001it forever. Good evening everyone. Um, as we start all of our meetings, we'd like to share our Avon Community School Corporation's vision and strategic goals. Um, our vision is listed there. A nationally recognized district of choice that embraces all students and prepares them to grow and thrive for their future. Uh, we sum that up in three words, four words actually. All belong, learn, and grow. Um, our Avon uh community school corporation strategic goals, we have three of those and we would love to hear some students tell us in their own words what those mean to them. [Music] In cooperation with our community, we will become a professional learning community, improving student achievement by providing equitable experiences and opportunities for all students. >> In cooperation with our community, >> we will create systematic and purposeful innovation
002opportunities to develop critical thinkers. In cooperation with our community, >> we will support students well-being, mental wellness, and a whole child. We will be healthy, safe, >> engaged, supported, and challenged. >> Go south. I love that. Uh we will move on to the next item on our agenda, which is uh item number three, celebrating Orioles. Uh the first item on this agenda is a commendation for the Avon Community School Corporation Teacher of the Year. Uh Kimberly Labosski. Uh Dr. Wendham, would you like to start us off? >> I would love to. And thanks to Mr. Shockley for being here. Mrs. Labosi, if you'd like to come forward here. Um as the board knows, we recognized Mrs. Laboski uh at our start of school uh celebration in July. Uh but every spring uh we have a
003process where all of our schools uh can nominate and then select a teacher of the year from each school. So at our back to school celebration, we were able to recognize all of our teachers of the year across the district. Uh but then we go through a process this summer where our teachers of the year uh put together a portfolio and that portfolio is reviewed by three community members that are not affiliated with our school district. And so each year I reach out to three different community members. They review the portfolios without any names, without any identifying information. And then that committee ultimately decides who will be our district teacher of the of the year. And this year they made a great decision in um uh Mrs. Laboski as our district teacher of the year.
004Um Mrs. Woodward will read a commendation uh about uh Kimberly, but she is our transition coordinator at Avon High School, focusing on supporting our kids with disabilities and getting them ready for life after school. Uh you got to see a video at the back to school celebration, but we thought it would be great to show that video here as well so our community can see it and just another chance to highlight Mrs. Laboski and the great work that she does. And then Mrs. Woodward will read the commendation. [Music] Being named teacher of the year for Avon High School has really been a humbling experience. I work in a very large building and I didn't think very many people in the building even knew who I was or what my role is as a transition coordinator.
005When I think of Kimberly Laboski, I think about passion and intensity and just a real love for kids. >> I think she's the best teacher. She's the best teacher in the whole wide world. >> She has helped me to mature and like grow and like learn a little bit more of life and how life is going to be after high school. >> I think Miss Lvoski is very special because the fact that she gets you ready for a future job and really trains you. She really cares about trying to form a deep connection with you and getting to know you on a personal level. >> And that passion and intensity is about uh students who maybe a lot of people may think can't achieve much. She believes in them and knows they can do so
006much more. >> She really helps me a lot. >> She motivated me to keep going. >> She really pushes you hard, but in a good way. I've gotten a job at Avon Intermediate West Cafeteria and I'm always forever grateful that happened and I'm don't take it for granted. >> Misski has taught me to always come in with a smile on my face because that smile goes a long way. I work with four job coaches who um support our students and mainly support me as well. We're like a small family. This has truly been one of my best years in teaching. We've just experienced a lot of student breakthroughs and so to receive this award at this timing has been really special. >> I will congratulate her for teaching me or all those years. >> I'm
007just so happy for her for being the teacher of the year and like all the hard work that she puts in and stuff. She deserves it. >> Congratulations, Miss Lowski. You deserve this uh award. >> Congratulations, Miss Laboski, on being teacher of the year. You deserve it. uh you have done so many things on behalf of our kids uh to make them who they are and to be successful contributing citizens and workers in our community and society. So, thank you for all that you do. >> I'm just really proud of our entire special ed department. We really have some strong staff members here at the high school and um so to receive this award is kind of in honor of all of them too because I certainly don't do it alone. [Music] forever. Uh, Kimberly,
008I'd like to read this resolution of commendation. The Avon Community School Corporation Board of School Trustees would like to congratulate the 2025 teacher of the year, Kimberly Labosski, with passage of the following resolution. Whereas Kimberly Laboski is the transition coordinator for the special education department at Avon High School. Whereas Kimberly Labosski has been employed by Avon Community School Corporation for 18 years. Whereas Kimberly Labosski received a bachelor of science and a master of science degrees in speech language pathology from Indiana State University. Whereas Kimberly Labosski has established strong relationships with parents, local businesses, and the Avon community to provide experiences that prepare Avon High School students for life after school. Whereas Kimberly Laboski has been selected as the 2025 Avon High School teacher of the year and as the a 2025 ACSC district teacher of
009the year. Whereas Kimberly Labosski has represented the field of education and Avon Community School Corporation in an exemplary manner. Whereas the highest level of distinction given by the Avon Community School Corporation is a commendation from the board of school trustees. Therefore, let it be resolved Kimberly Labosski, Avon Community School Corporation's 2025 teacher of the year is hereby commended for her recognition and achievements. Board members, I'll entertain a motion. I move that the board of school trustees approve the accommodation for Kimberly Laboski as presented. >> Second. >> Motion by Mike, seconded by Cindy. Is there any discussion? All those in favor? That motion passes 5. Congratulations. [Applause] Well, board members, um, any comments for our beloved Miss Laboski? Mike, would you like to start? >> I would love to start. Well, congratulations, Mrs. Laboski. It was
010great to see you, uh, receive the accolades in front of all the faculty at at Avon school system. It was great to see your family there supporting you. Um 18 years is a long time and I cannot imagine the people that and the young students that you have left an incredible impression upon. The words I kept hearing about you from students and Mr. Shock they like were passionate and that's a 18 years of passion is exhausting and yet you clearly do it each and every day that you show up for work. Thank you for having such a positive attitude. It really shows. Congratulations. >> Yes, Mrs. Congratulate that the students use to describe you. Uh, one adjective I want to use, you are the magic. You're the magic that your students admire about you. And
011you could see it in that video and what all you do to prepare these students for when they get out of school. Um, I often see Avon students out and about working and we go live close to Metro Diner in Planefield and I see them a lot there and I'll talk to them, they talk, they're just friendly as could be and I tell them I'm Avon and I'm proud of them. So, thank you for that. Um, I like that you are preparing these kids to transition from high school to the outside world. Uh, like I said they many students shared adjectives about you. Um you they used motivation, you work hard, they're proud of you, they're helpful, and the best of all students shared some advice from you. Always come in with always come in
