001[Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Hey. Hey. Hey. [Music] Hey, [Music] hey, hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. [Music] Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] Heat. Heat. [Music] Okay. >> Welcome everybody to Craig's August 21st Board of Education meeting. Please call the role. >> Dr. Fischer >> here. >> Mrs. Hunt >> here. >> Dr. Mr. Morrison >> here. >> Mrs. Reggano >> here. >> And Mr. Taylor, >> I'm here. >> Please stand for the pledge. >> I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands.
002One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I need a motion, a second to approve the agendas presented. >> So moved. >> Second. Please call the vote. >> Mr. Morrison, >> yes. >> Dr. Fischer, >> yes. >> Mrs. Rano, >> yes. >> Mrs. Hunt, >> yes. >> And Mr. Taylor, >> yes. >> And we're to presentations. >> Yes, evening. We have four presentations. And we're going to start off with Mr. Darren Schwederman as we recognize those individuals who contributed much to our district and we want to recognize for retirement recognition. Thank you very much Mr. Lton. Board members, good to see you this evening. It's always a bittersweet moment when we have the opportunity to recognize those who have served our students and our schools so well and so fa faithfully over
003their years of service. Tonight we have two recognitions. Um we're going to do them in alphabetical order. Uh and uh we'll get started. Um first I'm going to take a moment and I will read a resolution and the resolution is adopted uh when the board accepts the resignation for the purpose of retirement from any of our staff members. Tonight we're going to recognize Mr. Chuck Zers. Chuck is our um systems network administrator uh for the school district. Uh and then we're also recognizing Miss Teresa Lewis, licensed school nurse at Beaver Creek High School. And I'll start with the reading of the resolution and then we're going to invite them and their supervisors up for a few minutes. At the meeting held by the board of education, the following resolution has been adopted. Whereas the Beaver
004Creek Board of Education has received their retirement notification of Mr. Chuck Zer and Mrs. Teresa Lewis. And whereas the board wishes to publicly recognize and commend these two individuals for their outstanding contribution during their combined 34 years of dedicated service to Beaver Creek City Schools. And whereas through their efforts, the quality of support rendered to this district's students, staff, and administration in the performance of the school's mission has been greatly enhanced. And whereas Mr. Zer and Miss Lewis leave outstanding professional and personal records will which will serve as exemplary models for all of us to follow. And whereas their presence, influence, and contribution have helped make our schools a better place. Therefore, be it resolved that the Beaver Creek Board of Education does hereby accept regret the retirement recognition or retirement resignation of Theresa Lewis
005and Chuck Silver and does publicly express to them their gratitude, sincere appreciation for their outstanding career in our schools and we wish them both health, happiness in a long, active and content retirement. At this time, I would like to invite Laura Bailey, principal at Peter High School, and Teresa Lewis to come forward. Okay. So, this evening I'm honored to celebrate Beaver Creek High School's licensed school nurse, Mrs. Theresa Lewis after 18 years of service to Beaver Creek City School students and staff survived 18 years in a school clinic walk in the park and is not for the faint of heart. Teresa, I'm sure you've lost count of the number of math tests and history you've treated over the years. The number of band-aids, ice packs, and cough blocks. The endless bottles of medicine, cups of
006drink, and phone calls home about baby things you like to completely. And I guess that you won't miss the number of times you had to say, "Where's your go out? I see teachers nurse that has been at Creek High School. I appreciate your kind words as I've transitioned into a new role and the staff and students of DHS are going to miss you. So, not only do you have that, but the students that you work with the most really wanted you to know how much they love you and how much you appreciate how much they appreciate everything you've done for them. So soon as you soon step into retirement, we know you'll be taking care of everyone around you still. But on behalf of BHS, thank you for your time, dedication, and the love you've
007shared with all of us. Congratulations. And looking around this room, I'm looking at the board of education. I have taken care of many of your children throughout the years, too. So, um it's it's a big family affair, basically. Um I'm been privileged to get to know the kids and the parents. And um I've been a nurse for over 45 years and I wish I had gone into school nursing earlier than I did. Um it's only been 18 years plus several years of subbing. Once you squish them all together made me another year of service. Um I worked at hospitals for a long time and when I had my children I decided I was going to stay home with them. I worked part time at the hospital and when my kids got to the schools I
