001of good pastor to lead us in the pledge of >> allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you. The agenda has been circulated and I assume everyone's had the opportunity to review it. Do I have any comments or questions relating to the agenda? >> Do I hear a motion? >> Mr. President, I move that we adopt the agenda as presented. >> Thank you, Mr. Alexander. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Russell. >> All those in favor, please signify by saying I. >> I. opposed. The agenda is adopted. Next, we'll have a CG spotlight tonight from Walnut Grove Elementary, and I'll turn it over to Principal Heather Gant
002to honor some important people. >> Sounds great. All right, we'll start off with our teacher spotlight. So, every year when we uh get tapped to be the spotlight school, I send out a Google form to all staff and ask for nominations for our teacher support staff and our student. And this year we probably had the most entries that we've ever had and there were just some um repetitive names being mentioned and those are the people that are sitting in here today. So, I'm going to start with our teacher Caitlyn Smith. Caitlyn, if you want to come up and stand. >> You're welcome. Caitlyn, you've been here three years, right? Yep. So, Caitlyn is the definition of dedication when it comes to teaching. And these are words directly from her colleagues. She is constantly reflecting, innovating,
003and taking action to make her classroom an effective and engaging place to be. Caitlyn goes above and beyond, not only for her students, but for her colleagues as well. She's always striving to help everyone around her be the best they can be. She pours her heart into her work, celebrating her students successes with genuine joy and pride. Caitlyn's professionalism, passion, and relentless commitment is commitment to excellence makes her an outstanding example for all of the teachers at Walnut Grove. She is a true representation of what it means to be a part of the Walnut Grove family. So, I've enjoyed having her. She is on many committees. She's always texting me about a podcast that she's listening to, a new book that she has read. At some point, I'm going to text her back and say,
004"Find some enjoyment books, not just education books." But she is definitely a blessing to Walnut Grove. So, we're grateful to have her. I want you to stay there because we're going to do our student next. And it just so happens that our student Caleb Good Pastor, come on up. Is a student of Miss Smith's. So, it was perfect. Um, I'll say a few words about Caleb that were submitted, and then I'm going to let Mrs. Miss Smith um say a few words since she is his teacher. Caleb goes above and beyond every day to support his peers, showing kindness, leadership, and a positive attitude in all he does. He truly represents what it means to be a Walnut Grove Wildcat. He's helpful, respectful, and always willing to lend a hand. We're so proud of Caleb
005for setting an example for others. Caleb was also our first WOW Wildcat of the school year. Congratulations, Caleb. Miss Smith, do you want to say a few words about your rockstar? >> Yeah, absolutely. So, Caleb Good Pastor is a type of student that every kid or every teacher wants to have in their classroom. Not just because of his excellent academics and the excellence that he pours into his daily routines as a student, but because of the person that he has been raised to be by his amazing family, but that he um employs himself or employs himself in the classroom. So, my favorite story about Caleb real quick is we were headed out to recess and a couple of kiddos were kind of questioning third grade. You're trying to figure out who you are, what's cool,
006what's not cool. And Caleb looked at them and said, "Hey, you just need to be who you are. We want you to be who you are and we love you for who you are." And that's the most important thing. So, I think that that captures who Caleb Goodter is and the amazing person that he is. So, congratulations, Caleb. All right. And you guys stay there. Um, last but not least, I'm going to bring up Lisa Allison. She is my right hand. Yes. Um, lots I mean, so many things you could say about Lisa. Um, Lisa is truly the heartbeat of our front office. Um, she's everyone's go-to person, always ready to help with a smile or take care of a matter. Um, she gets busy in the day, but she always finds a way to
007stay positive. Lisa manages multiple tasks at once with grace and patience and professionalism. She builds positive connections with our parents, with our students, with our staff. Um, she's always creating a welcoming and organized environment for all. and we are so thankful for her calm presence um attention to detail and unwavering support that keeps our school running smoothly. Um it's with a little bittersweet that we celebrate Lisa. She is going to retire in December after 18 years in the district. Um we are sad to see her go but excited that she gets to uh have some time off to welcome her first grandchild and do some camping that she might not normally get to do. So we are happy for her but we are going to miss her greatly and she has spent a lot of
008time in the district at multiple places. I keep learning about her journeys. Center Grove Elementary, Center Grove Middle School, Maple Grove, Walnut Grove. So we are excited to celebrate you. Thank you. All right. Oh, I got to take the picture. >> Just a comment about secretaries at the front of the building. Back in my days of subbing here at Center Grove, there was a hierarchy I had of knowing and you you knew the secretary first, the custodian second, and then the principal. Sorry, because the secretaries ran the building. >> Thank you for that. I always enjoy hearing from the buildings. Next, I'll turn it over to our our principal, Mrs. Tracy McMahon. It's still that way, Mr. Russell. >> Absolutely. It's my honor to introduce um Miss Christy Fleck, who was recently named the 2025
009Indiana Teacher of the Year for Spanish and Portuguese by the Indiana Foreign Language Teachers Association. So, Christie, if you'll come up. Christy teaches Spanish for honors, Vincson's University dual credit Spanish, and AP Spanish, and she brings an incredible level of passion and excellence to each of these courses. She's been teaching for 17 and a half years, the last seven years at Center Grove High School. I've had the privilege of being in Christiey's classroom, and she is engaging, purposeful, and genuinely inspiring. Every single day, she prioritizes her students, going above and beyond to ensure they feel confident, capable, and fully prepared for their AP exam. She has the rare gift of pushing students to reach their highest potential, all while making them laugh and reminding them how much she cares about them. And I can attest
010when I come into AP Spanish, I have no idea what they're saying. I always joke with the kids and say, "I know Dora Spanish." And so they are so genuine and just so kind and you can just feel how much they love being in her classroom. Christy is not only a phenomenal teacher, but she's also a leader within our school community. She serves as department chair and sponsors the National Spanish Honor Society. She is passionate, dedicated, and deeply respected by staff and students alike. We are incredibly proud to celebrate her outstanding achievement. I'd also like to bring up Mr. Brent Schultz. It's my honor to recognize Brent Schultz tonight as one of the Project Lead the Way's 15 national outstanding educators. Brent is the kind of educator who brings learning to life. He doesn't just
