001call the meeting to order and we'll start with the Pledge of Allegiance i al to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible liy and justice for all want to remind every first of all welcome everyone we have a full room so that's super exciting and a a lot of um young kids out the hallway that we're looking forward to um being introduced to but um just remind everyone that we are live streaming this um board meeting tonight um so we'll um open by taking a motion to AC consent agenda items I have a motion by Earl do I have a second second second by Pat any discussion all those in favor 70 next we'll move down under Community non-agenda items we'll
002ask if anyone is present who would like to speak to any item that is on the agenda or any other topic we have three okay so the first one is Kayla Moore okay so we'll just as Kayla is coming if she would come to the podium just so that we can make sure that um everybody can hear her we'll just remind everybody that this is um a public comment opportunity um that is on the board agenda um we obviously um honor the opportunity for you to come and speak publicly I just want to remind everybody and you as well that this is not a question and answer session um so we won't be giving any responding comments during or following the public public comment perfect um I just wanted to come here today to start
003a conversation um around homeschoolers and participating in sports there's been some confusion and some conflicting information um from myself personally I contacted the middle school and was going to have my son come there for the last period of the day so he could do Sports um I was told told that that he would need to be tested in either math or language arts and whatever he was weakest in he would have to come to first period and take that class we all know that the private schools are not tested as well and may it made to come to the first period that's kind of inconvenient um the last period just allows them to stay after school and be able to participate in the sports um and then we also know that high schoolers have not
004been allowed to play um homeschoolers I not been allowed to play in high school sports so I want to start a conversation and see if there's a way that we can work together and see how we can change that um it is my understanding that it's up to the athletic director in each County to decide that um Indiana is an open state so I would um I do have data from Purdue Extension that was just done here in Jennings County that's we are high poverty um we have problem with transportation and then there's also a rise of childhood obesity due to inactivity that's all new data you can get it from the Purdue Extension Office um I just had the blessing of being able to go be a part of um that discussion and um
005when I had contacted the athletic director at the high school he had suggested that there was a lot of opportunities here in Jennings County and he had listed like travel Sports and sports and rck but we all know in JS County travel Sports is not a not an opportunity that most people can afford or commit to because it's a whole family commitment it's not just for the child um and as far as Sports and re it's my understanding that they don't go past Middle School age um so I would just want to have a open conversation and myself personally I'm not again I don't homeschool because I'm against public schooling um I homeschool for my own reasons my children would have been failing in school because of the Fast Pace homeschool has allowed us and
006been a blessing to us to be able to get them caught up and get them to where they need to be so I don't agree that I need to have them tested I take a lot of time and pride and preparation into making sure my children have quality education at their pace and they have got caught up from where they are behind when they they were in public school just because they can go at their own pace so um yeah that's I just wanted to start a conversation my son will be entering high school next year and I have one in middle school as well so I wanted to go ahead and get that on thank you thank you next one Shelby Brown sorry you do not okay and then last one Aaron is there
007a timer or anything do I have a certain amount of time um I'm just here representing the music department tonight um we have mam Mia coming up pretty soon which is really exciting um our kids are working so hard right now on this musical um I actually just had a conversation with them yesterday about how great they're doing um and even when they mess up they laugh it off and try to move on and that seriousness that they have afterwards is truly amazing um and we took a picture yesterday um and posted it online and it really just embodies what Jennings County is and just um how great our kids really are here um I was talking to a friend of mine who is in new Alon Floyd County Schools that's where I came from
008um and she said that new alony high school and Floyd Central High School both hire their pit professionally we are fortunate enough that we have the talent to hire have our own kids in the pit and it is mostly our own kids and so I think that that's worth resenting and just saying how great it is to be here in Jennings County and I appreciate everything that is the support that I've received and and just that the community has given to our kids because it really is at the end of the day it's about our kids um and so um I just have a small gift to give you two free platinum tickets you're to our show so I miscounted so I'm going to skip some of the parents sorry um but um my brain
