001citizens. And Miss Wen, if you don't mind, this evening, I would like to take um just a moment of silence. This has been a tough last week here at Columbus North High School. Um lost both a student, Val Ramos uh Hernandez, and then also a staff member here at Columbus North High School just last week, Steven Dornquas, who was a Columbus East graduate. So, if you wouldn't mind joining me in a brief moment of silence uh in memory of both our the losses here at Columbus North High School. Thank you. Okay, our first order of business on the agenda is a public hearing. So, I'll actually gavel out of our formal board meeting to a public hearing. Um, and then we'll gave back in when that's done. So, ging out of the meeting, Dr. Boseman,
002if you would. Good evening, Mrs. Wen and members of the board. Thank you. Um, as you mentioned, we um invite the public to offer any feedback or thoughts on our additional appropriation. If you move ahead to the next slide, please. The details of that appropriation are outlined there. three items. Salary and benefits due to the increase of school safety officers at Columbus North and Columbus East high schools, the addition of one school resource officer from the Bartholomew County Sheriff's Department and equipment to outfit those SSOs. Um, at this time, Mr. Wen, if you would entertain any thoughts or feedback from members of the public. Okay. So, as a reminder, in our normal schoolboard meetings, people can always sign up to speak in a blue form at the back of the at the back of the
003um room. Um a public hearing is very different, though. You don't have to sign up. So, I invite anybody who would like to ask questions about this appropriation or offer commentary before we vote on this later in the evening to do so at any time. You can just walk up to to the podium. It's not as scary as it seems. I promise. Test test test. My name is Coleman and I live here in Columbus and I'm here tonight to speak in support of the additional appropriation you're here to vote on this evening. I've spoken at length multiple times at these board meetings about the issue um of school safety and I think that I don't want to repeat anything that I've already said except for this which is I think that kids deserve to feel
004safe when they go to school and I really think the role of the SSO the school security officer is a step towards fulfilling that goal. So I encourage all of you to vote yes for this additional appropriation. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Bennett. Anyone else? Okay. All right. Thank you. I will end the public hearing portion of tonight's agenda and gabble back into our normal business meeting. Next on the agenda, we have so many recognitions. It's a very exciting night. Maybe the f favorite board meeting of the year. Um I think first up we have our robotics team. So if I can have the team from Smith and Central Middle School, all the impressive kiddos please come up so we can see you. Okay. Good evening. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to share
005news about two of our robotics teams from BCSSE that will be attending the World VEX Robotics Competition in Texas this year. These teams have worked incredibly hard and we are excited to share a little bit about their journey, their roles, and their passions for robotics. So now, Coach Kyle will speak about the central team. I um my name's Kyle. I've had the honor of coaching all these kids both at Central and Smith this year. Uh, but I'm going to speak about the central team. Um, the central team you see here before you is the most experienced VEX robotics team in the BCSSC district. Um, most of these kids started at Smith uh three years ago and led that team to the VEX Worlds in 2023. Um, so all of the central team has been to
006this will be their second trip to Worlds. Uh, and two of them this is their third consecutive time to go to Worlds. Um, as founding members of the district's VEX program, um, they've helped laid a the foundation of success that we're seeing today within BCSC. Uh, not only have they helped grow the program at Central, but they've also worked to help grow the program within BCSC by volunteering at several of the elementary team schools and also helping the elementary team other elementary teams at the competitions here locally. Um, help them improve their build quality, their coding, um, and everything that goes along with it. Um, and then several of these students are also going to help uh start the new program uh for VEX Robotics at East High School next year. So, uh, with their
007continued commitment to learning and improving their skills, they have set a new bar of what's possible with robotics and BCSV. Um, and we're incredibly proud of all of them. Hi, my name is Brian Bush. I'm going to be speaking about the Smith team here. So, this is team 59813B. You'll hear a little common theme with that. This same team has been is going to the world championships for the third year in a row. This team year, the team is comprised of different students. As Kyle mentioned, you see the central team here that all also came from Smith. So, we only had one team member from last year's Smith team that made it to the world championships that's on this team again this year. So great job here. Um their dedication, the spirit of this team
00859813B just remains constant from year to year. Their hard work has paid off once again and we're very excited to be going to the world championship. One last little thing. So the team number 59813B is the exact same team number that's made it all three years. So something magical about this team number, not only with the team, but it is the flagship for BCSC, carrying this team, these students, our drive and determination all the way to the world championships again in 2025. Thank you. And in traditional VEX fashion, we are going to let the students each introduce our team members each introduce themselves to you. They're going to tell you their role on the team, their name, obviously, grade of school that they're in, and maybe what they really love about robotics. All right. Hello,
009I'm Hannah Widner. I am an eighth grader. I drive the robot, code the robot, and build the robot. Hi, I'm Dawson Payne. I'm a driver and builder, and I'm in seventh grade. Hi, I'm Owen Johns. I'm a seventh grader, and I uh drive and build. Hi, I'm Colin Schwarz. I'm a seventh grader. I drive, load, and work on the engineering notebook. Hi, my name is Joseph. I drive, code, and um I do a little bit of driving or no, engineering notebook and um some loading. And what I love about robotics is that it helps with kids engineering and helps them focus on something. My name is Evan. I'm in fifth grade and I'm a driver, builder, coder, and engineering notebook. Hi, my name is Naomi. I'm in sixth grade. My role on the team is
010to drive, code, I mean engineering notebook, and Hi, my name is Brock Michael Chels. My role is engineer notebooking, loading, and the reason why I like robotics is just have fun. Hi, my name is Rosabelle. I'm in third grade. I I drive, load, and robotics is just fun. All right. And real quick, we have one member on this central team that is actually at a track meet uh right now. um Isaac and he's again from Smith and has been on the worlds a couple times now. So, as you've heard, the students on both teams share a common love for robotics. It pushes them to think critically, work together, and find creative solutions. Robotics isn't just about building robots. It's about building skills for life. These students learn teamwork, problem solving, and time management. Also, how
011to adapt to challenges, which are all vital skills for life. Their passion and dedication not only help them succeed in competitions, but they also inspire their peers to get involved in STEM and explore the possibilities that robots has have to offer. Now, Mr. Payne will conclude our presentation. In closing, we are incredibly proud of our students and their achievements in robotics. The hard work, innovation, dedication they've all shown have brought the them to this incredible opportunity at the VEX Worlds. And we know that they will continue to represent BCSC with pride. We'd like to thank you for your ongoing support um because without BCSC support, we could not do these things in our schools. Um we look forward to sharing their continued success with you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Have a good day.
012Oh yeah. Good job tonight. Have a great trip. Good luck. Thank you so much. Good luck, guys. Congrats. And congratulations on your award Saturday. Amazing. Good luck. Thank you for [Applause] I want you right in front of me. The element could be [Applause] and Miss Wen, they're being humble. Both uh some honors from this weekend. Hannah Widner won the middle school STEM student of the year at the MEA Gala, South Asian Gala over the weekend. Wow, congratulations. And on top of that, the central other central coach that couldn't be here tonight who teaches uh STEM there, and I think they have six teams that they run at Central, Mr. Jonathan Wolford was the middle school STEM teacher of the year at that same event. Congratulations, Okay, very good. Our next item is top 10 students
013from Columbus East, Columbus North High School. Dr. Charles Edwards. You are not Charles Edwards. I'm so sorry. Uh, good evening. I'm Brilland Noling. I'm assistant principal for cohort 2025 at Columbus North High School and I will let the video [Music] play. My name is Grace Wang. I'll be attending either Princeton or Columbia University in the fall to study mechanical engineering. Um, my favorite BCSSE memory has been food Fridays and poker in our math class. Some of the teachers who have made a biggest impact on me are Mr. Spock for organizing mega puzzle every year and Dr. Hagner for igniting my passion in physics. Hi, I'm Misa Kamura and I will be attending UCLA for psychology. My favorite BCSC memory was the Chicago trip and the teacher that had the most impact on me would be
014Mr. Russell because he really changed my perspective on history and I really enjoyed his class. Hi, my name is Shri Lakashmi Sheratson and in the fall I'll be studying either neuroscience or psychology at IU or John's Hopkins. My favorite BCSE experience would be going on field trips in elementary school and just getting a taste of freedom and responsibility from a young age. And then my favorite BCSSE teachers would be my middle school biology teacher um or the C4 teachers at North because they've really shaped my understanding of science and made me more interested in wanting to study it. My name is Annabelle Sun and I plan to study neuroscience on the premed track at either Georgia Tech or IU Bloomington. And my f favorite BCSSE memory is playing in the pit during the musical and
015I've participated since my sophomore year. And the teacher that has made the most impact during my high school career are probably my C4 biomech teachers, especially Mrs. Steinwetted cuz she always supported my dreams for my love in science. My name is Mila Espazito. In the fall, I will be attending Franciscan University of Stubenville where I will double major in communication arts and theology and minor in Spanish and also um pursue the honors program. My favorite BCSSE memory has been all the sports, clubs, and classes that I've been involved in. And the teachers that have made the most impact on me are Mrs. Hill, Mr. Marks, and Miss H because they taught me to think critically about my classes. My name is Ruth Anne Gilroy, and I will be attending Boyce College, which is located in
016Louisville, Kentucky to study elementary education. My favorite BCSSE experience has been C4 as a whole, specifically being able to be a C4 ambassador for my education professions class and this year being on the C4 leadership team. The two teachers that have made the biggest impact on my life have been my freshman year math teacher, Mrs. Whitaker, and Mrs. Newell, my education professions teacher, because they have both supported my love for teaching and passion for education. My name is Neil White. I'll be attending Purdue University next year for computer science. My favorite BCSSE experience is sophomore year from cross country state. Being able to be up on the podium with all of my friends and people I'm still close with today. And then the teacher who's impacted me the most is David Spencer, my 11th grade
017English teacher. He taught me to have more of a passion for what I'm learning about and especially like what I'm reading and what I'm writing about. I'm Macy Eaton and I plan to attend Purdue University and study engineering. My favorite BCSSE experience was winning cross country state my freshman year. My favorite BCSSE teacher is Mr. Spock because I really enjoyed his AP stats class. My name is Cara Buntton. I'll be attending Florida International University in the fall studying biochemistry on a pre-med track. My favorite BCSSE memory was being on the golf team. I made a lot of personal connections and great friendships with all the girls on the team. My two favorite teachers are my C4 nursing teachers, Mrs. Westerfeld and Miss Richards. They really supported me in my decision of going to medical school
018instead of going to nursing school. and they really helped me um get my medical assisting license and really prepared me for the future. My name is Roma Shriram and in the fall I'll attend either IU or Case Western University to pursue neuroscience on the premed track. My favorite BCSSE experience has been the biomed pathway and I really appreciate how invested BCSE is in career exploration and the two teachers that have made the most impact on me have been Mrs. Stein Wedddle and Mrs. Horn as I've been pretty involved with them from my freshman to my senior year. I've grown not only as a student but also as a leader and as a communicator as I've also been involved with them for HOSA which is the club that we have here at North [Applause] Every time
019I hear them speak or their accomplishments, all I think of is wow. Um, what a great group of hardworking, high achieving students we have and we are very proud of them. Um, before I introduce them, I want to share a little bit of a unique situation we have this year with our top 10. We have four students tied for validictorian. So, um, we have four number ones. So, I will read their names and I will give their rank. Um, but I didn't want you to be confused when I say number one four times. Uh, they tied with a 4.33 GPA. Okay. Grace Juan number one. You can you can uh Misa Kawamura number one. Number one, Shri Lashmi Shvatzen. Number one, Annabelle Sun. Number five, Mila Espazito. Number six, Ruth Anne Gilroy. Number number seven,