011teach students, he sparks curiosity, confidence, and genuine excitement for engineering. Brent teaches introduction to engineering, aerospace engineering, and our capstone course, engineering design and development. And when it comes to these courses, he is truly a unicorn. We are lucky to have him. Not only does he teach these unique courses, which are often difficult to find teachers for, um, but he does them exceptionally well, full of passion, and his students absolutely adore him. One of the great things about Brent is he designs real world engineering experiences to connect students with local engineers and companies, giving them the opportunity to stretch their thinking and showcase their ingenuity. Whether it's presenting to an audience of engineers from Anderson Hower or the project lead the way board of directors at the national headquarters, Brent ensures that our students are
012polished and prepared to receive topnotch feedback from experts in the field. Brent has taught at Center Grove High School for 12 years and also serves as department chair. His steady leadership, positive attitude, and unwavering kid-first mindset makes our school stronger every single day, and we are incredibly proud to celebrate him tonight. And last, but not least, Mrs. Andrea Tan. It's a privilege to recognize Andrea Tiban tonight for being named one of the 14 national outstanding educators for biomedical science. Andrea is a remarkable educator who teaches our second and fourth year biomedical courses, human body systems and biomedical inter innovations, the capstone of our program. To state it simply, she is the heart of our biomemed program at Center Grove High School. Her classes challenge students to think deeply, problem solve, and envision themselves in future
013healthcare careers. She consistently goes above and beyond to create meaningful opportunities for her students. Whether she's securing internships or organizing a white coat ceremony for her fourth year biomed class, she is always looking for ways to provide quality experiences for her students. Additionally, she leads HOSA, our future health professionals club. and under her leadership, HOSA has grown into one of our largest and most successful student organizations. In the past three years alone, it has grown from 60 members to over 150 members. And thanks to her guidance, students compete at national and local levels, earning recognition, awards, and scholarships. What truly sets Andrea apart is the way she builds meaningful relationships with her students. She pushes them to be their very best, going far beyond their traditional classroom to help them prepare for the next steps
014of their career goals. We are incredibly proud of her dedication, her impact, and her well-deserved national honor. Congratulations. Thank you everyone. It's always good to have the spotlight and then in the honors and recognition. Now, you know, to a to a more somber note, um we lost an important person in the Center community earlier this month. So today we we pause to remember Patty Duckworth Reed who passed away on Saturday, November 9th, 2025. Patty began her journey with Center Grove Schools in 1993 as a student adviser at Pleasant Grove Elementary and Center Grove Elementary before becoming a school counselor beginning in in 2004. Over the years, she dedicated herself to many roles as an administrative assistant to the principal at Maple Grove and Sugar Grove, assistant principal, and principal at Sugar Grove. She concluded her
015remarkable career as a guidance counselor at Center Grove High School before retiring in 2015. Patty's care, compassion, and commitment touched countless students, families, and colleagues throughout her more than two decades of service with us. Her legacy continues and the lives she helped shape in the community she strengthened. Please join us in a moment of silence as we honor Patty's life, her service, and the lasting impact she made on Center Grove Schools. Thank you. Next, we move on to the public comments portion of our schoolboard meeting. It looks like we have four people signed up. Uh, and everyone has identified the the item on the agenda they're speaking about. So, thank you for that. And we ask that uh your comments be limited to three minutes. Our secretary um Mr. Alexander will be keeping the stopwatch.
016He usually gives you a warning when you're when you're getting closer. Um, and we don't call out students, we don't call out teachers, we don't call out personnel or anybody by name in these comments. So, we ask if um, everybody keep their comments within three minutes. And the first person I'll call is Mr. Keith Poor, who is going to speak on 7.9 litigation against social media companies. Mr. Poor, when you get to the microphone, it's yours, and we'll start the uh, three minutes when you begin speaking. Thank you very much. Uh just I wanted to start off by asking a couple questions. If this is so important and the surgeon general has of the United States has stated this uh in the resolution uh why hasn't he filed suit against these companies and did this?
017Uh, also the certain general or the attorney general of the state of Indiana, why hasn't he taken a hold of this and did this? Why does it have to come down to our local school board, our local school system to file suit against these multibillion dollar companies to get this situation? And if you think this will get the situation cured, which I personally don't think it would and I don't think they do either or they would already have done this. Okay. So that was my first question. Second part is we as this body here do not have the financial standings to litigate this type of thing. our budget is is skim. We don't have m extra money to do this. So why do we take this on? Uh I think uh the if if we
018were going to sue anybody in my opinion and this is my opinion, we ought to sue the parents because they are the ones that got to control this the problem. I understand I understand the problem you have with the cell phones and the media, but they are the only ones that can cure this problem is the parents of the students. Okay. The last part I'd like to suggest is that it gave Mr. long the authority to sign this off and uh everything else. Mr. Long is a valued member of our school board, but he is not a voting member of the school board. So he have he should come to the school board people and say hey this is what I'm signed off >> 30 seconds >> and do you approve of this and this
019is what it's going to cost us not that he has free reigns to the way I read this he has free reigns to sign off on this and pay the money so maybe I'm wrong uh on this. I don't know, but uh this is my uh thoughts on the problem. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Poor. >> Next, we'll call Nicole Teague to speak on 7.5 uh latch key. All right. Uh, my name is Nicole T. Um, the Center Grove School Board has obligations that are not being followed in their contracts with Honeyroveve. That failure is now directly hurting our children's access to school clubs and enrichment programs. Honeyroveve has been given exclusive access by the board to all large areas of every elementary school and is given priority over clubs, forcing teachers to cap