012in class with a smile. You are a great role model for these students and I myself greatly appreciate for what all you've done for these kids and the perfect person to win this honor teacher of the year. >> Congratulations. Thank you for all you do for the students. I follow the Avon work study on Facebook so I see all the great things all the time and it's just so heartwarming and touching. I mean the the lives of these kiddos that you touch and just transition them is amazing. So, thank you and congratulations. You deserve it. >> You do so much more than a typical teacher does. And I just have to share on a personal note. I don't know if you recall, but um I don't even know what year it would have been a
013long time ago. Let's just save our gray hairs. Um when my son was diagnosed with autism, someone had suggested that I reach out to you for help with getting him on the waiver. and even though you had no idea who I was, you were so gracious to help me get me in the right direction. That's just a small sampling. And then since I've been on the board, being able to see graduation and the students that you've just poured into um hearing from parents and the expectations that you hold their kids to and you don't enable them there, lots of great examples that they would talk about. Um I'm just so grateful that you're here at Avon. Thank you and congratulations. Um I'll echo all of those comments. When uh we were at back to school
014um two weeks ago, good heavens, two weeks ago. Um and I saw the teacher of the year nominees when your name came up. I thought there's our winner, but I felt like you were our winner for several several years. So, um the thing the litmus test that I think is the hallmark of a great teacher is that on uh the video uh we saw Kimmy and we saw Matthew and we saw Owen and Annabelle is the peer helper. And the fact is that I know all those students and I know them because you have made them be seen. Um, those students have been in meetings that we've been in. They've made presentations to us. Um, we saw Owen Carr behind a mask, but we still knew it was Owen. But I think the hallmark of
015what you do is that those students stand front and center and we see them. So I want to thank you for your excellence in every way in helping those students really achieve at the highest level that they can and look forward to a future that is really bright um and promising and that is because of you and your influence. So, um, for those reasons, the teacher of the year accolade seems small actually compared to what you will do both now, what you've done with, uh, students in the past and what you'll do with students in the future. Sincerest thanks for a job very well done. Dr. Windham, would you like to say a few words to our teacher of the year? >> Well, we're anxiously awaiting on the state. they're a little behind in uh
016their determination. So, Mrs. Lavoski and I were talking about that, but um every school submits their teacher of the year to the to the state process and uh then they will make their decision potentially sometime this week. Um but as I said uh at our back to school celebration, there's no doubt uh she's the top teacher in the state of Indiana in our minds uh just for all the reasons that you described. So, congratulations. >> Thank you. members, we'll move on to item B, which is a accommodation for the Avon Community School Corporation support staff of the year. Um, Dr. Windham. >> Yes, Mrs. Acres loves being front and center. So, if you'd like to come forward here, Mrs. Acres, >> if you haven't had a chance, Mrs. Acres uh and Mrs. Harris, the principal
017at Sycamore, uh, joined uh, me for a podcast, as did Mrs. Labosski and uh we were having some conversations about Mrs. acres doesn't really like me when I keep saying, "Hey, will you come to a board meeting? Hey, will you come do this?" Um, but you know, for the last five years, we have followed a similar process um for our support staff as what we have always done for our teachers of the year. We have about 700 support staff uh in our district. Our bus drivers, our office staff, our custodians, our food service personnel, our instructional assistants, all of those people um that make it possible for our teachers to do the great things that they do in the classroom every day. And this district wouldn't operate without our support staff. And so, uh, we
018followed that similar process, each school selecting a support staff of the year, uh, that then came before a committee this summer and, uh, they identified Mrs. Acres, Jan Acres as our district's support staff of the year. And, uh, we have a video to highlight Mrs. Acres and then Mrs. Woodward will read their commentation. [Music] Honestly, just doing what I do and working with the kids is all the accolades that I really need. It's very exciting on a daily basis. Especially what I do is never the same thing and I enjoy being here. Mrs. Acres is one of the most flexible people I know. She's always willing to help wherever is needed. Janine shows patience and understanding with all students, but has a special gift working with students who struggle the most. >> She comes to
019lunch with me and she is my classroom. >> She has been with me since second grade and she was super special since. >> If your body belongs and you get stuffed on a question, she sees that and she comes over to help you. >> She helps me a lot and she's really kind. She does a lot for us at the school. >> She helps with a ton of kids. >> She is sweet, nice. >> She's kind and sweet. I got to say that Mrs. Makers is the most special person in Sycamore Elementary I've ever met. She tells you like when you're in trouble, like she gave you the look >> and she gives you the side eye >> and she gives a cheeky side eye sometimes. >> Okay. [Music] Oh, she does it really often
020at me. She does. Trust me, she does. Trust me, she does. >> Cuz what I'd really like to say is I really don't deserve it, but collect my composure. >> Congratulations, Miss Acres. Congratulations for the support staff of the year. >> Congratulations, Miss. You deserved the support staff of the year award. >> Congratulations, Janine. We love you. I am excited to continue to be here for many years and I do appreciate everyone here. Operation Board of School Trustees would like to congratulate the 2025 support staff of the year Jan Janan Acres with passage of the following resolution. Jan Whereas Jan Acres is a special education assistant at Sycamore Elementary. Whereas Jan Acres has been an employee of Avon Community School Corporation for five years. Whereas Janine Acres supports the staff and students at Sycamore Elementary
021through her hard work and high expectations. Whereas Jan Acres was recognized by her colleagues as the 2025 support staff of the year from Sycamore Elementary and was selected as the Avon Community School Corporation District support staff of the year. Whereas Jan Acres has represented Avon Community School Corporation and our mission of all belong, learn, and grow in an exemplary manner. Whereas the highest level of distinction given by the Avon Community School Corporation is a commendation from the board of school trustees. Therefore, let it be resolved Jan Acres, Avon Community School Corporation's 2025 support staff of the year is hereby commended for her impact and achievements. Word members, I will entertain a motion on this resolution. Got to get on the right page. >> I move that the board of school trustees approve the commendation for
022Janan Acres as presented. >> Second. >> Motion by Sarah, seconded by Cindy. Is there any discussion? All those in favor? That motion passes. 5-0. Congratulations. [Applause] Uh board members comments. Mr. Langford. >> Yes. Uh Mrs. Acres, thank you for choosing Avon. Boy, are we ever fortunate to have you >> as part of our community um at Sycamore and throughout Avon schools. you know, uh, we've never met, but I can just tell that, um, you just exude warmth, and you can tell that, uh, from your actions and reactions, and most of all from the children that you work with. Um, it's hard to learn and to improve and to work on life skills if you're not having fun. And I could tell from those students, you you have a really fun environment. and and uh that
023doesn't come naturally for everyone, but I can tell it comes naturally for you. So again, thank you and congratulations. >> I too echo Mr. um they're so eager and I love the words they use. That eye movement works, doesn't it? Uh I remember I used to do it a lot and I could see here and here. So uh keep doing what you're doing. The kids adore you and thank you. >> Congratulations and thank you for all you do day in and day out for I like they you know they said personality. We can just tell that the kids love working with you and seeing you and just thank you for making their day brighter and congratulations. >> I have to ask did child come up with that term, the cheeky side eye. I can't imagine