008thought I need to do something. I want to help out. And so I volunteered in the clinic at Maine Elementary and Donna Hammerer, love trip, that woman, she encouraged me to sub. So while the kids were in school, I remember back in the day in kindergarten was half a day and I had to wait until my youngest got into first grade so I would be available to sub. And so at the age of like 45, I started subbing. And I told you I came into this late. Um, I subbed for several years. And after several years at in uh 2007, I was hired for the one job I did not want, which was the school nurse at the high school. Um because I wanted the littles. Everybody wants the littles. And I wasn't really thrilled
009about the high school, but that's where I belonged. God has a sense of humor. That's where I belonged. He was right about this. So, um, I worked as a classified nurse for several years and went back to college. At the age of 58, I went back to grad school and, um, got my school nurse certificate from Ashlin University with a 4.0 average. And I brag about that because there's a purpose for me telling you that. Got my school nurse lensure and at the age of 63, I was hired as the licensed school nurse at the high school. And I've been doing it now. I'm 70. It's time. Um, I want to retire while I'm still healthy enough to enjoy it. But I tell you all these things, how old I was because my message is
010it's never too late and you're never too old. I was not too old to go back to school. And that's why I was so proud of that 4.0 because I'm competing with people who are half my age and I'm getting the straight A's. So, I was proud of that because it can be done. You're never too old to go back and do what it is you really want. really want to do and you're never too old and it's never too late to make a difference in the lives of others. So, thank you Bever Creek Schools for having me for the last almost 19 years. Um, I'm glad I've been able to make a difference and I'm just looking forward to the next part of my life. But I am so going to miss my kids
011and my co-workers. I have wonderful staff working with me and I'm going to so miss them. and uh going to figure out the next part of my life. So, thank you very much. >> If I may just add something, um yes, you do a lot of band-aids and a lot of mitts and things like that for kids who just need a break from the room, but you take care of kids that are most vulnerable and the parents that have those kids, that's not lost on them. So, And now kind of a behind the scenes job. Um we're going to take some time to recognize Mr. Chuck Soler and uh invite him and Mr. Schuman, please. Chucky Chucky Chuck 17 years ago we started doing this thing together. You were the very first person I hired
012and uh it was the right choice. I've never regretted to a day. Um Chuck is one of those people that nobody knows but everybody needs kind of like the Fantastic Four, like Mr. Fantastic himself. Flexible and intelligent. I don't know if there was a single day I didn't walk in his office three different times with three different major things to do and he just handled them and if he didn't know what to do he might grumble at first you know we all have that but he always got it done works hard work worked hard you're still working the pill back I know you're still like the thing rock solid 7:30 in the morning you knew who was going to be in his seat every day it was Chuck 4:30 you knew who was going to
013be out the door it was Chuck rock solid. You couldn't ask for more. Oh, Johnny Flame. My gosh, the Heath. If you ever have a vendor problem and you want somebody to get to know them intimately and to get them to do what they need, it's this guy. He picks up the phone. Never mind. Let me talk to your manager. That's like the first sentence. And hot wings. I found it early on that this guy likes hot sauce. I like hot sauce. We go to Roosters. No, not Roosters at the time. Bdubs and he'd say, "Hey, I need the lunch special. Mango habanero, side salad, and three blue cheese, please." And uh unsweet tea. Don't bring him sweet tea. I'm sweating from mango habanero. And he's like, "Yeah, yeah, this is hot." And now he's
014kind of invisible. So, you know, he's got all the fantastic going on there. You uh you've seen me at my best and at my worst, and you've always handled it great. So, I appreciate that. Uh, one thing a lot of people don't know about Chuck is he also is full of trivia. Guy knows everything. If you are somewhere and there's a trivia contest, you want him on your team, right? And I've learned a lot from him. I also learned some not so fun things like, you know, you can ask him later, but he'll know what I'm talking about. When you go on vacation, if there's an ATV, be very careful. And sometimes there are great reasons to cry over spilled milk. You'll know exactly what I mean there. Oh, Chuck, there's no replacing this. We
