001Thank you, Meline and Chris. I will now call this meeting to order for December 15, 2025, Honey County Community Schools Board of Trustees and move on to A4. Roll call. Mrs. Gray, >> Mr. Allen >> here. Mr. Mlullen is absent. Mr. Meltchure >> here. >> Mr. Wall >> here. >> Mr. Carl >> here. >> Mrs. Miller >> here. Mr. Thompson >> here. >> Thank you, Mrs. Gray. Move on to A5. Revisions of the agenda. Mr. Brimberry, do we have any revisions? >> Yes, Mr. Allen. We have two uh this evening. Uh, number one, I would like permission to add to item G, consent agenda six, personnel report, new classified staff, Na Hobs, pair of professional Andrews, effective December 3rd. Number two, add to item G, consent agenda six, personnel report certified staff, resend the resignation
002of Bana Kefir, adjunct teacher applied skills salimony that was board approved 112425 and effective 121925. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Brimberry. I'll entertain a motion to accept these revisions. >> Motion to revise. [snorts] >> Thank you, Mr. Melture. >> I'll second. Thank you, Mr. Wall. Any questions or comments before we vote? Hearing none, we'll vote on accepting these revisions. Motion passes 6. Move on. So the revisions are adopted. Move on to B1 financial reports November 2025. Mrs. Babcock. >> Yes. Hello. Um good evening everyone. Um so I'd like to cover the financial reports for November 2025. And um as you can see the reports are the same consistent reports that you're used to seeing. I wanted to keep those um consistent for you moving forward. um as they have a lot of great details
003in them for you. And looking at the summary statement of revenues and expenditures for the education fund, you'll see we're right on trend with where we need to be as far as what was planned accordingly to the budget. Um you will notice that we do have um a little bit more of our revenues. Our our expenses are higher than our revenues. That's something to be mindful of, but I believe that was the intent um for this particular school year. Moving forward, we'll need to keep an eye on that. Moving on to the debt service page of that summary statement of revenues and expenditures. Um, you'll see there's just slight movement in that and that is some revenue with the uh C seat and fit um revenue that was received moving forward according to um the
004state legislative changes. That revenue will have to be receded into the operations fund unless legislators change that in the near future. Um so as of right now everything is on trend with that. Our big expenditures will come out the end of this month um for the debt service fund. Moving on to our operations fund. Um as you can see then we're again right on trend with that on where we had planned to be. Um there are definitely still some expenditures coming out of there higher than our revenue as projected but as you know property tax revenues come in twice a year. So be anticipating that um revenue, property tax revenue coming in in December. Um so you'll see an influx in the cash balance on that particular fund and everything's just on trend with that.
005As far as the rainy day fund, there is no movement in that. That is consistent with how it has been the last several months. Moving on, we will cover the um education and fund historical comparison um reports for your review. And as you can see for the operations fund, we are ending cash balance of 1,45,661. Um, which is slightly up from last year at this time. And then for our education fund, moving on to that one, um, we are at 15 um,266,742 cash balance um, as of November um, for this particular year. as to compared to last year. Last year we were slightly lower um which is anticipated with some of the um raises that we have coming out here in the next well we'll actually see those in the next month next report and
006that is all I have for your fund um and trend reports associated with the financial report. Are there any questions? >> Thank you Mrs. Babcock. Any questions for her before we vote on the financial reports? Mr. Wall, you're disappointing me. >> It's her first. It's her first meeting. I've been nice. >> Thank you. >> You did great. Thank you. Uh, I'll entertain a motion reference accepting the financial reports. >> Make a motion to approve the financial reports as presented for November 2025. >> Thank you, Mr. Wall. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Melture. Uh, any further questions or comments before we vote? >> It's great to have you on board, Mrs. Babcock. >> Thank you. >> Hearing none, we will vote on the motion. [snorts] Motion passes 6. We'll move on
007to B2 request to pay 2025 year end bills. Mrs. Babcock. >> Yes. This is just a formality um for actually this this item and the very next item are just some formalities for the end ofear process for state board of accounts um compliance piece. So, at this point, I request um permission to pay the 2025 year-end bills as presented. >> Thank you, Mrs. Babcock. I'll entertain a motion reference this request. >> Make a motion to approve the uh the paying of our 2025 year end bills as presented. >> Thank you, Mr. Wall. Is there a second? >> Second. Thank you, Mr. Melure. Any questions before we vote? Hearing none. Let's vote on the motion. >> Motion passes 6. Moving on to B3. Request to make 2025 year-end transfers. Mrs. Babcock. >> Yes. Again, this is
008part of a requirement through SPOA, state board of accounts, um that we need to make transfers within our application fund um or the operations fund to clear out any additional appropriations or over expenditures within those certain line items. And this allows us to do so to close out the books properly for 2025. So, I request approval to um make those year-end transfers. >> Thank you, Mrs. Babcock. I'll entertain a motion to reference this request. >> Make a motion to approve uh the 2025 year and transfers as presented. >> Thank you, Mr. Wall. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Mrs. Miller. Any questions for Mrs. Babcock before we vote? >> I believe I know the answer to M Babcock, but this is just to basically bring light items up to zero, not have
009them in the negative. And this is not anything between like the education fund and the operations fund. This is all solely in the individual funds. Correct. That is correct. >> Anything further for Mrs. Babcock before we vote >> hearing? None. Let's vote on the request. Motion passes 6. Move on to B4 AIC TX clearing house letter of agreement 2026. Mrs. Babcock. >> Yes. Um I am requesting approval to move forward with the TRX agreement as presented. Um TRX is a it's called tax refund exchange compliance system in case um someone was wanting to know what TX stood for. Um and that is a um process where um school corporations and government entities can utilize if we have um uncollectible debt such as textbook device fees um lunch debt those sort of things where we can
010file that through the trucks program and it'll come out of the um parent or guardian legal guardians um state refund if they have any. Um, and so I'm requesting approval of the STS program pro uh agreement, excuse me, um, to move forward. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mrs. Babcock. Any I'll entertain a motion reference this. >> Sorry. I recommend the approval of the AIC Trex letter of agreement, registration, and participation for 2026 as presented. >> Thank you, Mrs. Miller. Is there a second? Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Meltchure. Any questions before we vote? >> This is for either Mrs. Babcock or Mr. Brunberry. Do we have much need for this as much as we used to in the past or is this just for, you know, how often do you think we're going to use
011this? >> I'll comment. Um, it it certainly went down because of the state's change in the textbooks in terms of uh not charging parents. So, a lot of our uh situations now are due sometimes to uh devices and things like that, but it is not frequently used and certainly not at the rate it used to be used here. >> Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Brimberry. Any further questions before we vote? >> Let's vote on the motion. Motion passes 6. We'll move on to C1 special presentation honoring district 3 trustee service. Um the board uh we would like to recognize Carrie Heim for her time as the Huntington sering the Huntington County Community Schools District 3 trustee. During her time on the board of trustees, Car's result Carrie was always a strong voice in support of
012our teachers and students. In addition, the board commends her for courage and honesty in discussions on sensitive matters and her dedication while serving our district. Thank you, Carrie, very much. We appreciate you and wish you all the best in the future. If you could come up here, we have something to present you. >> [applause] >> Thanks again, Carrie. Moving on to C2, special presentations update on the 2025 2026 English learners program. >> Mr. Allen board. I'm uh thrilled to have with us tonight our director of our eel program, Angie Grub. Angie uh was asked for the academic portion of our program, which we'll try to have something uh each and every board meeting for you. Uh that's about 10 minutes or so uh based on academics, something to do with strategic plan that we'll bring