020Neil White. Number eight, Macy Eaton. Number nine, Cara Button. And number 10, Roma Shriram. [Music] Play it again. I don't know how to use basic Tik Tokulations. Good luck. Congratulations. Congratulations. [Applause] [Music] Hi, my name is Tyler Ernst. Um, after I graduate, I plan to attend Taylor University to study finance. My favorite BCSSE experience is playing four years of varsity men's tennis and volleyball at Columbus East. And my favorite teacher is Dr. Harrison because he makes English a lot of fun and he always is kind and compassionate to his students. Hi, my name is Sophie Anderson and I plan on attending the University of Dayton in the fall to study biology and minor in neuroscience and psychology. My favorite BCSC experience was definitely cheering at Northeast Gaines and then also getting involved in unified track
021and helping them out. And then my um favorite teacher here or like the teacher that's had the most impact on me um would definitely be Mrs. Moral cuz she definitely introduced me to the medical field very well. She's a biomemed teacher here and I had her freshman year and then junior year too. So she definitely introduced me to that well and as well as my future career plans which is genetic counseling. I'm Tabitha Martin. I'm going to go to college for atmospheric sciences. I'm still deciding between Purdue and IU. My favorite part of school was my seventh grade field trip where we went to the fairgrounds in Indianapolis. It was I think it was called the ethnic expo and we got to walk around and learn about a bunch of different cultures and they had
022things we could buy and we got to eat at the mall afterwards. My favorite teacher is Mr. Lenant because he got me really interested in science. I had him freshman year for chemistry and then because of that I took AP environmental. I've taken a lot of science classes since then and I really enjoy all of them. Hi, my name is Aubrey Tyler. My future plans are to go to Ball State to major in earth space science teaching. My favorite BCSE experience was going caving with the Hamblings. And my favorite teacher is Mrs. Buck because she told me to do things for myself and not for others. Hi, my name is Jonathan Rook. I plan to major in engineering at Purdue University. My favorite PCSE experience is playing volleyball here at East High School. And I
023my favorite teacher is Mrs. Hamling. Even though she's retired, she made physics fun and exciting. My name is Grace McMahon. My future plans include going to IU Bloomington to major in biochemistry and pursue a premed pathway. My favorite BCSSE memory is winning the state championship with the team that I helped found and captain this year, my senior year. And my favorite BCSSE teacher has been Mr. Walls. He's been the most passionate teacher that I've had. Um, he's very passionate about teaching and he taught me anatomy and biology in my freshman year. My name is Alex Duncan and my future plans are to go up to Purdue and study electrical engineering technology. My favorite part of my BCSC experience was playing basketball here at East. And my favorite teacher is Dr. Harrison just because of the
024way that he teaches his class and he's really funny. My name is Darby Rocker and I plan on going to IU Bloomington in the fall to study history and education. My favorite part of my BCSSE experience was definitely switching over to the CSA program. It really helped me expand my learning and grow as a learner and a student. And my favorite teachers are Miss Buckler and Miss McKinley because they really helped me through some of the tough parts of my life. Hi, my name is Amelia Fay. My future plans after high school are to attend a 4-year university to get a bachelor's degree. Um, my favorite memory from my BCSE experience was going to the Florida Keys with Mr. Walls on the ocean science trip. And my favorite teacher is Mrs. supporter because she always
025makes sure I understand the material and she's always willing to stay after to help me and she makes sure I'm never behind. My name is Alex Winsler. My future plans are to attend IU to major in criminal justice and pursue a career in law enforcement. My favorite BCSSE experience was when we did our mock traffic stops in criminal justice. We had live police officers come in and give us grading and feedback on how we were doing. My favorite BCSSE teacher would have to be either Mr. Ward or Dr. Harrison. Both have been great mentors for me, giving me advice to help me out in the future. [Music] [Applause] Good evening everybody. I am the assistant principal for 202. I'm excited we get to them tonight. You'll notice we only have six here because our four
026boys in the top 10 all happen to be on the men's volleyball team tonight. So, they are not here, but we will give them a shout out anyway. So, first up, we have Tyler who's our valictorian team. Then we have Anderson. [Applause] We have number. And number four, we have Aubrey Tyler. Number five, we have Jonathan Rock. [Applause] We have Grace McMahon. Number seven is Alex Duncan. And then number eight, we have Darby Rocker. We have also Purdue. And then at number 10, we have Alex W. [Applause] Congratulations. Party won this year, by the way. Somebody [Applause] else. I'm going to do the same thing I did the other day and embarrass a few of these folks before they leave the room. But um first, the most exciting part of this job is the young
027people that I get to see the amount of talent and passion and hard work that they demonstrate and nothing no students more so than the 10 that you just saw up there. But among that group, I'm going to point out the fact that we have one Heritage Fund award, a scholarship winner in there. Sorry, Lily Scholarship, right through the Heritage Fund. We also have one um next generation educator, a $10,000 scholarship per year for four years and going to go be um a teacher in the future. And then also, Miss Grace likes to point out that her team won a state championship because she thinks that way, which is part of what makes her um such a great young person, but she was also an individual state champion in the girls wrestling, first year ever
028in IHSCA girls wrestling. So again, please please join me in a round of applause for all those Can I also say this is my fifth year getting to recognize top 10s and for the first year ever Purdue won. Okay. Purdue BIU in the top 10 picks. If I can have a round of applause for that as well. Good evening and thank you for the honor to announce the 20242 classified employee of the year for each school building and department. Nominations were accepted from students, staff, families, and community members. Voting then occurred to determine the classified employees of the year. As I call each employee of the year up to the front, I ask that the audience hold their applause in order to hear each person's name and kind words from their nomination form. Jennifer Thompson,
029business office specialist, located at the front desk in the administration building. Jenny is a ray of sunshine who greets everyone with a genuine desire to assist, creating a warm, inviting atmosphere for all who enter the building. Janice Reed, special education teacher assistant at Clifty Creek. Janice consistently goes above and beyond in supporting students and teachers, creating a welcoming and effective learning environment for students through her innovative approach to problem solving and unwavering patience. Jill Abram, book buddy coordinator at CSA Fadria. Jill is kind, thoughtful, dependable, and goes the extra mile to make students and adults feel appreciated and important. Kelly Hensley, lead custodian at CSA Lincoln. Kelly is extremely reliable, a leader in the school, and strives for success. The students and staff are very fortunate to have Kelly on the CSA Lincoln team. Chelsea
030Gerald, building secretary at Mount Healthy. Chelsea offers a welcoming smile for visitors in the office. She is very efficient in her role and has worn many hats throughout the school year, always keeping up with providing top-notch support for the students, staff, and families of Mount Healthy. Tiffany Low, special education teacher assistant at Parkside. Tiffany is a gym and works hard every day to support student learning needs with kindness and patience. She also serves as an athletic director and leads Odyssey of the Mind. Nicole Kfman, special education teacher assistant at Richards. Nicole provides a balance of structure and love to ensure students feel safe, included, and successful in an environment that provides expectations, grace, and patience. Sharon McDonald, special education teacher assistant at Rock Creek. Sharon is kind and helpful to all students. One parent notes,
031"My child feels so special when she is in his class." Sharon's passion and hard work do not go unnoticed. Norma Menddees, English learner, teacher, assistant at Schmidt. Norma puts every ounce of her heart and soul into her work to share information with families. She is professional and caring and is a shining example of someone who desires to make a positive impact at BCSC. Nancy Stevens, building secretary at Smith. Nancy goes above and beyond to know every student by name and create a warm environment for everyone who enters the building. Whether during school hours or at school events, she makes Smith a better place to learn. Jamie Ashcraft, nurse at Southside. Jaimeie takes care of all students in Southside daily, meeting each students needs with understanding and kindness. Her dedication to maintaining a healthy school is
032commendable. Ruanne Cave, lead custodian at Central. Ruanne demonstrates compassion for students and staff, taking the time to understand their needs with a dedication to ensuring the school environment remains supportive for everyone. Cindy McCoy, bookstore manager and athletic director at North Side. Cindy goes above and beyond for all the sports teams at North Side. You can tell that she loves what she does and supports the students and coaches well. Ashley Travis, nurse at CSA Newekch. Ashley knows all of the students at CSA Newekch, jumps in to help no matter the need and is actively engaged in the success of students. She deserves to be recognized for her hard work and dedication. Daphne Mace, lead custodian at Johnson Early Learning Center. Daphne goes above and beyond all expectations to maintain cleanliness, functionality, and safety, ensuring that our
033youngest learners can thrive in a supportive environment which remains clean even after meal times in an early education center. Cynthia Dilling, cafeteria manager at McDow. Cynthia does not just prepare and serve food to students. She treats her responsibilities like she is preparing and serving food for her family. In fact, she calls all the students and staff she encounters as her BCSSE family and makes a positive difference in their lives. Tangana TJ Skinner, student services coordinator at ISC. TJ's leadership and dedication to bettering BCSSE has proven to be impactful through her ability to excel when given large-scale projects such as centralizing the enrollment center. Her demeanor creates an inclusive and accessible enrollment process. John Jr. Owen, bus driver at operations. Jr. is a dedicated bus driver who is always happy and ready to help students and
034fellow drivers. His dedication to BCSSE is unmatched and he is a pivotal team member on the operations team. Fabiana Vieiraa Dcasta, cultural learning center coordinator at CVP. Whether she is helping translate for new enrollments, leading her English class for adults, or helping students at CBP, Fabiana is energetic, kind, and helpful as she motivates students to pursue their dreams. We want to also congratulate those who could not attend this evening. Seth Hunley, Jane Dornquast, and Joseph Cole. Please join me in celebrating the 2024 2025 classified employees of the [Applause] year. Congratulations. Thank you. Congratulations. Congratulations. [Music] Thank you so much. Thank you. Congratulations. Probably. You'll do it outside, I think. Okay, give people a minute, but we will go ahead and move on to our next agenda item, which is um schoolboard member reports. I will
035start with board members in the room. Um and down at the end, Miss Lloyd. Good evening. Um a couple of updates from the school foundation. Uh Dr. Phillips alluded to this, but it was quite a busy weekend for BCSF. Um Saturday morning we kicked off with the good, better, best 5K that's hosted um in collaboration with Mr. Todd Grimes. So, it was great to see Todd. Uh, it was a great turnout, lots of student runners. Uh, the event actually honors Chuck Grimes and Ross Wallace. And it was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate a current BCSC teacher. And Mrs. Casey Andrris was recognized at the race for being out of the box and innovative. And so, it was really great to celebrate her. She received $500. So, it was wonderful time. A little windy, but a
036great great morning. Um, Saturday night was the South Asian MEA gala and uh, also wonderful community event which supports STEM funding for BCSC. Um, comments were made by community advocate uh, Sri Pad Manavan, Mayor Ferdon and of course Dr. Phillips. Three students were recognized and I know we mentioned Hannah but uh, the elementary school student was Theo Newell from Taylorville Elementary. uh Hannah Widner from Central and Aya Assad from Columbus North High School. Uh in addition to three teachers um Jason Davis from Parkside Elementary, uh Mr. Jonathan Wolfford from Central Middle School and Dr. Kathy Osbborne from Columbus North. So great opportunity to celebrate STEM and Col the Columbus community and BCSC. Um Council for Youth Development uh has closed the youth ambassador application process. They had 63 applications for 25 openings. Um the selection
037committee is made up of youth serving representatives from the community and decisions will be made mid to late May. Mr. Major. Yeah. So the redevelopment commission met this week. Unfortunately, I couldn't attend due to a funeral in Terote. Um the health trust met as well and there's a four 4% increase in enrollment which is encouraging that more people are beginning to use the insurance which helps helps settle the cost some and then uh we should have in May a preliminary cost study that's complete that kind of gives us guidance as to where where we're headed. So I hope to have more information then Mr. Stenner. Thank you. to the uh business advisory group held a meeting last week. The presentation for that group uh was on the C4 program at U BCSSC. Uh amazing presentation.