015will get the job done. We'll figure out what to do, but you take part and be with you. What you've done for all of us and staff and supporting our students, we all do. We really appreciate that. So, thank you, John. Thank you, Mike, and thank you, board members. Uh, back in 2007, my wife retired after 30 years as a special needs teacher. And every year since then, I hear, "Boy, sure going to I wish you were retired. It's sure going to be nice when you're retired." Well, and we'll see how she feels in a couple weeks. But, uh, yeah, Beaver Creek's been great to me. Uh, back in 2008, I interviewed with Mike and moved here, uh, from Springfield, uh, with my wife and we were empty nesters, bought our forever home. Um, and
016everybody else metriculated here to Beaver Creek. My, my daughter and my two wonderful grandsons, we were both go to Parkwood. my uh uh son Neil who uh works for a Beaver Creek company. So, we're all centered in Beaver Creek. Um and it's it's just been wonderful. It's a wonderful place to live. Um as far as the people I work with, couldn't ask for a better group. The central office staff is wonderful and everybody in the district is is just great to great to work with. Uh it's been a a wonderful experience. It's been a learning experience. Uh we made a lot of major changes over the years, but uh I feel like I'm living leaving everything in in very good hands. So uh I appreciate everything and and thank you very much. >> That's hot
017sauce and blue cheese. He doesn't need flowers. >> All right. Congratulations to both of you. You both will be very much missed. Our next presentation uh tonight we're excited to welcome a special guest who has traveled to Beaver Creek all the way from Atlanta, Georgia. Barbone is the strategic director at Seven Mindsets, a national organization that partners with school districts across the country to support student and staff well-being, culture, and leadership development. Seven Mindsets. It's built on a powerful belief that when we change our mindsets, we can change our lives. Barb works handinand with school and district leaders nationwide and has seen firsthand the incredible impact of transformational leadership. She came here tonight because what we are celebrating tonight is truly that important. Please join me in welcoming Barbone as she presents a very special
018award to one of our very own. Come on up, Barb. [Applause] Hi everybody. Can you hear me? Okay. Here. I got to lower it quite a bit probably. Is that good? >> Thank you for having me here. Um I It's hard to follow my my eyes are watering those two retirements. It's It's truly special to see the type of community that you all uh encourage and inspire. It makes me want to come work here myself. So uh really congratulations to the retirees. But um I jumped on a plane for a reason and it wasn't, you know, the easiest to get here just because of it's a busy time of the year for all of us. But it it's really important for me to be here in person because um what we are recognizing tonight is
019something that um really we'll be seeing the impact will be seen decades and years and and generations to come. So, um, a little bit just going to take a little bit of time, um, to share with you why I'm here and a little bit about the special award that I'm presenting tonight. Um, seven mindsets. I've been there for about a decade now, almost a decade. And, um, I always say I have the best job in the world. It's like mission work because everything that we do is about helping schools and school district schools and school districts create a culture and climate where you know teachers want to go to work and feel inspired and students feel like they have a safe place and uh you know it's a family and I see that you guys
020even though you're not using seven mindsets you're doing that already. You're doing that important work to make uh students and staff feel special. Um, one of the things I noticed as I'm traveling to districts across the nation, I used to I used to work in like 40 different states. We're we're national and international, but now I only have four and I've picked Ohio is one of my favorites even though I live in Georgia. Um, I have four states and and one of the things I notice is that at the um leadership level, especially district leadership, school building leadership, you know, oftentimes you're on your own. You're trying to really please all different parties. You're trying to keep the school board happy and the parents happy and the teachers happy and the students happy. It's a
021lot and there's not always a lot of people that you can complain to because you got to stay strong and tough for them. And so I wanted to create this award to recognize those transformational re leaders who are really um standing out in the community. I thought what a better way to to give back. One of our mindsets is live to give than to recognize these leaders. So I put out a contest to the entire state. Every single school district in the state had the opportunity to nominate their transform transformational leader and um we saw so many nominations um from all over the place but you know a few just rose to the top and I'm happy to share that your very own assistant superintendent Dr. Bobby Fury um was one of the shining stars.