013forward. So I know Mr. Peters would have wanted to be here tonight as well, but he is certainly uh was a big part of this too, working with Angie. But Angie, thank you for being here tonight. It is a uh I call it a pocket of excellence. We have so many things to be proud of at Huntington Schools and your program and leadership is certainly one of the highlights of many. So, thank you for being here tonight and presenting. >> Thank you very much and thank you for your time tonight. Uh I always welcome the chance to talk about this program. It means um so much to me. So, six months ago, I presented to the board to request the opportunity to provide more intentional and personalized service for our elementary e learners. Uh, this
014evening, I would like to share an update on that work and also share with you uh what an overview of what our secondary program looks like as well. Currently, we have 143 identified English learners from kindergarten through 12th grade in our school system. Uh that number will grow by three as soon as we return from Christmas break. I just enrolled uh three additional students, two at middle school and one at high school. So right now our numbers stand at elementary we have 74 students. Middle school is 31, soon to be 33 and at the high school 38 but soon to be 39. Additionally, we currently have 14 what I like to call potential English learners in our preschool program at Lincoln Elementary. So about half of those students will become kindergarteners in the 2627 school
015year. And so that our programming just continues to grow. Sure. >> How has that number increased throughout the last couple of years? >> Uh so we have almost doubled uh in size. My projected number for this year was around between 155 to 160. We did have a few families move out of the district that I wasn't um kind of expecting, but um we've stayed steady. And so I think when I first took over, if I'm remembering correctly, our number was um 72. And so that was just a couple years ago. So we we continue to grow uh which makes me very happy. And we just I I feel like that is a attributed to the teachers that I have working alongside us. Not just our English learner teachers, but our general education teachers offering the
016great support and welcomeness that they do to our students. So, no, no problem. >> Um, I'd like to first start with Lincoln because that was my big ask for last year. We I had four big uh components that I wanted to tackle and the probably the greatest one that meant the most to me was our loss of instructional time. When I talked to you in May, I told you we were losing 90 hours a year just in drive time because we had one teacher who was traveling to four schools. Now, all of our English learners at the elementary level for the most part, I do have a couple pockets that I'll talk about here in a second, but uh they are at Lincoln. I now have three English learner teachers who can service those 74
017students. So, we're also able to break that down so that they can be very intentional in the grade levels that they're servicing, which just heightens the experience both for the teachers and the students. We are now averaging approximately 110 minutes a week of service time for those students. Last year our average was 65 minutes. The state requires us to service 120 minutes a work or a week and so we are just below that but that is attributed to I do still have one teacher who does have to travel. We have a student at Salimony, a student at Horseman because of additional programming that they receive. And then we also have students at Riverview, but after this year that will no longer be the case with the Riverview students. They will be transitioning to Huntington North.
018Um, we were able to with your approval hire another elementary ELEL teacher and so we welcomed Kylie Hermanson to the EL team and she is servicing students. She is a teacher that travels and services those pockets that um we just can't have those students at Lincoln because of other programming. Our increased ability to collaborate is amazing. Our e teachers at Lincoln are now able to talk and collaborate and plan with the general education teachers on a daily basis. And that was just something we didn't have prior to that move. And so great things are happening. I love I was at Lincoln actually three times today and um I love when I walk in and see a te the teachers together saying here's what we could try here's what's working and so that just is a
019benefit for the teachers and for the students and then professional development opportunities. I've already had the privilege to lead two uh professional developments at Lincoln this year and then Kylie Hermanson is going to lead one for me in January. So that's just something also we haven't had the opportunity to do because of the spread across the district in the past. So it has been a great and impactful thing to have those students at Lincoln Elementary. In the beginning, I'm not going to lie, when um Mrs. Jüger and I went out the day after you approved for us to make this switch and started visiting families and we started with the trickier ones first and they were tricky. Um and that was okay. and we had an open house where we welcomed families and it was
020a little bit of a of a difficult um experience for me. Some families were um a little hesitant and I understood but then I have had overwhelming response to you were right. This is what's best for my student. My student is growing. My student is engaged, immersed, and we can come together as a whole group to really do what's best for kids. And so that was the endg game for me and I feel like we're achieving that. So thank you. Um I will talk quickly just about per grade level in kindergarten to to first we have 28 students. On average they receive 40 minutes of service per day from Annette Little who is our K1 teacher and that averages out to 200 minutes per week. So well above what they are required to receive from
021the state. For second and third grade, Miss Michel Mahar takes care of those students. We have 28 students in that grouping and they receive about 45 minutes of instruction per day which averages out to 225 minutes per week. Again, a great increase above the 120 minutes that they are required to receive service. And then Miss Hermanson, like I said, hers looks a little bit different because she does travel between the schools for me still. She has 17 students on her case load. Those students at Lincoln still receive an average of 30 minutes per day. So they're getting their 120 minutes of service per week and like I said that is with her traveling between Lincoln um Salimony Horseman and Riverview. Okay. Next I'd like to talk about Crestview. Um Crest View will grow by two
022students. One new sixth grader is coming in January and one new seventh grader in January also. So currently we have nine sixth graders, 12 um seventh graders and nine eighth graders. The one exciting thing about Crestview this year is they were able to implement a new curriculum uh designed specifically for English learners and like when I taught at Crestview I didn't have a structured curriculum to teach from. So this has been an amazing opportunity and u Miss Writtenhouse who is the teacher there is doing a fantastic job implementing that curriculum finding what works what needs tweaked how she can use it best with her students. But the one piece that has been most impactful and that the kids at first were like, "Oh, Mrs. Groove, I'm not doing that." It's a program called Amira, it
023is AI based and the students read and speak to this AI tool and it gives them feedback on pronunciation, on their reading fluency. It interacts with them and asks them questions about what they're reading. And so the reason we went with this program was because it has shown documented increase in the students reading and speaking scores for their WEDA access testing which will begin in January. So I'm hoping to see the dividends of that payoff when we receive those results in April. Another key highlight from Crest View is the participation of students in extracurriculars. It is overwhelming to them to come into a place where they do not always speak the same language as everyone else. they may not even speak the same language as the other English learner students. And so getting them to
024engage in additional opportunities is sometimes tricky. And so that's been something I really push and encourage. And I'm happy to say we have students on student council. We have students in hope in the middle. And we also have students participating in athletics such as football, wrestling, swimming, track, and soccer. So that has been a great thing to see. I want them to grow academically, but I want them to grow socially as well. And so that is that piece that helps get them there. Um, finally, as far as the schools are related, I'll talk about Huntington North. Um, Huntington North is a um, unique experience for us this year. Mr. Ian Lindsay is our e teacher at Huntington North and he's also a math teacher. And so we worked with Dr. Dots to try something new.