038Uh Dr. Hack, Mr. Yates, Miss Stall u helped make the community more aware of what's going on with C4 programming. But then also I I think uh we're quite open to suggestions, ideas, and feedback from the community about how we can continue to make the program even better. Um I I think the board has enjoyed a presentation on C4 in the past. Uh but the the statistics were amazing and I can't resist. Uh 3,100 students involved each year, 118 classes, 30 distinct pathways offered. Most schools in Indiana offer seven or eight pathways. Our C4 program offers 30 distinct pathways. There are 12 clusters. The state recognizes 18 clusters that can be offered. We offer 12 of the 18. The other six aren't even worth offering. I'll just say that. Um, students have the opportunity to
039earn more than 12 certifications while they're in school. There are eight partner school corporations that are part of our C4 program, BCSSE plus seven others. Um 46 instructors and teachers um who receive uh from BCSSE a lot of uh professional development opportunities. So knowing knowing the trade or the subject but then also knowing how to teach. Um we'll hear a little bit about Envision 2030 tonight. C4 uses about 125,000 square feet in our buildings um which are always in need of upgrades and improvements. And then uh for the first time we have dual credit agreements in place now with three universities IvyTech or three universities u higher education institutions IvyTech Vincens University and IU Bloomington. Uh that last one just got added. uh that's for our education program. So an amazing presentation and again lots
040of good feedback from the business community many of whom are involved in C4 in one way or another. Uh the other committee that I uh sit on is Dr. Boseman's district and facilities committee. U committee members have helped Dr. Boseman with the process of winnowing down uh choices for the construction manager as constructor. Did I say that right? Is that what CMC stands for? Uh sounds kind of ridiculous when you say it out loud. Uh but we've narrowed down the choices uh for CMC for the Mount Healthy School, which will be uh quite complicated, but uh there's a presentation later on during the meeting. I think it's a good one. Question. I've not had any meetings since our last board meeting. Um the IU advisory board met on April 9th and part of their meeting
041um focused on retention and graduation rates kind of similar to what we try to focus on here. Um their their retention rate is above peer institutions um that they compare themselves to. Their graduation rate is slightly below. So they talked about some of the things that they are doing to improve their graduation rates. Um they implemented an early warning system that required all faculty and all courses. Um they enhanced academic support. They implemented um enhanced support specifically for 21st century scholars and they are focusing on support for special groups. The example they gave are um students that are also parents of young children. um the um legislative liaison report. So the session just ended. There are over 40 new laws that impact education. I am not going to talk about all 40 of them. Um
042I'm going to look at just the few that that the schoolboard association highlighted. One is the budget and I'm sure we'll know more about this as we dig into it. Um but the state um projected increase for BCSSE uh preliminary projected increase 3.6% per student in 26 and 2.1% per student in 27. That's a little bit misleading. I think this is correct that um the we used to collect textbook funds through rental and in the past couple years since the state stopped that they had a special grant that went to curricular material and that's now rolled into um to that budget. So those increases are, this is my estimate, but they're inflated by probably about 1% um because of that rolling into the to that funds. Um I can be corrected later on those numbers.
043Um and Senate Bill 287 affects us as schoolboard members. Beginning in 2026, candidates for school board must declare themselves as Republican, Democrat, independent, or nonpartisan, which means the party designations left blank. Schoolboard races will not be included in primaries and will not be included in straight ticket voting. Um, and this is another one that I think will impact BCSC, and we'll hear more about this later also, but changes to the teacher appreciation grants. Um the amount of funding was decreased from 37.5 million to 35.6 million. But the biggest change was the new legislation limits it to 20% of a district's teachers. Um the recognition stipend is for well I won't go through all the details but there are three different levels of teachers. In the past it's been teachers that were okay I got to
044get these straight. exemplary or proficient. Is that right? Where exemplary or proficient were um could receive the teacher appreciation grants and now it's limited and there's quite a few different criteria that they have to meet. But the big thing is it's 20% the limit of 20% of a teachers of the district's teachers. Um and finally universal vouchers beginning in the 2627 school year. So, a year off, um there will be no income limit to qualify for a voucher to attend a private school and the high ability broad-based planning committee that I'm also on will meet on May 13th. Mr. Glick, so uh wellness council met April 8th. It was uh remote due to the floods. Uh surprisingly, we did not talk about kayaking or swimming in terms of fitness and wellness. uh mainly discussed activities
045throughout the lower grade levels uh discussing further activity whether one recess, two recesses and what are other activities that the classrooms and teachers uh engage in to kind of help gather attention, work out some of those little squigglies and stuff that the younger uh students uh have. Um really it was more of a discussion of a working group that was prior established and kind of case study of what we saw. So Mr. Schultz, you ready for me? Yes. Yes. Okay. There's there have been there's been no meetings for CCIC since the last meeting. I think it's next week. So no update for me. Apologize. Thank you. Next on the agenda are cabinet reports. Start with graduation. Right now I can introduce Mr. Charles Edwards. Yeah, those students had worked so hard. I didn't think it
046was fair to put my face in front of you guys. I wanted them to be recognized. So, um, here I am and I want to go through the, uh, graduation rate update for you all. And really, when I was asked to do this, um, I wasn't quite sure what to put in front of you. uh I get the privilege of being able to go in and see the hard work that is going on on a daily basis and it's really hard to describe um just to you know say they're really getting it done. They're seeing students and they're making a difference and and that sort of thing but I did put some metrics together to kind of quantify some things to take a look at. So uh if we are looking at the class of
0472025 uh graduation status update u we are quickly approaching u marching day uh graduation. So our cohort size is pretty pretty holding pretty steady at 838 students uh between north and east. And I know that uh on your mind is well what's that graduation rate and it's a window for us. And so right now we're somewhere between 88 uh and 92. And I know that doesn't seem like a um um a very small window and it maybe feels like it should be smaller, but um we are cognizant of the fact that uh things could happen between now and then that would take some students out of the running. And so um I just know I sat in a cohort uh update today, a cohort meeting today to hear all the wonderful things that are going
048on. And I will tell you that folks are working hard to make sure that students are going to graduate. So we're somewhere between 88 and 92%. Our general diplomas uh looks like we will be handing out um about 1% 10 about 10 of them uh alt diplomas somewhere uh in the neighborhood of six. Um and then I think one of the really um um impressive stats is that somewhere around 50% of our graduating students will be receiving some kind of an honors diploma. So uh it's about 49 and a half% at North and about 49.8 at East. So we are seeing uh a lot of strong outcomes across both schools. Uh next slide please. So success indicators for us uh number of students who are coming off of the credit deficiency list. And so I
049have uh again uh I'm able to see all of the um uh credit deficient list from day one. And when I look back and and kind of look at where we are now, about 63% of those students have cycled off. And that's a pretty that's a pretty impressive number. And what that translates into is more graduates for for BCSSE. Uh there's been a significant decrease in the number of individual students with uh failing grades again. So that uh translates into more students passing classes. Um lots of focused support uh to help students gain credits, dual credits so that we can get more students to achieve honors diplomas. And again, that's going to have us somewhere around 50% as I said on the last slide. And then we are continuing to meet with parents and students
050uh to increase participation and completion. And that's a big one because uh again we do have students who are um they they still need as much help as they needed on day one. And so trying to get them across the finish line uh is critical and having parents uh support helps tremendously. Next slide. This is important. This was important to me to express this that um we we talk about the cohorts being put together in order to help students as many students as possible and sometimes uh students don't graduate. Uh it's the harsh reality of what we do. Uh but this story was touching to me because um again we're in the final weeks and there's a lot of work to do. But this is a student, this is a student that we know is
051not going to graduate, but we have put into place some supports. Um, and this student now, uh, again has a plan for what happens when they leave high school. They're leaving with a certificate of of of value that, um, will enable them to go out and start participating in the the work well work world ASAP. So, she's hopeful uh about her future. And again, we want to graduate as many students as possible and we that's what we're built to do and that's what we try to do on a daily basis, but we also support those uh that we know may not. So, anyway, that is the uh update that I have for you all and I'd ask if you have any questions. The two things. One, real quick, thank you for putting the range. I
052very much appreciate that. I know I've I've probably driven you crazy asking for that in the past, but I do appreciate that it gives us a good idea of where we're where we're headed, right? It may not give a perfect number, but it's uh it's going to be much better than 83 or whatever it was a couple of years ago. So, that's that just shows that the things are being done the right way and that there is progress being made. The only question I had was uh like one or two slides where the parent contact are we really really close to 100%. Oh are you struggling having to get parents to respond? Thank you for the question. Uh you suggested to us last year that it would be very helpful if we paced ourselves so
053as to reach 100% before the end of the first semester. Last year we took an approach like we're going to talk to all the parents before the end of the year. Um, I'm happy to report that we were able to talk to 100% of everybody before the end of first semester. Thank you. Go ahead. I have one comment and then I have a question. Um, so Mr. Glick and I had the opportunity to sit in on a cohort meeting at East and it was a phenomenal experience and it was great to see them working hard at this was for the sophomore class but working hard at this same achievement. Um I one of the questions I asked them is were there any barriers to what they're doing? And the first thing they mentioned was um
054that they hope we realize they hope people realize but I think they meant mostly board members that there's more to a student than just graduation. So I appreciate that that last slide um to tell that there's more there always more to the story than what you can say with data. But having said that, um, credit deficiency list decreased by 63%. That has to be good because it's credit deficiency and it decreased. But I hate to admit I don't know what a percent means, but I don't know what that means. Was that since when? Like question. So, uh, if you're going to ask me raw numbers, I can't give them to you because I didn't write them down, but I did do the math. Uh, and, um, I actually had it. No, I'm kidding. I didn't
055have to have it checked, but uh it was uh so we started um last year and um every quarter we have meetings with all of the cohorts to understand how things are going. And one of the things that they do um is is they put on that common sheet uh the last couple of pages are the numbers of students who are struggling for whatever reason. And so um with the core 40 it's easy to do the math. You've got to have 10 credits per year. They've got to be the right credits but you got to acrew 10 per year. So five per semester. And anybody who is not on pace. So if you don't meet that five per semester, 10 per year, you go on the credit deficient list because now there's something impeding your
056progress to graduation. And so, uh, if I look back at the very first time we had our quarterly meetings with the cohorts, um, and they put together those common sheets, I can see how many students were initially on there. And then I get I can see the over the course of last year and the course of this year, how many students have cycled on and cycled off and we're down 63% for the senior cohort. So, so it's based on what it showed in the common sheet after the first quarter of last year when the cohort started. That is correct. Okay. All right. Thank you. Yeah. My question was actually pretty close to Mr. Nalen's to kind of add to that. One of the things that was shown to us was an actual common sheet. And
057so kind of something from us is is there a way that we could see the the up andcoming cohort common sheets uh whether it be annually or semester. Um I know you guys meet quartly, but sometimes those numbers are a little raw, but that's something that Mr. N and I were discussing with the core that we met with that they'd like us to see some of that stuff, give us a better perspective. They they thought it would be helpful for the board to periodically see a comment sheet with the names wiped out. Yeah. So, that's a different request and I I feel I feel better about that. Um with you know, there's a lot of sensitive student data on there obviously and without the student data uh well the sensitive parts anyway. I do feel
058comfortable uh looking at um um finding a way to get those. Yeah. I have a question that may have a few different answers, but I'm curious. So obviously the cohort cohort model is working and it's very successful. Um and clearly you're having additional adults meeting one-on-one more consistently with students which is the obvious answer of why it would be successful. But what and this may be a question for you guys more directly. What do you think the big contributors are? Is it that communication that's more consistent? Is it identifying the need for support services? Is it collaboration with IGRAD? I mean, what what are your biggest takeaways when working with your cohort? Wow. Um, so I can answer that in a word and and it's focus. Um, and and it really is it's so every
059week they meet as a group. Um, and they sit down and they talk about who needs help, what kind, and how can we get it to them. And I mean that is literally the the focus of the meeting. And so, you know, when you're a counselor uh on a ninth grade team and you're worried about ninth graders and specifically nth graders who are credit deficient or tth graders, 11th graders, I'm focusing on that group of students. Um, in a traditional high school setting, you don't necessarily get that. You get a counselor who's got some ninth graders, some 10th graders, 11th graders, 12th graders. They're all dealing with different things and they're at different stages of their of their high school career and it requires a different a different kind of answer. And so when you're
060able to group them together as a grade level and then talk about the collaboration with all of the I mean so as a part of that focus we're we're communicating with outside agencies as as a way to to get folks help that they they need um whatever that help may be. And so my answer to that is focus. I and I'm just going to add to that because we just I said in the same two cohort meetings this morning that Mr. Edwards did and I wrote down on my sheet of paper this morning. I'm going to share that with you now. It centers the student in the conversation. So we oftent times like to look at our systems. We like to look at departments and what's happening in those departments. This puts a specific group
061of students who are struggling to be successful at the center of the conversation and then says, "What problems do we need to solve to get there?" They're spending nearly, you know, every minute of every day working with specific names. Um, sometimes they look across their their whole group when they get a minute to or when I ask questions during their cohort meetings about, okay, what do what's happening across this group that we might be able to make some changes or address it from a re resource perspective. Um but it's given us an opportunity when we leave those to sit down and look at our notes and say okay what kinds of things when they are dealing with these things at an individual student level what can we talk about at the next level up and
062the next level up from that and then I told them before my my next hope for them is we start swimming upstream just one grade level at a time and so if you're looking at your incoming eighth graders that are going to be freshman right now what could we be doing today and last month and the month before that with those eighth graders. It centers the student and the conversation about success. Yeah. I mean, the North team was very gracious and allowing me to sit in on on their team meeting and it's clear that they truly know their students. So, I think that it's having a tremendous impact and I thank you all for what you're doing. You have something to I I do I I don't have a question, but I want to respond
063to Miss Lloyd's question. Um because one of the things that I was really really impressed with with the meeting, they identified needs for students, but before they left the meeting, they had it on their notes who was going to follow up on which need. So it wasn't just talking about kids needs, but it was making sure someone was going to act on each thing they identified. Um ju just a couple question. The improvement is is amazing and it's appreciated. I think what is an achievable worldclass goal? It's okay not to say 100% because I are you talking about in terms of a number achievable world class goal. So I'm going to answer your question without answering your question and and then if you're like that's not what I'm looking for then I'll answer it again.