024what you've poured into him to get that vocabulary. Congratulations. Oh, so that was during that interview. That was the first time he came up with that term. >> I love it. Love it. Congratulations. >> Yeah, you can uh kids don't lie, you know. they can they show what they think and feel at every moment and those students adore you. Um and I'm sure that all of the students that you work with um adore you just because of everything that we've said. You've got that uh temperament and personality that really is ingratiating. You pull people in um and those students uh will remember you for the rest of their life. you're you're pouring into them and making a difference. Um, Sycamore is very very lucky to have you working in their building. Um, and you've made
025a huge impact obviously not only with those students, but I bet there's 40 or 50 more behind them that we could interview and they would say the same thing. Um, I think the little boy that said, "You really helped a ton." That's exactly how I feel, too. You helped a ton. So, thank you so much for all you've done for not only Sycamore um and not only Avon Community School Corporation, but in particular for every student that you work with. Thank you, >> Dr. Windham. >> Well, as you said, our our mission is all belong, learn, and grow. And it's just amazing to see um how our special ed um staff was recognized both for teacher of the year and for support staff of the year. that when we say all in Avon, we really
026mean all. And that means our our special educa, our students with disabilities, our students who are coming with different languages, all the different um uh population of students that we serve. And it was just neat to see both uh Mrs. Acres and Mrs. Laboski get that recognition. So, congratulations. >> Thank you. Uh we'll move on to the next item, which is comments from the board president. Again, thank you for being here. Um it's a wonderful night to celebrate our exceptional uh support staff and teachers. Um we're coming up on the magic time, the two week mark where school's been in session and I predicted that we would return to a sense of normaly in two weeks. Um and I don't know if that's happened or not, but what I can say is that I'll bet
027you there's a lot of kiddos uh and a lot of parents who now feel like this is my school home. Uh, we did move a lot of kids around. We changed a lot of things, but my hope is that every one of our buildings is as welcoming and warm as the other one that maybe I left. And the one that I've gone to is now feeling just as comfortable as the one that I left. Um, so hopefully that's happening and will continue to happen for the rest of not only this semester, but for this school year. The next item on the agenda is public comments to the board. This is the point in our meeting where uh we take public comment. Uh please limit your um comments to three minutes and please refrain from mentioning
028any students or faculty by name. >> Do we have comments? >> We do not. >> Okay. >> Thank you. We'll move on to item six, which is the consent agenda. Uh the consent agenda items um are really a number of things that our board receives information about and that we study uh including approval of minutes from both regular and special sessions, uh approval of claims and payroll, the July transfer memo, our personnel report, the disposal of equipment, the donation report, overnight field trips, the second quarter financial report, report. Um, with all that, board members, I will entertain a motion on the consent agenda. >> I move that the board. >> I just had a question. >> Oh, yes, please. >> The disposal equipment, some of the printers. I was just wondering what happens with those
029printers once they're no longer in use. >> Yes. Yes. So um those printers that were reflected on that disposal are the desktop type printers that uh we don't have very many of at this point because we are shifting to more of the RICO centralized print print um locations that are cheaper to operate uh and those kinds of things. So as those desktop printers come up their at their life cycle, as they start breaking, it costs more to repair them than the printer is worth. And so we end up disposing of those. They'll salvage them for parts if they can, but we we will eventually phase those out altogether. So we won't have desktop printers at all because all of them will be the RICO print stations that are in most of our uh pretty much
030all of our schools at this point. >> Yes. Thank you. Uh motion to approve consent agenda. >> I move that the board of school trustees approve the regular session minutes on July 14, 2025. The special session minutes on July 28, 2025. The payrolls for July 18, 2025 and August 1, 2025. The mini payroll for July 18, 2025. The mini reversal and reissue for August 1, 2025. the July and August claims, the July transfer memo, the personnel report, the disposal of equipment, the no donation report, the overnight field trips, and the second quarter financial report as presented. >> Second motion by Mike, seconded by Sarah. Is there any discussion? All those in favor? Motion passes 5. Thank you. Moving on to item number seven. Um this is item A is a review of the 2024 strategic
031plan and update for the year 2025 and 26. Dr. Windam, Mrs. Ald, and Dr. Finley presenting. >> Yes. So, we're going to tag team this. I'll get things kicked off here and then uh Mrs. Ald and Dr. Finley will um get into some more of the specifics. But as the board knows, um this vision uh was developed about four years ago um from the school board and uh nationally recognized district of choice that embraces all students and prepares them to grow and thrive for their future. As you heard, we start every school board meeting with this because this really drives everything that we do as a district. And then we also for the last four years have started every board meeting by uh reviewing our three district goals that the board established several years ago.
032Goal number one always having been centered around student achievement but bringing in that focus that we have as a district uh in professional learning communities. Goal number two that systemic and purposeful innovation opportunities. And then goal number three really being that whole child goal that we have to to make sure our kids are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. Those three goals drive everything that we do. Um, and really everything that we have done to support those three goals uh has been enhanced by our referendum from 2018. And I'll focus specifically on the lower class sizes because you're going to see some some academic data as we uh go into this presentation. And those lower class sizes that have really become a hallmark of Avon over the last seven years uh are really key to
033some of the to the success that we uh have experienced. Specifically in goal number one centered around student achievement and in goal number three centered around how we support the whole child and how our teachers are able to do that so much more effectively with lower class sizes plus the additional counselors, additional instructional assistance that we have in our district today. I included there our average class sizes uh here in these first couple weeks of school. Um our target class size for the referendum was 22 in kindergarten. Uh you can see that our average right now is just under 20 students per kindergarten class. In our elementary classrooms, first through fifth grade, our target is 25. And today we're sitting just under 21. And our target class size in middle school is 25. And our
034average is at 22 and a half. So, uh, we have continued to prioritize those low class sizes because that's what our community prioritized in 2018 and and we pledged we would do since that time. What we've been able to do is really couple over the last four or five years those low class sizes with the work that our teachers are doing in their professional learning communities. And you have heard from our teachers, you've heard from our administrators about that um, at various board meetings. But these are some pictures from the summer uh when we uh had our uh PLC teacher leaders come together. We had a total of 140 teacher leaders that came together. one day focused just for our elementary teacher leaders and one day focused just for our secondary where they grow in
035their own skills in leading their teams and talking about low class sizes are great but it's also what do our teachers do with those lower class sizes and how are they targeting our students to get them the intervention that they need and that's a huge focus of our work in uh weekly time that our teachers come together and collaborate. So, uh, our our theme this summer was refocus, re-energize, recommit. We didn't talk about anything new. We just recommitted on the work that we've been doing because it's really having a huge impact. You've seen uh this slide before um but this slide highlights our performance on IEP and iLearn uh going back to 2011. Uh when uh we had a failed referendum in our community. At that time we were the 19th highest achieving school district