025This year we have Ian teaching two math classes. He teaches an EL focused geometry class and an ELEL focused algebra 2 class. And that is the same curriculum that all students in geometry and algebra 2 would experience, but they have that additional support of Ian being able to help them with academic vocabulary and just that continued encouragement to grow and succeed and be successful as they continue on in their math careers. For the second year, we have the EL focused English courses. Those are taught by Ruthanne Rust and John Petrovich. Mr. Petrovich does the ninth and tth grade. Mrs. Rust does the 11th and 12th grade. And again, the curriculum is the same as you would find in any ninth grade or 10th grade, 11th or 12th grade English class. It just offers an opportunity
026for additional support for those students. Because when I first took over, that was the class kids were not passing and they have to have four years of English to graduate. And so when I looked at something that I worked with Mrs. Rust and she was instrumental in coming up with how that could work and what that would look like. And so those students can also earn service credit uh that that we need to provide to them as outlined by the state while receiving that English credit. And so it does it also gives them the opportunity to have some freedom in scheduling of classes. And speaking of freedom of scheduling, for the first time, we have students engaging in the CTE programming. And that was another big push for me. We have nine students who have
027taken advantage of that programming for this year, whether they're at the learning center center in JOTC or visiting Heartland. Um, we have students loving those programs and being successful in those programs. And that means a lot to me. I want them to have all opportunities that any student would have. The one that's probably most special to me, we had a cadet. We have a cadet teacher this year and she was the cadet teacher for Mrs. Little at Lincoln and she just finished her experience. She'll go to Andrews Elementary next to be in a kindergarten also but not on the e side of it. But it was great for our younger students whether they were kindergarteners up through fifth grade to see Miss Maria Perez in those schools and doing her thing and just seeing those
028kids see, wow, I can grow into that. I can become those things, too. So, a great opportunity and experience, and I thank Mr. Dohy for giving us the opportunity to do that. Real quick, I'll talk about our family nights, which we continue. We used to just do those four times a month. We now do them monthly. Um, because parents were like, "Oh, can we get information on this? Oh, we need these resources. Oh," and I thought, "Okay, if you're going to ask me all the time, we're just going to meet." And so, it's a great opportunity. We bring in community members. We are doing in January a um local doctor has offered to supply first aid kits to our families and give them some information. We try to bring someone in to talk about summer
029programming. Just anything parents I send out a survey in usually June, July asking what are things that you need. We always do a session on synchronous learning so they can see this is what it looks like at elementary, middle school, high school and it just helps build those stronger connections, those stronger relationships. These are held at Lincoln. So if you ever want to come, just let me know and I'm happy to invite you. Um, and I love that we can have them at Lincoln. I was always appreciative of the library, but when we're at Lincoln, I think that just also since that's where a huge portion of our learners are located, it gets the parents in the school and I think just breaks down that barrier of, oh, I I don't know if I can
030come to the school. It just makes them feel more welcome and so I love that opportunity as well. Um, one final thing I'll discuss, we do offer adult English classes. Um, we are we did those By the time we finish this year, we're on a break right now, but we'll have done 36 classes this year. That's an increase from last year. We do those at Lincoln as well on Monday and Wednesday nights. Those are all supported by teachers uh that I get to volunteer. And this year, we've had so many participants that we were able to level it. So, we have a entering level, an intermediate level, and a higher level. And uh I work traditionally with the entering level students, but it's been an amazing opportunity to see people we worked with last year
031for just a short time come in and just in conversation and assessment, they were able to go into the intermediate level, which means that what we did was working. And so it's um another great way to make connections with parents. And I want parents a lot of times they tell me the reason that they want these classes is so they can help their kids. And so that means so much to me. They they want to do everything they can to make sure their students are learning and growing. And that means the world to me. So I want to leave you today with a short video that um someone close to me produced this video. My daughter Abby worked with me to put this video together and it just speaks to our program and I hope
032that it touches your heart and lets you know how much we as a whole love our English learners in this district. In Huntington County Community Schools, every student brings a unique story and every story matters. Our mission is simple and powerful. Intentional and personalized educational experiences for our English learners. From their first day in our schools, English learners receive instruction designed specifically for their needs. academically, socially, and linguistically. We meet students where they are so they can grow into confident readers, writers, thinkers, and leaders. We partner with families, honor cultures, and celebrate multilingualism because we know that language is an asset, not a barrier. Through intentional planning, innovative instruction, and caring relationships, we help each learner find their path to success. Our English learners enrich our classrooms and our community. Their languages, [music] their perspectives,
033and their talents make us stronger. Huntington County Community Schools providing intentional and personalized educational experiences for every English learner because every student deserves to thrive. Every student, every day. So again, I thank you for the opportunity to present to you tonight. Um, intentional and personalized instruction is what we strive for every day for every student. I do want to give a quick shout out to both Kaiden Kingham who Kenningham, sorry, who is one of Mr. Butler's interns. He came in and did pictures for me um that were in the presentation. And then Abby Group, she is my daughter. It's a shameless plug. um that she put the video together for me and she said I she I could use the video, but I had to make sure I didn't cry when it was um presented
034and so I watched it a lot of times. So I'm like, "Okay, it's it's not going to make me cry." But if you have any questions, I'm welcome to answer any questions you may have. >> Thank you, Mrs. Grub. Uh this is wonderful and uh inspirational. Um it's just great to see that every kid truly every kid every day. Um did have a couple of questions. I I wondered um so they they start not knowing English. What is the how how hard is I mean I know it's a difficult language to learn but how do is there expectations for certain levels to reach and if they are kindergarteners they speak fluent by the time they're third graders or >> um every student is different. So, it just like any learner, the goal is that's why