064Um, I I I think it's I I like to talk in terms of sports analogies sometimes because folks like sports and they watch sports and they get it. Um, and um, you know, I just remember a few years ago when Purdue just was not they did not have a very good basketball team. And so um, a couple years ago they had a a really good basketball team. And so I think folks get it when we talk about sports teams, how you can be up sometimes and how you can be down sometimes because the athletes aren't the same. And so when we start to talk about students and can we reach this number, it's the it's the same thing um in terms of everybody's individual potential. And so trying to say that we can always reach
065this number is hard to to say um because it's not the same group of kids. Now, if we had the same group of kids year in and year out or they all had the same ability, um, then we could probably get a little bit closer to to a number, um, so it's it's it's hard to say, but I think we can stay in that window. But that's not what you're looking for, is it? I think I think we can stay in that window between um 80 88 89 to 90 92 fairly consistently. Um, and then some years we'll have great years and and and break above that. And then last question, new diploma starts with incoming freshmen next year. Is that true? How how do we think that will impact graduation rates for those kids
066in four years? Oh, uh, that's a good question. Um, and can can I ask you to ask it again in the in the in the context of this next I'm 0 for two. Yes, of course. No, no, no, no, you're not. You're not. It's a great question. But I think there are some things here that will come to light that will be like, "Oh, okay. I understand the answer a little bit better." I understand. We're still learning a lot. So, it's fair. Yep. Absolutely. Thank you, Lo. Logan, I I know you just texted me. I am texting with him just because I think it's hard for Logan to hear at times, but is there anything you wanted to ask or weigh in on on this topic? Oh, I'm good on this topic. I appreciate it.
067Okay. Thank you. All right. Next, we have new diploma requirements. Next is the new diploma requirements. Okay. Um and so I'm going to start by giving an overview. Um so next slide please. And I I think it's um the first important thing that needs to be pointed out is that starting with the class of 2029, uh the current eighth grade class, all students will be required to earn the new diploma, uh the new Indiana diploma by meeting new graduation requirements. And it's also important to note that um the requirements are set by the state. So, all schools issuing an Indiana diploma must meet these requirements. Uh, and the schools and districts may offer different courses that meet those requirements, but we don't get a say in the structure of the new diploma. So, I think
068that's really important and a little bit critical to point out. Um, so everybody must earn the base diploma. That's another thing that is is important. Um but there are options of adding on uh what are called seals and seals are earned through specific coursework, academic performance, uh attendance and then different seals have different requirements. Next slide. I love this slide. Um I love it. You can almost feel the anticipation looking at it. So the stage is set literally like uh there's fl there are flowers on the stage. There's you know uh I think Mr. Clark's standing on that stage. There are some uh chairs in the background. The crowd is gathered. The band is waiting. Uh the the the band director is waiting for his queue. Everybody they're they're ready. And so this is my
069way of saying we're in the same place. We're we're ready. There are a lot of things flying at us and there are a lot of new requirements, but we've done a lot of work and I feel like we're ready. Next slide. So, this is a kind of a timeline um and I'd like to go through it and kind of talk about what we did when we found out and kind of where we find ourselves right now. So, in summer around August is when we found out uh or when we started to pick up uh some steam here. we received the second iteration of the new diploma and the first iteration uh we had received was not a non-starter and so this one was better uh it was a vast improvement over the first draft um
070so then starting in September what we did or what I did rather was put together uh some secondary administrators it was all of the building administrators uh and the department chairs because they were critical their voices were critical in this process as well and we met on a weekly basis. Uh CA was invited to those meetings and CA attended those meetings and participated. So, and the goal though really was to start to understand the difference in the requirements and what the implications could be. So, I mentioned the department chairs earlier. We heard from the department chairs. They put together presentations based on uh their vantage point. So if I was the English department chair, I was looking at the new English requirements and trying to understand how it was going to impact my department, how
071it was going to impact students. And that is kind of the update or the report that we received. And we asked all of the core departments to do that. We asked all of the um um related arts departments to do that. So we heard from a lot of folks about the new diploma. Um, and so we um were trying to figure out how the transition was most likely going to affect us. Uh, and I also sat in a a mapping exercise. Uh, actually was here in this building and really what we did was put all these posters on the wall and we looked at what a ninth grade student would have to take to earn the base diploma, what a ninth grade student would have to take to earn each of the seals. And what
072that did was that gave us some uh understanding of what our limitations were and what are some of the things that we needed to do to make sure that we were ready to go for for students on day one next year. So it was very it was very helpful in terms of putting together a support structure. Um we got state board approval in December. Uh and then right now we are in the midst of staffing and so we're looking at how we're going to staff our buildings based on these new requirements and then what we see students signing up for as a result. Uh April 2nd it was signed into law and so now really it's just uh the countdown to uh to imple implementation. Next slide. Okay. Um if you are looking at this
073what you see on the left hand side is the core 40. So that's right now and then what you see on the right hand side is the new diploma. So that is next fall. Um core 40 is simple again in terms of understanding the structure. There's 40 credits that you have to earn. With the new one there are 42. So there are fewer options um I'm sorry there are more options given on the right hand side with the new diploma. Um there is the base diploma which is highlighted up there and then each of the uh things under there the seals that is a different version of the base diploma. So if you're counting there are seven different versions at least seven different versions of the diploma up there. What I don't have listed on
074the right hand side is the alternate diploma that will still be in play. So there will be at least eight different versions of a diploma that a student could earn. You also see the language on the left is not consistent with some of the language on the right. So, we will start to phase out core 40 language. Um, and we'll start referring to the new diploma. It's also called the base diploma. And then we'll also start talking about seals. So, we're going to have to get some new vocabulary around the new diploma as well. Next slide. Okay. So, you have at your seat uh a two-pager. It looks like looks like this. This is that this slide. Okay. So, the what you see up there now, those are the requirements for the new diploma. Um
075but this one at your seat is probably a heck of a lot easier to read. And then it also compares it to the core 40 on the left hand side. So, I wanted to take a minute to look at this and talk about how it's a little bit different. Again, I talked about core 40 is 40 credits and 42 for the new diploma. Um, and if you look, you can see that on your sheet, English stayed at 8, uh, math increased from six credits to seven, science increased from 6 to 7, social studies decreased from 6 to 5, and PE health uh, decreased from three to two. And there's a total of 11 electives uh with the core 40 with the new diploma there are 12. So uh if we really zoom in uh what
076you see is in the English department I'm going to try to stay out of the weeds um because it it'd be really easy to to talk about um again well the weeds. So if you look at English what you see um is you see there are two credits in English 9, five additional English credits and then a credit in communication focused course. So you have to take a communications course. That is a new requirement. Although it's a new requirement, it's not a new course. So we have courses that will meet that requirement for our students. Uh math, same thing. It increase from six credits to seven. Personal finance is now a requirement. And although it is a requirement, again, it is not a new course. It is a course that has been on the books
077for us for quite some time. And so again, we have teachers who can teach that to our students and they will be able to meet that requirement. Science, technology, and engineering. That was the first thing that I noticed is that it's not just science. They call it science, technology, and engineering. So that increase from six credits to seven. So you have to take the two credits in biology and then the the new one is uh you have to take a computer science class. So that becomes a requirement. Again, it was on the books, not a new class, but it is a new requirement. And then they use some language down there at the bottom where it says two STEM focused credits. And so that's interesting because when you start to look at the list of
078required classes, there are a lot of classes that fall under um STEM focused that aren't necessarily a science class per se. And so there are a lot of classes on that list that we offer. Some through CTE, some are advanced science courses. Uh biomemed, for example, would be one that that would uh meet the science, technology, and engineering requirement. Um, so we're prepared to offer those classes, but now there are requirements. And so the thing about that is now we have students who are taking those classes and where they're taking those classes, maybe they aren't taking some of the other ones that we had. Uh, and so that is going to require some analysis. When you look at social studies, social studies uh, decreased. So you had to take six credits in social studies. And
079so with the core 40, you had to take a US history, you had to take a world history, you had to take government, you had to take econ. Now there's a US history, there's a world history, and you have to take government. Econ is no longer a required course. Um, which, uh, the social studies department folks had a lot to say about and actually a lot of people had a lot to say about it. Um, but I want to highlight where it says two credits, world perspectives. It's highlighted under social studies and that's because there's some flexibility there. So, if I'm a world language student and I am taking level three and or above, I can actually get social studies credit for taking a world language class. So, again, there are some there are some
080places where the state has built in um some flexibility. And then when you look at PE health, uh, fizzed under core 40, you had to have two sections of or two semesters of PE. Now you have to have one. So that decreased. Uh, preparing for college and careers PCC. Again, that is something that we offer through our uh, C4, career tech ed, and we are prepared to offer that to every student because it is now a requirement. Next slide. Okay. Um, the second sheet of paper that you have talks about the readiness seals and that's what this slide talks about. It talks about the seals. So, we're going to make a shift from talking about honors diplomas um, academic honors, uh, tech honors to talking about honors seals. So the seals again are earned in
081addition to your base diploma. So everybody has to earn the base and then you can add on a seal. Um the seals are meant to recognize achievement beyond just the base diploma and intended to give students some currency. Um and I'll explain that here in just a minute. The seals are organized around the three E. So that would be things that you think about students doing after they leaving high after they leave high school. So they usually enroll in an institution of higher learning, they go directly into employment or they enlist. And so those are the three E um and that is how the seals are arranged. You can get an honors enrollment seal, honors employment seal, an honors enlistment and service seal. And then you can go next level and get an honors plus
082seal. Again, the seals are uh the intent is for students to walk away with currency. So, um I am meeting cor I'm sorry, I am meeting postsecary readiness uh at a very high level. If I get the uh honors plus seal, if you look at the honors seal, it is very comparable to what we now call the academic honors diploma. So students won't feel much difference in pursuing an academic honors diploma. I'm sorry, in pursuing uh an honors seal uh as they did pursuing the academic honors, it's virtually the same. But when you step up to the honors plus seal, um it becomes uh more rigorous. And so just a few things that I wanted to to point out. The employment honors requires 150 hours of work-based learning and it has an attendance goal. The
083honors plus requires 650 hours of work-based learning. And so those are some pretty high hurdles to clear. Um and so that is um some of the those are some of the things that we spent talk spent time talking about when we were meeting to look at readiness seals. How are we going to get kids readiness seals or how are we going to get students ready for readiness seals? Um I think one of the things that we're probably concerned about is capacity. Um you heard me in my last presentation say about 50% of our student body is going to pursue I'm sorry is going to get an honors diploma of some kind. So when we think about students pursuing the honors plus seal, um that's a lot of students who need a 150 hour or um
084if you're doing the honors plus in uh employment, that's a lot of students who need a 650 hour work experience. And so that is one of the concerns that we have is how do we meet this capacity? Um, we don't know what that's going to look like yet in terms of the number of students who are going to pursue, but if we're looking at past practice or or how students have graduated with us before, it gives us pause. Um, and so we've got some things to kind of figure out on that. So, our expectation is for every student to earn a seal. That's our expectation. And I that's it's lofty. And we'll say that, you know, right out of the gate. It's lofty. But we're going to treat every student as though they can earn
085a seal uh from day one. Um and then and you know if they if they fall out of that pathway um you don't necessarily have to earn a seal. Well, just not necessarily. You don't have to earn a seal. So next slide. A readiness seal is not required for graduation. So if they don't earn the readiness seal, they still have to complete the pathway. And the thing that I want to emphasize to everybody is that we do that right now. We do that right now. We talk about these three buckets that students have to uh earn in order to to be able to graduate. Next slide. And those are the three buckets. So number one, you have to earn a diploma. That's the first thing you have to do. in order to graduate. The second
086thing that you have to do is you have to learn and demonstrate employability skills. And if you look, there are three ways to do that. There's the work-based learning, there's a service-based learning, and there's a project based learning. All students in BCSSE demonstrate employability skills by completing a senior project. So, we've got everybody covered there. pathway or I'm sorry, bucket number three, complete a postsecondary readiness competency. And there are a lot of ways you can do this. Um, you can get your honors seal, right? You can uh score 1250 on the SAT, which is you five uh I believe it's 560 math, 590 writing. You can score 26 on the ACT. Uh you can get your CTE concentrator. Uh that's uh principles one and two and then a and then a capstone. Uh you can
087can uh take the ASVAB. You got a score 31 on the ASVAB. You can get this industry recognized credential. We give away TW we don't give away. I'm sorry. Students have the opportunity to earn 12 of those through our C4 uh courses. And then dual credit. You can do dual credit. You have to have six verifiable transcripted college credits. Or you can do uh AP, four credits AP and take the AP test. Or you can do a mix of dual credit and AP. You can earn three dual credits and two AP and take the test. So there are a variety of ways that we can get students a post-secary readiness competency. And if you meet those three, you still graduate and you don't necess you don't have to have a seal, but they're there. uh