036in the state of Indiana. Uh after that failed referendum, our class sizes uh grew pretty significantly where 30 uh to 35 students was pretty typical in an elementary class. 35 to 40 was pretty typical in a secondary classroom. Uh and as our class sizes grew, our performance on standardized testing dropped to the point where we kind of bottomed out in 2018 at the at uh being the 55th highest achieving school district out of 290 uh two school districts. That year, 2018, our supported a referendum that summer. We instantly hired more teachers to reduce our class sizes going into the 18/19 school year and we immediately saw gains in uh our student uh in our ranking in the state consistently in the top 10% uh and this year being our highest ranking since 2015. Um I
037do always like to point out uh being the 25th highest achieving school district in the state. When you dig into that a little bit more, there are 292 school districts in Indiana. As I said, uh our performance over the last few years puts us in consistently in that top 10%. Being 25th, there are 24 school districts that uh rank ahead of us. So, we always look at those to see is there anything they're doing that we need to be looking at? What do what's their makeup of students? Only one school district ahead of us has a higher percentage of free and reduced lunch and multilingual learners than we do in Avon. We talked about that last year as well and it's Speedway Schools. And Speedway also has a operating referendum where they prioritize smaller class
038sizes. Um so we also looked at those districts, those 24 that are ahead of us. The average free and reduced lunch percentage of those districts is 31%. In Avon, we are at 48%. The average multilingual percentage of districts ahead of us is 5.7%. We're almost three times that with 16% of our students being multilingual. And I always put the caveat on that. Not to say that students who are on free and reduced lunch or students who are multilingual aren't just as smart and just as capable as every other student. But what we know from research is kids who are on free and reduced lunch or kids who are still learning the English language are going to struggle more on standardized testing. It's harder for them to show that proficiency on standardized testing. And uh for
039us to demonstrate the level of achievement that we have um consistently over the last few years is really a testament to the hard work of our teachers and thanks to our community uh for supporting those smaller class sizes. Um SAT results, we have not always taken the SAT, so we don't have data going back uh as far as we do on IEP and iLearn. Kids have taken the SAT for years. The state of Indiana has only required it as the accountability measure for high schools going back to 2023. So, every junior in the state of Indiana is required to take the SAT. And you can see over the last three years the hard work of uh Mr. Shockley, the incredible teachers at the high school, uh the interventions they've been able to put in place,
040the programming, the staffing that they're able to have to support uh student learning uh has really seen tremendous progress. Uh being the 13th highest achieving school district when it comes to the SAT. And remember, the SAT was never intended to be given to all children, but Indiana decided to do that as the accountability measure. It's a college prep test. Not every kid going as a junior in Avon High School or every kid in the entire state is planning to go to college, but the state of Indiana decided to make every student take a college prep test. and to achieve at that level on a very rigorous assessment is really a testament uh to the work that's happening there. Uh I'm going to hand it off to uh Mrs. Ald and Dr. Finley. But just as
041a refresher, uh when the board developed this our strategic plan that that guides everything that we do, um one of the things that that um we worked with Dr. Hock at the time that helped us facilitate that strategic plan was his emphasis that the board really sets the the vision and the goals that drive our district and then it's up to the administration to develop the the sevenstep process that he outlined and we spent a lot of time uh wrestling with when we developed this and one of his uh suggestions to us was that annually the administration could should come before the board and update you on our work on these seven steps. So, it's become our kind of routine over the last few years to always do that in August. It's a good chance
042because we have all of the data from the previous year. We've worked over the summer to kind of chart our uh course of our strategies and objectives for the upcoming year. Uh and so this just kind of continues that cadence of updating you in August of our plans for the coming year. >> Good evening. Um as Dr. Windham shared um you know really these strategic goals are our northern star. It's what we're aiming for. And so I'm going to highlight some of our objectives for strategic goal one and strategic goal two and then give you some insight on some of the data. Um so you can see right here our objectives for um this coming year. And by no surprise we're going to continue to focus on increasing student achievement in the area of English
043language arts and math. But really we where we have that most opportunity for growth is English language arts. Um the great news is almost in every area we have documented growth from last year um from last school year. So ELA we we did grow. We still have more room to grow by. Um our math I learn goal for grades three C through eight we not only met our goal we exceeded it with over 7.4% growth um compared year which that's significant in one year to grow 7.4%. % um and those two areas and I learn is really what bumped us from the 29th ranked in the state to that 25th that Dr. Windham showed. Um I read data has not been publicly released yet from the state of Indiana um with they're waiting on summer
044retest and I believe they're going to release that at the September state board of education. So we will update you with that data as it comes. But we did see growth. And what we saw, not only did we see growth in second and third grade, we saw significant growth in second grade, which is really exciting because kids take it in second grade, but they have to take it in third grade. And as a reminder, if they don't pass it now in third grade, they are retained unless there's a good cause exemption. And there's multiple reasons why you can qualify. So our second graders, we saw significant growth and once they pass it, they pass. And so they're not having to take that. again. So, we're really proud of the growth that we'll get to share
045in an upcoming meeting um around second grade. And then um so we'll get we'll update our goal once that's released. And then also you saw um the SAT data um again we stayed pretty stagnant in language arts, but again we grew significantly in math and went up three percentage and met our goal in math um in both places in both um iLearn and in um SAT. And so when we think about those just a brief highlight on some of the work we're focusing on this year you'll hear more about this through the year and hopefully some teachers too but we're rolling out the um we're calling it Avon instructional model we're calling it AIM and it's really a focus on a consistent process for lesson design and high yield instructional strategies. So what does research
046say are the best instructional strategies to support student learning. So, we're going to do some work on that. And what's really exciting is that was created by Avon staff for Avon staff. There wasn't any um people from outside. And we truly created this from the the bottom on up. And so, we're exciting. We start rolling it out on one of the first teacher days and it will be a consistent process throughout this school year. The other piece is we are going to do a lot of this work this year leveraging iLearn checkpoint. So, we talked a little bit about that last year. It was a pilot last year. Now, every school across the state has to do it, but we are really thankful we did the pilot because we learned a lot. So, we had
047um you know, we had some pieces that were tight, but a lot was loose last year because we didn't know what it was. And we had so schools um approached it differently and we had two of our schools that um demonstrated significant growth like double digit growth. It was I learn results and that was Intermediate East and Sycamore Elementary. And so we did some digging in to say what did you do and how do we replicate that as a practice across the district and we hosted this summer for all of our administrators a lunch and learn where um the the administrators at Intermediate East and the administrators at Sycamore really highlighted what do they do um to pinpoint get those results and how do we bring that around to the other schools in our district.