035um I would love to find a way to bring every preschooler I can find. Annette Little has a knack for finding preschoolers everywhere. Um and so I would love the opportunity to have a focused preschool. Um that could be an all day program. That would be amazing. And the sooner we get in them in exposed to English, the quicker they pick it up. Um the earlier ages are obviously easier for them to show growth more rapidly. And so students that we may get like in the third, fourth grade or even higher, it does take a little longer because they are now not necessarily in classrooms learning to read. They're reading to learn. And so when you don't know how to do that in that language, it's an added layer. and we support those students with
036additional minutes, which we're now able to do uh more effectively at the elementary level. But I would say for most students, usually you look for them to gain and move toward more fluent English speaking within like a three four year time period. But [snorts] again, it may just depend. Um WEDA access is the test that we use to assess proficiency in the state of Indiana. And so that runs on a scale of one, which is your lowest, and then to a six, which is your highest. In Indiana, once you reach a level five, you are um dismissed from the program, but then we monitor you for two years just to make sure everything is good. We do have the opportunity to exit students early. Um that takes a lot of consideration on my part before
037I will do that. But we did exit two students for this school year. Um one, she will actually graduate in December. she'll be done. And then the other student is a student who is an elementary student. So, um I look for that to increase. >> And how long did they did it take them to to to get it? >> So, the um high school student, I would say it was five years. I I would say it was five years. And the elementary student, it was three. So, and they didn't they were both um the high school student was a tenth of a point away from having a level five, which is automatic exiting of the program. Um and the elementary student was 310en of a point off. So, I felt like based on that, there's
038documentation you have to have tri uh triangulate the this data and then present to present it to the state for final approval. And um they that was the first time I'd ever done that. And so when they came back as yes, I was like, "Okay, then I I think I do know what I'm doing with that." So I'll look I look for us to have a few more this year. But that's something I do. Um if it's a student moving like from fifth to sixth grade, that adds an extra layer for me or if they're moving from 8th to 9th because that's just a hard transition. So >> and I don't like them to leave. >> No, I I understand. Thank you. Any other questions for Mr. How are we helping the students that are
039below grade three work with the iate stuff and how does that how does the e program then interact with i >> sure so that's a great question so um that is why you saw in the presentation our second and third graders do receive a little bit higher number of minutes um because we want to be very intentional about supporting their move to having to take and pass that I read test for English learners in the past a good cause exemption like if they didn't pass the test was an automatic. That's no longer true. Um starting with this year, if you are an English learn or this past school year, if you are an English learner, you are not just automatically handed a good cause exemption. There are certain guidelines that you have to meet and
040one of those being you cannot have received more than two years of intentional instruction. So, what I've started doing already is looking at our current third graders to see who is going to fall into the potential ability to receive a good cause exemption. My my goal is that they will [snorts] pass and we won't have to worry about that, but I always want to have a plan. Um, we did run summer school last summer for both the second and third grade English learners. Second grade didn't necessarily have to attend that, but um, they did. And so just using that information that we had from their um summer school and then moving through all the assessments they do like the core assessments they do within the elementary taking that data and sharing that out. That's why
041the collaborative piece is so important for us this year so that uh Miss Mahar who is the second and third grade EL teacher can be very intentional with the time that she has with them and give them additional time and support if needed. also is a great reason to get them in as soon as we can. Correct. >> Yes, it is. It is. >> Mrs. Scrub, uh, we have so many things to be proud of in your program, but I will tell you from two years ago when I came to you with Mr. Peters and and talked to you about that we need experts in the field leading and that was you. And we need people who advocate passionately for their kids and that is most definitely you. And I appreciate I'm just so proud
042of what the program has become. We know that we're going to have to continue to look at resources to to help you uh your teachers, your kids, and your programming. But I just would tell you thank you for being here tonight. And um it is a great way to uh start us out in December with an academic focus at some of our meetings is just such a wonderful program that you have. Thank you. >> Thank you. And thank you all. >> Thank you, Mr. G. Also, if you could uh include um >> include the board in your notices about family nights. >> Absolutely. I'd love to attend. Absolutely. I'm sure there's other >> Absolutely. We would love to attend. So, there's a actually a school board group. >> Okay. >> So, you can you can
043send it to all of us. >> Okay. Perfect. Thank you so much. Oh, sorry. Did you have a question? >> And I was just going to say congratuation. Don't hesitate. You come on up there and you give them their diploma if you want to. Again, >> that was one of probably my best moments ever. Um, we're going to have a a decent sized group graduating this year and I'm excited to see them walk that >> and it was in both of their fa your face and their face when you they saw you. So, yeah, come back on up. That's what we're here for. >> Thank you. Did you have a question? >> You you made a comment about uh more than one one language. How many languages do you take care of and and what
044are they? So, the majority of our students do speak Spanish, but we have um probably almost an equal percentage that speak Chu, which is a Mayan dialect that I cannot speak. Um, but some of those students actually speak Chu Spanish and then are learning English. And then we welcomed two students this year who speak Mandarin. And so that was interesting for me um because I don't speak Mandarin, but I was texting with the mom in Mandarin. like I type it in English and then flip it to Mandarin. So when they came to enroll, she started speaking Mandarin to me and I'm like, "Oh, I am so sorry. I do not speak Mandarin. I was texting on my phone and she's like, "Oh, I speak English. I just thought you could speak Mandarin because you were
045texting and it I'm like, "No, that was just my phone. I'm not going to lie to you." So, it's been but it's been intriguing to me because when I would first speak uh with either the high school student or the elementary student, I would instantly switch to Spanish and they'd kind of giggle and I'm like, "Right, you don't speak that. Sorry." And so, I had to train my brain to remember it's okay to pull out a translator and talk with them that way. So, it's been amazing to have that opportunity for me because I um was getting maybe a little lazy just assuming I could just speak Spanish all the time. So, yep, it's a great question. Thank you. All right. Thank you so much. >> Thank you, Mrs. Gub. So, we'll move on to