020clubs to their classrooms or not begin at all. 10 years ago, I started leading Mabel Grove Bible Club. This year I started months late due to lack of space um as Honey Grove took priority. Um at any point I can become displaced again along with any other club not just Bible club because of section 2.1 of this contract. It gives Honeyrove priority and the evergreen clause that's going to be introduced tonight will also keep it that way. This clause removes the discussion here from ever happening again, allowing Honeyrove and the board to do what they please with the contract as it will be continuous and only stopped by one party when they say so. This pre or this contract right here um is actually backdated to July 1st of 2025. So whether that this was
021um discussed like verbally in writing, we were without contract between July 1 and today. So how is it that Honeyrove is being able to operate make these calls and on top of that be able to um charge our families 30% more. They had a 30 30% increase and students and families here are actually paying $700 more a year to live in Center Grove than any other neighboring districts. And that's not okay. So where was this conversation? And I appreciate the 5% increase cap that we now have, but where was that in July? We're now paying like and and they're forced because of the school time change. That's not Honey Growth's fault. They're a business. They're operating as a business should. that should have been done here to put a stop to that beforehand, but instead
022we're operating without written contract for five months, letting them do what they please. Another thing is is um you are supposed to have um a voluntary assurance form filled out with the Department of Education. Within this, it also states that you need to follow um in compliance with uh code number 5-22-9, which means uh a request for proposal. And I'm very curious as I've searched everything. We've done RFPs for iPads, banking, construction projects. Not one single RFP or um procurement document is fine on any child care services or latch programs. Why? Why is that? And um my husband's following me right along with the rest. Thank you, Mrs. Teague. Um next I'll uh refer to Ryan Teague. And Ryan, when when you start speaking, you'll have three minutes. Once again on 7.5 latch key. So
023tonight we're here to ask that the board table uh this vote one because immediately right the students do not have u or to amend this the contract because students do not have access into these clubs due to the expansion of Honeyroveve. Two, they'll table the vote to reflect the accurate dates of a legal contract. All right. Tell us with transparency who authorized the Honeyrove to operate without a contract from July to November. Who authorized backdating tonight's contract? So provide the RFP or procurement documentation under code previously mentioned 5-22-9 required by the DOE latch key assurance. So a form that must be completed before this contract can be approved. Then finally release documents that prove Honeyrove has paid us while they have operated under no contractual obligation for the last five months. Over the last five
024months, there's been a tremendous amount of risk that you guys have introduced to the district because if something were to happen for a group that has no contract to me is just unacceptable. All right. So, you've you've allowed this this Honeyrove to to continue to expand. It's going to continue to push out additional clubs for a spacing problem, right? And so, we all tied that against a a a low test scores for reading. And so we've changed the the timing of schools allowing for for Honeyrove to now require more or more excuse me now allowing Honeyrove to to take in more kids. And even still there the the um worker to child ratio is is lower than any other school district. Once again requiring more funds be run into into uh Honeyrove. Also, as well,
025I would encourage everyone to look at at some of the previous um findings for for uh the building that was given to Honey Grove. We spent almost $7 million on that building only to tear it down. Honeyroveve paid a a total, I believe, $10,000 in total rent over the last I think it was four years, right? So, so we tore we invested a tremendous amount of money into an organization that one doesn't have a contract now. Two, we're trying to backdate things and three the transparency level here on this has really really shown up a lot of red flags due to the fact that now we are required to communicate to the board via lawyers. So, I ask tonight that you table this, do this correctly, throw out an RFP so before you guys continue
026on down a path of of just really biased relationships. So, so thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Teague. And then our last community member, April McCracken. Three minutes. Uh 7.5 latch key. He'll start the clock when when you start speaking. You're probably surprised that I'm here talking about latch key, but I am still involved in the elementary schools. So, I too am am involved in a before school club and we have 159 kids that are registered in the club that I'm involved in and we have been displaced from the gym to a riser area. Now, in my situation, I know that Honeyrove provides a wonderful service, so I'm not debating that at all. Our families, lots of families need that and it's wonderful. But when you have a latch key program taking precedence over before
027school clubs, it is concerning. So, um, it I'm at Walnut Grove and our Honeyrove people and Mrs. Gant have been wonderful to work with, but that isn't the case in all elementary schools and that isn't the case for all of the clubs. I know the agility clubs in several schools have been affected. There has been at least one reading club I know of that had to cap the amount of kids that come because now they have to be in a teacher's classroom instead of the library where they used to meet. So, this is concerning. And what I'm mostly concerned about is there's no wording in the contract that protects our clubs in the future. Now that we have this evergreen clause, it can just go on and on and we don't have any protection that
028there's going to be space for our clubs. If there's no cap on how many kids Honeyroveve can service, then I'm seeing the future. I mean, we may just be giving the entire school over to them in the morning. So, I would like the and I don't even know about the afternoon. I'm just I just know about the morning. So, I would like the wording to somehow protect our clubs. When you're thinking about this contract to protect our clubs right now, it says that for every 20 kids Honeyrove has, they have to have a large space. Well, our cafeterias and our gyms can fit more than 20 kids. So, we have 159 kids squeezed on these risers and we're in all the hallways and everything up there when there's sometimes nine kids in the gym. And
029I just think, okay, what are we doing? We're just giving this over to Honeyrove. So, I would love the wording to increase to 30 kids. Then they would have to have another space. That would at least help us preserve some space for us. I'm all about capitalism. I love that Honeyroveve has negotiated this great deal obviously for them. Um, but I know how valuable clubs are for kids, whether it's just connecting with other kids over shared interest or improving physical fitness or actually receiving additional help in academic areas, which I would think would be really important to us because I was here a couple months ago and heard the abysmal test scores that we have as a district. And I would think that we would really be focused on any kind of academic help that