048So we're really excited to learn um and continue to grow as an entire district and Mr. Shockley took some time at the June board meeting and shared what they're doing to continue that work with SAT. So that's a highlight of strategic goal one. Goal two when we think about innovation. So last year we did a lot of work with a new diploma and look at and we had created a solid plan of what freshman year would look like. And so we'll continue that work. Um you know if you think about that plan didn't get solidified with the state till about December. So, we had a lot of work to do to turn around to be ready for um registration for this year's freshman class. So, our goal this year is to really articulate a plan
049for this year's freshman freshman class of what it looks like to graduate. What does a sophomore year look like, junior year and senior year, for that year, for that class and beyond. Um, and another goal within that is to really think how do we support that every student in Avon High School can earn a diploma seal. um you know if it's through enrollment, if it's through enlistment, or if it's going right to the workforce. I mean, whichever area, how do we support our students in that area? Um we still want to continue that work um around the earning certifications and work-based learning that's still valued in our new diploma. But a piece we added on this year is the Indiana College CPS. So the Indiana College CPS is something all schools are working towards. And
050what that is, it's uh it's 30 credit hours that students would take that are college credit hours and they're like your general education pieces. And all state schools, universities and colleges will accept those 30 credit hours. In addition to that, the state schools, a lot of private universities and colleges have also adopted it. So schools like Butler and Hanover and Franklin, Depal, Waw Bash, many others. So if kids graduate high school taking AP classes, dual credit classes, every state, I mean all public schools and that some of those private schools like I said plus others have to accept those 30 credit hours. And so think if that kid goes in with 30 credit hours under their belt, think about the money that saves our families, that time that saves our students. So we're working on
051our plan um currently right now to finalize the Indiana College Corps for India um for Avon students. And then the last piece that we'll continue work on, and this isn't anything new, is just really supporting um those K8 engaging innovation opportunities for our students. We did a lot of work last year aligning it with restructuring, and now that fifth grade's back at the elementary, sixth grade's in the middle school. So, we just want to continue the great opportunities we provide our students. Thank you. For strategic goal three, um, first and foremost, our our priority is to create a safe and comfortable learning environment for our students and staff. I think it's at the the core of all that we do in Avon. about educating the whole child and making sure that everyone feels like they
052have a place at the table, that they're a part of what we're doing, that they all belong. Uh, a great deal of work has happened over the last two years with staff um with working on consistent behavioral expectations and strategies. I haven't been a part of a lot of that work, but I have seen it in action now. And and I've seen it in the high school. I've seen it in elementary schools. One of the first days of high school was such a a neat experience to see that place come alive. And there were so many amazing students. That population is incredible. And walking through that sea of students. I ran into a teacher and and she was really excited for that first day and she just said, "Isn't it great? All these students just
053want to be here." And I think um that at its core is what we're all about is just creating this environment that's all these opportunities. Kids were excited to be there and be a part of it. And I think that's when when we're moving ahead as an organization, when everyone is together and you could feel that energy and that positive spirit and just learning, I think it's it's exciting. So the other thing we're working on, this next bullet point is decreasing the number of students suspended out of school and decreasing the number of students who were expelled by 5%. Last year we made a lot of progress in this area. Our expulsions were down about 30% and we went from 48 students down to 25 students and I think that work will continue. That's a
054great trend and and we expect that to continue. And I think one of the things that's important to note, we're working on limiting exclusionary uh practices while also identifying support systems that ensure student and staff safety. So, an example of that is using online education to ensure students um if they're not in our environment still have a viable alternative to expulsion. So, they're able to continue acquiring credits and progress towards graduation. We're not expelling them to the street. We're keeping track of them. We're making sure that support systems are in place if needed through behavioral support services at Cumins and other places and just making sure they have what they need and we're not we're not leaving them behind. They're moving along. And then finally the last bullet point it's uh decreasing the number of
055chronically absent habitually truent students by 3%. We have made some good gains and actually attendance is pretty good here in Avon and I think the chronically absent students as the state defines it are students who have missed um around 18 school days. It's 10% of the school year excused or unexcused. And then the habitually truent students are students who have missed 10 unexcused days. And those are the students we really start to worry about. They're the ones that have kind of dropped off the radar and we're trying to make sure that they don't slip through the cracks and we're picking them up. It's a real small population of students, but it is a student population that we spend a lot of time with and and things like conferencing, conducting home visits and welfare checks. I
056know Carrie was out at a a home the other day and that's already started. We're just making sure that the families have everything they need to to be part of what we're doing here. um creating attendance contracts, staff mentoring, family outreach, and really one of the big things is referrals for addressing barriers. And the barriers are things like um transportation, healthc care. It's not about getting students in trouble for being absent. It's about lifting them up and figuring out how we can get them here. It's all about getting them across the finish line. It absolutely takes a village. And I think that sometimes certain families need a little bit of additional help. Certain students need additional help. And that's what we try to do. So I think the key to all of that is just
057developing relationships and I see it happening with counselors, social workers, the APS, principles, all the great teachers that we have. All that matters, all the support staff. So it's really important to making this environment what it is. And ultimately, I think last year our chronically absent rate was about six and a half% and the habitually truent rate was pretty low. It was about 0.70. And we're going to continue to focus on those families. we know who they are and we're going to continue to to knock on doors and figure out what what they need to have success. So I think that's it and and ultimately with this goal it's all about ensuring that students feel like they belong and that truly makes then they can learn and grow at a high rate. I think um
058just to summarize, you know, in in some districts when there's a strategic plan, it kind of sits on the shelf and we don't update it until a few years later when somebody goes, "Maybe we should update that strategic plan." But I have really appreciated um the board's direction in setting the vision and the goals. And I have really appreciated this process of of kind of the the accountability of every year coming back and saying, "Here's where we're at on these goals. here's where we're at um in each of these areas. And uh for us in Avon, that strategic plan is really a living breathing uh document that that we keep referring back to and that really guides everything that we do as a district to support our kids. So appreciate the board's direction in our
059strategic plan. >> Yes. Thank you. Uh board members, any questions about any of the objectives or obviously our um overall strategic plan goals have remained largely the same. But >> I do have a question. Yes. >> Um I I appreciate the continued emphasis on class sizes. We know from the literature or research and probably from our own anecdotal personal experience how important that is. I'm curious about the um either the statistics, the philosophy, anything that you can share about the class sizes at the high school level. There isn't as much research about class sizes at the high school and it's also hard to quantify because there are so many different course offerings at at the high school level. Um so we are looking at those every spring with Mr. shockly just to kind of see
060where they're at um as kids are completing their course request um process and always kind of of monitoring those. Our class sizes are definitely improved at Avon High School since before 2018. It's just harder to quantify at the high school versus anywhere else. >> That I certainly understand. I mean, maybe there's a ceramics class that happens to have seven students in them. Just the nature of advanced ceramics. On the other hand, I mean, it is really in certain classes, you know, the sophomore biology class, the 11th grade language arts class. I think it's really critical and maybe there's a way to sort of move away from the outlier classes that are much it's much less easy to tell to what extent it matters or not, but those classes really really does matter. I would love
