HCCSC Board Meeting - December 16, 2024

001e e e Mr Jones uh we'll move on I'll call the meeting to order and we'll start with a roll call Mr Allen here Mr MCL here Mr meler here Mr Roth is absent Mr jker here Mr wall here Mrs Heim here thank you Mrs Gray we'll move to item A5 revisions of the agenda Mr trout yes I have two for your consideration this evening uh the first one will be the new agenda item D1 uh resignation of school board member uh the new the second new item will be agenda D2 uh procedure fulfilling Schoolboard seat vacancy and then three then will be the remaining agenda items in section D will be renumbered but we'll start off with D1 and two if you approve okay and is there a motion motion to approve the revision

002of the agenda as presented thank you Ryan and a second second thank you Matt is there any questions or comments before we vote hearing none we will vote on the item for and that item passes 60 so we will move on to item B1 core values okay um we're going to start off first this evening um to recognize you Kevin lucky you here this evening uh this will be your last Schoolboard meeting uh with us today and so um we have Mr Peters has has one item for you then I got a couple comments and then we'll take a couple pictures okay okay all right go ahead Jay so tonight we're honored to recognize individuals and groups to exemplify the hccsc core values through their exceptional contributions achievements and commitment to Excellence Kevin this is

003an honor for me to do this first we recognize Mr Kevin Jer for his dedicated service on the Huntington County Community School Corporation board his unwavering commitment to the students staff and Community has made a lasting impact Mr Jers Le leadership and advocacy have exemplified the core values of accountability high expectations and community support his contributions have strengthened our mission as a district of supporting every student every day Kevin has served with distinction in district 6 from 2017 to 2024 Kevin has served as vice president of the board for the past two years from January 2022 to December 2022 24 thanks Kevin for your servant Hood leadership we will miss you congratulations yeah how about a nice round of applause for Mr [Applause] jogger Uh Kevin I have had the privilege of being a superintendent

004for a lot of years and um you rank right up there with some of the best uh school board members I have worked with and that's the highest compliment I can give you um you truly truly lead with this distinction you um have been someone that I have leaned on and into a lot um with your role as vice president and I am grateful for your uh wisdom I am grateful for your um youve been a great sounding board for me um with the almost three years that I have been here and I'm truly grateful um for your leadership very few people unless you've been on the school board understand the commitment that it takes um they see a lot of work done at the school board meetings and such but um it's really hard

005for me to articulate what goes on um between all of that and so I just want to say to you thank you um you will truly truly truly be missed um and I for one am grateful for your leadership and what you have done for our students and staff this year so thank you and I know you have a couple words that you want to say too so yeah um thank you guys both your words mean a lot um I prepared a little something I wanted to say tonight um first and foremost I want to say thank you thank you to the students who inspire me continually with their enthusiasm their resilience creativity and their dreams you're truly the heart of everything we do watching you grow learn and Achieve is what fuels all of

006us at this table thank you to our incredible staff who pour their hearts Souls into our schools every single day this role's given me a unique firsthand perspective of the tireless Dedication that you all have for our kids it's your compassion creativity and dedication that makes this District such a special place the values the impact that you have on these kids goes far beyond the classroom you shape Futures and still values and offer hope in ways that often feel unnoticed but I can assure you is never unappreciated and thank you to the community I've learned so much about what it means to be part of something bigger than yourself in my time here serving on this board has been a firsthand lesson in selfless service there have been plenty of challenges along the way but

007every decision I made was driven by a love and respect for the people who depend on our Direction there were moments of hard conversations and frustration even as late as today but also plenty of moments of Joy growth and accomplishment through it all and there truly has been a lot we've worked together to make this place better a better place for current and future Generations as I reflect on my time here I'm filled with a sense of Pride I'm proud of the work that we've accomplished but more than that I'm hopeful I have complete confidence that this school corporation is in excellent hands going forward the future is incredibly bright and I pray that those who continue this work will continue with the same passion and commitment that I've experienced and poured out over the

008past eight years in the end it's not the policies and budgets that matter it's the people the kids the teachers the staff the parents and the community who make this place what it is and that's someplace truly remarkable we've proven that the power of working together and of believing in something greater than ourselves I pray that this board strives to continue those traditions in every situation and that those who seek to criticize and tear down what we've built without understanding our true passion the true passion that we have for our student staff and Community begin to see the good that's happening here as long as you stay focused on putting kids first and keep personal agendas aside those who exercise their keyboard courage will eventually come to realize that integrity and love for this community

009will ultimately Prevail so as I say goodbye I want you all to know that my heart is with you always I will continue to cheer you on and I will always support the work that's being done here thank you for allowing me to be a small part of this journey it truly has been an honor I will forever be grateful for this experience and I'm excited to see all that the future holds for Huntington County Community Schools thank you well thank you [Applause] Kevin we have a uh plaque here that um you're going to get a few pictures taken uh first of all um you're going to have a picture taken with Mr Peters and myself we'll start there and then you'll work your way on from there um well yeah up well your parents

010better be up for Mr Peters and I okay um so um one to just says Hunting County Community School Corporation presents this award to Mr Kevin Jay yogger with sincere appreciation for his dedication to the students and staff of District Six School Board member January 2017 through December 202 4 and vice president from 2022 to 2024 so Kevin we're going to present this Jay and I'll get her picture taken with you then we'll have a couple other pictures for you but thank you you're I really deeply appreciate you thank you okay so we're GNA do this more worried about the shine for okay and scho thank you okay next we celebrate the Huntington North High School band students for their remarkable achievements this year eight students have been selected to participate in the prestigious honor

011bands showcasing their talent dedication and commitment to Excellence and if you're here uh students if when I read your name if you'll just come on uh come up to the front and receive your uh certificate and shake hands with Mr Mr Jer Mr trout jeved blocker IJ EA All State Jazz Ensemble Three Rivers honor band Douglas canazaro IMA Allstate honor concert band Skyler Daniels IMA Allstate honor concert band Owen fallis I Jaa All State Jazz Ensemble ima all State honor concert band and Three Rivers Honor Band Morgan Garner Three Rivers honor band come on down Morgan great we've got somebody that's awesome congratulations Carter Smith iea All State Jazz Ensemble ima all State honor concert band and Three Rivers honor band Ruthie Stout Three Rivers onor band and Lila Yoder Three River honor band having

012students selected for the All State honor concert band the EA Allstate Jazz Ensemble and the Three Rivers honor band is a tremendous accomplishment demonstrating the growth of our Band program and the talent of its members congratulations to these students for setting a high standard for achievement Congratulations Morgan and Carter finally we recognize the Huntington North High School varsity football team for their historic season led by captains Tatum Brooks come on down Tony Decker Wyatt doctor Jason toy and head coach Mike eshbach the team achieved a 94 season record outscoring their opponents 507 to the Vikings captured the 2024 sectional title their first since 1993 by defeating the Lebanon tigers in a thrilling overtime game this achievement reflects the core values of high expectations accountability and resiliency congratulations to the Vikings for bringing pride and excitement

013back to our community congratulations need you get your step still John I know parents and students you would love to stay for the rest of the board meeting but this would be a time where you are dismissed uh we do appreciate you coming and being here and allowing us to honor uh our your students so uh you are dismissed at this time thank you all right we will move on to item C1 items some visitors public comment uh we use this time for members of the public to comment on items of the agenda um we ask that you sign up or sign in if you would like to speak tonight and we've had two people do so uh first person on the list is Mr Hank Miller Mr Miller if you'd like to come up

014to the mic good evening Hank Miller um apparently keyboard Warrior I'll take it anyways uh I have two pages here I appreciate not to be interrupted if I run over a little bit but uh good evening members of the board superintendent trout and community members and attendance I come to you tonight as both a concerned parent and a dedicated advocate for Trans Arcy we know how I feel about transparency and accountability in our schools as you prepared to vote for the appointment of the next principal of hunington North High School I urge you to carefully consider the implications of hiring Dr Russ digits for his critical role while suer Community Praise Him for being a nice guy and a good teacher I believe must weigh more than personality and past service leadership demands more it