088for folks who want to work through them. So uh we can skip the next two slides, but let me tell you why. First, uh these are exactly what you have as a handout in front of you. So I wasn't going to originally put the handout in front of you, Dr. Phillips, and I think it'd be a good idea if we gave them the two-page printout. And so you have that two-page printout, and so we could skip those. This is pretty cool. Um, and it's lofty, but it's cool. The first thing I want to do, though, is apologize if I've offended anybody because your logo is too small or it's not in the right order. Uh, when I did that, I was just trying to make them fit. So, full disclosure. Okay. So, if you, the
089governor just announced uh two weeks ago uh in partnership with these seven uh institutions, if you get if you achieve, if you earn your honors plus enrollment seal, you are auto accepted into any one of those universities. So when they say we want you to leave with currency, that is what they mean. The seals give you currency. There's this further proof that you're ready to do something or that you've worked hard to achieve something. And so on the other side of it, you you get to autoenroll in one of those seven institutions. And there are benefits for employment honors plus and enlistment honors in enlistment in service uh plus. But the uh most glaring again is uh autoenrolled into one of those seven institutions. So I wanted to um bring your attention to that. Um
090but anyway, that is an overview of what's going on with the new diploma and I'm sure you have questions and uh in some cases I may have great answers. Please, we'll start it off. Uh, one of the big things for me is on the Alistment uh, honor seal is JOTC. I know we don't have a program. I know it's not a requirement because there's another uh, sure uh, requirement that could be completed. Is that something that we're looking to explore? I I spoke with Dr. Parsons about that last week and it's kind of iffy. I do know that there are ones in the area. So, I don't know if we could partner kind of like the C4 program. Um, I do know that Evansville specifically, as big of a program as it is, they have
091one specific JROC program for Evansville only. So, I didn't know it could be easy Columbus only as well, but Yep. So, that's a great question and I have kind of an answer. Um I'm we are exploring a potential partnership. Uh but because it's potential and because it's new, uh I've been asked not to identify anything by name, but yes, we recognize that as a need, there's an area partner who understands it is a need and we are looking to partner in order to be able to offer JOTC to our students. Is that fair, Dr. Phillips? Yes. And I'll just add that there's this there's a balance to be struck between meeting student demand for programs and then putting out programs and trying to recruit students into them. And this is just not one in in
092the last decade or so that we've had a whole bunch of students come and say, "Hey, if we had this opportunity to be in JOTC, um we would love it. We'd take advantage of it and we would stay there for four years." So, we want to make sure we're not putting a program out there, putting resources behind it, and then struggle for four years to find enough kids. It's that balance between we have the demand and then the resources to offer the program. A question. I have a couple curriculum questions. I have many, but I'm going to limit it. Um, so you might have said this, the communication focused course. You mean that we don't need a new course because it's already incorporated in our English courses? Like can you so do curriculum for English
0939, English 10, whatever that it includes that or so the answer to that question is we have courses that meet that the requirements. And so when I'm looking at the uh list of approved courses that would count toward communications, uh we've got journalism, digital media, um um let's see mass media, radio and TV, bizom, visual communications. So we have everything that I just read off are courses that we offer. And so we have courses that will meet uh those needs. But to answer your question, we are also looking at reinstating just communications speech class. So So possibly adding a course that some students would take, but it wouldn't be everybody has to take it. Is that that is right. That that's correct. There's some flexibility in how they'll be able to meet that credit. And
094it's students that take I don't know what we call the courses, but if they're doing newspaper and yearbook, is that considered? Yes. Okay. Um, good question. And personal finance, I think right now are personal finance courses through the business department. Is that So that's complicated too. Uh, it's a good question. Uh, and yes, it is through the business department. Um but also it falls under um social where did I say that falls? It falls under um one of the core departments also and so we can use lure from that department to teach those courses. Okay. Yep. I because it I'm wondering if there's some connection to economics to an economics class. Can it be part of an economics class? And and so you're hitting like you're like you're on the nose. So when we looked
095at um how we were going to be impacted um personal finance comes under math. Um when we were looking at how we were going to be impacted in the social studies department because econ isn't isn't a a necessary thing anymore for the incoming freshman class. It was like okay well how how can these folks how can they can how can they help us with these new requirements? And so one of the licenses that we can use to teach personal f finance is an econ license and those are very closely related. And so those folks will feel at home teaching those courses. I will say though that uh we've got to phase this in. So we will still have sophomores, juniors, and seniors next year that do need to meet the econ requirement for their core
09640. And it will it will move through like a wave. And then in four years we'll we won't have that requirement anymore. And um and I you helped somewhat my understanding under science when it says two STEM focused courses those can be science courses but they could also be really it's to give you the freedom of counting like and the engineering courses as yes meeting that requirement. Okay. Yes. And it is a very long list of uh courses that would uh meet that requirement. networking, uh, cyber security, computer integrated manufacturing. Um, and these are all courses we offer. Principles of engineering, uh, civil engineering and architecture, um, in animal sciences, like the plant and soil science, like there website, uh, uh, database development, software development, um, there are a lot of courses that would meet
097that standard. So I think my question is when I first read it, my reaction was well the S in STEM mean science. So what science course would not meet that? But but it's really to go beyond what's in the science department could still meet it. Is that that is correct. Okay. And my last question is um under employment and enlistment um one of the requirements is you mentioned the attendance goal. Do we know how high of a goal that is? And and is it a concern that freshmen don't quite understand that they might burn a bridge their freshman year in terms of attendance that they can't recover? I don't know that I've seen it written what that goal is. I would bet it's 95%. Um but I I I don't know that I've seen it
098written. Um and so there are a lot of uh missing pieces to this puzzle that we're waiting on. And that is not me being critical. I understand that uh the folks at the state are going 100 miles an hour and they'll get it to us when they can, but I don't know that I've seen that. That may be one more thing we drop in the laps of our cohort teams, I think. So, I'm glad you brought that up. The cohort teams do uh talk about attendance. It's one of their metrics that they measure and pay attention to. Um and they know who is meeting the standard of 95 and above. They know who's chronically attendant, uh chronically absent, and they know who's in between. And so yes, that is something that they pay attention to
099and and definitely chase. So I I appreciate this update. I know it's kind of been a moving target for quite a while. Um and I also appreciate the challenge that that we will have. I guess that the staffing impact isn't next year. It's as as we roll this out, it's going to affect staffing different ways. Yes. And it's it's very uh we like to say there are com complexities uh that we're going to have to deal with in the coming years as it rolls. Yep. Yeah. To that point, Dale, I mean, it's not just staffing, but you you're 5% more credits required now. So, how many kids that are struggling to get to 40 today will have that much of a harder time getting to 42, which means the cohort teams are going to have
100to work that much harder to ensure that those kids are on track their freshman year, right? So, it's going to have to happen early because it's hard to catch all that up at the end. Yeah. So, on that note, I next year the Wen household will have a graduating senior and an incoming freshman. So, I just thought I understood the diploma my oldest is going to get. And now I need to relearn this with my son, which will be fun for all of us. Mr. Parsons, Dr. Parsons, I don't know if you're still there, but we're going to be right there to help you. So, what will we do for parents of incoming freshmen so that they can because we've already signed up for classes. This may or may not change what any student would
101like to take now knowing that the the line has moved a little bit. That's a great question. And so, uh, two things. We have, uh, sent folks to the middle schools to talk about what those requirements are, um, in in the, you know, while folks were signing up for classes. And so, I know that that has happened. But the other piece of it is is when you're a freshman, you're pretty much scripted. You're pretty much locked into uh, what you're going to take, and it's not going to waver a whole lot outside of that. And so the things that you're going to start to take to uh fulfill your requirements are going to happen later in high school. So there are these um like a like a base within the base diploma that everybody has
102to achieve and so we'll set folks on that on that path their freshman year and then yes we'll be able to roll out the other stuff as as they need it. Okay. And this might be for Miss Mr. Huck or Mr. Edwards, but will any of our trades related C4 programs be considered as STEM credits like welding, drafting, um obviously technically the answer to that question is I believe so. Um and I've like I've got the list here in front of me. Um and it is it's an impressive list. So I've got to believe that the answer is yes. Good questions. Wow. It's the Mr. Edwards night. Our next topic, if we don't have any other questions, is CSA New Tech. And uh we have some people in the back from CSA New Tech. Yep,
103I see. Mr. Gable's coming up here to join me. And I said to him, uh Mr. Geel, um I am happy to give this presentation. And he said, uh he's a very proud CSA principal. And so I'm going to stand in the wings and if he needs me, he's going to give me a nod. Sounds good. Thank you, uh Mr. Edwards and thank you to the members of the school board for taking some time to listen to our request regarding a potential amendment to the CSA New Tech school profile. And I'd probably not be a big fan or my faculty wouldn't be a big fan if I didn't say thank you guys for sticking around and and showing support as we consider this change. So your consideration of this is greatly appreciated and it reflects
104your commitment to supporting the continued growth and success of CSA New Tech. CSA New Tech is a project-based learning magnet program that's been part of our community since 2008. It was established under the leadership of then director of secondary education, Bill Jensen, with a strong support from local business partners and higher education institutions. From the very beginning, CSA Newech has been grounded in innovation. It was part of the nation's first K12 pathway built around the new tech network model. That model puts project-based learning or PBL at the core of everything we do. PBL is more than just an instructional framework. It's an approach that invites students to tackle real world community oriented challenges and apply what they're learning in meaningful hands-on ways. At its core, PBL is rooted in the belief that students learn best
105when they're actively engaged in their learning, working together on projects that push their thinking, spark creativity, and develop the kinds of skills they'll need. well beyond the classroom. CSA Newech was built on this foundation and continues to be what makes our school so special. When CSA was launched, the goal was to create a unique learning pathway for students at Columbus North and Columbus East. At the onset, the reporting requirements and the logistics made it an advantage to start this as a program rather than a standalone school. While right now CSA functions a lot like a school, it is technically still a program. Students remain enrolled in their home school at either Columbus North or Columbus East. For example, right now of our 344 currently enrolled students at CSA New Tech, 178 of them are from
106Columbus North and 167 are from Columbus Columbus East. If the state looks at them, they are an east student or a North student. This structure was intentional for two big reasons when we started. The first is that CSA was new to the community and offered a very different learning model. So by tying it to north and east, we ensured that we could make it work and solidify its place in the community while we were still growing and figuring it out. The second piece is it also allowed us to launch this program without the significant expense of duplicating extracurricular programs or facilities. North students could still join band or play football at Columbus North. East students could participate in choir or um gymnastics at East. And so they were able to do that while we still
107figured out what PBL looked like in our community. By setting up CSA this way, we were able to offer that project-based learning experience while preserving access to those traditional programs, courses, and extracurriculars that our students were used to. This may have been a little bit more difficult if CSA had its own school number back then. So, as we look ahead to the future at CSA Newech, I think it's time to establish CSA Newekch as a standalone school rather than continuing as a program shared by East and North. This shift aligns with our original vision and strengthens our ability to serve students with more intention and clarity. First and foremost, this change reinforces CSA's distinct educational identity. CSA was designed as an innovative re revolutionary project-based learning pathway and formalizing our status as a school helps
108us highlight that vision not as an extension of Eastern North but as something that is uniquely its own. This transition also boosts our identity and recognition. It gives us an opportunity to celebrate our students and our culture in ways that align with our values and vision while also exper expanding our presence in the community and beyond. Additionally, we would benefit from the independent data and reporting. So, by establishing CSA Newekch as its own entity, we can set clear goals and evaluate progress using CSA specific data and metrics. This allows us to make datadriven decisions that are tailored directly to our students needs as a standalone school. It also improves our data integrity with a clear separation from east and north. In powers school, we can e more easily access student records and reporting that state
109um reporting those records to the state becomes much more straightforward, reducing the complexity and increasing the accuracy of our reports. Lastly, it's important to note that under IHSAA bylaws in Indiana code, CSA students would still have full access to the extracurricular and athletic opportunities that they have now at Eastern North. So it essentially ensures that we don't lose any of the opportunities that matter to our students. We simply simply clarify and strengthen what CSA New Techch already represents. In short, this transition preserves what works well and strengthens what makes CSA New Tech unique. This change addresses the reporting and data challenges we faced, offering a solution that enhances our ability to promote our revolutionary pathway for education. It positions us for continued success and growth, ensuring that CSA Newech remains a trans transformative educational experience.