046item D1, uh public comment. No one has signed up uh to speak to the board tonight. Uh but if you would like to speak to the board, come up to the podium and uh state your name and and tell us what you got to say. Knowing having come forward, we'll move on to item E1 HCCS and IvyTech Indiana College Corps 2026 through 2031. Dr. Good evening everyone. Uh I'm mostly here just to answer questions. Um I believe you've had the memorandum of understanding now for a few weeks. Um and in my absence, Miss Lyn Brown did a tremendous job of sharing the strategy behind this initial step in a formal partnership with IvyTech. This initial step is outlined in theou is for the Indiana college core that would be implemented next school year and then
047the anticipation is the following school year which would be 202728 would be the full implementation of the associates degree opportunity with IvyTech. The Indiana college core is something that is a win across the board as well. It will benefit our students. That is one of the options for students that is interested in achieving the highest seal under the new diploma requirements, the enrollment honors plus seal. That is one of the options there for students. And so we're pleased to be able to offer that through IvyTech. Um we're also gaining some information out of Indianapolis and the state board of education that there will likely be um dollars available to school districts um as the number of students that graduate with Indiana College CPS um increase. And so um there is no detractor here. Um the
048reason we chose IvyTech for this initial step and also for the associates degree is because we simply were closest with them when it comes to the dual credit partners and the number of courses that we offer in partnership with IvyTech. And probably the biggest reason um to benefit our students and their families and our demographics in the community. IvyTech offers their dual credit courses free of charge. Um, and so that is um available for our students and truly gives them the opportunity um to accumulate a lot of dual credits free of charge by the time they graduate uh from Huntington North High School and have a leg up on their college pursuits um when they choose to pursue that or if they choose to pursue that. So the memorandum is available for you to look
049at um with potential approval. Uh we would simply off on that and be able to set things into motion. With that, I would certainly entertain any questions that the board may have this evening. >> Thank you, Dr. Diggins. Any questions for Dr. Diggins? >> Just a comment. Uh, since Lynn filled in so gracious graciously for you the other night. Uh I have been talking to parents and there is a huge excitement from several parents out there to learn more about this and get this started and the conversations of parents that basically you mean that they can get two years of college and not have to pay for it. That's a big win for this community and I hope the community takes advantage of it when it comes through. I commend you and your staff and
050uh everybody involved in this that this is going to be a huge win for our community. um even if they have no desire to go on college after that fact, just getting that associates degree is going to be tremendously valuable to them in their future. So, I commend you, your staff, and everyone for getting this going. >> Thank you. And it's been a great team effort, and I I apologize. I should have mentioned this as well. Um sometimes there can be questions because IvyTech is a community college and offers predominantly two-year associates degrees. Because this is a formal partnership that's through the Indiana College Corps, all of those credits would transfer to Indiana's public universities, all four-year institutions. So whether it's uh main campus, IU, Purdue, Indiana State, etc. Um these programs or excuse me,
051these credits would transfer um directly one to one. >> Thank you, Dr. Dots. Uh it is a amazing opportunity for our students and for our families in this uh community. So, any further questions? I'll entertain a motion in reference to this approval. >> I have a question. >> Oh, go ahead. >> Uh, you have 18 classes listed here. Um, are we working on expanding that as well? >> We are. And so, the the minimum requirement to meet the threshold for the Indiana College Corps is to offer 15 credits um through the same institution. And so, with transitioning math to IvyTech for next school year, we exceeded that, but we've already had conversations about expanding that further um just to streamline that a little bit better for our students. >> And the associates degree that you're
052talking about, what is the actual degree in? Is it business? >> It it would be a general studies type of degree. Um students wouldn't be able to necessarily concentrate just because of the breadth of what's offered and the fact that they would simultaneously be earning a high school diploma at the same time. Um but essentially that allows them to springboard and keep their options um completely open for what they might choose to should they um elect to go to a four-year school after that. >> Thank you Mr. Carl. I'll entertain a motion reference this approval. >> Recommend approval of the HCCS and IBT core college core memorandum of understanding for 2026 through 2020 2031 as presented. >> Thank you Mr. Wall. Is there a second? >> I second that. >> Thank you, Mrs. Miller. Any
053other questions before we vote? >> Hearing none, we'll vote on this approval. Motion passes 6. We'll move on to E2 HNHS new course proposals 2627. Mr. Dr. Dots, >> thank you again. Uh I did visit last board meeting and share just a real preliminary look at these. Um and I believe the board members have had these for quite some time. As a reminder, these are 18 new course or retitled course proposals for next school year. Um you will note there are a couple of them that help position us for the Indiana College Corps with IvyTech. Um these position us well um to not only um expand our offerings for um electives but they also put us in a position to um provide a little bit broader um experience in terms of cores. So, some of
054these are um core academic areas like math and there's a little bit creative um elective opportunities such as AP drawing. And so, we are pleased to be able to do this um and hopefully add these to our program of studies. Um, the reason that we're asking for these at this time and so early is because we want to be able to update our program of studies here yet in December because our guidance counselors will be scheduling um with our seniors soon upon our return in January and then work through um returning students finally scheduling with current eighth graders at the middle schools in February. And so um that's the reason for our timing of asking for this in December. So I believe um with this second reading there will be consideration by the board but