061to see some information about that. >> Thank you. I just had one question. Um, looking back like goal number one. I was just wondering where the percentages come like increase 5.8 increase 6.3. Where did we get those percentages from? >> You want to talk about that? >> Good question. So the state has goals where every they want every school district to be at. So we looked at where that goal is through the like the ESSA goals and then we back like this is we're at right now. We need to be there in three years. how much growth do we need to make each year? So sometimes you look at it and they're like, "Wow, that's some pretty significant growth." Now we, you know, we made the math. We didn't make the ELA, but that's why
062we need to focus in on the next steps, but we're looking at where the state wants us and we're trying to backstep it. >> Well, and that's another reason why our focus really is on that ranking because if you just look at the percentages in isolation, it's really confusing. you know, use SAT as an example. In evidence-based reading and writing, 67.5%, but in math, 43%. Those are very different numbers. Well, if you look across the state, the math performance across the state is very low. Um, and and so that's what we're always always looking at is it's not just the percentage, it's what how what what do we need to do to get at that overall state goal, but then also how are we doing in that ranking? because again this is a college prep
063test and not every kid is going to to is going to be collegebound. So the measures also have a lot of flaws in them as well that uh we have to we have to take into account to but at least it's apples to apples across the entire state. >> I uh I want to speak to reading here just for a moment. Um and I absolutely understand that Avon doesn't set the criteria. We didn't set the standards. We we're not the ones that came up with what is proficiency and is not. We're playing within the rules as we have to as a state. So maybe my remarks are more for our state legislators than they are for the school board or for the administrators. But I will say this that I think one of the greatest
064challenges with read, teaching reading, coaxing reading, uh, loving reading for students right now is that so much of the emphasis goes to things like proficiency and not the joy of reading, the finishing a book, the pleasures of reading. And I know that the that that right now the standard line is why don't kids read? It's because of screens. And I don't discount that. But I also think that our schools and the ways that our state legislature has set up these proficiencies have led us to a place where we're mostly talking about do we analyze and do we have proficiency rather than did you enjoy that book? Do you want to read another book? How many books did you read this year? Do you understand storytelling and the arc of a story? Um and and what
065did you get from that story? And how do you empathize with those characters? And I don't know how we can turn it back. I just wish we could. And to the extent we can get at AO some semblance of getting kids back to enjoying reading, whether that's sustained reading time or something along those lines. I sure would like to see us get there because I think we're better than just being measured by proficiency. I so appreciate that comment and I right I think it's that fine line and I we have done a lot of work on how do you build stamina and part of that is you have to have a joy of reading um you know if you want to sit down and really get lost in a book you've got to love it
066and so we um are really trying to thread that needle um with the science of reading and you know it truly is the science but there is an art of teaching reading and getting kids to love reading because if you want literate adults who want to read, they have got to love it, not just be able to do it. So, I appreciate that. >> And we're also to a point where it's becoming a bit of a generational challenge because we now have parents who didn't grow up reading, unlike maybe our parents did. And so, all the more of the challenge. So, um I guess for vision purposes, I sure would love to see the joy of reading back into some of this methodology. >> Well said. Um I just have two quick anecdotes. The first
067is um actually I guess I have three. The first is that I'm always proud that the strategic goal number one always and forever is student achievement. It just feels like that's where first things first and we always continue to put student achievement at the very top of our strategic goals. Um for a long time I uh was a corporate trainer and I did a lot of strategic development facilitation at a number of companies and um I had CEOs that would ask me you know why do we really have to have one like why what's the purpose of a strategic plan and the best analogy that I could use is um I'll use the Pacers because they're better this year. Sometimes I use the Colts, but the reason that you uh what if you went to
068a Pacers game and they're really playing great and Hallebertton is back and they are doing spectacularly but nobody kept score. So what would be the point of that? I mean it it's enjoyable to watch. you see a lot of people having fun watching it, but the way that you figure out where you are and where you need to be is by keeping score. And so, one of the things that I think our strategic plan has done is every single year, there's not a year that we put a an objective uh our goals are pretty much set. We tweak them from time to time, but an objective that says, you know what, we just think we want to be status quo this year. we don't really want to improve or why don't we see if we
069could just go down a little bit in this metric. Of course not. It's keeping score of where we are and where we know we want and need to be. I had a parent um write me. I think I shared this email with all of you that was talking about how great it has been for his one and only child to be in this school district for the last uh 10 years and how she's achieved at such a high level. And he said, you know, I really don't understand how Avon continues to press forward and make things better and better every year. And yet, when you look at our strategic plan, I think I'm going to go back to him and say this is why uh because we keep first things first, because we keep score,
070and because we always are striving for what's that next level that we can push kids to. So, I really appreciate the time, effort, energy that went into the development of this. Um, the thoughtful ideas that went into building those objectives, and I can't wait to see number one, what our IRA scores are next week, but uh number two, how we're successfully able to maneuver um to achieve uh these objectives in the upcoming year. Uh board members, this uh does require a motion to approve the strategic plan. So I won't entertain a motion in that vein. >> I move that the board of school trustees approve the 2025 26 strategic plan update as presented. >> Second >> motion by Cindy, seconded by Mike. Is there any discussion? All those in favor? That motion passes 5. Thank
071you Dr. Windom, Mrs. all day. Dr. Finley, we will move on to the next item on our agenda. Item number eight, unfinished business. The first item is enrollment report. Mrs. Alde, I don't membership right now. My god. A little We won't start over. The good piece is when you think about our dem demographic study and what schools are seeing all over suburban schools like us. We are schools like us are graduating more kids than we're bringing in. Just what Mr. McKibben shared that the birth rate and a lot of it is c the cost of our homes that families of our younger kids just aren't able to come in. So, our kindergarten groups are younger, but we're graduating out large groups. So, I think what we're doing with open enrollment, um the different pieces of
072of just retaining students in this world of choice right now is something really to celebrate and keeping our numbers where they're at and growing hopefully by 50 60 kids is a huge success. So, that's kind of our status as of today and we'll keep you as we get closer to October 1, we'll keep you posted. >> Thank you. Thank you. Next item is the cost savings and efficiencies. Mrs. Glass. >> Yes. Good evening, board members. Thank you, Mrs. Woodward. Avon Community School Corporation. We received $411,265 in RX benefits over the last two reportable quarters. This helps support our not only um our self-insured fund, but it also helps support our education and our operations fund. >> Awesome. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next item on the agenda is C, the second reading of board policy
073updates. Dr. Wendham, >> thank you. You uh reviewed these policies at our July meeting. Uh these all came from uh Indiana School Boards Association as they assist us in staying current um with the everchanging state laws and rules and making sure that our policies are compliant. So there's a new policy uh on emergency medications. There are five revised policies. Transfer students, administration of medication, student discipline rules, student attendance, absences for religious instruction, and then one repealed policy which is teacher appreciation grants which the legislature removed from their funding. Um so we reviewed those in July. Uh this would be second reading and uh if approved tonight then these would be adopted policies. Recommend your approval. >> Thank you. I move that the board of school trustees approve new policy 4220, revised policies 4018, 4210, 4300,
0744320, 5541, and repealed policy 3540 as presented on second reading. >> Second. >> Motion by Sarah, seconded by Cindy. Is there any discussion? All those in favor? Motion passes 5. Thank you board. Uh move on to item number nine, new business. Um topic A is the update on the 202526 curricular materials. Mrs. Glass, >> thank you. Mrs. Woodward, you received in your packet an update on the curricular materials and the impact on our um school district. Um you have any questions, uh feel free to ask. But this is just a reportable um report to show you at each level how much is costing the district for u our curriculum materials which is at no cost to our taxpayers. >> Uh board members any questions? >> Thank you. U with the uh collaboration efforts with Mrs.