009is mush right now so just bear with me but anyway all right thank you since we're live streaming and we want to make sure we get the date the time that's what I'm talking about um it is Friday February 23rd at 7 pm and then also Saturday February 24th at um 6: PM so come out and see us am I allowed to approach can you sing while you do [Laughter] it I'm happy and I'm singing I'm not trying to spoil it than you thank you very much thank you is anyone else that that is all anyone else that needs to speak okay so again um while the board doesn't respond to any public comment opportunities um we appreciate you coming um sometimes this can be a daunting U group to come in front of and
010kind of speak and um we appreciate your willingness to come and share and um we'll you know take your requests into consideration okay um so next we have um some a presentation right and I think what we've been asked to do if the board would rise and go to that side of the room so that the kiddos can Bing um look at parents and cameras gr Creek kindergarten St check testing okay as everybody's moving uh first of all thank you for the invitation as uh as most of you in here know last year grah Creek went through the very arduous process of becoming a stem certified school so when Mrs Johnson asked you know um had the schools come to visit you guys for showcasing we thought oh my goodness this is the perfect opportunity
011because staying stem certified what what does that mean you know what's it really look like so as I was going through the building and watching all of our classrooms and I walked into this one classroom I thought oh my gosh this is like design process this is stem at its finest thought about it next week come by and they're doing another different lesson it's like holy cow so I bring this lady right here Mrs Jenny Ken into my office and said Jen I'm G to throw an Ida at you what do you think about taking your class and showcasing their skills at the school board and we kind of looked at each other and thought oh dear lord what did we just just say bringing five and six year olds but then you know what
012it's a no-brainer because though they are only five and six years old they emulated what stem is in Graham Creek so tonight you guys are going to see what a kindergarten stem lesson and I'm going to say that with a caveat because kindergarten at gr Creek my expectations our expectations it's not a prechool part two kindergarten is actually a a learning program you will NE I never will underestimate the learning capacity of a five and six year-old and don't ever let anybody tell you they can't learn and they can't learn complex Ideas Math all of the components you're going to see tonight these little guys they can do it so don't don't ever underestimate them part of our success is also right here we have an amazing parent support So to you guys thank you
013for bringing your kiddos out on a late night like this so without further Ado Mrs Jenny Kent a kindergarten teacher is going to we're going to begin right so here we go what what is stem s is for science T is for techology e is [Music] for M is for in our classroom we work in groups using the stem process in our groups we each have jobs a recorder writes down our ideas the material person gathers all the supplies we need our Engineers leads the group in following the plan to solve the problem together we work to see what we can do to make it better for this project we worked as a team and build an igloo the challenge was to build a warm shelter for our Eskimos we used marshmallows and toothpaste good
014job I was the of this project I wrote down the ideas a group had CU weed did it without looking I was the materials person of this project I got the materials my group needed to build an igloo I was the engineer of this project I was in charge of leading our group and building our egloo the engineer after working on our egloo we had to look at our design to see how we can make it better the next project is our t-shirt design and create we use pictures to make a shirt that shows what stem means to us they are all different we were scientist and we looked at shirts and it looked like our QR codes we use technology to design and cut out our shirts we also learned how to use QR
015codes I was an engineer when we design and made our shirts we use mask to we made for shirts here is a picture of our class wearing our shirts that we each designed and created the QR code on the back of her shirts can be scin to see more of our stem projects so she's going to take a picture of our QR Cod code it is so if you see our stem shirts in public take a picture of the QR and it'll take you to the stem project that's happening in kindergarten at gam Creek all year long so what you guys just saw that is a a lesson you saw math you saw organization a whole design process I'm going to brag on Mrs Kent just for a second because you got to see some
016reading skills there last year at the end of her kindergarten group of of last year's kiddos when they finished the year the average reading level was second a little over second grade the average reading level and I think this year will be even more so so to the board when people are saying you know we talk about I read scores all the time right here's one piece of that puzzle you know when they come to kindergarten we expect we have high expectations I don't make apologies for it I don't make excuses for it that's just the way we're going to do things because these kids deserve deserve that and thus when they get to first grade second grade and it continues on so Mrs Kent thank you kiddos oh my gosh can we give a
017round of applause great job we get everybody in the middle and allow parents to take a picture oh my gosh that would be amazing if we if we take that time okay they have to come back again okay all of the kindergarten kiddos come here real quick hey Alyssa where's Alysa Kathy get in there real quick [Music] now stand up hot tall no stand up there you go and while you're taking that picture scan that QR code there you go good job than thank you thank so much for coming tonight [Music] good thank you [Music] guys great job you guys still F having you thank you great J maybe a little sleepy early in the morning early in morning give a little oh that's right yeah you that she she looks just like her mom