022she's receiving runner up to this really special award because of her vision, her um grounded leadership, her relentlessness to do what's right for kids and for and for staff. So, I'm going to kind of go real quickly. If I if I were to share everything that was was talked about in her nominations, you would have been uh here probably for three hours. I know y'all need to get home. So, I'm going to go very briefly um and I'm going to go through each of the mindsets and just do one little quick thing that she does to to really live uh the mindset. Everything is possible. It's our first mindset. It's all about um you know what Dr. Fior Fiori does is she takes and I got to do some cheat notes because there's so much.
023Um but she takes every challenge with vision and hope. Um, when the staff recognized the need for some sensory spaces for the students and emotional supports for the kids, she didn't just approve them and find the money to to to fund it. She actually helped buy supplies, purchase supplies, get um, you know, the plan, organize, and bring the vision to life. Um, her leadership has elevated the MTSS to an entirely new level in the district. Um, second mindset, passion first. Um she's a lifetime learner. You can you can tell her passion in the job she does from um she never stops reading. She never stops exploring. She never stops discovering new ways to support students and staff and making everyone feel comfortable and welcome. Um from slumber slumber um to you know different tools and
024books. um her passion shows up every day in her job um because she loves the work and she believes in the power to change. We are connected. I don't think I've ever felt more of a connection than what you guys are showing here tonight. Um really, really special. Not all school districts have this, I can tell you. Um and one of the things that that she does is that she helps people to see feel valued and be seen. Um it's rare to have a citizen superintendent who's accessible and you know is always there to lead with deep deep human connections. Relationships are very important to her. Um so people don't just report to her, they grow with her. Um attitude of gratitude. Um the first thing she did, one of the first things for her
025administrators was to give each of them a gratitude journal. And um you know she knows that when you show up and your attitude, your reflections are going to impact the work that you do. And so um her her leadership begins and ends with appreciation and gratitude. 100% accountable. Uh she sets high standards for herself and others. And one of her sayings when something doesn't go right, it's something like this. We'll own it. We'll learn from it. And we'll be better because of it. So it's okay to make mistakes. because you've got to sometimes try things and fail, but you're going to grow as a result of it. That's accountability. Uh, two more. We're almost there. But live to give. Um, this is the reason I'm here to to to try to recognize those those leaders
026that are doing amazing thing. She is generous with not only her her thoughts and ideas, but with her time and her tools and her knowledge, and she shares them with those around her to make them better. Um, if you worked under her or with her, you've probably received a book or a podcast suggestion or maybe just a moment where she's really listening to you and supporting you. That's Dr. Fiori. And finally, the time is now. You know, acting with intention, acting with urgency. Um, she knows that students don't get a chance, you know, to repeat a grade or wait for them to feel ready to get to that level. Um, it's that it's the the power of yet. Well, I'm not good at this. You're not good yet. So, um, that's why she's not afraid
027to challenge old systems. She's not afraid to step into the unknown and, um, she knows that if it means better for kids, it's all worth it. And so, she models urgency, innovation, and courage. And so, Dr. Fiori for your leadership um and for your guidance and for the person you are in transforming Beaver Creek City Schools. I'm honored to present you with the seven mindsets transformational superintendent of [Applause] Barb, thank you very much. Everything you just said about Bobby is spot on. I It's not just one book, it's many books that she has given all of us. So, no, we are we are better because of her. So, we appreciate that. >> Congratulations, Bobby. >> All right. Our next presentation this evening, uh, we have had a a number of, um, communications, I believe, with
028the board and with the administration, uh, regarding release for religious instruction. So, I've asked Mr. Ren uh, to really give an update kind of where the district stance is with our board policy and kind of what that looks like. So, at this point, I'll have Mr. Ren. Uh, this is his first presentation as our director of student services. So, we're very excited to have Dale in this position. Uh, good evening. I'm Dale Ren, director of student services. I have to get used to saying that, not principal at Bever Creek High School. But, um, I just want to take a few moments to explain what Mr. Pot just alluded to. Um, our policy with regards to release time for religious instruction. Um before I go forward, I'll go backwards. We have had a policy since May