075day and her team and our uh financial team uh we were able to calculate and uh to provide this report to the board. >> Sheila, can you summarize the total impact uh that is not reimbursed from the state? >> So the total impact that we are estimating is $252,857 that we will not receive reimbursement from the state due to the new legislation. So, as a reminder, these funded mandate these used to Yes. These used to be presented to you as fees that you had to approve because they were fees that we were charging parents. The state uh changed that legislation. So, this no longer requires board action. But, we still feel like it's important to bring this to you every year. And as a reminder that this is an unfunded mandate that the state required
076um schools to to bear the additional cost of those curricular materials. it was uh over $400,000 last year. Uh it this is down to $250,000. Um and part of that is a result of with our reconfiguration, fifth graders no longer get a laptop as a one-on-one onetoone device. And so, uh, that was really where the the significant financial impact was because up until that change in legis legislation, laptops were considered a part of the curricular, uh, fees because that's how students from fifth grade on up access their curriculum. Uh, the state funding really does address pretty closely the elementary cost of curriculum. It does not address the secondary cost of curriculum, particularly when you add those laptops in. So because the fifth grade calculation no longer includes a one one uh that was where we
077were able to see some of those uh reductions in costs. That's more than four fully loaded starting teachers. Uh any other discussion on that topic? Item B is the approval of the school safety specialists and the school safety plans. Dr. Windam, >> this is an >> Thank you, Mrs. Yes. Uh this is something we have done for years uh updating our school safety plans. Uh but it is uh something that the legislature added a couple years ago as a requirement for boards to take action on. Um, so in your packet you have uh our overall school safety plans um and assessments that are done uh annually of each of our schools to help us prioritize and and really a collaborative effort between our school resource officers, our school safety coordinator uh and our facilities department
078because a lot of those items uh ultimately come down to facilities and and some of those kinds of things. So uh you have uh in your packet a lot of pages of information. I did realize this afternoon I had not included the list of our school safety specialists. So if you look in your uh packet, I did add that in because that is an additional uh requirement uh for uh you to approve our school safety specialist in your online packet. I'm sorry. It's an additional attachment at the very end of all of our school safety specialists that have been through the state training. Um that's required um and we are required to have a school safety specialist in each of our schools. So recommend your approval. Uh board members, any questions? Um it does strike
079me that 24 uh school safety specialists is notable for a school corporation our size. I would imagine that um we have a higher number of school safety specialists per capita. >> Well, and it was always our goal to have a school safety specialist in every school even before the state mandated that um now >> which we more than achieved >> which yes and I think the challenge for us is we redistricted and so a lot there was a lot of moving uh of staff over the summer and so that's really where uh Mrs. Swain Bis looks at that and makes sure and it is a commitment because you you do the 10-hour initial training through the state department of education and then in order to maintain that every year you have to do another 10
080hours every year of um training and you know we are often sometimes critical of our state leaders in uh areas such as textbook re reimbursement but our school school safety specialist academy in this state is really a model for the entire entire country and uh so what Indiana has developed over the course of 20 25 years is really impressive and this whole philosophy of the state brings in to this training the top leaders in the country in school safety and then we have always prioritized sending our staff there to make sure that we're staying current on best practices and um but Indiana really is a model for the country of of how to to empower schools to be informed about school safety They really work closely with Deb Swain Bis as our school safety coordinator.
081So, she really manages those um items and and looking at helping us prioritize those items that need to be addressed and again working closely with facilities and principles to monitor all of that. When will um Middle School West have one? >> That uh they have one. >> Oh, sorry. I meant the assessment. >> Oh, that will be at the end of this year. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Yeah. So, they have a safety plan. Um but the actual assessment will happen at at the end of the year. >> Any other questions, comments? I'll entertain a motion. >> I move that the board of school trustees approve the list of school safety specialists and the school safety plans as presented. >> Second >> motion by Cindy, seconded by Mike. Any further discussion? All those in favor? Motion
082passes 5. Thank you. Um, item C is the approval of the ACSC copier proposal contract. Dr. Braum, he doesn't forget to turn his mic on. Sorry. >> Good evening. Uh, each year Avon replaces a percentage of our copier fleet. This year, that uh number of devices happens to be 36. Our copers are on a fiveyear lease cycle in Avon schools. And this fiveyear lease cycle for the 36 copers reflects a cost reduction of uh $657 per month from that lease. We recommend your approval copier. >> Thank you. I have a question. So the printers that are five years old, do we do those go back to them and they recycle them? >> Yeah. the RICO copers um that come off of that five-year lease are purchased uh by a reseller recycler um and part of
083the contract that you have in your packet uh indicates the uh cost that has been extended or the price that has been extended to us for reclamation of those. >> Thank you. You just mentioned a lease reduction uh for copers this time around. I also noticed that the laptop rental was down about $6 per laptop as well. So, what gives? How are we getting better pricing this time around? >> Uh technology prices fluctuate. Um we've seen a tick up uh typically uh with technology the last several years. Um with these copier contracts and with laptop copier contracts, um companies have gotten very competitive for our business. Um and uh our because you know our business is desirable. I think we're getting really good pricing um extended to us and we hope that continues. >> Thank
084you. >> We have dealt with RICO um for a long time. I don't know exactly how many years. Um but that is not to say that we haven't sought um other copier uh companies uh to provide their proposals. >> I move that the board of school trustees approve the RICO lease contract for copers. >> Second. >> Motion by Sarah, seconded by Jennifer. Is there any discussion? All those in favor? Motion passes. 5 Z. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Bramis. >> Thank you. >> Item D is the micro purchasing threshold resolution. Mrs. Glass, >> thank you, Mrs. Woodward. School districts can self-certify micro purchasings up to 50,000 annually for federal programs through a resolution as allowed by the IDOE and the USDA. The pro the proposed federal microurchases threshold of 50,000 has been increased from 10,000.
