001All right. Good evening. I have 5:30. I will call the December meeting of the Carzo School Corporation Board of Trustees to order. Roll call. All board members and administrators are present. Uh Kent Manette is running a little late, but we'll go ahead and get started. >> I'm sorry, Monty. I texted Monty. >> Objection. I am in fact present. >> Check. check. Make sure I didn't text you. Okay. All right. Uh, at this time, I'd like to invite everyone to join me in the pledge of >> allegiance 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. >> All right. All right, the first item on the agenda is to approve the previous meeting minutes and various other
002accounts payable. Is there any additions or corrections? Hearing none, I would entertain a motion to approve. >> I move approval. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> All right. Thank you. Next item is the principal report. Mrs. Gowinski. >> Well, thank you. I appreciate everybody being here and having the opportunity to my first meeting at the new building. Um, always great to showcase what's going on at Hoover. We are entering the really fun season of elementary school with all of the celebrations and next week we have spirit days all week next week. So today I have with me um some representatives from our student council to showcase for you. And so I have Zay McFarland, our student council president, and Addie Lindsay, our student council secretary, to just tell you a little bit
003about some of the things that student council has been involved in at Hoover this year. So come on up. Hello, my name is Addie Lindsay. Thank you Crawfordville School Board for inviting me to come tonight. As I said, my name is Addie and I'm the secretary for the Hoover student council. This is my second year of being in student council and I would like to continue being in student leadership groups throughout high school and even college. I wanted to run for student council because many people have told me that I'm a natural born leader and I of course wanted to help our school and community. Throughout student council, we have learned how to be better leaders and I also learned about all the effort it takes to do big events like we do here at
004Hoover. I couldn't have learned all this Miss and Miss Perry's guidance. My all-time favorite event we do at student council has to be the carnival. I really love the carnival because families can come and have a great time and also it's so much fun. We wouldn't we would donate the proceeds to Riley Children's Hospital. This year in our student council meetings, we are highlighting leadership qualities like responsibility. This is an important characteristic because you need to be a responsible leader and that's just thank you for inviting me tonight. It's lovely to see you. As said, my name is McFarland. I'm the president of Hoover Elementary Student Council. I've been in student council for two years. After I graduate high school, I would like to go to Anderson University for criminal justice. I wanted to run
005for president for these reasons. I wanted to help the school and help and people say I'm a naturalb born leader and I have people pointing me in the right direction. One of my favorite events was the movie night because we made a lot of money to give to Riley Riley's Children's Hospital. This year in our student council meetings, our adviserss Miss S and Miss Perry are highlighting leadership characteristics like patience and talking about how at home and at school. Thank you for listening. We have some questions for you all. Our first question is, what leadership characteristic do you think the is the most important and why? >> You want to say an answer? >> Yes. >> I think it's listening to make sure that you're hearing what your fellow students or constituents would have to
006say. Susan, I would second that because that was what I was thinking before you like, well, I'll let somebody else go first here, but it is exactly right. Yeah. Yeah. >> Eddie, what I know about you, you are a leader. You do a great job. >> Yeah. I think it fits with listening, but I think humbleness is humility is the most paramount virtue. >> That makes sense. >> And I would agree with that. And I would say add uh patience as well, listening and then being thoughtful in your response. taking time to think about what you want to do. >> What is something you now know that you wish someone would have told you when you were in fifth grade? To answer, >> I have one. I wish when I was in fifth grade, I
007didn't worry so much about what other people thought and I I was more confident in what I thought and and my own beliefs and and my what I wanted to do with my life. >> Here's an Athenian answer for you. Wish I'd known it was okay to switch school systems because you can make your way back to Crawford'sville. >> What about you, Dr. Riker? Well, I'm thinking of many things because I was a Hoover Tiger and spent my fifth grade year there. Um, >> yeah, the enjoy recess while you have it. >> You know what? >> Yeah. Uh, this is it. Enjoy recess while you have it. There you go. >> Okay. Our next question for you is if you had if you as a leader could have any superpower, what superpower would you choose
008and why would you make you a better leader? I want to hear an answer from all of you for this. Yeah. I think the ability to cast a vision that all could see and understand. I guess I would say seeing around corners, predicting things before they happen. >> That's a good one with the the seeing what's going to happen because as we've all learned in the last several years, sometimes you never know what's around the corner and you just have to adjust when you when you get to it. I think I would it's sort of the same as the scene, but I I think knowing what people are concerned about even if they don't articulate it, right? So that you're not in the not blind about what people are worried about. >> I think it