029of 2015. Um but some point last year, I think in the spring, there was an update um through Ohio Revised Code. Um the kind of the key update was a sentence that said districts will collaborate with uh designated entities um to identify that release time and allow uh those families if they wish to participate in these programs. So um that was kind of the key point. That's what my office um is responsible for to make sure that collaboration occurs and facilitate that. Um to kind of get into our board policy um we have defined um core curriculum time is not times that we would release students. It has to be ungraded time. So if you look at all levels of our buildings that really leaves lunch, recess, study hall at the secondary level and possibly
030like library time. Um I know we have a skills lab class. I'm not sure if that's graded, but you know, if you put it in the bin of ungraded, those are times that could be designated uh for students to be released for that. Um I think it's to maybe understand it best, think of it as a parent coming to the school to pick up their child to go to an appointment. Um we have developed a form that all three parties in this would sign. Uh the parent would sign the form. Uh the sponsoring group would sign the form and lastly that would get to the building principal would also sign the form. And at that point the student could be released just like they would for any other release to the guardian. Um at that
031point as a district we are not responsible for the transportation or liable for the student and then they can go receive their instruction and then return to the building. Just as like I said if you use the analogy of a a parent taking their uh child to an appointment be similar to that. Um I have we have no students participating at this point but I was contacted by Lifewise uh I believe the last week of July or the first week of August. So I have met with their representative and shared information so they can uh work through the logistics that they would need to if they have uh families that would choose to do that. So um this is something I can revisit in May and share with the board the number of students that
032uh have participated. >> Thank you. Thank you, D. >> All right. In our final presentation this evening, we're going to have Dr. Fiori come up and she's going to share about federal and state funding. Each year we're required to present um how the use of some of the funds we receive from the federal government um IDEAV funds for students with special that receive special education and for our student success and wellness funds um in our disadvantaged impact um pupil services funds. So this I just wanted to take a minute to explain how we use those funds. Um our the first one is our student success of wellness and disadvantaged people impact funds. These funds are for initiatives to support the wraparound services to really meet the needs of our students in Ohio. Um they prioritize
033um physical and mental health and um there they look for strategic community partnerships. So, what we receive is we receive about 308,000 um and we use that to fund our social workers salaries and benefits and some of our community partnerships with Green County Educational Service Center to get school-based mental health services. Um, our social workers work with students um in small groups working on skill building u maybe uh regulating emotions or making friends or um following directions whatever the need may be. Um these services are with parent permission. Um we contact parents if we're going to work with our students outside of just I'm having a really bad day and I want someone to talk to. Um any types of these services are with parent permission. um our disadvantaged pupil impact funds those are 60,000
034around 60,335 and that is McKenna Vento liaison that is for students who experience homelessness so a portion of this person's salary is paid for with these funds and they help they assist with setting up transportation um free lunch um any coordinating any supplies or materials and helping connect them with community resources to get housing or whatever they may need. So that's how we use those funds. The use of IDEAB funds, um, IDAB funds are provided by the federal government. Um, and it's for the education of children with disabilities and that is ages 3 to 21. Our total allocation is approximately $2 million. And what we use that money on, the majority of it is salary and benefits because to provide services for students with disabilities, you have to have people um you have to have
035intervention specialists, special needs assistants, um speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, uh vision therapists, hearing therapists, it goes on and on based on what the needs of the child are. It's an individualized education plan. So you can see we spend 1.98ish million on intervent um and that covers nine intervention specialist, one speech and language pathologist and you can see two special ed supervisors, a school psychologist and so on. So the majority of it goes to staffing that doesn't cover um near the staff we need to support around 1,400 students with disabilities but the funding we do receive from the um federal government is used for that. um online purchase services is a smaller portion that's about 61 thou 61,000 and that is for intervention programs and behavior support services and online subscriptions um