110The future is bright and this step brings us closer to our full potential. So, I'm going to start with you've you've given us the why now. Why not now? What are the downsides of separating CSA New Tech as a different school? I it's probably more work for me, but I I think truly there's not a lot of downside. Um I think we get to continue to do what we what we've been doing um while allowing us to to kind of pull that information um separately. So one of the big challenges we've faced in the past year is that because of new reporting requirements and how it pulls data from P school, all of our classes are actually housed at Columbus North. So when we go into power school, we have to search for our kids
111through an alt building code and north has to search through their kids while containing all of our students both east and north. So um by moving to our own school, we would have our a power school system that was dedicated to just our students. And so when we go and have those same cohort type meetings and we talk about student success and who's failing and who's not, ultimately we'd be able to do that without having to dig through the other 2,300 students at North and we'd be able to pull our our records right directly from there. So I can see you have faculty support because they're back there. Um, have you talked about this with the students, the current students, and what has been their reaction? Yeah, we've had we've had some informal conversations with
112students. Um, and we've we've put some of this out with parent square as we kind of explored this opportunity and asked for their feedback. Students are generally pretty excited about it. There's certainly some that have questions about like, can I still play sports? Can I still do those things? still if you don't have, you know, AP computer science at your school, can I still go and take that at my home school? And and when they kind of when we assure them that that part doesn't change, I think they're all in. I also know that we have some seniors right now who are kind of jealous of the fact that they will get an Eastern North diploma, but next year seniors would get a CSA new diploma. So, I think in general, the reaction has been
113very positive around um the conversations we've had with staff and students and families. And I think you just answered my other question. You mentioned extracurricular, but if there's courses that are offered at East or North but not at CSA Newech, they can Yeah, that that is correct. So, we would still allow those those courses if it's something that we can't offer, don't offer band, for example. We're not going to start a band next year at CSA New Tech. They will still be able to travel to to their home school. questions. So with uh the addition of creating new tech as a standalone school, will it be adopting its own cohort model and what would that look like if that was the case? So I think that we already kind of have adopted that cohort model
114just without the official label. I mean that there's a difference like we have 400, you know, students maximum. So we're not going to have a freshman cohort, a sophomore, we'll have a CSA new tech cohort. Um and and quite frankly, I think part of that conversation, we've been doing that individual deep dive with students for a long time. Um with with who we are as a school, I think we've been able to say, "Okay, we've got 360 kids. We can get down and know every single one of them, understand what their needs are, and if they're struggling, put them in contact with with the right agencies or the right supports to to be able to graduate." So, I think it yes, we will have that structure. It it will look a little different at our
115school than it does at at North or East, but we absolutely will um work on that same that same model. Going to jump in. Yeah. So, when we were introducing the cohort model and talking about why um it would work here, I referenced CSA New Techch. I talked about how they were small and we needed to make our high schools smaller because they were so big and we were looking at things that CSA Newekch, what were they doing? What was where was the magic there? So, um they very much do uh some of the things that uh the cohort models um are are doing in in the in the bigger high schools. Josh, to that point, can you I I know that the your building decided to repurpose a position recently. Can you speak to
116that change for that posting that went out just last month? Yeah, so we um going into this school year, we had a a math position open that we were not able to fill. we we didn't find a candidate that we thought would add value at that time. Um and so we had that open position this this entire year. Um looking at at that position, we decided going into next year that we'd like repurpose that position as an academic coach to add one more member to our cohort team to look at the data with us to help provide supports for students. And so, you know, we didn't add an academic coach. We repurposed our math position as a as an academic coach because we were able to to make the math numbers work with our current
117staff. So, we're really excited about having an academic coach because the last couple years we've been doing some of that work. Now, having another person on that team is just going to add to the the ability to to reach more students for sure. And I think it's implied where you're going you're not asking for money tonight because this is budget neutral. this decision is budget neutral. Is that that's Yeah, that's correct. Yeah. And I'll just add one more element to the I think this at least my brain at the beginning of the school year went to this as a possibility because of the lack of clarity around the accountability systems we have in place. each of the the four cohorts from each of the high schools, those eight teams have to take out the CSA
118students and move them over here every time they report and say, "Okay, well, these are CSA students and so their numbers look this way. Here's what our numbers look like." Uh and ultimately when those graduation rates are published in the paper and we celebrate them um those show up as north and east students now that account accountability system will be clear that those are CSA new tech students and their graduation rate is their graduation rate as well as the other metrics that come along with being your own school member. The things that you've put up here are very high level intangible on paper right now. Do you have anything tangible that proves why this is the best option moving forward? Such as what are your improvements to projected attendance, your projected graduation rate, your projected
119classes that you offer on the CSA New Tech campus versus how much usage of North and East you'll have. So it it says program now we're going to make it a high school. So what what is the end result? What should we expect to see uh if we were to commit to this from a performance standpoint for the school? None of those things change. None of those things change in this model. The academic offerings, the opportunities for students stay exactly as they are today. So the only advantage is the data management uh separating out the data. I'd say the if you're going to put them in two categories, the data management that the whole team is dealing with, including our technology department, but then also from a a branding and recruitment perspective for new tech.
120I the only thing I have in a branding issue is last year we sat here and watched the top 10 uh at East and there was a kid that didn't use the East logo. They used the new tech logo. So the branding works when it's needed and when it's desired. I just I'm struggling to see. I mean if it's a brand and an identity and all that and it's not going to result in improved educational outcome, I'm struggling to see where it's an advantage. There's the I guess we could get our entire technology department to add some some context to the work that they have to do because I don't have a number as far as the number of hours or um you know kind of the the amount of technical hoops that are being
121jumped through at the state level or sorry at the at the district level as well as the fact that Norse guidance department has to do a whole lot of work. We don't have all of that. um quantified because there is no downside. So it's there used to be a downside in that if you did this kids could not participate in extracurriculars and co-curriculars. State changed that uh actually a long time ago. U but after new tech was established the state changed that. So um it was probably even in the summer when we started looking at it and saying okay what are the downsides? What if we did this? what would happen that would take opportunities away from students. Couldn't come up with a single one. And then had this long list of all of the
122bureaucratic and the time the logistical work that has to be done more at North and at East, but also at New Techch and then in our technology department. It became a a pretty clear it'd be good to have an estimate of that. That way we understand what because right now if we just change this I don't I don't see uh tangible return on investment in any way shape or form. It would be good if you if you have some data that says you know uh we're having to spend 432 hours a semester doing data analysis because of this. We can put a dollar next to that and show that it's an improvement. that is then more time that the counselors can spend with kids versus doing data. And so it also is another thing that
123helps support things like the whole LHP work that was being done that ties back to your uh request for a data analyst person that this might be yet another way that we can do data analysis uh improvements in the future that help reduce cost. And so that's just again showing the return on investment for that person as well. We can do that if you like, but there is literally no investment. There's no additional investment in Jason. I I can speak to that a little bit from a different perspective. And this predates our I I think cohorts really brought this to a head, but CSA started in 2008. Is that Yes. And and so since then when I was math department chair here, every time we got reports on state tests, we had to go through
124and sort through because it did not include students that we had control over in terms of their math. It include it included CSA students and they would have to do the same thing. They would get a state report and have to pull out, okay, now let's pull out our students and see how we did. Um, and and it really does complicate things. And I mean, when you're looking at at initiatives, what you're going to do to improve some of those scores, it it depends which students and some of those students are here and some of those students are here. And yet in the report, they're all mixed together. So, it's and that's all I'm getting at is there's data analysis. Yeah. So, I don't know if we ever kept track of how much time that
125took, but but it made the reports way less efficient and useful than they could have been. Yep. I think the point is it's less. So, so I'm and I to say that I I think this is a win for East North and CSA Newekch. Um, but the other part, the branding from the student perspective, I think it will mean something to CSA students that this is their high school. This isn't just where they take classes and they're really officially at East or North, but this is their high school. I don't know if this is helpful, but there's like three components that we mainly look at. One is the state takes our data every year now, and as of last year, we couldn't do any modifications to it. So we had to put CSA under Columbus
126North which resulted in 30,000 errors in terms of courses and teachers and students matching everything. So that's a small component but the bigger one is the data piece. So North counselors there's things built into the system to allow them to schedule students easily. They can't use it because new tech is within their SIS in their system and that creates boundaries. And then what Dale just said about anytime we look at data, we have so many exclusions and things we have to take out. So quantifying it, anybody working with any data set in any of our systems is adding time to try to figure out and including new tech. Newekch has to go in North and in East to even look at attendance rates right now. It's just a immense amount of work on everybody's part
127to try to make it work. Thank you. Um I'd like to give Logan a chance to chime in. I think he was he was trying to Thanks Nick for helping us understand that. Yeah. Hope hopefully I'm coming across. Okay. I guess the the question I have is mostly is what have we done to procure the information from parents andor students regarding the diploma offerings. And like the reason I asked this is CSA came out about I think 1 year after I graduated um if I recall and I actually went ahead and texted a lot of my friends given this news that we got on Saturday and I've gotten a couple of texts from parents that have actually said that they would consider going to North or East given the diploma differences while I've also seen
128about I'd say half the students saying they are excited about a diploma that would say CSA new tech. So my concern is is do we have enough data to know that this wouldn't be destabilizing to the current population? Um given that you would be introducing this midway through a lot of folks's uh high school curriculum. Um and you know what information have we received from parents? Because the ask here I mean to be frank is I've got I know this was there was mentionings of this coming. I believe this was brought to us in the board packet on Thursday. There was a newspaper article on Saturday. I don't feel like I've had enough time to really ask constituents about this to give a good honest vote. Um, I understand the data integrity, but I really
129am focused on the students and the parents and like have you pulled them to see like how they feel in terms of that specific diploma situation? Because that was a big selling point back in the 2008 eras. You still get a north or an east diploma. So when you say differences in diploma, are you are you literally talking about whether it says north or east or Yeah. When they Yeah. Because they get to graduate either north or east, but they also get to participate in the graduation ceremonies which is a big deal as well for many of them because they do go to North and East andor participate in North or East athletics. Mr. Gable, you put this out in your newsletter two weeks ago. Is that right? Did you receive any any feedback at
130this point in time? Yeah, I I did not receive any calls um or responses to that newsletter. Um can't promise they all read it closely, but I didn't I didn't get any of those. The other thing is, you know, on a on a given year, the number of students who would participate at our graduation ceremony and at East or North is probably under 10. Um, I think east we have four kids right now who have indicated that they plan to walk at both. Um, and then north is probably similar. I don't have that list in front of me, but it's usually a pretty small number. And that's generally athletes um that that end up deciding they want to walk at both. So, it's it's generally a pretty small number of students who who take advantage
131of both ceremonies. Um, so it it's not a huge number of our class that would do that. And board members, there's nothing magic about a requirement on an approval for this this evening. Um I I think we technically have until the end of August. We do not in any way want to wait till the end of August because fall athletics will have started by that point in time. But uh it could be it could be considered next month if in fact you wanted. This was not at all intended to be a uh anything we thought would raise any controversy. But after the newspaper article uh from last Saturday and then this evening's board meeting, we certainly should hear from folks if there are concerns we haven't heard from at this point in time, but we