009would be terrifying, but if you really could have a superpower, uh the ability to read minds would be would be helpful. Anyone else? >> Sticking with the common theme of predicting the future. I think that seems to be the staple there. >> What is a piece of advice for someone starting into leadership in my age group? I would say say yes when you have opportunities. If it's interesting to you, don't don't second guessess yourself. If it's interesting, go for it. And if you don't get elected to that position or make that position, that's okay, too. It's just a good to just put yourself out there and uh and be confident about that. I'm not even still alive. >> I think I would say the advice is to make sure you're not falling into the trap
010of working only with a click, right? Only a certain group of people, but making sure you're really listening to everybody. Read, read, read. There's all sorts of great information out there. And you could start in Mrs. Galinowski's bookshelf. You didn't know there was going to be a test this evening. So, >> so far you're failing. >> Uber tradition. >> I I I would recommend that while humility is the the top virtue just barely. Second is work ethic. Don't ever let be humble but don't ever let anybody outwork you. Another question we have is who inspires you like one or two people. I'm going to give a very patent answer that is that being on the school board, I've been inspired by all the my fellow leaders on this on the board and in our administration,
011but also with the students because we have some really neat students who do some really incredible things and I just love how many different things that our students are involved in and I think that's very inspiring. Do you want specific names or do you want uh social security numbers, dates of birth? >> Um, go ahead. >> Just names are fine. >> A good friend of mine, uh, his name's Curtis Stevens, um, is just through adversity exhibits joy. I think we can all, um, um, think of Jay Strickland, um, and how he's dealing with adversity right now. So, they're very inspirational. And this is one I would please like you all to answer. What is a favorite school memory you have from when you were 11? >> The camping trip which used to be fifth is
012it? Wait, what grade? >> Sixth grade. It was It's right. It was sixth grade when we were in when Mr. Mclofflin and I were students. It was sixth grade. But my dad went along because he was a physics and astronomy professor. So he did a lesson on the night skies and stars. And that was pretty special for me. >> So, we're talking fifth grade, right? Okay. So, my most distinct memory from fifth grade was um my teacher was Larry Manlo, longtime teacher here in the Carverville School Corporation. And we were making paperier-mâché animals out of newspapers and we had them all rolled up and we had these like long swords and we made our project but then he let us get into a sword fight in the classroom. It it was going okay until somebody
013came up and whacked him behind the head and so that didn't go very well. So that that guy ended up out in the hallway. >> That was a PE movement standard 3.1. Um yes. Now, fifth grade, uh, Hoover for the first time, we won the city championship in basketball, beating the preppy kids from Nicholson. So, it was great. Well, I didn't go to Crawfordville schools. I grew up in Covington. But one of the best memories is my fifth grade teacher was Mrs. Lloyd, and she read we we she read books to us all the time in in class reading. And that's just an outstanding memory. And the other is like Dr. Reker said, if I close my eyes and try to picture that age, almost every memory is from recess. >> Kent was at a
014one room schoolhouse. >> I also think about recess when I think of being in fifth grade. But I'll tell you what I remember, and I did not go to Crawford'sville schools either, but um one of the fifth grade teachers when I was in school, she was very much a stickler where you were not allowed to say yeah or yep. You had to say yes. And if you said yeah, you had to write yes a thousand times. That was the rule. And she was just in our room for like English class and you know, they'd switch the math and English. And so her students learned this very early, like within the first couple weeks, never to say yeah or yep, always to say yes. It took those of us in the other class, the other fifth
015grade, a little longer. And so I don't know that it's a favorite memory, but boy did we learn to be very careful about saying yes. Yes, you can. You may. Uh I remember uh that at that time the new middle school was being built and they had a planetarium and that was a huge huge deal and they um took the elementary uh students out there and got to test it and see how it worked and that was pretty cool at that time. >> So yeah. >> What is your favorite memory so far for the year? both of you. >> For me, it was probably the camping trip. >> Sort of like with the camping trip, but there's little it's a specific thing from the camping trip. It was when I got to eat just infinite
016amounts of cocoa puffs cuz we rarely have cocoa puffs at school for breakfast and my mom doesn't let me get get cos or any other cereal at the like good cereal. It's always like grape nuts and Cheerios and like other cereals that I don't like frosted meats. I don't like those. >> We'll see if we can work on that for you. >> Come on, Mom. At least go to Honey Nut Cheerios. Come on. >> That's the way I was raised. My My dad considered life a sugar cereal. >> Yeah, we that I was trained very early. My mom was the same way, Addie. And we had to look in the supermarket and if a sugar was the first ingredient, we were not allowed to buy it unless it was vacation or in our Christmas stockings.
