001That red light really mean >> took me. How long have we had the red light? >> I noticed three hours. >> Hey, several meetings today. So, we're running just a little bit behind. Thank you on that one. Our first call to order is to have the pledge of allegiance. And I believe we have some from Middle School Central if you'll introduce her. >> This is U. Maddie Wade and she is a seventh grader at Middle School Central and she's going to start us off by leading us in the pledge. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Maddie, if you'll wait. As you can see, there's only three of us here
002this evening. Uh, Mr. Alexander Alias Armstrong has a business meeting and Mrs. Counts had a family situation, a good one. >> So, next order of business is the adoption of the agenda. Do I have a motion? >> I move that the agenda for the March 19, 2026 board meeting be adopted as presented. >> Second. >> Thank you. >> All those in favor say I. >> I. All those opposed? Motion passes three to zero. Next is our recognitions and presentations. We have CG spotlight of the middle school central. >> All right. Good evening. Um uh just a second. I'm gonna start with Mrs. Ritter. Actually, >> we'll get to you up. >> Um my name is Jason Wisman. I'm the principal at Middle School Central. And first, I want to invite up uh Mrs. Ritter. She's
003a teacher in Middle School Central. This is actually her first year at Middle School Central. And before you were at Center Grove Elementary, right? Yep. And she's a sixth grade special education teacher. So during this process, it's very very difficult to select one student and one staff member and one support staff member from 1300 students and over 125 staff members. So I did um ask for the assistance of our staff and said hey give me some recommendations and they sent me some recommendations on a Google form and then of course the admin team went from there. So proud to um recognize Mrs. Ritter. Uh Lesie truly deserves recognition for her hard work and dedication in her new role this year. She has exceeded expectations in every way, always prioritizing the needs of her students and
004going above and beyond to support their success. Her transition into the sixth grade team has been seamless. She fits in naturally and brings a valuable depth of knowledge from her previous experiences while remaining open and eager to learn how to best serve middle school students. We're incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work alongside her and are so proud of the way she adapts, overcomes challenges, and maintains such a consistently positive attitude. Lesie also is one of the most selfless and thoughtful teammates. She has a genuinely big heart and is always willing to help others, often putting their needs before their own. kind, knowledgeable, and easy to work with. She is truly a perfect fit for MSSE, and we are fortunate to have her on our team. So, those are some of the words by her
005colleagues, and I couldn't agree more. It's been great having her and she has again stepped right in a seamless transition into uh this new role for her and it's been great. >> All right. Thank you. Next, I want to invite up Ashley Hill and she serves at Middle School as our attendance clerk. really the face of Middle School central. If you come and visit, she's the first person you see and she's kind of like a octopus. She's got hitting this button, answering this phone, answering this email, checking attendance. So, it takes a lot to uh do her job for sure. So, um Ashley helps keep the main office running smoothly as the hub for daily comingings and goings of more than 1300 students and 125 staff members. She manages a constant flow of communication with
006organization, patience, and a calm, steady presence. Ashley greets vid visitors warmly with her signature oneliners. Hey hun and hey buddy, and her reassuring reminder, it's going to be great. And for the occasional student who may have made a poor choice, she adds in a gentle little sweetie along the way. She even keeps staff on track with her attendance by sharing humorous attendance related memes. Mrs. Hill commitment to detail, sense of urgency, and consistent communication ensures that attendance issu issues, especially for those at risk, are addressed promptly each day. In a role that demands accuracy, organization, and clear communication, she excels at maintaining precise records and keeping everyone informed. As a true gatekeeper of the office, Mrs. Hill skillfully and politely directs students and adults alike to the appropriate resources, helping the entire office run seamlessly.