036those things are more like if we have supplemental programs for kids like we have a supplemental reading fluency program only for students who have that goal on their IEP that money comes out of this it's an online service because we pay per child for the subscription same fors it's the language arts and math supplemental remediation program. Um the behavior support services are for children with challenging behavior. We contract with a board certified behavior analyst. Um and their role is to go in if our normal building supports cannot help um change that behavior. We call in somebody to do observations and help us write a behavior plan so we can get the child um demonstrating the behavior to be successful in school. Um some supplies money is there. Um braille books. We have students that are
037um blind and they require books um translated into braille created in braille. Um we also have kids with hearing impairments that require amplification and FM systems. And then our speech and language pathologists require materials to support our students and assessments. A portion of our money also goes to non-publix. uh our nonpubliclix located in Beaver Creek that can that opt into services um through IDAB. We're like a pass through for them. We're the local educational um association that provides them like kind of administers their money. So we make sure they spend it right. It's allocated for the right things and it's used according to the guidelines um set forth by the state. And um this year right now we believe it's early in the year that it's all going to be used in supplies. Um, however,
038you if there's a budget revision, if they decide to use it for something else, we would help them make changes. But right now, that's where we anticipate it being spent. Okay. And that's it. Those >> any questions for the board? One quick one that's minor, but um for the administration we do of the non-public schools, um, obviously that has an administrative cost associated with that. Do we get any reimbursement for that work that we do or is that just an extra burden to public schools? >> Just an extra burden on public schools. >> Thanks. >> And that concludes presentations for this evening. >> Okay. Questions and comments from the public. We have seven speakers tonight. Thank you for coming in. So, I'm just going to say this to the whole group. Senator K each time.
039You will have three minutes in which to speak. You need to tell us your name and address should your comments require a comment from any of us. Um, somebody will get back to you because there will be no interaction from the board tonight. And with that, first speaker is Andrea Bower. Andrea 2564 Glen Place in the town Beaver Creek Township and I'd like to thank Mr. Arton and the board for allowing me to speak. I'm here once again to speak about the vouchers heard Ohio lawsuit and I see that it is on the agenda and I would like to mention that on June the 24th the vouchers heard Ohio won in court. The ED voucher program was deemed illegal. Battle number one. It will be definitely appealed. That's why I'm urging the board to support
040the vouchers hurt Ohio lawsuit. I'd like you to join Centerville and Fairborn and Zena and Yellow Springs and over 300 other districts including comparative districts like Westerville, Warthingington, Upper Arlington, and Lakota. They have all joined. Why should you join? Because article 4 section two says no religious or other sect or sex shall receive any exclusive right to or control of any part of school funds for of this state. It's illegal. Why? The state is required by law to adequately fund private school public schools. It's in the constitution. Since 1997, our funding has been ruled illegal. Still is. Vouchers primarily go to families that whose students are already enrolled in private schools. 90% of the participants in vouchers are not lowincome people. Private schools unlike public schools select their students. How do they select them? Well,
041they look at race. They look at gender. They look at political views. They look at religion. They might look at athleticism, academics. We live in a very divided society. Encouraging through state money participation in private schools widens the division because it creates segregation. Public schools, as we all well know, bring our communities together. You know, I was sitting by a lady who said, you know, she went to Beaver Creek and now she's back here and her kids went to Beaver Creek. And that's because we build a sense of community and that's important. It's we allow that our students to learn and grow together. It's good for our democracy. I wanted to talk about the taxation but oh well. >> Thank you. >> Claire Chinsky [Music] say Shinsky. I live at 3121 Patsy Drive. Uh thank
042you to the board, Miss Rot and Miss Kitsm Miller for the opportunity to speak tonight. Congratulations to our retirees and also Dr. Fiori for her recognition. Um I'm here today to talk about the board policy 30 or 5223 the release time for religion religious instruction. Uh where here on I'll refer to as RTRI um which was most recently updated in May of this year. Thank you to Mr. Ren for the going over the outline of that earlier. Uh my first request is regarding background checks. Any volunteers in our school district that are around students while unsupervised by staff members are required to undergo BCI and FBI background checks. Ohio law allows school districts to also make that same requirement of a provider of RTRI. Adopting this policy would be a proactive approach to student safety