017That was the only time we got sugar cereals. >> Captain Crunch of Crutch is like >> sounds good. >> I've never actually had Captain Crunch. >> No, I don't think we do. Well, I I have one further answer for you to the who inspires you and I want to say it's you two right here because >> Susan and I have been on the board for over 20 years since 2004 and we both have jobs. We've all got jobs outside of what we do here with the the school board. But to me, seeing what our students do in the classroom and outside the classroom and then to get to watch you guys walk across the stage when you graduate, that's that's a reward for me. So really the answer is you two right there inspire me.
018Thank you. >> Even if she's even if she's an ever want to recognize their sponsors Mrs. Mrs. our student not just having our students have fun and do projects but also really instilling leadership values. >> Thank you Mrs. Gowski. Appreciate that. All right. You're also uh welcome to leave if you have other commitments, but uh you're welcome to stay and observe the board meeting. So, >> serial item freedom. >> All right. There being no old business on the agenda, we will move on to new business. The first item is to consider a memorandum of understanding with Hoover Elementary and the college mentors for kids. >> Yeah. So we are working through updating umus for our um afterchool programs. So our 21st century um activities and programs uh within that program and this is the first
019of a few that will come. So uh this one um is specifically for um uh Little Buddies mentoring program uh that occurs there at Hoover. So um I would recommend um approval of thisou. >> Any questions, discussion? Hearing none, I would entertain a motion to approve. >> I move approval. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> All right. Next item is to consider the art enrichment camp. >> Hello. >> How are you guys? >> So, um, I did this camp last year in the summer. Great success. I had so much fun. We had about 40 kids enrolled in the camp. a huge exhibit of their artwork at Wabbash College. They really enjoyed that. It was a full house out there. So, the funding went through again a grant through a partnership with us
020to Wash. So, that went through. So, I would like your approval to do that again this coming summer, get another group of kids in there and do another art enrichment camp this summer. >> I don't know how we could say no to that. Any discussion or questions? I eagerly motion to approve. >> Thank you. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> All right. Thank you very much. >> Moving along, the next item is to consider resolution for transfer of dormant funds to the rainy day fund. >> Yes. This transfer is to clean up our fund report. Uh we currently have numerous funds that have gone dormant uh for a period of at least two years and have available funds to be transferred where we see fit. Um, we would recommend that the board
021approve this resolution to transfer those funds to the rainy day fund. >> Any discussion? >> What determines that they're >> the all of these funds have just sat for two years with no activity. Um, so there's some old grant funds left over or just funds that were just put in a fund and left set. >> I would make a motion. >> Second. >> All in favor? I >> I >> All right. Thank you. Next item is consider resolution for transfer from rainy day fund. >> Yes, this is our second of our semiannual uh transfers. This resolution would give the school permission to transfer up to $900,000 from the rainy day fund to the operations fund to make that uh balance positive. And this is just a maximum set since we're only halfway through the month
022of December and we still have a lot of transactions to go through before the end of the year. Uh so we would recommend that the board approve this resolution to transfer this um up to $900,000 from rainy day to the operations fund. >> I would like to remind the board that this year we'll receive about $2.5 million in operations and our operational expenses are between seven and $8 million. So that's the reason we have to move funding. >> What's the roughly the current balance of the rainy day right now? >> Uh rainy day is roughly at about $2 million right now. >> Any other discussion? >> I move approval of this transfer. >> I second. >> All in favor? I. >> Yes. Okay. >> All right. The next item is to consider exercising the right