055I would be happy to entertain any questions for this as well. >> Thank you Dr. Deets. I'll entertain a motion reference this item first motion to approve the new Huntington North High School course courses for 2627. >> Thank you Mr. Meltter. Any Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you Mr. Wall. Any questions or comments before we vote? >> Can you just explain the process of I I know you talked about it last time, but just reiterate again how the pro how these are identified and then once we approve them, how do the class how does the class then become a class? >> Sure. Great question. Um we do make sure that we have a structured process for it. So initially um one of our teachers or a staff member is the one that
056develops the proposal. um we really encourage them to work with their department chairs on that um and the administration uh because we see big picture and understand where our staffing levels are and those types of things. Um at the end of the day, we just want them to be able to invest their time, energy, and effort in a manner that's beneficial and productive. Um and so it starts there. Once they develop a proposal, uh we vet that through our policy committee. Our policy committee is composed of teachers within the building representing uh the various departments. within the school. Um, a teacher chairs that, but we certainly have myself and other administrators that are a part of that. Uh, once it's considered through the policy committee and approved, then administration sits down and vets that further,
057engages with the teacher that proposed it to make any, uh, clerical adjustments, um, any cleanup that might be necessary, any clarifications, and then, as you all know, it's brought to the board for a first reading and then ultimately an action item. Um, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to be taught next school year. Um, after this point, assuming these are approved this evening, they will be added to our program of studies, which is an important step. It puts them out publicly. It lets everybody know that they are available, but then I'll use the the phrase natural selection, right? If students don't sign up for it, the course simply won't be offered. Or if there are not enough students that sign up for it, it won't be offered. And for each course, um there's
058not a magic number. It can vary. Higher level courses such as advanced placement have the potential to be offered with a smaller number. Um introductory courses, um usually take a little bit higher threshold so that we don't see the ripple effect of having super large class sizes in other subject areas. Um and that's really a year-to-year process. So there is the potential um that a course could be offered next school year but then not the following year if demand or interest waines. Um but we do keep it on our books. Um we do not take a course out of our program of studies without kind of going in reverse with that process through the teacher department's um policy committee and the board. >> So that's that was going to be my follow-up question. So I'm
059going to ask you expand upon that. We've added classes today. at some point will you ever bring a list of classes to us that we're going to remove from that course of study? >> So my understanding is that was done a few years back under uh previous administration. I believe it may have been under Mr. Gilg's leadership as principal um where it was cleaned up where courses that not had not been offered in several years were taken out. Um, there are some interesting state statutes where, to my knowledge, there are certain courses such as Indiana Historical Studies, never been offered, but under state statute, we have to have them listed and and offer it. Um, it's an elective. It's student selection and student choice. Um, but we make sure that we satisfy all compliance issues
060and state statutes by offering it and then students choose to or not. So, we would not clean those up unless [snorts] the statute would change. But otherwise, if there are courses that become obsolete, we no longer have the equipment to um teach in a in a worthwhile manner or they just don't have interest anymore, then we would we would bring those back. >> The things you learned by asking a few questions. Thank you so much tonight, sir. >> Correct. >> Thank you, Mr. Wall. Anything further for Dr. Diggins? All right, then. Let's vote on this item. Motion passes 6. Move on to F1 request to approve teacher contracts 2025 2026. Mr. Brimberry, >> Mr. Allen and board. Um previous uh experience as superintendent, there were two parts. uh you the board and the association and
061the superintendent would approve the teacher contract and then at some point when the new contracts based on those raises were brought uh were completed they would bring the actual contract to the board as a formality for approval for state board of accounts. Uh checking with our CFO uh Mrs. Babcock uh that is her advice as well. So tonight uh I'll be I have brought forward to you the actual teacher contracts. I know you've had the option to look at those and review. I would also comment that sometimes this is also a time that the superintendent will say during the process of um negotiations or an audit or so on an internal audit there might be minor corrections made to contracts and what um between Mr. Trout and the teachers association and our central office there
062were a few teachers that had were off by one year of experience. those corrections are on their new contract and I appreciate that team John Berdau the one of the president's association working with central office to try to get make sure this is right and so uh that is in there as well one other item that was discussed in association and with Mr. Trout and his team was Taylor Harrenine, the director of guidance at Huntington North High School does a wonderful job and both were trying to put a process in where she would be removed eventually from the bargaining unit. And I say that because there is a process you have to follow preemptively to negotiations to do that. So both sides agreed that in the future we'll bring that to you in the formal
063process. I've talked to Mr. gutter on how to get that done uh for next year. But also just know that her contract has been moved uh at a higher uh scale and both sides agreed to that. So tonight is should be an annual process that uh each year you receive the teacher contracts and each year as you get a chance to vote on the actual contract. So I recommend that for your approval tonight. >> Thank you Mr. Brimberry. I'll entertain a motion reference this item. Motion to approve the 2526 teachers contracts as presented. >> Thank you, Mr. Melture. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Wall. Any questions before we vote? >> Not specifically about the teacher contracts, but then do we also have to do the same thing for the classified
064staff as well or is that a different thing because it's not a contract? >> Yeah, at this point, um, I've been recommended between Mr. Scutter and CFO to bring the teacher ones forward. I will follow up with that question, Ryan. Thank you. Anything else before we vote? >> And I believe we discussed that the bus drivers were already taken care of, but that's the only other contracting unit that we need to talk about, right? >> Yep. Thank you. >> Hearing none, let's vote on this item. Motion passes 6. We'll move on to item F2. This is a compensation for the interim superintendent. Uh the board's going to follow precedent uh that has been set over previous interim periods in the past and is voting to provide additional compensation to Mr. Brimberry for the extra responsibility
