00122 students uh down just a little bit from last year for the uh online school. We started with eight and we are now at five which is fairly typical um talking with Indiana online that you lose some students that they just find out that it's it's just not for them. Um, but I think we're all firm believers that we we like the synchronous learning. They need to have a schedule. Um, and go to that. One of the the drawbacks is that the school is on Eastern time. So, an 8:00 class is a 7 o'clock class our time. Um, but so they're going to have to just adjust a little bit. >> Okay. [Music] >> All you went over enrollment. Yeah. >> 3020 >> finance. Chris, >> a couple of things. We received a certificate from
002Jasper County certifying that no petition was filed against our uh proposed project. Um we'll be meeting with bond council and our municipal advisors this week to discuss next steps. At our next board meeting, we anticipate there being a resolutions approving a preliminary plan informing the building corporation and then October, we anticipate a hearing on a lease rental and a series of other uh resolutions that will go along with that. Uh this is the project we talked about I think when we had the hearings that is for the uh repairs and ups of our building buildings. Um, couple things from form nine want to share. Our education fund had essentially no uh loss or gain. It actually had a gain of $12,000 for the six-month period, which is essentially flat flatline. Uh, our operation fund showed
003an increase of $1,285,000. That's due to receiving our spring tax straw um right in June, right before our July deadline before. Uh rainy day had no activity. Uh the balance remains at $4,261,661.97. There's been no additions to the rainy day fund since 2021 and no expenditures. Also, uh, state support was projected by Indiana Department of Education using a higher number than what what we currently have enrolled in the buildings. We when we adjust that, we also make an adjustment for what we anticipate our spring enrollment being. We anticipate state support being reduced by $264,000 for 2526 for what what we were told. We also received an updated estimate today from IDOE regarding our special education students and they're estimating that we'll have uh $100,000 less than they had estimated earlier for us in 4526. Uh
004CTE numbers are still being adjusted so we don't have an update on that. In addition to to these changes, remember that we will not be receiving any money for curricular materials reimbursement in December of this year like we did in years past. In 24 that was $480,945. So, taking all those things to into account, our state support for this year we believe will be about $135,000 more than it was last year. Wanted to share that with the board. That's all I have for tonight. Any questions for Chris? >> I know you've given it to us and we haven't. Um, but what's like our total budget just for everything? Do you know? I mean I try not to try >> the budget you approved uh tonight was 59 million. >> Okay. >> Total between all all.
005>> Okay. >> Next item that we have was student enrollment. Mike covered that. And next um I had sent some information to you. Wheatfield Elementary Schools asking um thoughts on a comfort dog. A person, an individual, properly licensed, insured, brings a comfort dog in for our students to to pet and and a lot of schools are getting comfort dogs. Some schools purchase comfort dogs. Um this individual would come in and bring the comfort dog. So, it's only by approval and uh from the principal to do that. Thoughts, comments? >> Is this a program that we would be only doing at Wheatfield? Is this individual willing to work with our other schools as well? >> We've not had that conversation. That's a good question. Um um that's something that we could definitely ask um if if
006they would be willing to go to other schools. There are other people that have comfort dogs that go in for different situations that might be willing to do other schools as well. >> Yeah, I know. Um, Hobart has a comfort dog. Hbert High School several times when we've been at sporting events. >> The uh ticket taker is a school employee and she has a he is also considered a school employee, the dog. So, >> she'll have him there taking tickets with her. Now, is that uh was that purchased through the school or >> I don't know. I've just met the dog >> during sporting events. So, >> I think I'm unique for kids. >> I know a few years back there was someone that wanted to bring a dog in, but it wasn't properly trained.
007they didn't have the proper paperwork or >> or the insurance for this. >> Um, it is different than someone having us a comfort dog like not someone that's approved and they think they want to bring a comfort dog in. So, you know, like you see traveling on an airplane or just out in public. We have board policy, approved board policy. uh that doesn't pertain to that. Obviously, we follow ADA standards and for seeing eye dogs and other animals or dogs that relate to that. So, that's this doesn't open up uh a situation where people just bring in their their animal for comfort. >> What is what's the plan? I mean, I see at least when it's new, it's a distraction in a classroom. Is it the plan to be with the social worker more for
008those type of situations? How often? Like I'm >> think David still wants to work out some of those details. Okay. The the dog would be with its handler. >> Right. So might just walk through the classrooms, the hallway like in the morning. They're going to breakfast, um, recess possibly. I mean, I I understand your point. I mean, if it's truly a comfort dog, you would think it would be for situations, not just entertainment, >> which a lot of schools have brought, you know, like a dog in all day. So when the kids see it all day, >> how the one is at home, >> it's not it becomes not a novelty. It's >> it's a constant. >> Yeah. >> And I I'm not necessarily opposed to this. I just I think as long as it's
009a novelty and it's only there a little bit here and there becomes more of a distraction instead of a help unless we're using it for situations >> like it's more with maybe the social worker or >> I think that's a prime opportunity for where it should be probably >> and and if we actually >> go through >> so our >> if we actually think it's important then I think we've then we're opening up that we need to do this at not just wheat field. I mean we have two elementary schools. If we agree that it's needed then >> but I I think we started with a social worker at one school to feel it out to see how it worked. I'm okay with that aspect I think to start to feel it out and see.