015demands trust accountability and an unwavering commitment to the safe and wellbeing of our students I repeat to our students Dr D get tenure as Chief Operating Officer at Huntington University is deeply troubling during his time there the university faced one of its most publicized scandals a toxic athlete culture culminating in criminal convictions sanctions Federal lawsuits title X violations in 2020 he was made aware of these serious allegations involving his employee Nicholas Johnson including the sexual abuse of a minor a child in the school I must add and the use of ban subsistance on a student athletes yet he failed to act his inactions enabled ongoing harm including physical and emotional abuse of students to those who argue that Dr deats cannot be held accountable for those actions of others I ask this what is leadership

016if not the responsibility protect and guide those under your care his deliberate indifference during this time of Crisis speaks to profound lapses in Jud judgment one that cost a young people their safety dignity and Trust in Authority superintendent trout I must address the lack of transparency surrounding here this domination the submission of this name from tonight's agenda reflects poorly on the Integrity of this process transparency is not luxury is a requirement for the building trust with the community how can we as parents and taxpayers have faith in this decision when it feels rushed and shrouded in the secrety at Huntington North we need leaders who embody the highest ethical standard and who will Foster a safe inclusive environment for students and staff alike bringing in a principal whose past raises serious concerns risk undermining the

017very culture we aim to build it's not enough for a leader to be liked and even respect in the past roles that must be Beyond reproach when it comes to protecting the well-being of our students this board has a duty the broader implication of this decision if Dr Deus is hired what message does that send to your students in the community are we saying that overlooking allegations of abuse and failing to act in a face or wrongdoing is acceptable for those positions of power how are we willing to gamble the reputation of trustworth of Huntington North school on this hire almost done I urge this board to pause this reconsideration we cannot afford ignore the facts leadership is just not about experience it's about character we must prioritize transparent Community focused hiring process to find

018a candidate who will lead with Integrity Inspire trust Dr deas has had the opportunities to lead and his track record shows that he has happened what happens when critical moments demand action and none was taken tonight the decision is yours but the consequences will be borne by our students staff and Community let us demand better let us expect better and let us act with the courage and integrity students deserve Carrie I watched you as the only person on this board to go against it one time I ask you to do it again Mr wall I watched you barely Survive by 10 votes for this position your District wants you to vote properly Mr Allen we've had personal I we we cross all the time we have personal you know how I feel about Huntington University

019I I am asking for you to go against the norm today thank you thank you Mr Miller and the second person is Mr Archie Lin Mr Lin first of all I want to congratulate Mr Aaron Carl and winning six district and I guess he'll be up there with you all next meeting he worked really hard uh and I'd also like to salute Michael Richard who also ran I uh got 280 votes I think they were mainly Ultra conservatives like myself I sent out some letters maybe to about a quarter of the constituents but I look forward to Aon representing the sixth district I live in during the uh process I learned a lot by running about uh the school system for example when they had the uh orientation for candidates U I learned that on

020the issue of physical fitness there doesn't seem to be any acknowledgment of that as an issue if we were able to get all of our students up to par academically where we want them what good would it be if they were just little brains floating around in a Petri dish without bodies Teddy Roosevelt said I believe in a sane mind and a sane body and uh it has occurred to me that I don't know what's going on with the school as far as physical fitness whether they're held to any standards or anybody knows anything about seemed like went over the heads of everybody when I brought it up so I don't really know maybe it's really being handled well that could be and I hope it is but we know generally speaking in our society

021there's a lot going on that's uh not good with the physical fitness of our kids and even though we live in an age of Technology uh for example Warfare always boils down to two men about the distance of myself and maybe this thing here at some point regardless of technology and the English learned in 1939 when they went against the German youth who were well cultured in physical fitness it's not a good situation that's just one aspect of it not that military preparation is the only thing we need for our kids so what I brought today was a handout for you you all I'm old fashioned so you all know about hand and I saw physical fitness go down the pretty quickly dramatically over period of time enjoy a l so I think it Encompass

022a lot of things and it's not that you can separate people from physical and intellectual capacities I think if we can do anything to improve physical fitness it will also help the academic as well so that's what I have for a message for you all tonight hope to hear from some of you thank you thank you Mr Lin we'll move on to item D1 uh resignation of school board member okay uh today um we will all notifi that Mr Matt Roth has is resigning his uh position not only a school board member but School Board president at effective noon today um that does not take um it's not an action item for all of you to vote on we just accept that um but I that's just for uh the community to understand that uh

023Mr Roth resigned as of noon today from his position on our school board so uh Mr yogger if I could move on to D2 there absolutely I've asked Mr Wy uh Schoolboard attorney uh to come and to share with you uh procedurally um what your role is as a school board to fill this seat vacancy so Joe we'll turn it over to you thank you Mr trout uh to members of the board uh I'm here to bring you up on the timeline proposed timeline for filling this vacancy and I want you to understand first this is controlled by Indiana statute and uh we have done this uh prior to about everybody here I think Matt was the only one that was on when Gary went through this process Gary was appointed to the board uh

024several years ago uh when Mr Baxter passed away Mr burnworth passed away Mr Mr Kyle passed away we had vacancies on the board and we we will follow the same procedure that we did then although fortunately obviously not a passing but a resignation um the first step in this process is for the board to declare a vacancy with the clerk of the Huntington circuit court because this starts a 30-day calendar period for filling that vacancy we will send that notice to the clerk on December 30th of this year um the holidays and when the office is closed contribute to a little bit to this timing and and this is again consistent with what we've done in the past with about two year two weeks uh after uh the the vacancy in the board is officially

025declaring that that notice uh Mrs Gray will send to the clerk of the court that starts the timetable on that same day will there will be Public Announcement of a board vacancy we'll do that on the Facebook page parent Square the plane dealer the tab and any other means of communication that we have to alert the public on December 31st uh Aaron Carl for district sick as Mr lince indicated will be sworn in with other county office holders so he will become an active member of the board from December 30th to January 9th a 10-day period application will be available at the central office or online on the hccsc web page uh any application will be required to be completed and back to central office by 12: noon on Friday January 10th on January 13th

026is the first meeting for the school board for the year 2025 and the copies of all those applications will be distributed to the board members for their review the statute does require us and we we have always done this we will have public interviews uh probably the week of January 13th although it could be uh the following week U and that consists of an open session the board uh sitting as the interviewers the way we've done that in past we consolidate your questions uh ask the various board member the candidates to respond to those questions again that's open to the public they're all welcome to sit in on each other's interviews um you then have a couple of options any decision making must must be made in public you cannot have a an executive session

027or a private meeting about this uh when I look back at the last three uh times we filled this one time we actually voted the board actually voted right after the interview process another one they came back uh called a special meeting to have the vote and the third one actually the vote was made at the next board meeting so you know lots of things can enter into this at this point whether being one of them in the sense of we can have a schedule set but we want to make sure that it's all done transparently and in front of the the entire the entire public so um we can call a special meeting we can we can vote after those interviews again those interviews are are properly noticed and then uh no later than

028January 27th the new member representing District 2 would be sworn in and would participate at that meeting on uh January 27th uh you can go to the web page I think uh to determine the gis system District 2 is basically North of Manan Street all the way to the top of the county cler Creek Township Wayne Township down towards here the high the high school the Northwest more or less Corner uh of the county so anybody living within that District can apply for for the position um so again just quick summary uh applications will be available from December 30 to January 9th with them due to be returned by January 10th at noon uh at the meeting on the 13th will distribute those names will be announced so to speak interviews public interviews the week

029of the 13th and then from their uh special meeting or regular board meeting to elect the member does anybody have any questions about how that might work we'll talk to you more about conducting the the questioning the way we have done it in the past doesn't mean we still have to do it that way is compile your questions and and I served in that capacity and asked the questions in the same sequence at the same T time to the various candidates so they can uh there's fairness and uh openness about how we how we do that but it is your decision how to conduct that now thrown in there we will have the reorganization meeting on January 13th so if the Pres whoever's elected president wishes to conduct it otherwise that's certainly up to the

030board's discretion but I'm just telling you how we've done it done it in the past so thoughts questions for Mr Wy I got a couple but I want to let you guys ask first any thoughts or questions that you have as a board okay uh Joe this is completing a two-year term right I mean that's one thing that we haven't we haven't discussed that was elect Ed 22 so it has served 23 24 so it will it will uh be the remaining two years and then it will stand for election in 26 someone who lives and meets the requirements inside that voting district correct okay doesn't the difference this time around they do not have to have an X number of signatures it's just strictly anyone who meets the requirements of living within that District