132also didn't receive any after the newspaper article hit on Saturday, but does not need to be. We could pull that one out if you wanted to wait another month. Sorry, new tech teachers back there supporting tonight. You don't have to come back in May. It's all the way in uh August 31 to modify your your school district accountability system, but we like like I said, we would want that approval in May uh at the latest to get everything set up for from a system standpoint. Nick actually would love it earlier than that. I know. Thank you. Thank you. All right. The next cabinet report is going to be a brief one. You've seen this one already um uh in some cases some parts of it twice, but it's just a second reading of the the
133policy uh that policies that were first posted on March 14th online. First reading was at the board meeting on March 31 and then um this second reading this evening is for approval. This one includes these eight policies up on the screen in front of you now uh from wellness starting at A275 down to armed security which was presented at the last meeting and also related to the uh additional appropriation hearing for this evening. Happy to take any questions on the second reading of package four of the policy board policy reorganization if you have any. Okay, Mr. Brineer, try to stay quiet while you're talking finance. I'll try not to butt in. I think the printed agenda says on the agenda I had Dr. Boseman was next so presentation and the paper agenda are not in
134the same order. Sorry about that. That's okay. Um real quickly uh Mr. Nan just to answer something you said about the budget. um latest figures we received last week from the Legislative Services Agency when they calculated in the curricular funding, we were still able to get 2% increase for next year and 2% the following year. That was we we haven't got those numbers in hand, but that's what they're telling us. And when we factor in that $2.4 million or yeah, $2.4 billion shortfall the state has, um I'm thankful that we're getting the 2%. So, um, something Dr. Boseman and I discussed a lot on Friday, just thankful we're getting anything when other agencies are getting flatlined or cut. So, um, let's look at our first quarter, which uh, again was a a great first quarter
135for BCSC. Um, revenues for the education fund are up slightly, and that's due to our increase in ADM count from the fall. So, that those numbers affected our revenues for the first quarter. The operations fund is down slightly, but that all can be attributed to um no interest income for the first quarter of this year. Uh well, lower interest income for the first quarter this year. Instead of investing almost all of our money with Trust Indiana, um we have put some of our a lot of our money into securities and it's an 11-month security that we will get an interest payment in uh June. And so our second quarter we will catch up with that incre interest income amount as well as we will have our our first property tax payments at that time. And
136then operations referendum fund there is no revenue at this time because that is purely property tax revenue based. So, next up, uh, education fund expenditures. Uh, salaries are up at about 6% and a large part of that is the increase that, uh, we had for salaries, the raises we were given, plus um, we had some new positions added when the ESSER funds, those positions were rolled into the education fund. um benefits were up a little bit higher than the salaries, but that's uh turf went up another half percent this year compared to the past years the state has encouraged us to do that. And then other expenses are up uh looks kind of significant. Um it's 35% but that's timing of payments on some of our annual um fees that we have. We paid some
137in March this year that normally has been paid in April in the past. And then as we budgeted, our transfers to the operations fund are down this this year compared to years past in the operations fund. Again, salaries up due to increase in salary payments that we were able to offer as part of the budget. Benefits that are are about the same. other expenses. Again, similar to the education fund, it's timing of when we made some payments on annual annual fees. In both the education fund and operations fund, the first quarter, we are well under budgeted amounts for the year. So, we're on track there as well. The operating referendum fund expenditures, um, this is kind of exciting. on the teacher salaries, it's up 6% and a big part of that is because we've got
138about 15 more teachers that were uh are getting referendum payments there. Um, one of the big goals of the referendum was attraction or maintaining our teacher staff longer periods of time and we're seeing that result happen which is a great thing. Staff salaries are up at about the uh raise amount, benefits up as well. um safety and security uh is up significant but again that was a timing of a payment uh our payment to the um county. We paid the first quarter this year. Last year we paid it in the second quarter. And then STEM labs is also up as well. And again all of these uh lines are well within the budget expected for the year. Fund cash balances remain very strong. Education fund is down slightly. Again, that was part of our budget
139goal was we're reducing that uh level a little bit. Operations fund is up about uh $300,000. That will go up again significantly when we get that uh interest payment. Uh referendum fund is up a little bit. our health dental trust fund. As Jason was able to mention earlier, um we have added uh employees into the trust fund which increases our revenue with the premium amounts. Our expenses for the first quarter of this year are down slightly compared to last year. And then also we did have that premium increase for this year. So that has increased that fund balance. And then our debt service funds are right where we need them to be up slightly over last year. And then those payments will be made in June. And this is something you've seen several times over
140the last few years. Property tax rate history. Uh BCSC, as you can see, that third dot is in 2021. That goes up to a dollar. That was when the referendum took effect. And the board and uh Dr. Phillips over the last few years have worked very hard to make sure we've reduced that tax rate. And as of this year, uh we're at 99.81 cents. Uh which is well below the state average. Um when it says location there, that's uh 10 school corporations near to us. AV is 10 corporations throughout the state with a similar AV size to us. And budget is 10 school corporations with similar size budgets. We are well under all of those um comparables. And be glad to answer any questions you may have. and thank you for staying awake this late.
141What is the What is the total amount in reserves? It's kind of hard to calculate that. Total amount what? I'm sorry. The total amount in reserves. Last time we had a a table and it was a little bit easier to read what it was. It's kind of hard to determine what it is by the graph. about $23 million between the five funds. And the two there's two caveats I would I would encourage you to encourage encourage you to consider. Take out debt service because that's committed. It it doesn't it cannot grow greater than what limits that are put on it by the DLGF and include rainy day. And so there's 4.8 8 million in rainy day that I would add. Yeah, I think the past has been about 35 million or so roughly when you
142added them all up. So that's where I was trying to hit with that. And then the other question, so this the way it was explained to me is the 9981 includes the referendum. Correct. Correct. What would it be without that? I will get back with you on that. 15 cents less. 15 cents. Thank you. Okay. 14 and change 14.9 or so 1480 some 148 but I will send you that number tomorrow morning that that that's good enough I just wanted to get it close I my my big thing is is I want people to understand that that is with the referendum and with it we're still way lower, which we've had a conversation about referendum and I have to tell you one of the first spreadsheets that Dr. Philip showed me that almost scared me
143away was his state tax comparison spreadsheet that has all the school districts across the state, all of their tax rates going back to 2004. Something like that. Yeah. And it looks like that. That's what it looks like in the graph. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Martin. Good evening. I'll be brief with the Envision 2030 update this evening. Uh first of all, this slide you're familiar with. The only change on here is um Central Middle School, which is for your approval this evening. Uh the rest of the data on the screen is the same as it was last time. I'm happy to answer any questions that you have, but it is the same as it was before. Central Middle School, um a small portion of our envision work. Central Middle School is uh Dr.
144Phillips 18 years old now, I think. Um hard to believe, but it is. Uh improvements to the media center. Cso has worked um extensively with Mr. Payne at central and his staff on making improvements to the media center. Um there's a uh maker space in the top lefthand corner of this a green room or green screen uh podcast and video recordings and such technology support space is at the top and on the right hand side is will be the wellness area. This is all upstairs at Central Middle School. Offices there for therapists. Um that again, similar to other buildings we have, they're just kind of everywhere in that building currently. Igrad coach, a shared office, um SRO, and uh a conference room there. A few renderings of the space. Uh this is the circulation desk
145as you enter um as you enter the new the newly renovated space at Central Middle School. looking at the circulation desk. Those spaces I explained for the offices behind uh this would be in the northwest corner of the library looking back towards the entrance and uh this is uh just walking up a little bit further um looking at that same that same direction. So new furniture throughout, new flooring um and several improvements um to improve the circulation of both materials and students in that space. So for your approval tonight, um permission to award the bid for Central Middle School at $911,400 of Dunlap construction that would bring the total project cost. Go back a couple slides here. Uh you see that Central Middle School line, the budget at 1.9 and this would be in the
146total cost that project took 1.649400. So, under budget allows us um some flexibility for some additional furniture changes at Central in the future. And then we're also seeking permission to approve the, as Mr. Center mentioned, the construction manager as constructor for Mount Healthy Elementary School. Brian is here from CORE. There's Brian. I was gonna say he made it the whole time that I looked and he wasn't there anymore. So, uh Brian is here from Core Construction. uh core is our recommendation for the um CMC for Mount Healthy. They're finishing some projects in GL greater Clark schools right now. Um they they have experience with open concept schools in Muny and um they are um their rates were competitive and we're we're they interviewed well with the team. We're excited to bring them into BCSC and
147help us there. There were in your in your board packet you'll see details on four biders um four submissions rather for the CMC and our recommendation is to move ahead with core construction for the Mount Healthy project. Reminder of the upcoming dates we have um coming up in the next three weeks on the screen that are happy to answer any questions you may have. Mount healthy. Just real quick, I'm g say this. I'll think it's funny. Other people won't. Are we going to build the walls? Are we going to put walls up in the building so we can separate some of the classrooms so that the conversations don't go back and forth? We are. Good. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Uh, next on the agenda is our public comments. I'm not going to go through
148my spiel because you've all heard it before and Mr. um Cole Bennett spoke earlier during public comments um as it was on our uh school safety appropriation. So, thank you Mr. Bennett for your comments earlier, but I have no one else on the sheet tonight. Okay. Request for approval. Thank you, Mrs. W. I I just before sorry, just before you get started, I want to mention because we have a board member that is remote, all all votes will need to be um roll call. So, um so anyway, you'll hear me call everybody's name. Okay. Thank you, Mrs. Wield. First, I have just on under old business a request for approval of the minutes of the March 31st regular school board meeting. Request approval for items 8A I move that we approve um item 8A minutes
149for the regular school board meeting from our last meeting. Second. Thank you, Mr. Nalen and Mr. Glick. Is there any conversations or comments on that? No. Okay. I will abstain from the vote. You'll hear me say that during the roll calls. I was not here on March 31st, last meeting. Okay. Okay. Um Mr. Schultz, do you approve the minutes from the March 31st meeting? Yep. Okay. Uh, Mr. Glick. Yay. Mr. Nellen. Yay. Mr. Stenner. Yay. Mr. Major. Yeah. Miss Lloyd. Okay. And I will abstain. Miss Weldon abstains. Thank you very much. Under new business, there are a couple of notes. Um, first, well, I'll go through the items under new business. Um, supplemental contracts, field trips, leaves, fundraisers, and claims and payroll are the regular approval items with claims and payroll representing the tonight's docket
150for just over $2.9 million. the pre-runs from March, also just over $2.9 million. And then the payrolls for both April 4th and April 18th, uh, representing just over $7.4 million. The new approval um outside of the regular agenda items include the request to separate CSA Newekch as its own school for the district profile amendment. The secondary curricular material, secondary curricular science material was presented at the last board meeting. Elementary and secondary student handbooks. The policy reorganization package for presented earlier. the additional appropriation for the school safety officers and additional school resource officer from the operating referendum fund and then the two envision 2030 projects that Dr. Boseman just presented items K and J Central Middle School and Mount Healthy. The important note is that we need to separate out item I because it's technically an
151adjustment to our total board approved budget. And so, uh, Mr. Schultz being remote cannot participate in that vote. So, we'll automatically need to pull that one out when we go through, um, through that. Actually, I had some questions on that one that due to the short time from Thursday to today. Didn't get a chance to ask and I was going to ask if we could table that one till the next meeting to get questions answered. The additional appropriation. Yeah. The the You'll need to make a motion and see if it gets approved. Yep. So I will go ahead Mr. Scholes. Are we able to break out E and G from the general consent group here? What? Say the letters again. Uh E is in echo and G is in gamma. Logan, I think Nikki just
152told me we have to make a motion to do I. So, you might as well do a motion to move all three. We do. I don't think you have to motion to get a line item vote. No, you would. I'm just saying you would make a motion on what the vote is for, if you understand. No, I I mean I'm just asking under the traditional Roberts rule of order that ENG be pulled out as separate votes. So, can I make a motion that we approve agenda items 9 A through D, F, H, J, and K. Second. Second. Thank you, Mr. Jen and Mr. Major. So, the motion is to approve items 9 A through D, F, H, J, and K. Uh, Miss Lloyd, I'll start with you. Your vote. Yay. Mr. Major. Yes. Mr. Stenner.
153I. Mr. Non. I. Mr. Glick. Hi. Mr. Schultz. I miss also approves 70. So, I would like to make a motion that we approve agenda item Oh, well, I was going to say nine I, but you want to hold that one. That we approve item 9 I um as presented. Thank you, Mr. Nell. Is there a second for 9 I? Second. Thank you, Miss Lloyd. I think the motion is to approve agenda item 9 I which was the additional appropriation for school security offices. We'll go roll call. Mr. Schultz, this is the one I had questions about. Okay. Questions? Yeah, I I do get to ask questions. Um so, uh there's going to be four security officers. Is that still correct? Two per school. Correct. And that'll be an average salary of 39,000 for each.