085So the purchasing agent for Avon Community School Corporate Corporation can self-certify or they can uh have a open market of $10,000. And so what we are doing is we are um asking the board to approve this annually so we will be able to uh provide quotes for that uh micro purchasing threshold of $50,000. We recommend your approval. >> Thank you. Uh board members questions? If not, I'll entertain a motion. >> I move the board of I move that the board of school trustees approve the micro purchasing threshold resolution as presented. >> Second. >> Uh motion by Mike, seconded by Cindy. Any discussion? All those in favor? Motion passes 5. Thank you, Mrs. Glass. Thank you. >> Uh board member items, Mr. Langford. >> Uh thank you. Uh another nice meeting. It will help. Uh what
086a great start with the honoring of Mrs. Lavoski and Mrs. Acres. Uh I don't think we can do that enough for a wonderful staff. And I am I made the comment uh to Mrs. Acres, I guess, about thanking her for choosing Avon. And I know we all feel that way that we know that our faculty and staff members have lots of choices and there it's competitive field out there for people of that level of talent and we are so lucky to have them. Um and I know we work hard to appreciate them and I like moments like this. We can appreciate them. We have a special staff uh teachers and support staff alike. We're very very lucky. Um we're now as as Mrs. Woodward said we're two weeks into the school year. So, this is
087the part where we sort of say, okay, I don't know if the newness is wearing off, but it soon will, and it's kind of time to lean into it. So, here we go. I look forward to uh a a really successful 2025 2026 school year. Thank you. >> Busy time for everyone involved and everyone that is. Thank you very much. I too would like to congratulate Mrs. and Mrs. Acres for all they do to achieve that honor. It is quite an honor to be honored by your uh staff, your teachers that you work with. So, congratulations. Uh thank to thanks to the donors for all they did u especially for the opening day of school. I looked at that list and I thought, "Wow, thank you donors." Um Dr. Windham, Mrs. All Day, and Dr.
088Finley. Uh your strategic plan is great. It tells it like it is uh what the expectations are. Um it was great and I like how I think it was Mrs. All day you said something about aim. Yeah. And I like that. I even wrote that down so I would try to remember that. Um the data all the detractors preventions all was very clear and easily even I can understand it. So, thank you for sharing that and letting us just know what's going on. The increased enrollment looks good. I have a question. Did we have anyone that you know of that still wanted to go through transfer? Did we have any students that we had to have changed since the last time at the last board meeting? >> I noticed we had a bunch. >> Yeah.
089I mean, I think what I reported on last time was pretty accurate and we had the number we accepted them and then the number we have, you know, right under 60 that actually enrolled. >> Okay. And so we haven't did we have to turn away anyone? >> Well, we denied some that didn't qualify based on the board. >> Okay. I was just curious to see >> um Mrs. Ald thank you for sharing all and Mrs. Glass all the textbook curriculum as I think it was Mrs. said there were some decreases and that was interesting. I saw that de and I thought yay and there were were some increases. I have a question. Did this I already know this answer but did the state provide more funding this year? No. What what was the reasoning on
090why? May I ask or do we know? >> I don't. >> Okay. because I know it's not enough and >> the same as the last session they gave, >> right? >> Well, and sorry to interrupt, but not only did they not increase funding, they rolled that into the overall funding formula. So now it will be even more difficult to itemize this lack of funding because now it's just rolled into the overall pot. Before it was a separate line item that we accounted for. It was very clear to be able to say how much we are not being funded. Now, we'll have to do our own calculations to be able to do that. It won't be as clear from an accounting standpoint. >> Okay. Well, I figured after last year, I'm sure there were a lot
091of schools that were saying, you know, this isn't going to work, but they must have not taken that into account. Um the safety plans being made aware of that. Thank you for that. Um it was an informative meeting and listen and learn about what happens when schools open. And I'd like to close with two things. I had the pleasure of attending ribbon cutings all week. And I told Dr. Windham, I said, I've never been dressed up so many times four days in a row. I felt like I was going to church on all those clothes. Uh it was exciting um that many are were built brand new or renovated. Um, it was a great honor to represent the school board and thank you. I want to boo again. I'm a baby. The new school year
092is off to a fantastic start and the high schools love the extra minute that they got. I asked my niece and nephew. I said, "How you doing with that extra minute?" Oh, I'm doing okay with what Mr. Shockley >> passing periods went from six minutes to seven minutes. And the kids think they've gained all kinds of time. Yes. >> Yes. And a couple more things. Thank you, Dr. Promise. Those copier machines are quite dilary and they don't like to cooperate. I usually was the one that would jam them up and here comes somebody to help me lift up the top and pull it out. So, thank you for that. So, I'm done. Thank you. I don't know how to top that. Um, but no, congratulations to, you know, the beginning of the board meeting where
093we had the teacher of the year and also support staff. Um, we've got some great staff. Also, the strategic plan. Thank you for the updates. It's always nice to see where we're at and where we're going and what our goals are. Um, also I want to say we are off to a good school year. I actually had a kid that switched schools and he is saying it's a it's been good so far. So, lesson. So, I think and my daughter, I think it's just it's been a good school year so far. They're both thriving and excited. So, I think >> um I wanted to thank the community partners that donated for the staff back to school event. I saw that list and that was awesome and thanks for allowing us to be part of it.
094It was very entertaining with your little co-host. Um, and then of course the speech student who I'm blanking on her name >> I know we put that speech out I believe um for everyone to listen to and if you haven't I encourage you to. Um and then just want to thank all staff that worked hard I'm sure to the final minute to get the buildings ready to go. Um, as Jennifer stated, I think the anticipation of the the realignment and changing schools definitely gave a lot of anxiety to students and parents, and I think as we look back, hopefully they're adjusting. So, >> thank you. Uh, well, it has been a whirlwind uh these last two weeks, six ribbon cutings. Um, the back to school uh event, I just was energized by that. I think
095everybody uh enjoyed it. It always feels like a rally to me because it is um and it was it's just a great way to kick off the school year. Um and I agree that I think the school starting this year has been remarkably smooth. Um so that just is accolades to our administration and um our building level administration and our teachers for really embracing the fact that this represented a lot of change for students and teachers alike but that we were all prepared and ready for that. Um I was also encouraged to attend another ribbon cutting which was our civic center ribbon cutting. Um, and so I'll look forward to that continued um, town cooperation. And I think the real heroes of this of this two weeks are our transportation department. They probably are always
096the heroes to be honest, but um, just the remarkable number of roads that are closed and um, difficulty getting from point A to point B. but our transportation uh folks really keep their eye on what's important and getting those students to and from school is utmost priority of course with safety. So, thank you everyone for just a remarkably um easy and nonstressful beginning of the year and we'll look forward to that continuing for the rest of the year. Uh Dr. Windam, anything for the good of the cause? Just want to thank Emily, that list of donors for the back to school event. She starts working on that in May and asking every business up and down Rockville Road if they would be willing to donate uh for our raffle so that that does not happen
097by accident and sometimes they do say no uh which is fine. Um, but then I also just want to um comment too, I sent a note to our administrators, but I I think the biggest compliment I have had, and I've had a few teachers tell me that have been in Avon for a long time, this has been the smoothest start to school. And I think that is amazing when you think about all the changes. And uh I said to our team, I don't know that I've ever had a start to school that we've been planning for for three years. But really, this start of school we've been planning for for three years. And so the fact that our u our folks worked so hard to think of every possible thing to make it a smooth
098transition for kids and families and staff, it just means a lot when those teachers say it's been a really great start that they didn't have to stress about it because we all stressed about it for three years. So uh thanks for the board for all your uh patience as we work through redistricting and all those fund decisions. Um but I really off to a great start. So thank you. >> Awesome. Thank you. We'll adjourn the