007So, it takes a lot when you have students coming in, parents coming in, teachers coming and going. It takes a special person and that's definitely Ashley and she does it with a smile on her face. Glad to help everyone and uh we definitely joke around a lot in the office as well and have a good time and that's part of it. So, recognize uh Ashley Hill tonight. Thank you. And then finally, we'll invite up Mattie Wade. Mattie, come on up. Mattie said the pledge for us tonight. She's a seventh grade student at Middle School Central. She's joined tonight by her parents and her sister, I assume, right? And um some of the the team members for uh Mattie said, "Mattie is a consistently responsible and high achieving student who completes her work on time and
008performs well on quizzes and tests. Though she is a quiet and may not always seem seek recognition, she demonstrates strong focus, works well with others, and maintains a positive attitude um without complaint. She is also an outstanding band student who contributes at a high level and approaches every task with dedication. It is truly a pleasure to have her in class and she is well positioned to succeed in anything she pursues. So congratulations Do I have to go back in? >> Your face is amazing. >> How's it go? I was just thinking Maddiey's sister gets some extra points for wearing Purdue shirt. Anyway, >> okay. Uh 4.2 to science of reading champion award. >> Good evening. Um I'm Megan Curtis, director of elementary teaching and learning. Uh tonight it is my absolute honor and privilege to
009recognize Lisa Lefavers who's an instructional coach at North Grove Elementary. So come on up here, please. Um for her outstanding professional achieve. I'm going to read this because I'm going to tell you right now like there's so many great things about Lisa. So, uh I we want to recognize her for an outstanding professional achievement that reflects both her dedication to literacy and her impact on her school community and Center Grove Community Schools. Lisa was recently honored with the science of reading champion award from the reading league Indiana. This award recognizes Indiana educators who demonstrate exemplary leadership in implementing evidence aligned reading instruction grounded in the science of reading. Out of educators across the state, only three winners were selected and they were announced at the organization's annual conference in February. Each recipient also received a
010$1,000 prize in recognition for their work advancing literacy instruction. Have you received that yet? >> Okay, we're still we're still waiting on that. Well, while this is an impressive honor, those of us who work with Lisa know that this recognition reflects what she does every day. Lisa is truly a science of reading champion. She's a lifelong learner who continually studies the research behind effective reading instruction and then works alongside teachers to bring those best practices to life in the classroom. What truly sets Lisa apart is her deep passion for supporting teachers. She invests time, energy, and caring into helping educators grow in their practice. Knowing that what knowing when teachers feel confident and equipped, students benefit. Her passion for coaching directly translates into stronger instruction and improve student outcomes. And she works tirelessly to ensure
011every child has access to quality literacy instruction. Through s through student- centered coaching, collaboration, and professional learning, Lisa supports her colleagues in refining instructional practices so that all students can become stronger readers. Her ability to translate research into practical strategies has helped strengthen literacy instruction at North Grove Elementary, also indicated by their data. Center Grove Community Schools is incredibly fortunate to have educators like Lisa Lefavers leaders who not only pursue excellent in their excellence in their own learning but also lift others along the way. So we are extremely blessed. So please congratulate me and uh or join me in congratulating Lisa on this really welldeserved recognition. >> But I have a certificate for you >> since you haven't gotten your money yet. No. Oh, she did get a free book. >> Coming in. >> Yeah.
012>> Thank you. Yeah. And our next is our Center Grove High School wrestling win state championship, Tracy. >> Yes. Hi, Tracy McMahon, principal at the high school. And it is my pleasure tonight to introduce our wrestling representatives. Do you want them to come up now? >> Sure. >> All right. Come on up, gentlemen. We have head coach Maurice Swain. We have our wrestling um design William Vander Laren and then assistant coach Josh Curry. So our wrestling se our wrestling team this year had a record-breaking season. They were a school record of 30 or sorry of 12- one. They were Johnson County champions, sectional champions, semi-state champions, and the first ever Center Grove High School state champions. And if you did not watch that, I learned so much about wrestling in that state meet. I was
013literally sweating it out. It came down to the very last wrestler on the mat and I was just really proud of how our athletes handled themselves, both those on the mat in the stands and then our coaches because if it were me, I don't know that I would have been able to handle it as well as they did. Um, so we are really proud of them. And then also I would like to congratulate Morice Swang. He was named the Indiana Matt 4A coach of the year. And so a lot to be proud of and a great example of hard work and dedication for our school. >> There you go. And they dying the first totally in it. And next, I have the honor and privilege of recognizing our senior student council leaders and their sponsors.
014So, if you would like to step up, uh we have two amazing sponsors who lead our student council, Mrs. Jess Goodman and Miss Alice Thompson. And again, we're going to highlight our some of our seniors, not all of our seniors. We have several of them. So, what we'll do tonight is just highlight a few of the ways that they have supported Center Grove High School and the contributions that they've made to our community. One of the greatest things I think they came up with was last two years ago, which was our fall festival. It was a transition and an addition onto our homecoming week. And so, they invite clubs from our entire school and the community to join together on a Saturday. And the amount of work that that takes to put together is pretty
015phenomenal. They are also in charge of our entire homecoming week, including a pep rally of over 3,000 students and 200 staff members. As an adult, that is a huge undertaking. To have students lead and guide that is really phenomenal and we're proud of them for that. Uh, our student council also rejoined the Indiana Association of Student Councils for the first time in many years. And we are honored that we have three students who serve on the board tonight. Ella is here and Anya and they are two of our representatives. So, do you ladies want to step forward so they can see who you are? That's fantastic. Um, we also do a lot of community service and these senior leaders are a big part of that. We make a difference in places like Aspen Trace and
016Gleaners. They also organized a food drive on Halloween, October 31st, and they collected over 300 cans for the Johnson County Inner Church food pantry, which is awesome. Um, and then if you could see what they do within our school, they are the cheerleaders for our teachers. They are always thinking of fun and exciting ways to make them feel seen, whether that's breakfast or they came up with these snaggle boxes this year where teachers could go and decorate their little snack boxes. And if you haven't heard the snaggle boxes, it's the whole thing. And then put their treats in it. And that's just an one of the many ways they send notes to teachers. They just really help make sure that our teachers are seen and felt. And we appreciate their hard work and dedication. And
017finally, not only do they focus on the student body, but they also give time back to their own group by developing leadership skills so that what they have done can be reproduced by the years that are younger than them. This year alone they've held two student leadership conferences. The first one was on communication by coach Liv Schmidt and then the second one was just yesterday and that was with Lilian Prada and they focused on empathy. So two amazing traits that are great for leaders to have. I would also like to congratulate Miss Alice Thompson. She has been recently um awarded the Thomas E. Sterling Advisor of the Year Award. This award is given yearly to the top student council adviserss across the state and she was nominated by um her students which I know makes
018even more of an impact for her knowing that as a sponsor. So these two ladies go above and beyond for the things that of our school and we're super proud of our senior leaders. So thank you guys together. I'll go behind. I'm tall. >> I had a I had a fail on the first one. I had a fail on the first one when I moved out of the way. I thought >> Oh, no. >> Bonus. Love it. wonderful achievements. Our next order of business is public comments and I see that we do not have any this evening. After that is the consent items. Do I have any discussion or questions on consent items? >> Mr. President, I move that we approve the consent items. >> A second. Thank you. All those in favor say I.