154No, the appropriation is for 155. Yeah. So the appropriation is for So that's for half the August through December because then the board will consider in the fall a budget for 2026 that would include all the positions. Okay. [Music] Um, so did we clear up all the requirements that uh would allow a safety officer to carry a weapon on campuses? Do we have the policies and procedures all identified? I know that was something we had questions about before. Yeah, that that policy is within your policy um packets. I think was just approved. So everything is 100% complete in terms of policy. Yes. In terms of practice and procedure on our side, it that's still to be developed in some of those particulars, but in terms of policy, yes. And have we identified the cost for
155I know we have cost here but do we have cost that includes total yearly salaries, benefits, insurance, annual training, sidearms, armory, supervisor, ammunition, range time and cost of evaluations for psychological, physical and performance. Do we know what that total yearly cost is? Yes. The estimate is that third line on the appropriation of equipment. All all included in the equipment. That's all included in equipment. Yeah. Not not every item that you asked about is on there. So a supervisor, for example, we already have uh people in place to supervise these folks. So there's not an additional cost, but um some of the equipment and training, it's all in that equipment cost. Yes. So the in the equipment it was what 40,000 I think it's insurance training the sidearms armory ammunition range time and cost of evaluations
156included in that among many other things. Yes. Okay. The re the reason why I ask is there that was just a line item and just so everybody else knows there was no breakdown of what that was. So that's why I'm asking the questions. Um, so that helps too because I was curious about what each person's 10,000 if there was four and there'd be 10 grand a piece what the equipment was. So yeah, it's uh there's about 31 items on the list that we have that all that all rolled in anywhere from uh you know gear that they're going to wear to safes to Nazro training etc. is all listed on there. Okay. Thank you. I appreciate the breakdown. It helps me make a vote that I actually can understand. Absolutely. Okay. Are there any other
157questions or comments before we go to vote on item 9 I? Okay. I will start with Mr. Schultz. The motion that is also seconded is 9 I on the agenda. Oh, no. You don't get to vote. You don't get to vote. Take that back. Sorry. You don't get to vote because you are remote today and it involves budget. That is part of our policy. Mr. Glick. I. Mr. Nell. I. Mr. Stanner. I. Mr. Major. Yes. Miss Lloyd. Yes. Miss Wen is also a yes. Vote. 6. I move that we I hope I didn't get this right. I move that we table item G, elementary and secondary student handbooks, so that we can schedule a working session between now and our next board meeting. Second. Okay. So, there's a motion to pull out item G in
158interest of a board working session. Um, all those in favor, I will go through the list. Mr. Schultz, I Mr. Glick. Hi, Mr. Allen. Hi, Mr. Stener. Hi, Mr. Major. Yes, Miss Lloyd. Yes, Miss Wen. I'm ready, but I can wait to. So, yes. Okay. And next on the agenda, do we still have E? Yeah. And I'm I'm okay voting on this tonight, but I don't want to step on toes. motion. So, I move that we approve item E, request for um the school profile amendment for CSA Newk. Thank you, Mr. Nell. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Mr. Stunner. Motion with a second is to approve item 9E, uh, which would make CSA New Tech its own high school. Um, I'll start with Miss Lloyd. Oh, questions and comments. Thank you. So,
159sorry. Questions and comments. I believe we've Okay, we've covered it. Okay. Vote on it. Miss Sled. Hi. Mr. Major. No. Okay. Um, Mr. Ster. I um Mr. Non. I Mr. Glick. Hi, Mr. Mr. Schultz, Mr. Schultz, I Miss Wen also I vote passes 61. All right, thank you everyone. Human resources recommendations. Yes, thank you. The 22 human resources recommendations consist of one retirement, nine resignations, 11 appointments, and one leave of absence. And there are no additional personnel recommendations. So, I request that you please approve items 8, A, and B as presented. Thank you, Justice Stalb. Do you have a motion? I move that we approve items 10, A, and B under human resources. Second. Thank you, Mr. St. My goodness. Mr. Non and Mr. Major. Um, Mr. Schultz, I believe you wanted to abstain from
160this vote due to conflict of interest. Is that right? Because I I have a family member amongst the list. Yeah. Okay. So, I will not count your vote. So, the motion second on the table. Any questions or comments before we go to vote? The the only thing I would ask is if we could maybe once or twice a year get uh some summary data of exit surveys if you have those so that we understand why people leave. I know um I think it was about two weeks ago I met an auto advisory class with uh Mr. Guthrie who all the kids seem to love. Uh but I saw it I saw that uh he was resigning and I was very disappointed. Um I even saw some stuff on Columbus man. So I I I really
161am curious as to why we have um obviously people leave for different reasons, right? But um just want to understand why some of the people leave if if it's uh I mean could could be many reasons just how we can impact it so that we can keep more teachers. Okay, we have a motion and a second for item 10 AM and B. Um Mr. Schultz is abstaining. Mr. Glick. I. Mr. Non. I. Mr. Stener. Hi. Mr. Major. Yes, Miss Lloyd. I Miss Wen is also yes. Motion carries 6. Okay. Board input and review. Mr. Schultz, you've been very patient. It's hard to be remote. I would like you to start, please, if you're ready. I won't waste I won't take your time. You're okay. I appreciate all of you being uh courteous to my ability
162to hear in. I think we'll go to Mr. Glick. You finished. Uh, I'd like to start out by saying thank you to uh, Mrs. Day and Mrs. Winnicki for their tour of Schmidt and that project over there. Really impressed with what's going on over there. And, uh, hopefully by the end of next year, we can get back to business over there and move on. Uh, next of all, like to congrats to all the seniors who finished their senior project last week. as uh always a big load off of your mind and kind of you're in cruise mode for the last month. Uh I was perusing Facebook the other day and I also saw that East Wrestling team had nine NA NACA academic all-Americans which is kind of a big deal and you get to compete
163across the nation and get to be a academic all-American. It's kind of cool. So, uh, congrats and good luck to Smith and Central sideborgs. Uh, I got a one-on-one with them last week and it was pretty impressive to see what they could do. And on top of that, you third graders sitting there just chomping at the bit to brief you on what they do and not not holding back. You're just super excited to see what they can do. Next, Parkside Odyssey of the Mind is going to nationals. I believe that's in Iowa in next couple weeks. And then congrats to CSA New Tech for their boiler tech challenge. They won it all to include five trophies and uh all the different weather related uh disaster relief that they planned for. Um and the one thing
164go back to the cyborg. Sorry notes are out of order. the the teammates all discussed their engineering notebooks and talking with Mrs. things those rival uh dissertation papers. They get very elaborate. Some of them upwards of over 200 pages, which is kind of crazy when you think that these are third through sixth graders and some of them seventh and eighth graders as well. Um I think Smith's was roughly 90 pages is what they they said, which is still really impressive. Um and that would be it. Sorry, long list today. Mr. Nell. Um, so I was gonna also mention congratulations to CS CSA New Techch on the Purdue um, Boiler Tech Challenge. Um, and also, um, commendations to Columbus North math team. They finished second in the state in Indiana Math League. It's a, um, series
165of six different contests, one one a month or one round each month. And over the course of the six contests, over 200 students participated and um the state lists the the top I think it was the top 45 students and 14 of them were Columbus North students. So it's strong showing by a good number of students. Um, also just this is just a great meeting to celebrate all the things that our students are doing at many levels, but also what our staff does to to help support teachers and students. And finally, thank you, Mr. Edwards, for the Mr. Edwards show tonight. Um, but it was great information and we appreciate it. Um, I'd just like to give a shout out to BCSSE staff and just in the community in general. We were hit pretty hard
166with tornadoes and then turned around and had flooding just a short couple weeks afterwards. I was personally hit with tornadoes. I appreciate Mr. Glick actually came to check on me. Thank you very much for that. Um, but I think we did a really nice job in our emergency preparedness, our communication, the services we offer to students um, with food etc. our resources during a very difficult time in the community. So, I just think the team really got it right and and that was well done. Um I also um missed the um school visit today because my daughter took priority and there was a key club banquet at East and so I'm going to do a little recognition of those students who have just um given so many hours to their community. It was very was
167very cool to see. But outgoing officers I'll list by name. Carson Schloozer, Alex Wensler, who was also on the top 10 and had to leave that to go to a volleyball game. Um Ren Fish, Ian Scho, and Ally Sharp. They've made a big impact. Um they'll do off to go off to do great things. Mr. Stener, thank you. Uh I am personally heartbroken that future educator signing day is next week and I will miss it. Um so I look forward to talking to the fellow board members who are able to attend. uh really sounds like an exciting event. Um wanted to thank everybody that was part of the presentations tonight, all the research that goes into it. Uh it is much appreciated. And then last but certainly not least, I want to call out uh
168we're right across the parking lot from North Side Middle School. Call out eighth grader Grace Load. She uh is part of the Taekwond do cadet US national team for Olympic sparring. She's the only female in the state of Indiana to participate in that team and is one of 10 females in the entire country as an eighth grader. Uh she's already competed internationally in Canada as an eighth grader. It's unimaginable. uh gold medal at the AAU state championships in Michigan earlier this year and she has recently returned from the Pan-American Games in Mexico where she placed third. So congratulations to all the students. It's good to be involved in something outside the classrooms. It improves academic learning. Must be time to go because they're turning out the light. So, um, I've got a good relationship with
169Mrs. Haynes and one of the coaches for the team you saw tonight doing the robotics work. And I just wanted to put another push here. Um, they're asking for any donations that you could all give uh to help with their trip to Dallas. So, a lot of that is funded by the students themselves. And so, uh, anything that you can do to help there, um, they would take a check for, uh, VEX robotic trip and that is in the memo. Students in there as well. And so, as much as I want to thank Mr. Clark and Mrs. Noling for providing us some time here tonight at East or at North, sorry. I really wish we could have had this meeting at East and uh maybe caught those kids before or after their volleyball game tonight.
170Um that way, you know, we we could have told them congratulations as well. That was the only reason that that game was the only reason why they weren't able to make it tonight. and and I know most of the meetings we have over here, but uh I've I've mentioned this before that it'd be really nice to have kind of a traveling road show that goes to some of the other schools. So, would have been nice to do this at ease, let those kids kind of have an opportunity to to bask in the the claps and the applause and all that that uh they've worked so hard to earn. So, um hopefully we can uh take advantage of that and do a better job of inclusion in the future. Thank you. Well, so many things have
171already been mentioned, but uh I did want to give a shout out to our skaters uh our student skaters who participated in the ice show this weekend. It was fabulous. Um I'm always so impressed uh with their performances. I also want to just say congratulations to our senior project students last week. They did a great job presenting their hard work at both East and North. Um and most importantly, just well wishes for a really safe and wonderful prom this weekend. Okay. All right. Men, if I could just add a couple of items on there. Um yes, probably the smartest boys volleyball team in the state of Indiana. I would assume that East is out there just outperforming them in that way. Um, specific to being in this building, I want to thank um, our operations
172team. Does anybody at the table notice what we didn't have tonight? Cookies. We didn't have cookies. We get those next month. But so the sun so the operations team, if you go out there, you're going to see that there's some uh something up there that they put up block. Yes. so that we all didn't sit here with a bright sh sun sun shining in our face that so thank you to the operations team and Nick and Asher and Josh and Sherry and Karen who when we do have somewhat of a traveling road show and we come over here to North for these three meetings really do a lot to get this place set up and then the north personnel who stay here until the end of the evening get all this torn back down and
173ready for kids to eat lunch in here tomorrow. I just have to add I came prepared. You brought my sunglasses. That's true. So, I want to thank them all and add that on this screen right here, we are just missing two items that I neglected to put on there. The board work session, which is a public session on May the 17th. Uh we'll start at 8:30 and go till we have a agenda from 8:30 to 3 o'clock in the afternoon. So, um, long day there, strategic planning and working together on, um, on where we want to go next year. And then also on May the 20th, and this was on a prior slide from Dr. Boseman, but May the 20th out at the Westside Community Church, the architects will be there and reveal the design
174of the 12th elementary. It'll be really exciting. Again, 5:00 pm, right, Dr. Boseman? out at the Westside Community Church the day after this board meeting on the 19th. Thank you, Mrs. Wheeler. Okay. Uh May 19th at 6 pm we will be in here for uh BCSSE retiree celebration uh followed by a regular board meeting uh at 6:30 p.m. And then as we discussed tonight and voted we will hold a board working session regarding the the handbooks and just um look out for that to be scheduled. We have some tenative dates but that would be posted per per guidelines. Cookies provided on the 19th. Cookies provided on the 19th. Thank you, Dr. Phillips. Okay. Uh with that, I'll say meeting adjourned. Thank you all.