065he's assumed while serving as interim superintendent. The board greatly appreciates the extra effort he's giving to HCCS and after a challenging weather related start to December, we are all hoping for a very early spring. Um the recommendation is to add $125 per day in recognition of the additional duties and responsibilities associated with the interim superintendent role. The effective date for this additional stipen is November 27th of 2025. Is there any uh questions? I'm sorry. I'll entertain a motion references first. >> Make a motion to approve the stipen uh as presented. >> Thank you, Mr. Wall. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Carl. Any further comments or questions before we vote? >> Thank you for showing up. I was worried after that start that you wouldn't be here tonight. So, uh, thank
066you also to the team that you have helping you get everything done. >> Fantastic. >> Yeah, we've noted that you've brought bad weather. So, um, we do appreciate the effort though. >> Thank you. >> Anything further before we vote? >> Okay, let's vote on this item. Motion passes six to zero. Moving on to is that going to be F3? >> Yeah. >> Central office and other support staff. Mr. Brimberry. >> Mr. Allen and board. Uh I make a recommendation tonight for your consideration uh of action vote that we are truly a team and past president where there's a lot of duties that get delineated when these situations occur. Following past president, my recommendation is Mrs. Lockmeer, Mr. Gray, Mr. Peters, and Dr. Digots receive the conversation that uh reflects past precedent that we've done in
067the um previous times that I've stepped in. And I would also want to compliment them. They have been uh truly amazing in our first maybe three weeks uh together with Mr. Mclofflin and Mr. Trout, both uh no longer with us. It has been a team effort here and we are blessed in Huntington. Uh this fine young lady to my left as well as Mrs. Lockmeer. Uh Dr. Digits has been instrumental as we rely on him and a variety of things from construction to um making sure we're consulting back and forth on key uh with key stakeholders. And I appreciate Russ your your leadership as well and uh Mr. Peters is back in doing some K12 and uh certainly wishes he could have been here tonight. I talked to Jay today and so my recommendation is
068what you've reviewed uh for central office and other support staff compensation during the time of the process of interim superintendent effective from the November 27th as well. >> Thank you Mr. Brimberry. I'll entertain a motion reference this >> recommend approval of the central office and other support staff compensation as presented. >> Thank you Mr. Wall. Is there a second? >> I second. Thank you, Mrs. Miller. Any questions or comments before we vote? >> I just want to say to the that all of that staff that we appreciate everything we do. I know money doesn't always help everything, but we do really see what you guys are all doing and we do appreciate that. So, thank you. >> Amen. [snorts] >> Anything further? Uh, let's vote on this. Motion passes 6. Moving on to the consent
069agenda items G1 through 12. Mr. Brimberry >> board for your consideration and action item tonight. Uh we have a number of items on there. Uh I know that Jay would want me to mention on the field trip that uh that has taken place but the soil judges had another very good year and he's very proud of that program. Uh you can see the professional leave request uh are adjunct and mentor teacher agreements which you're used to seeing. Number nine, I will draw your attention to uh previously during the um recommendation for raises. There was an item that had uh that came through on busing uh language that needed corrected. I appreciate Vanessa and her leadership working with Candace to correct this. And the reason it need corrected was it was in minor conflict on language
070with the transportation handbook. uh both sides agree that the uh information you've been presented should be corrected and is accurate and uh we apologize that that came through earlier uh in the school year for that. I'd also draw your attention to number 10 um with Mr. Trout gone and Mr. Mclofflin earlier in the pres uh superintendent succession plan. I would tell you that it will go from me and if any reason I was unavailable, Mr. Peters, if any reason Mr. Peters was unavailable, it would go to Dr. Digits in terms of any key decision making within the district. I appreciate both of those gentlemen and their leadership skills and their knowledge and I feel very comfortable making that recommendation. I would also request on number 11 um I know you've had access to those, but
071we are truly blessed. Um, I've been here back four years and I'm amazed at the amount of generosity in this community that is given towards our uh, kids, our programs, our teachers, and our corporation. There's numerous different opportunities on there that will benefit our kids. And I greatly appreciate all the donations uh, for your approval tonight. >> Thank you, Mr. Rimberry. I'll entertain a motion reference to consent agenda. Make a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented. >> Thank you, Mr. Wall. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Meltchure. Any questions or comments before we vote? >> Appreciate >> you first. Uh, mine's mine's quick. I just appreciate Mr. Mberry getting that section plan in place so everyone knows what's going on and how that process will go down. So, I
072appreciate that. >> Yeah. Thank you. >> I'm curious by nature. the uh Bana Kefir who rescended her resignation. Is there a reason why? What? >> Uh yes. It's my understanding um she was uh you're talking about our salmon. Uh she was one of our adjunct teachers. Uh there's a lot of schooling that goes with that and that um process was um reflected on by her. I know Mr. Peters and uh Elizabeth Kit [snorts] uh Kitchenen has talked to her extently and she is excited to start those classes as required as the adjunct and is glad to be back. So thank you for the question too. Good question. >> Any further questions or comments before we vote hearing? None. Let's vote on the consent agenda. Motion passes 6. Moving on to H1 facilities update award of
073H&HS window replacement project bid. Mr. Brimberry >> Mr. Allen and board for your consideration tonight. Mr. Thornsbury is actually at another district. He doesn't just work for Huntington. So it it we have proof now that Terry goes to other districts and he is at their board meeting tonight. Mr. Hurdle would normally present this and he is under the weather like many people are. Uh so we're hoping Rich gets better. I will read you Terry's uh recommendation on this process. Uh, as Terry Thornsbury from Vidian Architectural Design previously presented, the HNS uh, HNHS window replacement project includes the replacement of the windows along the front of the building at Huntington North at the doors 10 and 34 in the cafeteria and in the athletic hallway going back to the arena. The project includes the complete replacement
074of the existing curtain wall window frames. The new windows will be 1- in insulated glass [clears throat] with a 3mm safety film for added security. All new doors and associated hardware will be reinstated or reinstalled back to their original locations. For this project, we received five bids. The lowest bid at the time being from Allen County Builders, who's done a lot of work for us in Huntington and has done very well at $922,000. After the bidding process, it was discovered that Allen County Builders made a mistake and did not include the cost of the roofing portion of the project from the approved roofing contract for this project. With that being said, Allen County Builders withdrew their bid and apologized for their oversight. The second lowest bid was from CME Construction in the amount of 958,000.