030we can have. I do think that um Honey Grove is is provides a great service, but I don't want them taking precedence over things that are good for all of our kids. There should be a way to work together. We've done that at Walnut Grove pretty well, but they're very adamant with me about we have to have this space. And so we have worked with them and we have gone that and I just hate for other teachers. A lot of these clubs are led by teachers and parents. So just think about that, please. >> Thank you, Mrs. McCracken. That closes our public comments. Next, we're on to consent items. Has everyone have everyone's been provided the consent items and had the opportunity to review them? Are there any comments or questions as it relates to
031any of the consent items on the agenda? Hearing no comments or questions. Do I have a motion? >> Mr. President, I move to approve the consent agenda as presented. >> Thank you, Mr. Russell. Do I hear a second? >> Second. >> All those in favor of approving the consent agenda, please signify by saying I. >> I. >> Opposed. >> The eyes have it. >> On to our action items. Our first action item uh deals with a bid for the sale of Apple equipment. I'll turn the uh microphone over to Dr. Jason Taylor for additional information. >> Thank you, Mr. Daniels. On November 7th, 2025, we opened three bids for the purch purchase of surplus Apple equipment. After a thorough analysis of the bids, I'm recommending we accept the bid from Second Life Mac. Second Life
032Mac provided a lump sum bid to purchase all of the equipment, regardless of the condition, and wave the deductions for any missing accessories. Uh we have about 2,000 iPads and 364 units of other Apple equipment such as laptops and cell phones that we would sell to Second Life Mac in surplus. Total amount anticipated uh from the sale is resulting in $150,970.70. The proceeds of the sale will be used toward future technology purchases. Um we've included some supplemental information for the board of the bid responses. Again, we felt like going with Second Life Max MC guaranteed the amount versus in the past when we've had missing items. We've often come down from those totals. So, that's why they appear to be the second um highest bid, but we believe that they're the best bid in this
033situation. Um we've done this a few times. This is what allows us to keep our devices for slightly less time, but be able to fund them. Um and so, this is something we are recommending this evening that we continue to do so we can keep um the latest uh technology in our students hands. Thank you, Dr. Taylor. Do I have any questions or or comments from the board as it relates to the uh discussion on the sale of Apple equipment? Hearing no questions, discussion. Do I hear a motion? >> I'll move to approve the resolution authorizing >> Sorry, >> accept the bid. >> I'm sorry. I move that we accept the bid for the sale of the Apple equipment. >> Thank you, Mr. Alexander. Do I hear a second? I second. >> Thank you, Mrs.
034Counts. All those in favor, please signify by saying I. >> I opposed. >> The eyes have it. >> Thank you. >> I was on the wrong. >> Next, we're moving on to 7.2 um discussing the bid for hosting the 2028 National Honor Society National Conference. And Principal McMahon, I'll turn the microphone over to you. >> Thank you. On behalf of Center Grove High School and our student council, I'm seeking approve approval from the school board to submit a formal bid to host the 2028 or potentially, if we don't get that, the 2029 National Association of Student Council's National Conference. This conference is a nationally recognized event that brings hundreds of students together for a multi-day experience focusing on leadership development, civic responsibility, and more. This event is typically held the third week in June. It
035begins on a Thursday and carries through midday on Sunday. This event would take place on the high school campus utilizing several classrooms and other large area spaces including the auditorium, media center, cafeteria, student activity center, and more. Visiting schools and their students would stay at nearby hotels and be shuttled to and from the high school utilizing charter or school buses. Food and snack will be delivered on site from various vendors, highlighting some of Johnson County's finest flavors. Additionally, the cost to host is minimal. They wanted me to say that. They're they're really excited. They have it all laid out where we're getting our pork tenderloin from, whatever else we're bringing in, the the finest of Indiana for our visitors. Um the cost for ho hosting such an event is minimal as the attendees conference fees
036pay for transportation, food, guest speakers, and more. We recently hosted the state conference with much success and our adviserss and students are excited and ready to take on the challenges that are associated with this next level. >> Thank you. Any questions or comments? >> Have we hosted before? >> We did. >> I thought so where Sandy was here. >> Correct. So I want to say 2013 14. >> That's they painted the bridge. >> We did. >> We hosted here on campus. We will we will host here on campus. They'll stay um at local hotels. Um they're thinking mostly by the airport just for convenience as they fly in. Um some organizations the when they host it, they either rent charter buses out using the fees from those attendees or school buses and they pay the
037drivers. So that would be a conversation as we got more into the weeds of it. >> And is it all on the high school campus or does it spread into other buildings or >> We would anticipate it being on the high school campus. Most conferences typically host between seven and 800 students and oftentimes they are shuttled in between different events. So luckily with the size of our school we can manage that number of students in almost any of our locations. >> Any other questions, comments? I applaud you for applying for this. I think >> we're excited. >> I'm not going to give away my vote, but but I'm excited. >> It's going to be a lot of work, but they're excited. They are already thinking about you. It's really going to take on our eighth
038graders and freshmen as they come up. So engaging with them in the conversations. >> So if I vote against this, it'll be really confusing. Now >> it would be move. They won't understand in those years. >> Do I have a motion? >> Mr. President, I move to approve the district to pursue and submit a bid to host the 2028 NASC. >> Thank you, Mr. Russell. Do I hear a second? >> I second. >> Thank you, Mrs. Donigan Smith. All those in favor, please signify by saying I. I opposed voted for it. >> We're excited. >> I just sound just >> really >> Yeah, >> I didn't fine. No, it's totally fine. Arm wrestle. >> All right. Next, we're um going to pass it over to Dr. Jason Taylor to discuss retention stipens for employees in
039a levels A, B, C, and select level D classifications. Dr. Taylor. >> Thank you, Mr. Daniels. We got quite a bit of content on this one, so apologize. But over the past six years, the state budget has funded the teacher appreciation grant or TAG as we often call it, and those are stipens to be paid for teachers to to teachers typically in November for performance in the prior year. Um, the school board has graciously added additional funds to that amount to ensure that all of that money went directly to teachers and then to match and provide that to other full-time employees throughout the corporation. U, those additional funds are typically taken from end of the year cash balance this time of year. The budget unfortunately this year changed the tag significantly and we've got a