023to repurchase property. >> Um in 2022 when we signed over um new be or sorry the old John Beard building to New Beginnings for a price of $9,000 in that agreement was is that if they would cease to be doing business there that we would have the first right to purchase the building back for the price that we sold the building. Um, so at this point in time, I recommend that the board approves repurchasing the real estate at 1601 East College Street, formerly known as John Beard Elementary, for $9,000 >> funded. Unfortunately, we have to do that that childcare center closed. So, um, any discussion here? Is there is there any um avenue that uh that they think that funding might come back around with an administrative change or is the I mean is there
024do we want to completely close this off just based on now or just looking forward I guess? >> Well I think really right now just us buying it back would put some money in their pocket to clean up any final bills but uh right now there aren't any plans that I'm aware of for for John Beard. I think 18 months ago we had this conversation that this was a possibility and at that point in time under preschool funding there was consideration that we actually needed more space for preschool. So I think yes there is a possibility that if preschool funding would ever change then we could look at using that facility. Um you know New Beginnings had done a great job in there actually you know we are getting everything that is in the building.
025Um so those classrooms have newer furniture and those types of things. So it is a possibility. um have had communication with other community organizations already about you know is there any partnership or anything they can use and then there's other opportunities that we would look at but the current status of preschool funding would not allow us would not you would as a board should would would not want to approve if I recommended that we add more preschool at this point in time. >> Any other discussion? Is there a motion? >> I move to approve the um repurchase of the property. >> I second. >> All in favor? >> I >> Thank you, Dr. Recker. Moving on to personnel. >> Sorry, overcrolled. All right. Um I recommend that the board approve the two resignations of classified
026staff members. Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> All right, moving on to hiring. >> All right. Um start with number one and two. Um aids for Wilson. Um we continue to have that staffing um carousel there. Um so, you know, but hope and just send that'll help us provide and keep us in ratio. It's one of the things that is difficult about preschool and child care is that you have to have enough staff to maintain certain ratios which is important but also very expensive. Um recommending number three there Laura Peoples um she is the spouse of the new athletic director at Wbash College. So she's an experienced teacher. Obviously right now we don't have a teaching opening. So, um, we're going to use her as
027an instructional assistant to help, um, at Nicholson to help prepare for I read and use her elementary skills and hopefully their things will open up in the future and she will have her own classroom with us in the near future. Already hiring re number four, recommending Spencer Mccumber as a Nicholson transition teacher. He's coming out of the Marian program. Um and you know this would be for the 26 27 school year. That position has been vacant um for a while. We've used um different substitute ways to cover that position. So this is a good thing. And also that we have the opportunity to hire somebody ahead of time. He is um yeah he married a shidler so coming back to town. So, and hoping to figure out um his wife Megan um is also coming
028out of the program, but trying to figure out the elementary possible placement for her. Um also number five recommending Lillian Melinger as a Nicholson as a short-term long-term I should say long-term substitute for one of our openings there at Nicholson. Recommend the board approve all the hirings. >> Is there a motion? >> So move. Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> All right. Business manager report. Andrew. >> Yes. Just a couple items. Um, first, our bond issuance that we're going through right now. The Indiana Bond Bank held their meeting on November 19th. They did approve our bond application. Um, the final step right now is ready. That will be the bond closing next Tuesday on the 16th. Um after that we will receive our funds shortly after and have a final bond packet everything.