075This includes $150,000 project contingency. That's normal in these size projects. This project is scheduled to start once school is out at the end of this school year in May. The project should be completed uh be completed in the fall of 26. It is recommended that you accept the bid from CME uh construction in the amount of 958,000 uh for the board's information too. That was actually under what Terry estimated uh that that might come in at. So that's a huge uh positive for us on on the uh bid that we received. >> Thank you, Mr. Brimberry. I'll entertain a motion uh reference this item. >> Make a motion to approve CME uh construction for the HNHS window replacement uh project as presented. >> Thank you, Mr. Wall. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank
076you, Mr. Melture. Any questions or comments before we vote on this? >> What uh can you remind us what Terry's estimate was? I forget. I think high-end when he originally came and I'd have to check the notes, but I think he was hoping for 1.1 or less. And so I think that's true. And I will get back with you on that, Aaron, and follow up. >> I think I remember that, too. >> Yeah, that and that was the bond we just approved, correct? >> Yeah, that was one of the multiple projects that you just approved. Uh many of those projects will begin this summer. If you remember other projects on that list being considered uh painting of North Arena ceiling, you had HVAC and that will probably be 27 at Horus man. You had uh
077some tuck point. You had some vestibules for all the three elementary schools. Those will begin late spring or early summer and be completed uh soon. So that was a part of your latest uh bond for our district and uh Terry's now going through each one on the bid process. Will we call that the 2025 geo bond? Is that what we're >> That was it. Yeah. >> All right. Good. >> Any further questions or comments? >> Righty, let's vote on this item. Motion passes 6. Moving on to I1, board appointments for the Huntington City Township Public Library trustee. Uh, I will just quickly let you know that um Scott Mlaney has been asked to be considered as the next library trustee and stated his support of the library in a in a letter to the board.
078Part of this letter says to me the library isn't just a font of knowledge. It's a local hub that provides an invaluable service to the community. It's a safe space for children, a gathering place for community organizers, a place for those without internet to assist with finding employment or to help with school assignments, and sometimes simply a place to step out of the cold. The library is one of the most important and essential community resources our city has. And if I'm granted the honor of serving on his board, these descriptors will always be in the forefront of my mind with every decision put forward. He appreciates the consideration. And with that, I will make the recommendation that we approve him as the next library board trustee. And I'll entertain a motion to that effect. >>
079Motion to approve Scott Mhaney as a Huntington City Township Public Library trustee. >> Thank you, Mr. Melture. Is there a second? Thank you, Mrs. Miller. Any questions or comments before we vote? >> Just a reminder how we go about and get individuals to do that. I just happen to know I happen to be at county council the last time they had and they actually had two individuals apply for the seat. So I was surprised that we only had one. Um >> I am too and and I believe it is just advertised. Go ahead. >> Say I can shed a little light on that and that's been different from time to time depending on the board of trustees. Um, currently I usually receive a call email from the director of the library telling me they have
080persons interested or a person interested and we've most of the time recently it's been just one person. Um, so that's been the recommendation. Um, previously we have put that out as an advertisement. um advertised in the newspaper um and let the public, you know, know that's coming up and any letters of interest would come in to our office. >> This one, I think, at this point is done. But I would love to have a conversation at a work session in the near future to maybe look at that process and see if we can figure out a way of getting more people involved because it was nice at county council to hear two people get up and talk about that and have a conversation and then have a choice. Um, and it would also be nice
081if at some point, I know the county council does I I know the other the county does it as a whole, but maybe we have a list of those appointments and who they are and when they're up so we can kind of proactively have an idea of when that is. >> Why am I not surprised? >> A listing of all of the appointments that this board is responsible for and I keep a list of the individual that's in that seat and what their term is so I always have an idea when those are coming up and a reminder on my calendar. Do we >> do we or could we because I know Kenny is working on a new website at some point maybe under school board have that listed as a under maybe like an
082appointments area or something like that. Just have that listed. >> That's a great idea. >> Definitely something that maybe we discuss during the working session. >> That's something we could could take a look at. >> Appreciate it. >> Kenny gave a thumbs up. >> Can Oh, sorry Kenny. I wasn't paying attention to you. I was talking to Sydney, but thank you for that thumbs up. >> Yeah, I I agree with you Mr. Wall. Um I will tell you that Mr. Maney reached out to me uh at my workplace. Um and I spoke with him and told him that to reach out to the the library uh leadership and uh tell him about his interest. Um I actually anticipated a few more. Um but I like the idea of of you know having them maybe even
083come here and speak with us. Um not necessarily as an interview, but just tell us what what their their support is. I I didn't envy the county council the night that they had to choose their library representative because both of them were excellent candidates and it was nice to hear them. So I I just want to try to get more people involved if they want are so interested. Anything further before we vote. >> All right, let's vote on this item. Maybe. No, it's not behind. So, I need to re reload it. >> That's what I'm doing. I'm jumping back in here. >> Thank you. Motion passes 6. Move on to items of discussion by board members. Um we would like to talk a little bit about the superintendent search and a little update from the
084board. I'm just going to read the statement that we're going to be posting online here after the meeting. Hunting County Community School Corporation Board of Trustees has begun the search for our next superintendent. The board is working in partnership with the Indian School Boards Association or ISBA and our schoolboard attorney to conduct this search. ISBA provides superintendent search services and governance support to school boards across Indiana. The application process will open up to the first of the year. Applications will be accepted throughout throughout the month of January 2026 using the ISBA online application portal. After the application window closes, the board will begin interviews. Our current timeline targets spring break as the point when a candidate for superintendent may be identified. Selecting a superintendent is one of the board's most important responsibilities. Community input matters
085in this process. A public survey will be released in January to gather feedback and priorities from community members. The board will continue to provide updates as the search moves forward. Updates will be shared during public board meetings and through the corporation's website and social media channels. We are excited uh honestly about this opportunity. Um and it is the most important thing that the board does. We oversee the superintendent and we approve a lot of the things that the administration and the teachers and schools would like to do. But um finding that leader is our number one job. So uh we take this very seriously and as I said earlier um we will be asking for input from the community. There will be surveys put out and we are anxious to hear from the community and
086what their thoughts are. So, if those out there watching um get some of these surveys or opportunities, please uh let us know what you think. It's important to know where we stand and what the thoughts of the community are as we move forward. Anything else for the good of the board? >> I just want to again call out Cindy Gray and Kenny Butler. Uh as part of this process, they've helped us compile some information uh for that. Again, publicly thank you guys both for that help. Uh, it's going above and beyond as always for you too. So, we appreciate you. >> And it's probably only just begun, so hang on tight. >> Anything else? We're going to move on to K1. I'll take a motion to adjurnn. >> So moved. >> Thank you, Mr. Wall.
087Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Carl. All those in favor singing the by