031uh there's probably a couple other things we haven't talked about here but res but the application is just the application if they show interest yes then that's the board's determination the application is not anything complicated Cindy I lot going on but uh we will work on it it's a basically a resume in the sense of your name address your residents why do you why do you want to be on the board and then uh deep questions will be asked at the at the interview you and I just have not had time today talk about the requirements of how long they person lives in said District all of that stuff as far as I know that doesn't yeah what's that that does not apply does not apply so you have to be a resident of the

032district resident of the district uh so okay um yeah two years and then if they choose to continue they can they can run in 26 November 26 thank you you any other questions for Joe or comments you have that timeline out in front of you if you do please let us know and we'll be happy to answer and it's proposed yep so okay I got something um before we leave these two agenda items I have this press release that I'd like to read um yes just so to clarifying question the people who vote to fill the vacancy are the six remaining members and that's why it's important to get Aaron on right so it'll be the six people who vote and it must get four votes uh I don't know if it was Gary's one

033of them we went three three Cindy right 3 three 33 and if and I neglected to mention two if we do not reach a decision or it ends up a 33 vote it goes to the judge of the Circuit Court Davin Smith would make the decision uh and I I suppose technically even we could choose not to do anything and after 30 days it would go to judge Smith but so this board has always taking the position we want input on who who fills the position so live stream the interviews will be live streamed yes it's a right uh School law seminar we just talked this last week starting July 1 everything has to be streamed but we've been doing that right anyway so so this process would be open to the public to see

034yes okay y yep anything else okay uh I'd like to read this press release that I um wrote today um I'd like to say um on behalf of the H County Community School Corporation I'd like to take a moment uh to express my deepest gratitude and admiration for Mr Matthew J Roth a dedicated member of The Hunting County Community School Corporation School Board um for the past 10 years and many of those um he has served as board president um um Mr Roth has always served with unwavering dignity Integrity loyalty throughout his tenure always placing the needs of our students first while ensuring the protection of the interest of his constituents and the taxpayers of the of Huntington County under his leadership hccsc has continued to thrive and his commitment to Excellence has positively impacted

035the lives of countless students staff and community members Mr Roth has shared his talent time and energy generously and his tireless efforts Have Been instrumental in shaping hccsc into one of the finest School corporations in the state his leadership skills as the presiding officer at our meetings and work sessions have been invaluable fostering collaboration open dialogue and productive decision making for the betterment of our schools and Community we are indeed fortunate to have Mr Ross steady guidance and service and the entire hccsc family is deeply grateful for his dedication to our students our staff and our community thank you Mr Roth for your exceptional service and Leadership sincerely John D trout superintendent Huntington County Community School Corporation thank you Mr trout uh with that we will move on to the following board item uh number

036three h&hs principal Mr TR yes uh at this time um I am happy uh to recommend for your consideration this evening uh Dr Russell digits for principal at Huntington North High School um I have a statement if approved at the end of this I would like to read but in ahead of that um I want to say that uh during my interview and our interview with Dr diots he was enormously um incredibly uh I want to add um uh prepared um his vision for our school is outstanding um I deeply appreciate his um honesty his Integrity uh through this process moving forward the assumption is is that um me as a superintendent did not do my due diligence in this process um I take great offense to that um I've had numerous conversations with all

037of you about this process we have had uh in in um upwards to eight to 10 applicants I went through each one of those matter of fact called many of the school districts where those applicants currently um are working and in the selection process um I will tell you that many many hours were spent in this it was taken seriously um and it was taken with great amount of uh fortitude on my part person personally to ensure that we get the highest quality candidates um for this position um in total three uh uh candidates were interviewed uh in this process um I shared those with you um and it was very clear to me um that uh Dr diots Far and Away was our best candidate for this position do I go into this blindly

038no have I done my due diligence in looking at everything aspect uh of this candidate absolutely I owe it to our staff our students and our community um to to look into this thoroughly so um on that note um I am um proudly recommending um Dr Russ diots as the new principal at Hunton North High School starting January the 1 thank you Mr trout would anybody like to make a motion on this agenda item I'd like to make a motion to approve Russell as H&S h&hs principle thank you Mr Allen is there a second second thank you Gary is there any questions or comments from anybody before we vote M Mr Chad I appreciate your your comments about that uh about the process um um and I've known Russ uh since I was an employee

039here at uh htcc um and I I always looked up on him when he was uh principal at Lancaster with one of my children and when he was principal here at the high school and if it was back then I would be strongly voting for him today I cannot vote for him based on since he's left hccsc so I will be voting in the the negative on that but I thought it was wise to say that I just can't support right now thank you Ryan is there anybody else okay hearing none we will vote on the item have Wi-Fi problems and that motion passes um congratulations Dr digits you want to say a couple of words uh here this evening and then I have a statement that I would like to read but congratulations uh

040Dr digs we're I am thrilled that you're part of the hccsc family here this evening go ahead thank you School Board Mr trout uh those that are here to support um it's humbling because I didn't ask anybody to be here tonight um there's a lot going through my head but I'll speak from the heart right here because that's how I've served in education for 23 years um I have two kids at this High School two of my own a junior and a freshman and I assure you as school board members that your trust in me will not waver um because I will treat every single student in this building as if they're my own I feel like I've done that with integrity and character for 23 years and that won't change and so my job

041for you and this community is to go and earn that trust each and every day starting over and so God designs Us in ways that are unique and special and I feel like this is what I've been called to do to serve others through education I appreciate your confidence this evening thank you uh Mr Peters uh on my behalf I have uh developed a press release I would appreciate it if you would read it at this time Mr trout I would be honored and privileged as I read through this I stand with you Mr trout in high regard of Dr deats and in support of him being the next principal at Huntington North High School so it's a privilege for me to read this on behalf of the Huntington count Community School Corporation I am

042pleased to announce that Dr Russell Deets will be returning to Huntington North High School on January the one January 1 2025 as principal our school board and administrative team are excited to welcome Dr deas back to the Viking family for his leadership and dedications to students will continue to make a positive impact on our community Dr D's career with hccsc has been exteme exemplary from his early years as a social studies teacher and coach of the Viking baseball team at H North High School to his time as principal at both Lancaster Elementary and Huntington North Dr deat has proven himself to be an outstanding educator of students and administrative leader his commitment to putting students first has earned him the respect and admiration of his staff his students and colleagues alike including Mr trout and

043myself I have the utmost respect for Dr deat as an educator first in acknowledging the exceptional leadership he has provided throughout his career Dr de's dedication to fostering a supportive student centered environment has always been at the heart of his work his professionalism integrity and approachability make him a valued member of any team and we are confident that he will continue to lead with the same vision and dedication here at Huntington North after serving as the chief operating officer at hunting University for several years Dr deat brings a wealth of experience and knowledge back to hccsc and Huntington North High School his ability to meet the challenges of administration with integrity honesty and humility is something we deeply admire we have no doubt that under Dr Le de's leadership hunting North High School will continue

044to thrive and grow ensuring every student has the opportunity to learn and succeed I hope you will join me in welcoming Dr Russell deas back to hccsc and Huntington North High School we are excited for the future of Huntington North High School and know that Dr deat will continue to make a lasting and positive difference in the lives of our students thank you John D trout superintendent thank you gentlemen and congratulations to Dr dutson let's move on to item D4 new school resource officer um when I arrived uh it'll be three years ago uh first week of January as the interim business manager um and then started uh superintendent here in June one of the challenges that you as a school board and the community put out to me was the Safety and Security of

045our buildings um this has not gone on deaf ears and I will tell you uh with Sheriff Newton standing here before you today if not for Sheriff Newton and police chief Corey boxel I'm going to forget people so you got to jump in here okay Chris this is a danger of doing this doing great so far okay great so far okay that um and the County Council and city council and the Commissioners and you know Brian sits on one of those boards right now um this has truly been a collaborative effort for the entire Community um when I met with Chris and Corey uh two and a half years ago this felt like a pipe dream and so Ben Whitman who we were running ragged uh in here has done has just done an incredible