010>> Yeah. I I think I I think maybe it would be nice to see some more defined expectations and ideas of how it's going to work and that kind of thing before >> is there a cost involved that David was willing to pay? >> You didn't talk about any cost anything to the school corporation to do that. >> Okay. >> We'll ask some of those questions of Dana. Those are all good questions. We'll get some additional >> and we ask the attorney or insurance what we have to do for that. >> We just have to have the proper insurance credentials from the individual. >> Okay. >> So they have insurance for the for the dog. So that's all. >> So for some reason someone gets bit then it's on them. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Yeah.
011Not us. >> Right. Okay. >> We're still going to get sick. >> Right. >> We're still going to get sick. There's a layer >> with our social worker. >> He had one that aged out and he had another one that he brought in. Occasionally they were there together. It's good, but they need to be properly ch trained and like Jill said, they were there to help kids and um during tough time just kind of soothing as he's talking with them. >> Gary Delaney also the social worker at Deont. She used to have a a dog that she needs to bring in schools before she came here. Should be a resource. Very good. We'll get with David on some of those questions. Under a few other items, uh, State Road 10, we all know that they're
012going to start Chip and Seal uh, tomorrow. So, perfect timing, not right. So, they'll be doing that. They've been in very good conversations. Uh, great communication with Rhonda dealing with transportation. So, uh, we appreciate the department or Indiana Department of Transportation communicating with Rhonda on that. So, uh, we've sent now two messages out to our families to talk about that and come up with alternative routes. Um, we're hoping that our families at our our schools will make the proper adjustments and hopefully the bus traffic and the family pickup traffic will will co- mingle in a proper way anyway with things. Then uh along those lines with our bus times with um the middle school and high school dismissing uh 10 minutes later, uh they are um when that decision was made, we we were looking
013at the routes that we have. Uh we had approximately seven people retire. We replaced three. um and they would make it all back in in a comfortable time. We are dropping kids off very similar to what we did last year uh at this at this time, but we also at Wefield had a bridge out as well. So Rhonda through her software were able to look at times for this year and last year. So there if if we had another route or two, if we had drivers and had another route or two, we think the times will be will be okay. But what we're looking at is uh at Deont Elementary School, uh the buses depart at 3:41 and they're dropping the last kid off, last student off at approximately 4:45. Last year at this time
014it was approximately 4:41. Then in November um they were dropping off about 4:34 which is about 10 minutes if you will right and then at Wheatfield um approximate time is um 3:40 3:39 I'm getting technical with that the buses are departing the buildings uh they're dropping the last student off approximately 4:30 30. And last year it was about that same time they were dropping off. And then um in November after the bridge was back it was approximately 427. So we're within about three or four minutes that we feel but they don't have the volume of kids. So that that makes a a big difference. Um we have talked about right now it's it seems to be working. We've also had some students that have moved in, families have moved in, and they're kind of at
015a locations where we've never had pickups before. So, our drivers are kind of driving a different route with that. Um the concern is when January gets here and maybe a little bit in December that we might have some issues uh with with late buses getting to our elementary schools. Um sometimes around week three or four. Uh of course we have we'll have county or state road 10 to deal with this week. Sometimes things iron out a little bit more. Uh but I do believe that it's an adjustment that we need to look at making uh for the middle school and high school only at the a dismissal time. We might have to go to last year's dismissal time, but I I think we need to give it a little bit more time and maybe make
016that adjustment if needed, possibly at Christmas break before the bad weather gets here. So the principles are prepared for that. any thoughts or comments? >> We're still looking at hiring. We still are hiring bus driver positions or >> um Rhonda and I had talked if we get a couple of subd drivers, we might uh she's going to look at our numbers and our routes and possibly add a route to help shorten some of the the time. So if we do that, that might have a a huge impact on this with with some of the students that we have further out. We have some buses that are, you know, pulling out at at 3:41, 3:42 and they're they're done at at 20 after or a quarter after because they have a large volume of kids in
017just one or two locations. Then you get some of those buses that drop off here and you're driving two miles, dropping a kid off, driving another three miles, dropping a a family off, and then they have to backtrack. Uh like one drop off is is on the u is on the highway. Obviously, we only drop off on door side, so they have to go out, make a square, and come back. uh the student probably lives closer to the school, but they have to go for because of the state law and obviously safety reasons for that child. >> So, is there any interviewers or potentials for new bus drivers? >> Yes, there's a couple that are in training. >> Okay. >> Um and then we have one driver that is off that is uh supposed to
018be released to come back to work. >> Okay. for she had personal the individual had personal medical reasons for that. Those are all the items that we had for our work session. So we could uh we can move into the uh executive session that we've called for dealing with school safety if you're good with that. >> Yeah.