is hosted by firstly personal mountain and you will need an indicator to support the uniform vouchers. Is that just for high school students? That's
058for all here school corporation students. So the township has other dates for everyone else but the 7th through the 10th is exclusively for school corporation. So the parent can come to any school. They come to Westside. Those that dates are at Westside Leadership Academy for all grades. Exactly. From the prek on the way itself. Okay. Got it. Thank you. All right. Thank you all. [Music] Administrative reports financial update 8.1. Mrs. Ever. [Music] you chair. Good evening again. [Music] All right. So I would like a little light so that you can certain [Music] Sorry. Um, so, um, what I'd first like to go over is just our funds, uh, our major funds overview. And this is these are expenses from January, February, March and April. We are balanced through April. Um we are still in the
059process of balancing May. We had a lot of activity in May. We had it was a three pay month. We uh paid out stipens as well. Um so we are still in the process of balancing um the but um I' I've given kind of an overview. These are the appropriations that are actually in our budget. So, I'm looking at each line item for the 2025 budget year and I have January, February, March and April. Um, you can see that the unexpense or over um we our percentage we are in line with our budget. We have 70% of our budget left which is which is wonderful. uh in the education fund. Um, one thing I wanted to point out, the transfer to ops um in in the budget, Senator Dalton budgeted approximately $8 million. And this
060was based on um a flat ADM count. I believe it was 40 at the time. So, as our ABM changes, these numbers change because I did a resolution back in October to transfer up to 18% of our um of our um student support money that we received from the state. So, this this number um will fluctuate um actually throughout each of the months. So I just wanted to point that out because you will see in future slides how um the actual money we've received is very different each month. So and and typically on the other slides I extend it out and just kind of estimate based on our budget. Um as we as we move down to the referendum um this was a budgeted amount. This amount is not carved in stone because we don't
061know what we're actually going to receive in property tax money. Um, we know the percentage we're going to receive, but um, we don't we don't know exactly because it all depends on what the homeowners pay in totality. So, this is just based on uh, Senator Dalton what they estimated it to be. And as you can see, we have 70% of this left in our budget. In the operations fund, um, we are we are in line with our operations budget as well. Of course, everybody knows our transportation costs are our highest expense. We are trying we are working on that diligently to try to get those costs down. Um just as an example, we would normally have first student like take students to an overnight um to compete. Well, what we're doing now is we're actually
062using the activity bus, which is saving us thousands of dollars because we don't have to pay for a bus driver to stay overnight. We're just paying for the coach to drive the activity bus and the students. Um so it and all we're paying is diesel for the vehicle. So, we are working very hard. My transportation director and his staff are looking at these things daily. Um, we're going over all the expenses, trying to, you know, figure out how we can cut costs but still support our students for transportation and our athletic program. Um, the other thing I wanted to point out is in our repairs and maintenance, you'll kind of notice that we didn't budget a whole lot this year into that. And you would think repairs and maintenance in the operations fund. Well, that's
063we have very old buildings. We have that 1065 money still, which is what we're utilizing right now with a lot of our expenses. We're paying out of that fund. We have like $2 million right now left in that fund. Um once that depletes down, we will for the next budget year, you will see this increase. I will budget more for the 2026 budget. And as a reminder, we didn't actually set the budget for this year. Senator Dalton did that for us. Yes. Yes. Next year it will be us knowing everything that we know now. Okay. And this is just an overview of the education fund and the breakdown. Um, it's actually on that first slide, but I kind of wanted you to give you a different view of all of our expenses. And I did
064actually list on here what our actual total education budget is, which was approved by the Department of Local Government. So, this is what we're allowed to spend out of the education fund. And then here is the cash flow for the education fund. So again, it is the same information except I've included the um what we've received in income. And this is where I wanted to kind of point out um our basic grant, the money we received for our ADM. this will continuously fluctuate based on um the money we receive based on the grants the special education grant things like that. Uh and I've just kind of estimated based on our budget again what was entered by Senator Dalton um through the end of the year. So as you can see we are estimated and this
065is let me rephrase this. This is an estimate. this number continuously changes and I keep changing all the months as I get more information. Um, I also wanted to uh point out that if you notice in April we moved $400,000 uh from the referendum into the education fund. And this was because we did not move the money in January, February, and March. We did a resolution back in December to move um $100,000 um into the education fund um to support um teacher raises um other other things of that nature that were approved by the referendum. And then again, here is our operations fund breakdown. Same information. Just wanted to point out and give you kind of a different view. Our total budget for the operation fund is 21,930,39,530. And then again, here is our operations