046job but when you see um the tremendous editions for you guys to give up these guys to us is uh incredible and I just want you to know Sheriff Newton that has not g unnoticed by me and the school board and our community um because the Safety and Security of our students is right there at the top so thank you not only for what you do for us as a school district but what for you do for us as as a community it's been a true joy for me to work so collaborative with you um I been in this is my fourth Community I've worked in and never have I worked with law enforcement at this level and I am truly truly grateful for you your leadership and your whole team for what you do

047so we're excited for your announcement here this evening and for the recommendation to the board thank you well thanks for everybody for allowing us to be here tonight if you recall was a year ago today uh that I was in front of you guys and introduced our very first SRO the city's always had are on a school corporation um Don Whitney was the guy that we announced back then and I've reced nothing but positive reviews from the teachers and the kids and we had shop with the cop the other night and everybody knew who Don was so it says that we're making an impact and we always talk about the positive thing that we can bring into the school uh but with like what happened recently today in Madison Wisconsin just underscores how important having

048a armed officer in the schools keeping our kids safe um and that's my job that's Chief's job is to look for things and John to look for ways that we aren't doing things the way we were doing and do it differently um just as a note um before I came in here I was watching on the news there's been 323 active shooter school shootings this year throughout the nation and I don't think that number gets spread out far enough um I'm glad to see that we finally have done our part um I think we have four school resource officers where for years we had one and I think they're working on a fifth one right now and it is making an impact in our schools uh today I want to introduce I think did you

049guys all get his bio okay so I don't have to read that whole thing well unless you want to put two pages of it well if he wants to go home and say what a big deal he is so this is his chance so I'll let him do that okay um today I want to introduce Austin bolock um I'll give you just a little bit of history of Austin here Austin started out in our Jail uh he was promoted to special Deputy within the jail shortly thereafter um he was was promoted to uh he was hired as actually as the town Marshal from the town of Andrews and he served there for several years uh he joined our department a little over a year ago and since he's been there he's been part of our

050drug task force he's a Firearms instructor and he serves on the board for drug Corp so he's a very well-rounded officer and he has he's got a good moral car character and compass and he's going to work well within these schools I trust him wholeheartedly to do a great job and to lead the kids and the teachers in the school corporation um he also of course she couldn't be here tonight is Nicole he's married um they have a four-year-old daughter Elaine and they're expecting a baby boy in March of 2025 so his familyes only continue to grow and he's gonna have an active part within the school corporation for many years to come I think he wants to talk not really but I okay I would just like to say thank you to the board

051thank you to sheriff Newton Chief Deputy Chad Hamill for giving me this opportunity I think it's going to be a pretty cool experience going from walking these Halls graduating from this school to now returning in this role it means a lot that everyone in the community is going to trust their safety of their children with me means a lot thank you so board we uh are happy to uh uh make this recommendation to you for um Austin bulock to be the newest SRO in our school corporation Sheriff Newton I'm sorry would begin he's going to begin January 5th and we're done is actually in one of the middle schools he will be up here at the high school helping the city officer okay thank you thank you gentlemen would anybody like to make the motion

052on the new school resource officer I'll make a motion to approve the new school resource officer as presented Mr bulock thank you Mr Allen and is there a second second we'll go with Ryan on that one is there any questions or comments before we vote vote I can't imagine that there would be all right hearing none we will vote on the item while we're waiting on this vote just so you know if approved um Ben Whitman will be at hunting North High School and the Learning Center and uh Daniel Lowe's SRO Daniel Lowe's will be at Riverview with supports to Horseman Lincoln and salamony and then uh officer Bullock will be at Huntington North High School and also the Learning Center and then uh SRO Whitney would be at cresview with supports to Andrews Flint

053spring and Rono now I obviously you guys help out each other in times of need but that's where the stations would be and that's where um how the collaborative effort would be so John just also just so everybody knows if those of you familiar with Terry staffle Terry's the former Sheriff City officer I now have him as a special Deputy for our office and he actually is at the Learning Center so he trains with all of us he is armed we do have an officer also at the Learning Center yes so thank you so congratulations you have been approved welcome aboard I can't wait to work with you congratulations to you and we will move on to item five the salamony playground it's a privilege to introduce to you Mrs Elizabeth kitchen who is the

054principal at salamony elementary school and um they um Elizabeth's going to share a few slides talk to her about their project they they had at salamony uh we'll be uh asking for approval uh to purchase playground equipment but uh so excited about good news Mrs kitchen thanks for being here thank you thanks for letting me um have this moment in August of 2023 we began our fundraising efforts and a shared Vision to create a safe and inclusive and engaging playground that meets the needs of all of our kids over the past year and a half our parent group our students and our teachers and the community members have come together to raise the funds for this project their hard work and dedication exemplify the spirit and the unity of our school as you can see

055through these pictures um Cindy if you can um the this is the playground this is the second play ground we chose the first one I chose was a little too much of a pie in the sky I was told to come down a little so I came down a little um but we have raised a lot of money in a very short amount of time and I'm very very excited and proud of our of our family for doing this um after careful planning and collaboration we selected this playground design it was chosen based on the input of the stakeholders to ensure reflects the values of our community and supports the physical social and emotional well-being of our students our students mostly told me they wanted slides they want slides they want slides so we went

056with one two three four five slide we've got slides so they're happy um this playground is not just for our students but it's a resource for the entire Community it will provide a safe access welcoming space for where families can gather the children can play and neighbors can connect by investing in this playground we are also investing both the future of our students and the well-being of The Wider of the community we now come before you to request the approval of to purchase this playground with the goal of the beginning of the construction this spring the timeline will allow us to ensure the playground is ready for our students and the community members to enjoy by the end of this school year and the beginning of next school year we're thrilled to have reached this

057point and eager to take the next step with your support and you cons thank you for considering the request and all that you do to support my students and staff in my community um right there that picture is facing north so if you can just turn it in your brain The Bu um the high the actual building is to the top of this screen right here so um yes and we were able to place that without having to move Mo or rearrange any the other existing playground questions comments Mr kitchen share what's going to happen tomorrow afternoon at 1:30 at Salomon gym if there if no one is busy uh come on out to Salomon what's gonna happen but don't tell my students it's a secret um tomorrow at 1:30 I have a big green

058box with all these questions marks and a big red bow on it and um they have a convocation they don't even know they have tomorrow and so we are going to celebrate in a big big big way I even have confetti Canyons but don't tell my custodian that he's not going to be happy um but we're going to celebrate because we have raised a lot of money for this playground and it's about my students and it's about and this is for them so we're going to celebrate this moment with them and we're going to celebrate it in a big way so I'm really excited about that congratulations so tonight we need a um a request to approve the purchase of the playground equipment thank you Mrs kitchen yep would anybody like to make a motion

059on the playground at South uh make a motion to approve the salony playground equipment as presented thank you Mrs Heim and is there a second thank you Gary is there any questions or comments before we vote I just want to thank Mrs kitchen and and Miss heims for all the work they put into getting this for the students of uh sellem money thank you absolutely hearing nothing else we will vote on the item um while you're voting and Elizabeth is here um she doesn't know I'm going to do this um you know this is one of the first times you've seen Mrs kitchen here at one of our board meetings and I just want behalf of Jay want to say how blessed we are um to have her at cemon school she is doing a

060tremendous job with that entire staff um one of the items about about moving to Huntington is going to be sad is the relationships we have with all those kids um out there but I will tell you Mrs kitchen I have nothing but the highest regard for what you and that staff do for children each and every day and we're enormously blessed to have you so thank you um I also just want to say because Abby did not Mrs Park did not stand up there next to Mrs kitchen but Abby has been instrumental in doing all the research to find this playground getting a grant for us approved and we could not have done this without her and Mrs long as well so thank you and that motion passes 6-0 so you don't have to cancel

061the confetti cannons yeah so we would love to get your picture and so uh Jay and Carrie and anybody else from the board would like to go up and get your picture taken with I see Anna back there too that hasn't been mentioned and so um why don't you come forward and we'll get your picture taken at this time any board members that want to jump up there you can jump up there with them too so thank you yeah okay e now we will move on to item six uh Corporation and school logos yes we have been working for quite a while uh on this and uh 99% of the credit goes to the young man standing at the podium um Kenny Butler has worked tirelessly on this and patiently I might add on this