040link to that. Um it does not provide funding for all teachers. Instead uh it required the IDOE, the Indiana Department of Education to create specific criteria to determine which teachers can may receive the funding this year. It was also limited to not more than 20% of the certified teachers um in our corporation. While Center Grove will apply for these funds, they will not be paid to teachers until the spring of 2026. With the removal of this funding from the state, the school corporation will not be able to provide the the tag and employee stipens at the same level as we have in the past. However, after reviewing our spending this year, especially in the energy category, we believe we do have some additional cash balance at the end of 2025 to pay a reduced stipen
041amount to all employees. It's important. It is very important to point out that this additional cash balance may not be available in future years and we may not be able to offer this stipen again in 2026, but we are happy we're able to this year. We are recommending this evening that the board provide a one-time stipen to all level A, B, C, and some level D employees with year-long assignments. These employees assigned to work four or more hours per day shall receive a stipen of $500. And those assigned to work less than four hours a day will receive a stipen of $250. The stipen shall be paid by the end of December 1231 2025 and the stipen shall be paid to employees who are active at the time of this meeting and also active on
042the payroll in which it is paid. We're planning to pay this um about the middle of December. Um it' be in between the 5th and the 20th payroll. Just haven't locked in that exact date yet, but we'll definitely expend these funds by the end of the month. And we're recommending those stipens be paid this evening. >> Thank you, Dr. Taylor. And and I'm not sure if if uh most of the public's aware or you know those in the audience are aware that this tag was kind of the year-end bonus for our folks and when the legislation changed that changed. Um I commend um Dr. Long, Dr. Taylor, Dr. Simmers, everybody and warning our staff that that's going away. We can't guarantee we're going to do it, but as a board, we challenged our our administration
043to do something do because, you know, you lose the year-end bonus without much warning because the legislation just passed. I'm happy to see that there was enough money in cash balance that they were able to come with a a flat stipen of 500 or 250 depending on the classification. So, I do applaud you and and and anybody else in the economic department that that helped with with getting this together. And and I also repeat that we may not be able to do this every year, but I'm glad with energy savings and other belt tightening that that we're able to this year. Usually I ask for comments. I apologize. I had to do my my commercial at the front end to make sure everybody aware how important this is to the board and to to the
044cabinet and everyone else that was involved. So, does anybody else have any comments or questions? >> This still this will still allow us to maintain an 8% cash balance. Yes, it will. Okay. Any other comments or questions? >> Hearing none. Do I hear a motion? >> Mr. President, I move that we approve the employee stipens. >> I'm going to second this one. Go out of protocol. Thank you, Mr. Alexander. I won't thank myself. All those in favor, please signify by saying I. >> I >> opposed. Thank you. Next, we're moving on to section 7.4. 4 of action items and I'll turn the uh microphone over to the executive director of human resources, Kaylee Brown. She'll provide additional information. >> Yeah, thank you so much. So, tonight I'm requesting the board's approval of the proposed revisions
045to the statement of benefits and compensation. Um, you've been provided with a summary that's right here on the screen outlining each of these updates. Many of these revisions do reflect the insurance and compensation adjustments that were approved at our most recent board meeting on November 7th. Um, I would like to highlight a change or an update though that wasn't discussed on November 7th, which is the update to the automobile and mileage allowance for the director of elementary special education. Um, we now have a differentiation between the director of elementary special education and secondary special education because we wanted to reflect the daily travel across six elementary buildings. Um, whereas we have three secondary buildings and two of those are just so close to our ESC. So, we felt like that would be appropriate. Um, I
046also wanted to bring attention to while not all level D hourly wage amounts were revised, we have adjusted several positions which you guys can see in the statement of benefits. Um, but I did want to let you guys know that um, we are updating our substitute rates. So, um, we looked at surrounding areas. Really, we looked at a lot of districts across the state of Indiana and felt like we just needed to be competitive. And I think Mr. Russell actually asked a question within the last couple of months about um, our substitute rates. And while we weren't getting complaints, we felt like we wanted to be proactive there. So, we have adjusted our substitute rates to be more competitive. >> So, I ask you guys to approve the statement of benefits, please. >> Thank you.
047Any comments or questions um relating to the statement of benefits presentation? >> I'm glad to hear about the the substitute rate because I did have somebody actually approach me in the lines for voting about that. Okay. Anyway, that's good to hear. >> Great. Are you guys okay over there? >> There's a bug. Sorry, it's gross. >> You get it? >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> Thank you, Mrs. Counsel. >> Me in the face. >> We'll have to watch those two on the end. Um, any uh >> It's Any other comments or questions? >> Did you get it? >> All right. Just for the record, that was Mrs. Dunigan Smith smashing the bug, not Mr. Russell. >> She just got chew it before, but I'm the one that's got to pick it up. That's true. We should
048>> um hearing no comments or questions. Do I hear a motion? >> I'll move to approve the updated statement of benefits for the 2526 school year. >> Do I have a second? >> I second. >> Thank you, Mr. Alexander. Thank you, Mrs. Counts. All those in favor, please signify by saying I >> I >> opposed. The eyes have it. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Section 7.5 latch key agreement. And I will turn it over to Dr. Jason Taylor, who will provide more information. >> Thank you, Mr. Daniels. Um, latch key programs are required by Indiana code um to provide before and after school care for children whose parents or guardians are unavailable during the hours due to work or other commitments. Programs are typically hosted at the schools or community centers and offer a
049safe structure environment that includes homework assistance, recreational activities, and enrichment opportunities. This evening, we're bringing a two-year um renewal of the agreement. We are extending the terms from July 1st, 2025 to July June 30th, 2027. We're adding a new statement to limit rate increases to 5% in any one year. And if rate increases need are needed beyond 5%, a new agreement would be approved by the board um with the additional detail updating the times to reflect our child care and the AM. Um it is >> it is now more in the AM as we've changed our start time since last year and less in the PM. So we've updated that reduced our annual bill bill billing and maintenance fee. So we cannot charge by law a facility fee but we can charge a maintenance fee.