029If you want to view it just let us know. Um and then we will that's our last step to get ready for our budget. Um to be able to get that fully approved for the 26th calendar year. Um the operations analysis. We had Baker Tilly in here on Monday the 8th. They conducted meetings and interviews with administration and staff to go through different staffing and operational uh reviews, different questions to figure out where we can trim, find some savings. Um, they will now take all of what they learned in all of those meetings and come back to us with a draft report in January for the administration and then hopefully have a final report to go through with you guys in February. Um, and then today we just received our approval from the DOE for
030the common school loan application that we submitted in November. So, we have that loan um for $220,000 to help purchase and maintain technology that's vital for the instruction of our students. That is all I have tonight. >> All right. Thank you, Andrew. Dr. Bokart. >> Yeah. Good evening. So, um, start off with first, as you heard the young ladies earlier tonight mention the playground at Hoover. Um, while it is not finished, the equipment itself is in. So, they are very close. So, just needing to do uh final uh final grading. So, with uh with dirt and mulch there and once that is um in, then they will be back up and running um at Hoover. So, it looks looks really really good though. So, exciting there. Um Nicholson will follow um that is tentatively scheduled
031uh actually for January 5th uh recently. Um so we'll be using uh winter break um to get the old equipment out. Um and then January 5th, new equipment will be uh begin to be installed. So exciting for Hoover and uh Nicholson there. Um also over winter break uh CMS remaining classroom carpet floors will be replaced. So that will wrap up kind of how that was phased out through um a few of our our breaks here. Fall break. We had a good number done and we will be able to finish that um over winter break with uh the remaining um classrooms. So um that will be good there for CMS. Uh met with the long rigging solutions to review work to be done in the auditorium. So, um, they had completed an inspection, uh, for us
032earlier this fall and then worked through some recommendations, uh, with them and and then met with them on site to go over things. And so, looking at initially, uh, first steps would be to remove and update some line sets, um, and update hardware as well. So um in the process of currently looking at at getting that scheduled um as well for the auditorium curriculum uh instruction assessment world uh ELA secondary workshop. So secondary ELA teachers met to discuss some vertical alignment uh focus was on identifying and committing to key vocabulary in each grade level. Um and then proficiency scales as well with uh writing assessments. So, I want to thank Rachel O'Neal and Emily Race uh for their planning and co-leading of that day. Uh they did a great job. Excellent work was done uh
033by that team. And I will say that is difficult difficult work uh when you get into to those things, especially those proficiency skills, but we're looking forward to to what it'll do um for for our instruction in the classroom. Um and then last piece I have for you is just an update on school accountability. Dr. for care mentioned in our previous meeting as we're working through that uh public comment was um pushed out uh further. So we were supposed to have that final ruling by the end of the year. Uh but uh that is public comment's been pushed to January 5th. So still currently working through that piece. We've gone ahead and started working internally having conversations looking at what that looks like from a student tracking perspective. Um it is much more individualized. Um
034so um students can earn um points uh towards a total grade and then each individual student would add up to an overall average of a school grade um traditional kind of AF uh 1908 80 and so forth. So um the link to the current proposed uh rule is in there. um won't go through that whole thing with you, but if you are interested, it is there, but there could be some some final tweaks there, but um working through um that as that information um keeps coming our way. And that is your assistant superintendent report. >> All right. Thank you, Dr. Boart. >> Question. So, the uh the long rigging solutions, is that is that sound? Is that lighting? >> That is uh the fly and rigging system. So, not Yep. Yep. Yep. >> All right,
035Dr. recorder. >> All right. Excellent. Uh, first thank you to Marcy and Patrick who that excellent um board report. So I think um Marcy does a great job with that. Get you engaged to we talked to the principles about the board prefers to see the kids than a bunch of spreadsheets. So that is outstanding. So well done with that. Also thank you to Marcy. Marcy serves not only as the Hoover principal, she also is our corporation media specialist. our title coordinator and she's on the corporation leadership team. So grateful for all the things that she does for Crawford'sville schools and she's raising a new junior principal or he's got all sorts of little nicknames over there but um I wish he was here for that but it's so it's important. So >> there we go.