019I. All those opposed. Motion passes 30. Our next order of business is an action item. It is the second reading and approval of draft policy revisions. Dr. Long. >> Thank you, Mr. Russell. Um, tonight we're bringing back for a second reading as as required by our uh schoolboard policy. There are 14 policies uh that need to be updated. uh you reviewed those in detail last month when I was absent. Uh we didn't get any questions from any board members. There's not been any changes to the policies and so tonight we're recommending the board uh accept the changes and the revisions to the 14 policies presented. >> Thank you, Dr. Long. Any questions or discussion? >> Dr. Long, you also didn't get any comments or questions from any community members, correct? >> That's correct. >> Thank
020you. >> You're good. Okay. Do I need a motion? >> I move that the board approve the revised policies as presented. >> I second. >> All those in favor say I. >> I. >> All those opposed. >> Motion passes three to zero. Thank you. Okay, now we're on to announcements. I want to read something here. On behalf of the Center Grove Community School Corporation Board of School Trustees, we are pleased to announce that Dr. Aaron Stalbomb has been selected as our choice for the next superintendent. This decision follows a comprehensive nationwide search conducted in partnership with the university search team. As part of the process, the board gathered input from staff, parents, and community members through a district-wide survey to identify the priorities for the future of Center Grove Schools. Dr. Stalbalm's experience and leadership
021approach strongly align with those identified properties priorities. Dr. Stalbalm brings 20 years of experience in public education, including 10 years as a teacher and leadership roles at the school, district, and state levels. She has a strong track record of improving student outcomes while advancing staff recruitment, retention, and organizational systems. She began her career in Greenwood schools where she taught elementary and middle school. She later served as a senior school improvement specialist with the Indiana Department of Education, supporting instructional improvement efforts statewide. Dr. Stalbalm led district-wide academic initiatives for the Cooko School Corporation that produced measurable gains in student achievement. She has also served as assistant superintendent for human resources in both Monroe County Community School Corporation and most recently Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation. In addition to her professional experience, Dr. Stalbalm, her husband, and their
022three sons have proudly called Center Grove home for nearly eight years. The board will hold a public contract hearing in April, followed by a special board meeting to vote on her appointment. We are confident in Dr. Stalbone's ability to build on Synagrow's strong foundation and continue to move the district forward as we work in support of our students, staff, and community. So tonight, Dr. Stal, Mr. Russell, I want to express my deepest gratitude to the board for placing their trust and confidence in me as the selection for the next superintendent of Center Grove and I look forward to completing that process in the upcoming month. >> Thank you. >> Okay, announcements, anything, Rob? >> I just want to welcome Dr. Stalbomb also, and if I butcher your name more than once, I apologize in advance.
023Uh just want to let the public know we went through an exhaustive search. We had a lot of really really good candidates and Dr. Stalbalm, we're confident that you're going to do great things joining and leading the team that we have. So I'm excited about that. I'm excited about the future and Dr. Long's not going to go too far away, he tells us. So he'll stay in an advisory capacity hopefully as we need him. But I'm I'm really looking forward to you joining and leading the team. So So welcome. Yeah, I I would echo that as well, Dr. Stalbomb. I think it's going to be great to have you here. Um, we had, as one of my friends would say, an embarrassment of riches in terms of the quality of the people that we got
024to talk to. So, um, you should be very proud of the fact that that you're here, but it's just going to be great to work with you and looking forward to it. And we have something in common. I taught at Greenwood for three years. Okay. Uh, some announcements. Our next meeting is April 16th, executive session at 6 PM and uh the board meeting following at 7. Any other comments from the board? >> Nothing from me tonight. >> No. >> Okay. So, seeing there is none, meeting's over. >> I move to adjourn. >> If you must. >> I don't know. >> Do you second? I don't know. Yeah, I second.