050Um we did reduce this and this really came out of a conversation with Honeyroveve to provide additional care for our staff. So, in the past, they provided our staff with care during early release PLC time on Wednesdays. And as we've changed that schedule now, um as we all know, we have our staff in for anywhere from 45 to an hour earlier each day. And Honey Grove has stepped up to provide that cost um with additional staff and and to do that cost free. And so, we did reduce that maintenance fee from 20,000 to 10,000 to help with their additional cost. And we were we were thrilled to be able to provide that um additional childcare to our staff and make the PLC and PD PD day successful. um that really has held up. Bringing this
051to the board, we wanted to give them a chance in August and September to review their staffing. There was a lot of conversation about whether or not we needed to share some staff in this area to make sure our parents um who are also employed by Center Grove would have proper childcare in the morning and Honeyrove was able to staff those days and we feel like we are now at a point where we can bring this agreement to you for approval. We did add an evergreen clause to auto extend this agreement um to avoid any kind of gap in the future. um still includes the same termination language. Um the rates were adjusted. Um some were increased to balance the time that's now added to the start of the day. Um and some were decreased
052to reflect the time that was removed at the end of the day. Um as our start times change. Um I want to make a couple other points on this. This actually was competitively bid in 2013 via an RFP process that predates most of us in the room and on the board. Not all on the board. I apologize in saying that. Um but um my predecessor actually uh would have carried out that RFP, our CFO at the time and brought that to the board and and we've worked with Honeyroveve. Um up until this year they have we have not been honoring our side of the contract for spaces that are in the contract. Um the gymnasium being one of those and as we approached Honey Grove and asked about additional care for our staff on especially
053on Tuesdays and Thursdays, they expressed a a desire for us to enforce what is in the contract which would include the gymnasiums. as I understand it, they've been flexible in providing the gymnasium access at a at a time in the morning where uh some of the clubs can still meet. Um, important to note, we do have some clubs that operate in our building that aren't necessarily Center Groves. They're not extracurricular activities um that come with a stipen. If they if they were, we would not charge any kind of rental fee. We would not ask for additional insurance. They're provided by teachers. Um and and those do take place within our building. Um, we've tried to move those to Monday, Wednesday, Friday because they often require our staff to run those and those folks are in
054PLC and PD time. Um, see here, as I understand it, if the worker to child ratio is something the state does put out there, um, it is in our contract if we give up a space that we have to provide spaces for a 20 to1 ratio. Just wanted to clarify that one. Um, the former PRC actually was built to host the Bright Beginnings Daycare years ago after it became Old Maple Grove and then turned into the the PRC. Um, and we actually staffed and ran Bright Beginnings for quite a few years and we realized we're not very good at the daycare business and we got out of that and Honeyrove did step up at the time and they took over that daycare for our staff. Um, since then we have raised that building. It's now
055becoming a nice parking lot to the south of the high school. Um, and Honey Grove had continued then to allow our staff to attend their other facilities at a discounted rate that is in the contract. They do provide that discount to our staff. Um, and it's something our staff really relies on um to bring that cost down. Um, we have tried hard to work with all of the clubs whether they be synerggo sponsored or not. Um, there are some additional requirements that we need when someone's operating for profit in our facilities versus when they're operating one of our clubs. Um, we also have tried real hard to accommodate as many of the clubs as we could. Also knowing that our primary focus are the PLC PD time and getting that with our teachers on Tuesday
056and Thursday. And so, um, some of these things that have happened this year have been, um, not necessarily on Honeyrove or even this contract, but it's just making sure that we can provide the best childare service possible, not only to our community, but to our staff to carry out our educational initiatives. Um, I'm welcome any other questions or things I might have missed that the board's curious about. But that's the uh key updates to the agreement in front of us. >> Any questions or comments from the board? >> Only other additional comments I'll make is when we renovated the PRC, it was not only for >> the uh Bright Beginnings child care that we we tried to staff. Would we spend a couple years doing that? >> Yep. >> Um, but we also had our
057police department. um our special ed co-op was in there because we also had to do this because we had pulled out of um >> special services >> special Johnson County special services. >> So this I mean when we renovated that space it was it was a multi-purpose space. It wasn't just for our bright beginnings >> childare also >> and the Simon youth academy was in there. >> So um I was trying to do my history recall there but >> it's a great space. Um, you know, the the space served its purpose and, you know, obviously other building needs came into play, which is why we raised that space a couple years ago for the additional growth of the high school. And we found homes for these other >> We still use the geothermal well. >>
058Oh, that is true. The geothermal well is still to the >> just to the north of there, >> right? Still in use. >> It's still in use. So, I forgot about the geothermal well that was there. That was a bon contention. And I do recall in 2013 when we did send the RFP out um at that point in time um the lash Q program was split between the YMCA and Honeyroveve. One of the goals as I recall the district had was to get that down to one provider to help with staffing and those types of things because they were competing for the same group of group of staff. And obviously, you know, the Y has a a much broader uh scope um around the doughnut count or doughnut schools within the within the area. So,
059I don't recall all the all the ins and outs of that RFP process, but um there was one completed in 2013. >> Thank you, Mr. Alexander. >> Any other comments or questions from the board? >> Are we looking to do another RFP in the future or >> We can explore that. We've not been contacted. or any other vendor interested in the business. Typically this time of year, they're tracking that. I get like copier vendors that come out, you know, and and will pursue us. We've not had that. >> Um if we did, we would for sure, and it's something we could explore and report back to the board if there's interest out there. >> Sure. >> And I just want to clarify with the evergreen, this in essence extends it from July one of this
060year through the end of June of 27. So if we decided to put out an RFP, the evergreen doesn't mean we can't. It just means we have to give notice and we have to go through proper channels which we have to do with an RFP. >> Exactly. We'd want to build out a timeline for that for sure. >> Legal Legal has reviewed the contract. >> Yep. >> Not me. I don't represent the board. I've reviewed the contract as a board member. Any uh other questions or comments? Do I hear a motion? Mr. President, I move to approve the last key service agreement as presented. >> Thank you, Mr. Alexander. Do I hear a second? >> I second. >> Thank you, Mrs. Donigan Smith. All those in favor, please signify by saying, "I >> I opposed."