062uh he has worked with several different communities he has worked with several different administrators um and this has been a long long long process but I'm excited this evening uh to share with you some of the final all of the final results and look for your approval for that after our recommendations so Kenny will walk us through what you're going to show us here and some of the processes you've been through if you would please yeah so yeah again this process started a hot minute ago um and we are to the last triangle of the whole branding identities piece so uh this is the piece that people will see visually right uh brand identity as you could see encompasses more than just logos um it's it's developing a system and a structure um to put

063all the pieces together so it can run well um we we've worked on the the verbal portion of it up to this point quite a bit um and that visual piece is again that last piece uh I won't spend a whole lot of time in the Brand Story as it's been uh discussed a few times um but that that will be available uh to to look at later um the gist again is to develop uh the the the voice of the district uh that can be used throughout uh for for that first first uh day preschool kid to uh the valid dictorian at the high school the intent is to uh cover every student every day uh and along with that represent every person that works within the district uh this is a preview or

064snapshot of quick visuals on how you can put pieces together um and on the left there you'll see a preview of of fonts uh or type sets rather that will be used um when we create content for the schools okay before you leave this go this has been a lot of work right here um talk to us about why this is so important as we move forward with much of what we're going to do okay how much time do I have you couple minutes go ahead this could be I realize you could turn this into a day but uh yeah so I mean there's there's a lot that goes into it uh but the the gist or the if you boil it down it is it's and this specifically is a visual way to represent

065everything consistently uh with with structure and Order um up to this point um things have done has have been created but there hasn't been a guideline or a parameter to follow um and and with with the system that's going to be put in place it will it will provide uh guidelines on how to present the school um when it when any any form of content is Created from a letter head to a social media post to a slideshow you fill in the blank if it's visual it will have a branding touch to it um I I'll leave it at that that's that's the most condensed way I've ever heard you say that so there you go but there's been a lot of work put into this um as we move forward so thank you yeah

066so here's just a quick preview just a little bit bigger so you could see uh the fonts uh I won't go too deep uh but you could see primary secondary supportive primary would be uh the main form uh that we use for the majority uh secondary that's to add some additional access sense uh when it makes sense uh and then supportive of course is your your highlighted words like congrats or things of that nature uh we try to narrow it down to Colors if we think that first slide they're probably upwards of 45 to 50 different colors it may not look that way uh but the idea to hone it into a smaller set of colors is it will provide more consistency and structure when we go to print um and to some that may

067not make a you know a whole lot of difference uh but when it comes to um what an outsider sees of the district it is another way to to make it look more professional feel more professional and and thus acting that way um this will be really important when it comes to uh printing apparel um and this will give some guidelines and structure on what that looks like uh when schools go to order that so it's preview of colors and this is all of them put together um and to kind of backtrack a little bit uh this has been a collaborative effort meaning I've worked with an outside company and every admin and every building and every group that they've developed uh to to put focus and intent on um so it it might look

068or it might I might get um some of the praise or the comments or the structure around it uh but there's been a lot of people that have assisted along the way um and I give a lot of credit especially to the admin in every building um they've been instrumental in this process too so this what you're seeing here is um your Monograms so that is one thing that will be used to represent each School you just see them all together there and then this would be more of a word Mark uh so when it makes sense to spell out the entire uh entire uh School you will see it in this way um and then up top you'll see how it all encompasses together with um Huntington County Community Schools you will notice that

069we did drop the last SE uh to put more focus on the schools where it should be and less on corporations so save the best for last there schools and here's your uh preview of mascots right so you have nine there of course um we have some in circles and and I could I could Deep dive I'm not going to but that was the that was the intent to leave some focus on there and these will be used you'll see these a lot of a lot of times in U clubs Athletics things of that nature backtracking a little bit your monogram is more Academia so you put those together and it makes up the school and here's a preview of the high school um to withhold some some form of tradition uh that's been probably

070the mo most longstanding item that we've had uh keeping uh the letter jackets um with the the Block H with the word North in there um that was brought up quite a few times and we're we're honoring that uh with a a few slight tweaks but nothing uh to to the eye if you look real quick that you're you're going to notice too much this is going to be a preview of what you can do with The Branding so you branding uh when it comes to your visuals you have your fonts you have your um your monogram and your mascot and you're seeing how they can play uh together on the left side so it's it's just some examples of what you can build um with that so here's an example of the marching Vikes

071another uh um key key group within our community um we worked with them to to honor what they've they've developed and how we can and tie in uh to to bring in them within the branding family uh per se but still hold that tradition of what they've developed um that the MV there is what you're seeing it I give that credit to a former student I wish I knew the name um but they they actually developed that which is pretty neat we're we're honoring that too uh so you're seeing a culmination of things that you can utilize uh with that and as uh Cindy continues to scroll with this I will I will say that these are previews this isn't necessarily the guideline uh these are just snapshots essentially of what you can you can

072build um if this is approved then your branding guides will be built with a lot of dos and don'ts tips and tricks uh guidelin structure parameters all that stuff so Varsity singers there uh honoring their their Heritage there with the crest and the vs same same idea could play out for Varsity crew Viking volume um and band there too VAR this is important this is an example it's obviously not all the groups not all the athletic teams not all but Kenny's just showing you an example by taking these Brands and guides we're going to create just giving you a how they're each going to be tweaked like each athletic team um Department whatever we work yep everything from preschool to robotics to whatever I mean whatever you you want to build out so um Learning

073Center to to follow and and tie in with the high school that will be restructured a little bit you'll see um I I tried to incorporate a few of their uh ever expanding uh groups over there with Precision Machining um and then and you see welding Tech Fire and Rescue again they they're all their own entity but there are ways to make them stand out all the while fitting in with the branding so Crest View uh slight change um in color uh major change in look um so they're we're getting rid of the 14 to 15 different Royal blues and we're going with the Navy that is within the guide there and then more of so which if you if you're in that uh school it actually ties in really well with the school colors

074that are already in there within the building so scrolling on to the Raiders there uh keeping with their their gold and navy um pretty mean looking Raider in my opinion I think it's pretty cool um just again previews and and you'll some of this has been has uh has been out there from a work session and things just slight slight changes here and there to to make all parties happy so we can keep going there Andrews and also you'll see an abbreviation AES um the use case is pretty minimal there um the most iconic one I would argue is h&hs uh so it will be used in in some cases uh but pretty minimal for the others I would say but was good to see preview that Flint Springs made made some pretty big changes

075to the monogram there where it's a falcon Wing integrated with the F rather than floating off to the side all parties happy on that one so Horseman holding true with their current colors um husky hidden in there it's pretty clever good there we keep scrolling Lincoln changing um kind of honoring the past pushing into the future was the approach uh if we think way back when uh the Lincoln presidents that was that was my Elma moer shout out to to that um pulling in the gold from there um and then honoring the current with the blue um make it look more more Royal I would say and then r o big change there uh there's there's some history behind that uh this was a of course a bigger change um there hasn't technically been a

076mascot used there since the new school opened which correct me I'm wrong 2020 19 when I can't remember when the school open but either way um we're building um an whole new um mascot there and there was a lot of um um there was the process was a little bit longer with that one just because it was a whole new mascot um but shout out to Mrs craft the principal out at um ronoke for leading the way and and um helping with that process so we ended with the Bulldogs salamony uh there's been quite a few changes on this one too um there's a sounding board with the commit that was developed 25 plus people uh all had their their uh comments and ideas and I I'm pretty confident that we we left that meeting

077with um very sound um sound idea of what they wanted and we did our best to to put those together uh to provide preview of of a rebel so and then this is a preview uh um of the administrative Center that was just recently named last board meeting correct um so this will be a preview of what will be off of that building um just in the front kind of corner um so that's what you're you're seeing there it's a general preview of that and then the the black H here um the this is just an example of how you can use it uh in different color cases right so the bigger H is probably most common standing on white uh but in the event we have it on red apparel you would invert it

078if you have on dark apparel you could use the red so you're you're still using uh the the colors within the system uh but providing the best view uh to provide contrast so you can actually see it because it of course it wouldn't make sense to put a red h on a red shirt right um so it it provides the opportunity to actually see it so and then there's a word Mark just to preview it off there and again reiterating uh taking off the the corporation and focusing on the schools and this is your vertical preview and then word um and then the word marks extended horizontally uh when it makes sense to use those so I believe that's it so School Board what we're looking for this evening is uh our recommendations for your