066fund of versus our projected uh budget approved budget. Um I think the one thing maybe I wanted to point out was um as you can see um our expenses we had a lot of transportation. We had a lot of field trips that the students went on at the tail end of the year. So a lot of these expenses and also I I have to give kudos to my transportation department because they go line item by line item by route. They could be tracking 600 different trips that this bus driver is taking back and forth throughout the day and they are making sure that those costs that were approved are legitimate. So if there's something wrong, we send it back. So that's why in some months you'll see where we've paid a lot because we have
067discre. And then we have the referendum fund. Again, this is just an overview of what you already have seen. Um, we do monthly transfers of 700,000 in the operations fund and then 100,000 in the education fund. The um the transfer operations, supports athletics, it supports our security. Um it supports support staff uh raises any stipens and the balancing of the budget which was a problem prior to uh when we were under state takeover. And then again here is the referendum fund a different look. Um I did want to point out um I do know we did I did request an early tax draw um of our taxes what was collected. So this we did receive 2,185,000 uh which is any account right now. We will get the remainder of that money in June and that
068is our spring dispersement and then we will get again tax money dispersement. I will request an early tax draw in November and then we'll get the final in December. Any questions? I will provide the board with an email with all of this information. Yeah, I didn't have a question, but I just want to say I appreciate how thorough this is and the fact that when it comes to things like transportation, just to make sure that when things are brought to us that they're legitimate what the problem district has had in the past. So, I appreciate your leadership concern that respect. Thank you. [Music] Item item number nine, board reports and communications. Are there any individual board member reports at this time? Mr. Vice Chair, Dr. Congratulations to the Westside Leadership Academy graduates on a wonderful
069graduation on last Sunday. Of course, preschool, kindergarten, 8th grade. I know they graduated also. But special thanks to the teachers, administrators, all of you that put your arms around the children and made it happen and get them to this point. I believe these graduates endured co so they were home for a year, maybe two. I can't remember how long, but these graduates went from Zach and they were able to come back to school and the the teachers were there and they made it. When your child can graduate um and cross that stage, it's amazing. I I was feeling some some kind of way myself when when they were coming. Just to see the parents and to see the the And so congratulations to you, Dr. Stokes on on your leadership in your first graduating class.
070[Applause] You know, she's been through the storm and the rain and the tornado and all of that. And then the teachers had to pivot and move students from one building to the career center and and just a lot of things happened this year. But we made it with your leadership and with all of the teachers, principles, and administrators. So, I just want to say kudos. Um, this summer, Northwest Indiana Learning Labs classes will begin June 23rd. Uh, one of the sites will be held at Glenn Park Academy. Yes, it's for rising first graders to rising ninth graders. And it's five weeks. They will uh have an opportunity to be taught by teachers. It will be five students per one teacher. So, it's called micro classes. Last year, um, DHB and Associates received $1.5 million. Urban
071League served as the fiscal agent. So, in the absence of Deb Black and her team, I just want to remind the listening audience that registration is still available. It's also they also have opportunities for jobs for teachers for a number of people for interns. So you can go to www.northwestarninglabs.com [Music] or you can call the urban league office on Monday 8879621 and talk with Miss Black or Deborah Pedigrew. Um we have to toot our own. We have to commend Tolbert and Tolbert and Associates. Attorney Tolbert and uh attorney Shalis Tolbert and attorney Mike Tolbert received a wonderful prestigious award. Uh it was an exceptional business leadership in their community. You know, their their law firm is right here in Gary, Indiana, in case you all didn't know. But they went to receive this award. Where
072were Where did you all go? Uh we were in Charlotte. Charlotte. Who am I? Magazine. Who am I magazine acknowledged? Our very own Gary is on the map. They're looking at us. So kudos again. Thank you all for coming out as always. This has been a wonderful year. We've worked together and I'm just glad to serve with my colleagues on this board. Thank you, Mr. Rice. I just too want to congratulate Dr. Stokes on completing her first full school year. Uh and I have to say that what I have observed in terms of your ability to lead a positive culture change, it's really amazing. Uh just I mean just as you walk around the the environment, the vibes are so much more positive than they've been in the past, the board meetings, etc. So I
073just want to thank you for all of that. um and building an exceptional team. Seems like you've got a really good team going and they're they give us all the information. They keep us informed. So, I really appreciate that. Also, in terms of moving forward with the student outcomes, you know, student outcomes are improving and I know it's a long hard road, but um thank you for all of that. And I do also say d to the westside graduates. It was really nice attending that. It was a packed house. So really nice attending the graduation. Very, very exciting. And I also want to say in terms of your leadership, thank you for staying a breast of all the changes as it relates to schoolboard policy and um just keeping us informed in that, just staying
074on top of that because that to me seems like a very major task. There's always changes, always changes. So thank you for all of that. And again, thank you to all the participants who come to the meetings, the community, and all of you. Thank you so much. It's been a really good run for the first school year, this board as a first. [Music] You know what? I'm going to not say too much because these two ladies have said anything that I wouldn't want to say. They have already covered, but it's been a job well done by the superintendent, the leadership team, and all the teachers and staff in the district. We got all hand all hands on deck to do what we've done this past year. here. And so I just want to say congratulations,