061>> The eyes have it. Thank you. Next, we move on to the certified staff handbook. And I'll turn it over to executive director of human resources, Kaylee Brown. Thanks for letting me take a load off my feet there for a couple minutes before I had to come back up. I appreciate it. All right, so yes, I'm first going to ask you guys to approve the revisions to our certified staff handbook. We do bring an updated version every July to you guys, but since July, we have had a couple of changes that um we would like to make. Uh the first one you can see is a cost change to our employee ID um badge and and lanyard um if those get lost, stolen um and need replaced. The cost of those have gone up. So
062those were previously $12.50 to replace. We're now asking um for $15.50 for a replacement. Uh the other revision that we're asking for you guys to approve is language change to our inclement weather delay guidelines. So um I know Dr. Taylor talked a little bit about our new Tuesday, Thursday PLC and PD time. So, our past practice on two-hour delay days for our teachers was they just had to arrive um at least 10 minutes before student arrival. Um we did take this to our district guiding coalition and we talked about how we feel like that PLC um PD time on Tuesdays and Thursdays is really critical. So, in the event of a two-hour delay, if our staff can arrive safely, we're asking them to arrive um still two hours early than their new expected time. So,
063you can see that for elementary, middle, and high school up on the screen that if we were to have a two-hour delay, what time their arrival time would be. Um, again, we did take that to our district guiding coalition and it was wellreceived by the members and so we would like to update that in our certified staff handbook. Those are the only two revisions I'm bringing today for the certified staff handbook. >> Thank you. Any questions, comments as it relates to the certified staff handbook? >> Well, this may be off topic. How often are they trained on their badges? Because I I've heard teachers say, "Oh, I forget which button is what." >> Yeah. Oh, so the the replacement is just for our ID badge, not the Cintiics. So, I do want to clarify that
064the cost to replace the Centiggics badge is the same, and that is listed elsewhere within the handbook. Um, but I believe that the buildings work with our CGPD PD at the beginning of every year. they all have like emergency response systems within their buildings and they talk through what that means. Um so I would say annually um at the beginning of every year and if those conversations come up throughout the school year, CGPD are in our buildings all of the time and again they have those emergency response plans within the building that they can speak to their administrators um about at any point in time. I don't know Dr. Long if you would want me to add anything to that. Okay. >> Thank you. Are there any other comments or questions from the board? Hearing
065none, do I hear a motion? >> Mr. President, I move that we approve the certified staff handbook as presented. >> Thank you, Mrs. Counts. Do I hear a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Russell. All those in favor of >> All those in favor, please signify by saying I. >> I opposed. >> The eyes have it. Next, we go to the support staff, and we're not letting you sit down yet. >> That's okay. All right. Um, so again, I'm asking you guys to um approve small revisions to the support staff handbook. This too was brought in July. These revisions have since um been chi been made. Um you're going to see that employee ID uh badge replacement fee being changed in that handbook as well. Um we are adding just a little bit of
066new language within the inclement weather delay guidelines. of really not changing any practices. But as we brought this topic to district guiding coalition, um we had some support staff say, "Hey, there's some language in our certified staff handbook saying that we know that our employees are professionals and we don't see that in the support staff handbook. So we know you know that we're professionals, but we'd really like to have that same language put in ours." So, um, we have copied and pasted that same certified staff language, just letting them know that we do recognize them, um, in their professionalism and their good judgment when they're making that decision to report, um, at their regularly scheduled time. So, that's a that's a revision. And then the last one, um, this was a change that was made
067a couple of years ago in the statement of benefits and then just got accidentally left out of our support staff handbook. Um, so we have revised the language um to just remove the maximum not to exceed language of $4,200 for accumulated accumulated sick leave payout. So again, that was changed a couple of years ago, but just um we had forgotten to to update that language in the support staff handbook. We had a staff member ask this year and realized we needed to update that. So bringing that to you guys today to approve as well. >> Thank the support staff member for reading the handbook. >> Yeah. Right. >> In that much in that much detail. Absolutely. >> Any other questions, comments as it relates to uh section or or 7.7 of our agenda? >> Do
068I hear any a motion? >> Mr. President, I move to approve the support staff handbook. >> Thank you, Mr. Russell. Do I hear a second? >> Thank you, Mrs. Donigan Smith. I think all three of you said it. >> I should have given that one to Mrs. Counts because the last time there was a tag You get the next one. >> All those in favor, please signify by saying I. I. Opposed. >> The eyes have it. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Are you still here? >> No. Dr. Seimmers. >> Next 7.8. We're going to discuss new 2026 2027 high school course proposals and I'll talk it over or turn it over to uh Dr. Simmers for more information. >> Thank you. So tonight I am asking for the board's approval of the 2627 new
069course proposals for Center Grove High School. Um enclosed in your board packet was a list of proposed courses. Um as you will note, you can see that the um proposed courses are aligned to the DOE course titles um and course descriptions that are currently available which are 2526. Um once the new course descriptions and titles are made available to school districts across the state, should we need to make revisions, we would bring that back to the board for approval. Um proposed courses over the past couple of years are intended to allow to provide varied opportunities for our students to earn a diploma, including um the new honors and honors plus seals that are now available as part of those pathways. So um would recommend your approval of these proposed courses. I would also like to
070reiterate that just because these courses may show up in the Center Grove High School um course selection book for next year does not necessarily mean that they will carry um because we know that there are lots of factors that go into making those courses available for students including staffing uh resources student interest. So there are ver a variety of factors but this does allow us to at least pursue these courses in the future. So would recommend your approval. >> Thank you. Any questions, comments? >> Are these courses in addition to the current courses offered in these areas or are we taking courses? >> They would be in addition to but as I indicated that when we talk about a course carrying which courses carry where is the interest and where then do we have the