079approval of this process and then if you approve uh Kenny we'll spend just a couple of minutes talking about what how what we do moving forward then okay so this is what motion to approve the corporation and school logos is presented thank you Matt is there a second second thank you Mrs Heim is there any questions or comments before we vote hearing none we will vote on the I just want to say thanks this really really really looks good I mean I know that it's been a scramble and it's been wild but this is really nice and I think I I think it doesn't take long to see the direction and the way you you're trying to push people to go so thank you so much for this I just want to say thank you

080too for the statesman's work that you tried to get everybody to agree on so uh that's probably the hardest task here so I thank you and and I can't be remiss without saying thank you for the rebel because we're happy that we're staying the rebel and we definitely like at least I personally like the look of this one much better so thank you for that hard work yep anybody else okay now we'll vote on the item Kenny I just want to say thank you um this has been a long road and at times a controversial Road um some people just did not see the need to do this whatsoever but as we are looking into the future and branding and moving forward and marketing our district um this is significant uh into that process and

081so I am just want to say thank you for all you've done with this thank you thanks and that motion passes 60 so Kenny what's next okay what do we do next we hit the ground running with the new website uh the website has been on kind of not necessarily but partially on hold um because we needed um branding to be finalized uh what you're not seeing in the back end of that is uh color codes and specific font uh format formats file formats all of that all that has to be compiled uh and then distributed to the the correct people to to get that rolling um that is priority number one uh to to start building out that website um with the new branding uh from there branding guides will be developed as well

082um in those guidelines um they've they've evolved over time but the intent is to um create create documents and um actual living content that people can use uh from that um and a lot of times it's a it starts with a do dos and don'ts um examples would be don't use the wrong colors you have to use these colors don't use your own mascot you use the school mascot um and it and it and it d in a little bit further is you know um what the primary color is and how how often do you use that uh when do you use supportive fonts all of that will be explained in those branding guides uh from the top down and there'll be a phase in and there'll be a phase in process with this so

083and we're I've said this before we're not we're not a Starbucks right uh we don't have um crazy absorbent amount of money that we can just have a a crew of a thousand people coming and change everything overnight um that's not that's not feasible um nor does it necessarily honor a lot of the work honestly that kids have done to to raise funds to get the cool stuff that they have now um so it it's a phase process we want to we want to respect both ends we want to move forward with the new branding but we also understand especially in my purview all the work that kids do to get those new uniforms all the work that they do to get their their their fancy stuff to promote the school the kids do the

084work so we want to honor that too um so there will be a grace period of sorts uh that will be laid out a little bit more in detail once we get all the parties involved in figure that out U but there is a grace period involved in that too so thank you yep thank you Kenny yeah thank you awesome have a good evening uh we'll move on to number seven new director position and job description I have the privilege and honor U to work with Meg Fen uh her skill and expertise um that she brings to the district is outstanding and tonight Meg I get to introduce you as the Director our new director of Behavioral Health and Wellness uh for hccsc uh Meg has just been recently is now a board certified psychiatric

085mental health nurse practice practitioner and so uh the skill and expertise that she brings uh is just amazing so we're not losing Meg we're just making a title shift here a a title change uh there'll be no new allocations or funds for this position but just changing her title because of the the certification that Meg has Meg will oversee the mental health and Behavioral Health and Wellness of the district and I I hope our community can see that we do value uh the mental health and wellness of our students and and this is has been a priority for our district and now we're in a position uh that we can move on that so Meg would You' like to to share a few words um it's great to have you here yes I would okay

086um so I just turned from returned from a field trip this evening um a teacher from the high school and I took a group of students to Fort Wayne um to see an art display that was put on by Mental Health America of Northeastern Indiana and these are just some of the small things that we can look forward to doing with our our students as we're celebrating mental health I want to start and Lead G groups of students in suicide prevention I want to work with students that are experiencing anxiety and depression and to help educate families on next steps and what they can do with Community Resources I want to help Educators understand how to work with students who are living with anxiety and depression or other neurodevelopmental disabilities like ADHD and autism and

087I want to create Staff Wellness opportun and a well culture that Educators within our district can can live within um and these are just my ideas but most importantly I want my job to be responsive to the community needs I want my boss to be the teachers and the staff of the school to tell me what teachers and staff need I want my boss to be the parents of our kids to tell me what parents need and I want the students of this school to tell me what students needs this is how I see my real job description unfolding in this district and I just want to take a moment and thank the administration Mr trout Mr Peters Mr brimberry and Mr mlin have really had the vision and the idea to make Wellness a

088priority in our district it's uh one thing to ask for your approval for this job description it's another thing to have mag freezen in it and leading it and running it and so Jay and I and Chuck and are enormously excited uh for this shift in responsibility uh for Mrs FZ um we've had a lot of parents come forward and say to us concerns about about these areas that Meg just talked about and so beginning tomorrow uh Meg is in this position where we do this uh where we try to coordinate all our services in The District in the district and Meg will be uh instrumental in making that happen to do that so Meg thank you um but we Jay and I proudly uh recommend uh this uh job description shift and responsibility for

089Mrs FZ so thank you would anybody like to make a motion on this agenda item I'd like to make a motion to approve Meg FZ as the Director of Behavioral and wellness and the job description as presented thank you Mr Allen and is there a second thank you Gary um I'll I'll ask my question first who is going to fill her current role we are in the process with that um Mrs FZ is going to be wearing two hats uh within this uh realm I'm just be right up front and tell you I thought that I had this uh taken care of for this evening and would have a name uh for you to fill that position I do not uh we are still um working through that process mag was gone last week and

090um I um uh thought that I had this done I'm going I'm going to circle back around to Meg this week and see what we can get done but in the intermediate time she'll be starting wearing two hats so I just want you to know that at this point okay is there any other questions hearing none we will vote on the item for for and the motion passes 60 thank you Mrs FZ thank [Applause] you and we will move on to item E1 and I believe Mr mclin is going to talk to us about adding jrc to the eth grade agenda thank you Mr jger uh just real briefly we had our our annual visit uh from the jotc Battalion command last year from Fort Knox um they did not bring any samples uh with

091them when they came but we did uh find out that we could add eighth grade jotc it was allowable under the jotc guidelines uh and we are asking permission to offer that as an elective to our eighth graders um we would like to bring those eighth graders to the high school at the end of the day along with our honors geometry students that come come from both uh middle schools and our uh students in agriculture classes in the eth grade as well I've talked to both middle school principls as well as um Mrs Fields in transportation and uh pending your approval uh all have agreed that that would work in their schedules for both transportation and scheduling of students for classes so uh seeking your permission to add jotc at the eighth grade as another

092option uh and elective for our eighth graders thank you and is there a motion for this agenda item I make a motion to approve the JROTC to eth grade students beginning in 2024 2025 school year thank you Tim and is there a second second thank you Ryan um I'm assuming that the teachers we have currently can handle the extra load yes so uh first of all clarification 2526 we're talking next school year um and we have two instructors currently and bringing them to the high school would allow us to if there's a large group from both uh middle schools to have an instructor uh for each set of uh Cadets that would be here uh would break it up into more uh PT physical training type of things on one day with one group and

093classroom with the other and then they would switch um and if we reach 150 students in the program combined uh jotc Army Cadet command would uh authorize a third instructor uh for our program okay we need to change that to 2025 2026 I did it too thanks I'll make the motion is there any other questions okay hearing none we will vote on this item and it says 2425 but it is 2526 e I you're guilty by association and with Matt's vote finally in that motion passes 6 Zer thank you so we will move on to item E2 thank you Mr mlin uh the 2425 orientation and Mobility service contract tonight I'm asking or requesting approval for an orientation and Mobility certified specialist from the league for the blind to complete an evaluation for one of

094our students that's visually impaired uh the evaluation will provide our school staff with recommendations to help the students safely and confidently navigate the school environment and if needed uh The Specialist would be there to provide individual Services if needed for that student so just asking for your approval um for this request thank you Mr Peters would anybody like to make a motion on this agenda item motion to approve the 2425 orientation and Mobility service contract as presented thank you Matt is there a second second thank you Mrs Heim is there any questions or comments before we vote hearing none we will vote on the item and that motion passes 60 we thank Mr melter for voting quickly that time wow we'll move on to item F the consent agenda um I appreciate your patience this