075kudos, but we still have a lot more work um to do and I know we'll all be working hard to, you know, move forward in the district. I just like to say uh again to echo what my colleagues have said as well and thank you all for a great school year uh our first year. And so uh and and I always say as long as arrows are move pointing up, we're doing the right thing. And so that's that's the way we're headed. I did want to point out that on June 14th, uh the mayor is going to be giving money Johnson and Keith to the city. Uh he's a graduate of Westside currently plays physically for sure or is he like you have to say to figure out but he's a professional football player and
076I know he used to play for Houston Texas but he's he's being given key to the city for his work with the youth in terms of football uh through throughout the city. So that's going to be on June 14th from noon to 1 at Westside at the football field. And then also uh on June 21st at 3:00 p.m. um Miss Shirley Caesar will be at 7 p.m. It's okay. She'll be there from 3 to 7. So, she'll be performing at Westside. Um, and so, uh, definitely come out and support, uh, support for that as well. And then also, uh, one last note and and actually, I'm glad Miss Jory Pro Guyer is here so she can keep me honest. The state track finals was last week, June 6th. And we actually had some students who
077participated in the state meet and I I I don't recall what places we we got, but we did have some students who played. Yeah. 10. Well, the 4x1 relay got 10. So, they were one place away from me. And uh our regional champion tore her ACL up the state. So, unfortunately, she wasn't able to participate. But some uh people stepped in for the 4x1 and they 4x4 and they end up placing 12 overall. [Applause] And they all come back next year with the exception of one. Yeah. And and and with her coaching, I'm I'm sure that means those numbers are going to be moving up. Pressure. Pressure. Pressure. All right, that that's all I have. So now move to superintendent report, Dr. Stokes. All right, thank you. I want to have Mrs. Wington come up
078and just kind of share some information. And as she's coming, I just want to say to the community, to our parents, to our students, to our wonderful teachers, our staff, and I would be remiss if I I did not say my fabulous school board and our attorney and all of the community members, mayor, and everyone here in Gary. Thank you so much for allowing me the awesome opportunity to lead as the superintendent for the area schools corporation after a seven-year takeover. We are no longer under takeover and we are as you say pushing to support the arrows going up in every directions for academics, for sports, for mental health, for social emotional learning, for community involvement, for teacher empowerment, for student empowerment. We want to make sure that we create an environment that supports governmental
079and governance leadership that empowers our students to go out and be their best selves. And I always say who our students are becoming is more important than who they've been. So we need to remember that who we are becoming is more important than who we've been. With that, I'm going to have Miss Wington share a little bit on my behalf. Good evening again and Dr. Stokes. So we'd like for you to take a look at a recap of team 425. It's been um almost 365 days since Dr. Touch down and she has been nonstop. I am going to invest in for the next few years up to her. But we too as the leadership team want to express our gratitude for her leadership. She did assemble a team of individuals whom I did not know.
080We didn't know one another necessarily. Some of them may have known one another, but we have jailed and taken our talents and expertise to work together and to bounce ideas and initiatives off of one another. Uh we have seen good days, bad days, we have cried together, we have laughed together and we know that if we are not here for children, we do not need to be here. So we understand what the assignment is and we understand that Dr. Stokes is in the position to lead us. You will her say day in and day out, it takes me, it takes you, it takes all of us. And she, so she has brought us into the fold and given us the access, the confidence, if you will, to lead our various departments and do what we
081need to do on behalf of children. I'd like to say personally that it was humbling to know her despite what her personal circumstances she was going through. She still went through the interview. She still came and started on the start date without any type of pause. And if we hadn't read or she hadn't told you, you just would never have known. One other time where we witnessed the very first football game, we were all excited until one of our players got injured and our superintendent walked straight to the football field and got down on her knees on the ground to hold that child in her arms and school had just started. And I said, "Oh yeah, we got the right one here. Somebody who's boots on the ground literally and who definitely cares about our
082children." So, it's our commitment to you, Dr. Stokes, to help you navigate these waters that we call Gary, the wonderful citizens here in this city, the different places and spaces that you need to be so that people know what we are doing on behalf of children. And we're just getting started. [Music] [Applause] All right. Thank you so much. I appreciate you all. I love my wonderful team and as I share we can't do this alone. It does take you, it does take me and it does take all of us. I want to just show our draft agenda for our next session. Um what I will highlight is that at our July meeting, you know that we have to bring a lot of things forward that will be needed for the upcoming school year like our
083student handbook and things of that nature. So with that being said, I just want to highlight that particular fact and I'll turn it back over to our vice president. All right. Thank you. So with that, we need a motion to adjourn. So moved. All in favor. Motion by motion by Dr. Mloud and second by Dr. Woods. Rolls. Yes. Dr. Mloud. Yes. Mr. Johnson. Yes. And I say yes. Meeting adjourned. Meeting is adjourned. Thank you.