071staffing and the lensure available to carry those classes? So I mean it can take up to two years before >> it can get implemented just because it takes that long >> for student interest and and correct moving around of stuff >> but if we don't introduce them it would never happen. >> We're trying to be proactive as we plan ahead. >> So I know it's hard to ask you which child you like the most but tell us one course on here you're especially excited about. Personally, I would go for the net sports. >> I was going more for the Gdivas. >> Yeah. >> Is that how you pronounce it? >> It is. That's fantastic. >> That's advanced chorus. >> No, thank you for continuing to push new courses and not just the same old same
072old every year. So, thank you. Be curious to see how many of these take. >> Any other questions or comments? >> Do I hear a motion from the Kadivas? Mr. President, I move that the board approve the proposed 2627 high school courses as presented. >> Thank you, Mrs. Dunigan Smith. Do I hear a second? >> I second. >> Thank you, Mrs. Counts. All those in favor, please signify by saying I. >> I. Opposed. The eyes have it. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Next 7.9, uh, resolution authorizing litigation against social media companies. I'll turn it over to Dr. Long. >> I apologize in advance. This is going to sound really painful. Tonight, I'm asking the board to approve a resolution to allow Center Grove Community School Corporation to join legal action against social media companies
073whose platforms have contributed to significant disruptions in the educational environment and adverse impacts on student mental health. There's a growing body of research along along with national data from school districts that indicates that META's platforms contribute to elevated levels of anxiety, depression, bullying, and disruptive behaviors among youth. These impacts have placed substantial strain on the corporation's counseling, mental health, behavioral, and administrative resources. Schools have a responsibility to protect students well-being and provide a safe learning environment. If social media has contributed to widespread harm, then pursuing legal action aligns with our mission to advocate for students and support families while safeguarding learning. There is no cost to the corporation. In fact, our participation in this class action laws lawsuit along with over 1,800 other school districts throughout the United States and so far at least 90
074others in Indiana provides an opportunity to potentially recover expenses incurred by the corporation and to encourage stronger accountability and safer design practices from social media companies. So, we're recommending the board approve the resolution allowing us to join this uh class action lawsuit. >> Thank you, Dr. Long. Do I have any comments or questions from the board? >> I'm curious what kind of information they'd want from us for this. You know what I mean? I understand the why we're doing it. I just don't what what would Center Grove need to provide? I I think once I think once we have signed the resolution or approved the resolution, they'll ask us for uh some data. I would imagine that it's it's has to do with our mental health counseling numbers, some discipline and every, you know, things
075like that. But we haven't seen anything yet because we're waiting for board's approval. But I I'll be happy to share that once once we've done that if if it's approved. And I want to confirm too, we're not paying an hourly lawyer to do this. This is a contingency fee case. So, >> correct, >> they would get a piece of whatever recovery. And if there is no recovery, then we wouldn't pay them anything. >> It's similar to the class action lawsuit that uh the schools and in communities took against uh the vape companies, Jewel, and things like that. And so, it it's it doesn't cost anybody to to be a member of the class action lawsuit. And if we do provide data, it's not going to be identifying any individuals. It's going to be data from
076a a high level with no identifiers. >> Correct. >> Any other questions or comments? >> Do I hear a motion? >> I'll move to approve the resolution authorizing litigation against social media companies. >> Thank you, Mr. Alexander. Do I hear a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Russell. All those in favor, please signify by saying I. >> I. Opposed. >> The eyes have it. >> Thank you. >> Rest that voice. >> Uh, next announcements. Um, November 24 through 28, we'll have no school for Thanksgiving break. Um, and then our next uh, schoolboard meeting in December will be cancelled. If there is a reason for a special meeting, we'll go through the process of informing, but the one on the calendar for December will be cancelled. Um, our next executive session will actually be January
07715th, 2026 at 6. Our reorganization meeting open to the public will occur at 7 and then the board of finance meeting will occur immediately following. Uh, announcements, anything, Mr. Russell? just uh alumni and friends are still working um towards a hall of fame situation u working towards a technical TV screen chaos type situation. Uh anything you want to add to that, Mr. Rico? It's a challenging situation to to get to that, but it'll be a great thing once we got it in place on that one. We have half the yearbooks digitized and trying to get to the second half of them. Now, you have to understand the second half the books went from here to here to here. So, it's a whole different ballgame to get them mailed and sent and so forth uh on
078that one. So, >> thank you, Mr. Russell. Anything uh to announce tonight, Mrs. Dunigan Smith? >> No. >> Mrs. Counts? >> Mr. Alexander? Um Johnson County Redevelopment Commission is continuing to partner with Aspire Johnson County to um solicit and market businesses out along the I69 corridor. Um not a lot of movement yet. There's some speculation of some places going in. There was some good news from coming out of Greenwood about Bies going in there at Wartsville Road. Um, I think that's, you know, something that's probably been in the works for a while. Um, and I think >> brisket. >> I'm sorry. >> Is it the brisket? Is that what makes it good news? >> I think it's the jerky. >> The jerky. >> I think it's the jerky. >> Oh, the cinnamon rolls. >> It's
079the bucky nuggets. >> The bucky nuggets. >> Never been to a bies yet. >> The bucky nuggets. >> Jack, we're gonna have to go on a field trip. >> Yeah, we'll take you on a field trip, Jack. >> I didn't mean to interrupt you. That's all right. I got I got us off. They're still, you know, trying to target, you know, development out in that area. Aspire Johnson County has um partnered um with the Johnson County Redevelopment Commission. So, um hopefully we'll start to see some things moving in a positive direction out there. >> Too bad we didn't get the uh hockey stadium. >> All right. Yeah, I know. Um and then I'm over at C9 working through the uh evaluation process of the director over there and continuing to center students still continue to
080do wonderful things over at Central 9. So great several students of the month this time around and things things are going pretty good over there. >> I don't have any special announcements tonight. Uh Dr. Taylor, >> Dr. Simmers, >> thank you. >> Dr. long saving your voice. >> Please don't. >> You can write it down and I'll say it for you. >> Uh, do I hear a motion to adjurnn? >> So moved. >> All those in favor, please signify by saying I. I. >> I. >> Thank you. Have a good evening.