095evening as we've been going through a lot here uh with one board meeting in December we've had a lot of agenda items to get through so I'll be brief here um just highlight a couple F6 we have a new independent contract agreement for fire and rescue classroom instructor okay so we're requesting that um we have the administrative sign uh for the administrative Center uh quote in there just FYI we took multiple quotes for that this was the lowest of that we've also Kenny shared with you the uh what that sign would look like and I put a copy of that in there for you um am I going too fast Cindy here am I good okay so um with that sign right there is what that sign right along 24 will look like we are

096working with the city to make sure we're following all the codes and guidelines uh from that piece and so that will be uh forthcoming um with the work that's going to be done there um just FYI again uh we are on uh track to be have that office done uh end of January with a potential move in February at this point so I want like make you aware of that tonight we accept $ 44,8 2929 as uh donations I continue board meeting after board meeting to be um amazed at the support that our community still and continues to provide for us at various schools for various reasons so thank you for that and then also um seeking your approval for the accounts payable and payable voucher registers thank you Mr trout would anybody like to

097make a motion on the consent agenda make a motion that we approve the consent agenda as presented thank you Ryan and is there a second second thank you Matt would anybody like to pull an item and vote on it separately tonight okay and is there any questions or comments before we vote hearing none we will vote on the consent agenda and the consent agenda passes 60 and we'll move on to item G1 a request to pay 2024 yearend bills thank you Mrs Smith for waiting patiently thank you board superintendent triout I bring to you this evening um a customary request and this is at year end every year end um we have this board meeting and then our next board meeting isn't until January 13th so of course as you know um private and professional

098lives uh bills go on and bills need to be paid so we are asking the board's approval to be able to pay those bills that are due before the next board meeting and um also at the board next board meeting would be the full listing of those bills that um were sent out and that were due and paid before uh the next board meeting so we ask for your approval um as presented this evening thank you Mrs Smith would anybody like to make a motion on item G1 I'll make a motion to approve the uh recommend the approval of the 2024 year end bills as presented thank you Ryan and is there a second second thank you is there any questions or comments before we vote I think you said this but you're gonna have

099a list of all those correct excuse me you'll have a list of what that is as part of our pack yeah okay that's what I anybody else we will vote on the item she has the most efficient board agenda items motion passes 60 so we will move to item two a request to make 2024 year end uh transfer great thank you very much um during the budget order process um when budget preparation process the board approves uh the budgets that go to the Department of local government Finance those budgets um are mainly categorized by the main program number during the year of course uh budgets uh are fulfilled and then at the end of the year there may be uh changes needed for instance if if I had $10,000 budgeted under one program number and

100I end up needing um 10,000 in another one and only 5,000 in that those type of transfers are required by Indiana code to go through uh the board again it does not um change what the bottom line that you originally approved during the budget process and the finalization of the budget order however it does move appropriation between major funds in the same fund for instance uh education fund you might need $10,000 more in the elementary line item compared to the high school line item but it always Nets zero according to Indiana code so we're asking for approval as we're doing the year- end process to be able to make those uh program adjustments in the financial system as part of our yearend process thank you would anybody like to make a motion on this agenda

101item I'll make a motion to approve the 2024 year in transfers as presented thank you Ryan and is there a second second thank you Tim is there any questions so you so eloquently put it in my layman's terms you're making sure that we don't have any negative balances at the end of the year absolutely thank you anybody else hearing none we will vote on this item for and item G2 passes 60 so we'll move to item three teacher appreciation grants yes each year at this time uh we're seeking your approval just to update our Schoolboard policy but also to inform you of the teacher appreciation Grant that's distributed by the state of Indiana each year at this point in time uh just a couple highlights for you within this the additional pay was done on

1021213 it's based off of last evaluation uh effective rating uh would be $425 per teacher highly effective rating has to be uh 1.25% more which is 5313 um and so what we're just doing this evening is letting you know that but seeking your approval because I attached it there the latest teacher appreciation Grant and by required by law you have to review that and this you're just seeking your approval of that this evening okay would anybody like to make a motion on the teacher appreciation Grant distribution I'll make a motion to approve the teacher appreciation grants thank you Tim and is there a second thank you Gary is there any questions hearing none we will vote on that item for okay that motion passes 60 we'll move on to a Consulting agreement between hccsc and

103Rebecca Smith for January through June of next year okay um four and five go together together here hand in hand okay and so um I want to explain this to you uh so you clearly um understand uh some shifts we're making going into the 25 calendar year okay as you know um we are forever Greatful for Mrs Smith uh she has been an incredible support uh for us as a district but we are going to begin the shift uh with her support in this District as you know Mr McGloin will be on as as a COO uh starting uh January 1st uh we have also uh with reorg reorganizing the business department now have a uh Director of Finance so Mrs Smith's primary role is going to be in supports of those two gentlemen okay

104uh day in and day out uh eventually uh Mr McGloin will be making your um monthly uh reports to the board Bo with the coaching of Mrs Smith and so that will be one of his responsibilities uh that he will have moving forward now we won't make him do the first meeting in January Pat you won't have to do January at all so just okay yeah but uh know that um she is going to begin focusing on the leadership of um those two gentlemen uh Becky I want to say to you sincerely thank you um you you have she's literally been supporting me um the entire business team and it's been I will just be the first to tell you she's working Way Beyond the hours that she has contracted with us and um in

105discussing that with her her support continued support is going to be essential um but I am concerned um about the amount of hours this young lady works every week and to narrow her focus in on the leadership of the business department will help immensely and so um I'm just requesting your approval of this uh contract for six months with Mrs Smith at six months we're going to re-evaluate well we'll re-evaluate in month four or five quite frankly just to see how this is working um and then we'll go from there but Becky I mean this thank you you uh your support's invaluable to me personally and I am so incredibly grateful for you so thank you would anybody like to make a motion on the contract with Rebecca Smith motion to accept the Consulting agreement

106between hccs and Rebecca Smith January 3 June 2025 thank you Matt and is there a second second thank you Ryan does anybody have any questions or comments before we vote so um our goal is to make Pat as good as uh Mrs Smith is and so uh that's high uh high pressure but I believe Pat will eventually get there so we're we're hoping for so we get to have fun with Pat because if we don't renew it he gets to do the budget next year uh well yes you jumped ahead too far uh oh I was know I looked at that end date looking at it just keeping an eye well the reason the end date let's just talk about that the reason the end date is where is at is that we're going to

107evaluate come May June how's this going uh and then we're going to come back to you in July because um Becky will be essential in helping me and Pat put together the 26 budget but also a little hidden secret to the community um Becky has established such a great working relationship with her Teachers Association that she's agreed to help um me through that process there's a great level of trust um with Becky um she and one of our teachers was instrumental in completely revamping um our teacher comp model and so the teachers have asked me now Mrs Smith's going to be part of that of that process again right and I said yes that's the intention and so um you know we we've already started working on some of that I'm matter of fact I'm

108having a meeting tomorrow after end of school with the Union leadership and I know we're going to start thinking about some of that moving forward but the reason it's stopping at the the six-month Mark is that's a let's re-evaluate how it's working with those two leadership positions but B then it will allow me to reset one for the second part of the year so thank you yep are there any other questions hearing none we will vote on that item Des no she Tes it'll work just tell just stay there Cindy she touches it work yeah sure go Cy do you just want to do a roll call vote okay and that passes 60 so we'll move to item five the agreement with Dr Denise Seager okay um Dr Seager um has been working over the

109last several months with our HR department um little known uh uh tidbit here is Becky Smith's Mentor is Dr Sager and so at our my previous stop I had I mean seriously I had the luxury of working closely day-to-day with both uh Denise and Becky and so um as you know we have a fairly young um business team uh my most senior members just coming up on a year uh with us and so this the Contin continued supports that we receive from Denise and Becky will be important um while Becky's working with the leadership Denise will be working dayto day with the remainder of the team um helping them with the operations of those pieces so the coordination with Pat coming on a COO with me still working into the spring uh pretty significantly with