018modest man can't get him out of the chair that was fun all right I know we're still live streaming hopefully everybody got good pictures of all the kids it's a little warm in here that was a big I just turn it yeah yeah yeah um so again gr Graham Creek Elementary kindergarten class in presentation again thank them for coming and spending the evening with us now we'll move right on down the agenda if it's okay with everybody business we have some Neola policies for approval uh yes if it's okay I'd like to take these as a group asking for approval of all these policies for Neola motion by Pat I have a second by Travis any discussion all those in favor 70 next we have under new business also some Neola policies yes so some
019new Neola policies for you to review please reach out if you have any questions I'll be happy to answer those reading we'll vote on those during the next board meeting next we'll go down under programs we have some a jchs new course proposals for 2024 yes um just to go along with some of our CT Pathways um and the courses are topics in computer science welding technology Capstone gas welding processes shielded shielded metal art welding principles of welding technology and then just a course update it's the same class it's just an updated course um Agro business management Capstone okay we entertain a motion to accept those um changes or course proposals as read I have it was just an inform if you'd like to vote on I'm so sorry I missed that um okay we
020do have a motion we send it okay okay this is thanks for doing that Jo since we didn't have a second we'll wait and we'll those will come next next okay so sorry all right now we'll go down under professional staff recommendation asking for the recommendation to be approved that for Carrie Moore to receive the career increment Master teacher stien for the years 20242 through 2028 29 we'll entertain a motion to um approve motion by Mary Lyn do I have a second second second by Cheryl any discussion all those in favor s next um recommendations under support staff an asking for approval please for the following recommendations Whitney Bryson jcsc bu a termination Olivia Clarkson JCS van driver for the de and blind school trip um for the trip from here to the de and
021blind school um Scott mck jcms custodian second shift okay entertain a motion to accept those recommendations move by Pat do I have a second second second by Cheryl any discussion all those in favor 70 um next down under Finance we have some donations yes I'm asking approval to accept the following donations North F Baptist Church $1,740 worth a Clos be divided among all the schools tenor Rush 55 in TV and wall mount to Hayden with a value of about $410 nvic $100 to the sang Creek uh playground Pat any drum set to the middle school band department and North Vernon JC 30 boxes of non-arable food to the Hope food pantry and panther Pantry sorry do I have a motion to accept those donations no a motion by mayor ly do I have a second
022second second by Travis any discussion all those in favor 70 next we have a resolution yes this is an annual resolution we make to establish the budget within um the parameters that they've that they've approved so the resolution is to allow the treasur deputy Treasurer to make adjustments to Appropriations within major uh funds meaning the education debt operations R day to establish the 24 budget for the current year from the state approved budget order okay do I have a motion for that to approve that resolution motion by Earl do I have a second second second by Pat any discussion all those in favor seven um now we're down under property have a bid in contract we do we're excited we had four um companies that put in bids for our high school CTE project and
023we are still on timeline for completion for that this summer which would add um multiple new Pathways um facilities renovated areas to our high school for our students next year so really looking forward to this um I'm asking for approval tonight of the lowest bid um Dunlap and Company were our lowest bid and we're also asking for approval of the contract with them pending final legal approval to help us keep on timeline so asking for approval of both those items do I have a motion um to accept the the winning bid for the project and then again approval of the contract pending final legal approval motion by Pearl I have a second second by Pat any discussion I have a question if does it happen very often when the attorney goes through those if they
024find a problem what is that do we negotiate with that company or we kick that bid out so it kind of depends on what the issue is if it's something that is um a substantial risk for the corporation then it's something that we move forward through back and forth until we have a res solution um if it's something that is minor and is just a language of what type of material we would choose that's something we usually just move on so I have a motion in a second any other discussion all those in favor 70 super exciting really excited about that which brings us down to other I don't have any other that if nothing under other will remind one more time Mama Mia at jenings County High School February the 23rd and that's a
025Friday at 7M and then February the 24th that's a Saturday at 6: PM right perfect um show up it's going to be good I'm sure so um hearing nothing else under other will entertain a motion to adjourn motion by Chelsea do I have a second second by Cheryl all those in favor seven of meeting a