036So excellent. So thank you very much Marcy. Um, thank you to Stephanie and the people who helped her. So, kind of a little blending of the holiday spirit with the Athenian way. And so, it's beautiful in here. Um, take a look around the office. It's wonderful. Grateful for that. Um, you know, appreciate my team. They keep us going. Um, a lot of early mornings recently for Dr. go-kart. So, let him get out for a while and you know, then I come and we meet and we talk in the parking lot and um try to figure some of these things out. So, I think the last few years we didn't have any sort of delay or weather in December. So, it's um all Dr. Boart's fault. Um so, working through that. Um Andrew trying to get
037us wrapped up for the year and we'll, you know, the next month or so'll be trying to wrap up all of our financial reports. So, um, it takes a team to run this school corporation and I have a great one. Um, all sorts of fun ways to get kicked in the shin lately. And newer one is that our we met with our the providers of our athletic trainers. Um, and you know, just another cost that's they're looking to significantly increase. It's been a extremely fair deal, almost a zero cost to us. basically what they charged us they gave us back to in marketing and so that's going to increase but we're working with this and they let us know early enough so that we could try to figure some things out with them so I
038do appreciate that um there is a short session going on um there approximately 15 bills that connect to education I put in my report here a handful that kind of looking at house bill 1034 comes back on the student sell cellular student cellular telephone use. Who uses those terms? Um but and to even be make even stronger mandate to prohibit the use or possessing of a wireless communication device during the school day. Um, so we'll see how that one goes along because I think that we do a pretty darn good job of keeping them out of the learning environment, but you definitely are going to see them in passing periods and everything. So, I don't know. We'll see how this one goes. And then they really put in there because I think that I think
039they're trying to close every loophole to it. Um, I thought it was interesting that this bill reads that if a teacher directs a student to use a wireless device, the school must provide it. So I think that you in in a certain teacher's classroom might say, "Oh, we use the cell phones for polling the kids or something like that." So I think again they are taking those types of things away and they support a secure storage program. So um Senate Bill 84 pre kindergarten and child care deals with funding for vouchers um you know basically that they should fund the vouchers that are awarded. So, we will see what happens with that. It doesn't have support from both sides, so I don't know that that'll go, but I think that'll be a lot of a
040conversation and probably stuff we'll hear about on Saturday at the legislative breakfast. Senate Bill 58, school curriculum. I I don't know who just keeps doing this one, but like requires print handwriting and cursive handwriting and spelling in his curriculum. I feel like >> we have spelling on the wall. I don't know, but I feel like this cursive one has literally been brought up every year since I got into administration. Um, but now that they require print handwriting, too. So, that's right. I mean, there are some thing I definitely believe there is a connection between writing and your ability in reading. So, um, I think there's plenty of reasons to support it, but that that it's required for a Senate bill, I don't understand. Um, House Bill 1040, battery against vulnerable workers. um add school employees
041to the definition. So if that could go which unfortunately the number of staff injuries across the state across the country is significantly um increased. So this one will be I think it is needed and I think they are trying to address an issue. It would just be interesting to see how it would be enforced. So legislation session is going. Um currently have not seen any bills that remedy anything from Senate Enroll Act One. So but we have a little bit of time. We have a few about a month before the last bill can be introduced. I think >> January 7th. A little less than a month. Thank you. So they're there. In the world of educational leadership, TAG applications are open. So that's the teacher appreciation grant. Um, thank you to Susan who's going to
042serve on the selection committee. Um, we've held twoformational Google meets for teachers and um, sent out a summary of those meetings. We've provided a guidance document. Um, we've discussed it every month since it kind of came about. So, I feel like we've we've done a decent job of preparing our staff for this opportunity. We're encouraging folks to apply. we've given them examples and we've worked with them and so that you know it's a new era um with this but we are working through it. Um we are working with North Montgomery on our planning for the special ed co-op next year as it'll just be the two of our corporations with that. A reminder of legislative breakfast Saturday December 13th at 9:00 a.m. It will now be held at Crawford'sville Middle School. Um the elevator is
043not working at Fusion 54. So, I think it's a great opportunity for legislators to see how school facilities are used for the community. So, um yeah, and I am grateful to be your superintendent, proud to be an Athenian and appreciate everything you guys do for our schools. >> Thank you, Dr. Rucker. Um just quickly, who's all going to attend that? I I plan to. So, >> okay. All right. That's a good representation of the board, so I appreciate that. Any other business? Board member communications. >> I'm sorry I was absent. >> Patron comments hearing. None. I would entertain a motion to adjurnn. >> So moved. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> All right. We are ajourned. Thank