110the business team uh my ultimate goal is around spring break that Mrs Gray and I will be able to greatly reduce the amount of time that we are spending with the day-to-day operations of the business team at that point and I and I really feel like the combination of of Denise and Becky would help us with that they've both been working with our team it's just a little reorganization of how we're doing things so I'm just seeking your approval of the agreement with Dr s would anybody like to make a motion on item five I'll make a motion we approve the Consulting agreement between AGC CSC and Dr Denise Seager from January through June of 2025 thank you Tim and is there a second second thank you Matt was there any questions or comments on

111this agenda item hearing none we will try to vote on this item motion passes 60 we have one more contract between hccsc and tmws valuation Services okay with the State Board of accounts um we are required uh to continue to to do a basically a bottom line a continual update on all our Capital assets um uh TM Wells um has been part of several districts in Northern Indiana this is the Third District where we have used their services quite frankly there are not many uh out there that do this piece but as required by the State Board of accounts this is an essential part of what we're doing and so I'm asking for your agreement um with uh TM Wells thank you Mr trout would anybody like to make a motion on item number six

112I'll make a motion uh that we approve the counseling contract between hccs and TM Wells valuation services for 2024 as presented thank you Matt is there a second thank you Gary is there any questions or comments before we vote hearing none we will vote on item six that motion passes 60 and we will move to item G7 re resolution to transfer funds into the insurance trust fund y you're ready go ahead Becky and I'll fill in then okay great uh we just wanted to kind of um give a recap and what I did for the board you'll see a board um memo explaining how our insurance trust works here at Huntington uh if anyone's used to any kind of insurance trust and another way that I it's kind of resembles um a self- Insurance Fund

113so what we do um we uh develop rates for the employees and the board's portion so you have the employ employees deduction and the board's Fringe benefit that they offer for um health insurance those are deducted each pay period and then once a month that money that was pulled from the employees and the district goes to this insurance trust which then creates a bank account so to speak every week then the claims the actual claims that come through get paid from that balance from the insurance trust so they do the administration of all of those claim payments and um so from that uh the the recent status just to give you an idea um of course our claims have um been higher this year and that happens uh you can ask anyone around the state

114uh with prices and uh districtwide we are liable for those insurance claims so this what we're asking for this evening is um one just a c uh regular customary thing that um districts have to do because the liability of having to pay those Insurance claim and number two to be transparent with our public of how that process goes when those claims um end up being more than what our account balance has at the time so um recently Mr trout was uh notified that we had over in one week's time we had over $200,000 in claims which from that it left us with um a little bit under a $100,000 balance so in preparation of that uh which the board uh hasn't had to do uh in the recent years is uh resolution that we have

115on the agenda and that would be to um formalize the process of when the account balance gets too low and then we have claims that week that we're legally um liable to pay that we're able to make a temporary payment on that so what that means is okay say we got to hold um the Trust Company got a hold of us this week our account balance last week was just under $1,000 in case we got a um another $200,000 claims we didn't have enough in our balance to pay those claims we're liable to pay those claims so the insurance company um trust would get a hold of the district um provide a listing of those look at the balance and then we would make a one-time payment to be able to pay those bills um

116in the meantime if you recall I said earlier that we make those payments once a month in this interim we would um change to making those every single payroll so there was money um in there hopefully to last until the next pay period but um in this case with the uh account balance being so low that is why we're asking um the board and to um publicly uh explain how this process goes now Mr trout has um worked diligently over this last several months um for open enrollment to do um different plan design changes that will help in 2025 and also of course rate increases that would come with all that um from The increased claims so he has worked uh with the trust their board and uh have establish those new rates in process

117for 2025 so we see this um hopefully as a temporary fix for right now but just wanted to kind of explain that that um this could go off and on throughout 25 we don't know it all depends uh that's why we have insurance as individuals is to help cover Us in in those needs so uh for instance my other District we are self-insured so it's it's similar to the insurance trust and um we go up and down with our insurance balance all the time um I control uh all of those balances and communicate that with with the insurance company with those claims similar to to how we do here with the trust and I I'll admit sometimes we have upwards of a million dollar balance and we have 1,800 uh employees but then we've also

118been down to $200,000 balance so we have seen that over um the last couple years since covid where all the increase uh has risen from all the the claims and medical bills that have been going through so if there's anything else you would like to add Mr trout we would ask for the board's approval of this resolution um for the board to uh confirm or solidify this process for Huntington moving forward with the insurance trust right starting in uh late summer we were anticipating this um we have made significant changes to the to the plans um some of which quite frankly have not been real popular um with local um some of the local establishments that we have in our in our community um I have met with th with those uh providers um those

119have been difficult conversations to say the least however um we have made some significant plan adjustments um we could where my plan is right now at the February work session is to bring the president of the insurance trust here is to give you an update on where we're at um but just to give you an example um park viw has been moved move to tier two instead of tier one um there is an 11 and a half% rate increase starting in uh January 1 plus I won't get into all the details but a variety of other details um what's happened is that um we've had some extremely unfortunate uh situations with a few of our staff members um my heart breaks quite frankly of what a few of them are facing and so um Bey

120and I at a previous District uh this was common practice for us um but um uh the the insurance trust president knows that we are planning to come to the February work session uh giving you the details of where we're at um all the analytics we've been doing on this have Beed out that um we're looking for a significant shift uh in our balance uh getting into next year but right now we're facing some unique challenges along the way way I will say to you the adjustments that we are making um I am staying in touch with the treasur on a week on a daily basis right now and that's already made some significant gains and those were all of Mrs Smith's suggestions so thank you Becky you were spoton with those and so instead

121of the monthly draws it's been done weekly and so that's not any increase in money it's just how we're delivering it has been real helpful so we're recommending your approval of this resolution as presented thank you Mrs Smith and Mr trout would anybody like to make a motion on the resolution to transfer funds into the insurance trust I'll make a motion to approve the resolution to transfer into Insurance trust fund for the 2024 and 2025 calendar Years thank you Tim and is there a second second thank you Matt is there any other questions or comments before we vote so these extra funds that we would transfer into that would that be over and above what we be obligated to do and how would those funds be then returned to us would they be reduction in

122funds later how is that going to work good questions so we will do what um what we call is a Shore up at the end of the school year to see if that's warranted or not if a Shore up is warranted then it would be credited to the next bill um if it's not then we would be um liable for for that difference and that's what those transfers are we have have um looked at the calculation of what that would be moving forward for some reason if all those come in higher than what we have collected from employees and the district and say I'm just throwing out a number say the net was $100,000 difference that we still were liable for and the the um contributions did not cover that then we have um we

123looked back through the calculations of how that's divided by fund for instance if we end up June 30th and we have 100,000 difference to the the bad instead of the good then we had a certain percentage that was education fund a certain percentage that was operations fund a certain percentage that was Food Service fund those type of things we looked at the trends to establish what that would be of um that utilization of those now if it's the other way around to the good where we had a $100,000 um Surplus then that's where it would be credited to the next to the next bill at that time of shore up thank you good question I appreciate the the review of this and realizing if we just pay them more often it will help them through

124so I appreciate that it will are there any other questions before we vote hearing none we will vote on this agenda item thank you Becky I uh deeply appreciate you your continued support you've been incredible and so look forward to working with you into the next year so thank you thank you you're never over that motion passes 60 so we will move on to our last voting item for tonight items H policies uh number one volume 34 number one policy and administrative guidelines update okay uh this is the second reading we're seeking your approval of all of the all of the policies listed here and also the administrative guidelines I will tell you that Mrs Gray and I will have uh several more of these uh to present to you in a very near future

125we're working pretty feverishly to get caught up here and so I I want to thank Cindy for all her support she I couldn't do these volumes without her she's been incredible um through this and so Cindy thank you for your help but we're just looking for your approval of the volume 34 number one policy administrative guidelines as presented thank you would anybody like to make a motion on the item make a motion that we approve volume 34 number one policies minist of guideline updates as presented thank you Ryan and is there a second second thank you Matt are there any questions or comments before we vote hearing none we will vote on this item for if she looks at it don't work just tell you walk over there for and that item also passes 60

126so we will move to item i1 items of discussion by board members does anybody have anything they would like to say thank you Gary amen yeah I was gonna say something similar to that so not the old part I was gonna leave that for Gary but uh it's been a pleasure working with you thank you no but you make me the youngest now um if there's anything else we will move to item J1 adjournment anybody like to make a motion for adjournments so moved and is there a second sure all those in favor say I I