043and one that I am asking the board to consider adopting. I am also concerned about the potential impact on missed class time and intervention minutes. Um, how will the district handle habitual tardiness for programs that result in excessive unexcused student absences? If intervention minutes are taking place during lunch or recess, does the district have an official policy or plan on how to conflict any or how to is handle any potential conflict with an RTRI program? Uh, because those minutes are mandated by law. There are rules for parents and guardians when pulling their children out during the day and what constitutes an excused or unexcused absence. um which can result in in repercussions if you don't follow those guidelines. I am respectfully requesting that the district consider updating the policy to include a mechanism to um
044to handle excessive uninforced absences or tardiness it resulted from returning from these types of programs. Um and that would hold any program accountable up to impacting their ability to offer classes in the district. I know the district administrators and staff have the best interests of our students at heart. And I'm asking the district to ensure that there are guardrails in place to prioritize education and student safety and ensure that our TRRI programs aren't attempting to take advantage of the law, our public school resources, or our tax dollars. I respectfully request a response on these concerns from the board. I appreciate your time. Thank you, Nicole Craw. Good evening, members of the board. Uh my name is Nicole Roten Craw. I live at 2887 Stone Court. Um I'm here tonight as both a parent uh my
045two children at 10 Valley Elementary and a taxpayer. We moved into our house when my son was 4 weeks old because we wanted him to grow up in Beaver Creek where my husband did. He is a 99 Beaver Creek High School grad. Um I did not grow up here, but over the last 10 years, Beaver Creek has become my home. I'm the daughter of two public high school principles with a combined 50 plus years in the public education system in one of the largest districts in te Texas, a district that would never allow a program like Lifewise Academy in its public schools. Because while Texas has its flaws, it has long respected the separation of church and state. I want to speak about Lifewise Academy from the perspective of parental rights. This evening, families already
046have full freedom to raise their children in their faith traditions, in their homes, churches, and chosen communities. Religious instruction is a deeply personal choice, one that belongs with parents, not facilitated inside public schools. When the district opens the door to Bible-based programming, it crosses a line. Even if participate participation is voluntary, the school is still giving a platform and legitimacy to a particular religion that creates pressure on children and on families to either conform or be singled out. No parent should have to explain why their child isn't joining a school sponsored religious activity. My husband and I are not raising our children in the church. And even without Lifewise, my kids have already been questioned by their peers. Where do you go to church? Do you believe in God? We send our children to Beaver
047Creek City Schools for academics, critical thinking, and preparation for their future, not religious formation. Your responsibility as a board is to ensure the district remains neutral, inclusive, and focused on education. I urge you to protect that trust by keeping religious instruction where it belongs, in famil family's hands, not in Beaver Creek City Schools. And as an add-on also, I'm with U. Miss Bower joined the voucher lawsuit. Thank you. Thank you, >> Anna Baltus. My name is Anna Baltis. I live at 3370 Suburban Drive in Beaver Creek. Uh my pronouns are she, her. Thank you for allowing me this time to speak tonight. Um, I'm also here to talk about board policy 5223, release time for religious instruction. The 1952 Supreme Court decision in Zorach versus Clawson allowed for students to be released during the school
048day for religious instruction as long as certain conditions are met. One of the many reasons we love Beaver Creek schools is the excellent education and opportunities they provide for students like my child who's in fourth grade. When I was in fourth grade, I attended a religious release time program. I was too young at the time to understand that it was not a school sponsored class. My parents made the decision to sign me up. My entire class went and our school teacher enforced participation and policed our off-site behavior. All of this naturally blurred the lines for me as a nine-year-old and created a lot of pressure and anxiety for me. That raises the question, what happens if a Beaver Creek student who is signed up for release time by their parents tells their teacher, "I don't
049want to go today." Just as a student may be excused but not compelled to pray during the school day, our policy must make clear that no student can be forced to attend a release time class against their will, even if a parent has signed them up. To do so would violate the students First Amendment rights. My fourth grade teacher created a system to reward or punish her entire class based on the behavior report she received from the religious teacher each week. If our class got all good reports for the grading period, we would be rewarded with a pizza party. But if we received just one bad report in all those weeks, the party was off the table. The problem with my teacher system was that it was actually unconstitutional. The Supreme Court in Zorach explicitly
050stated, "There shall be no comment by any principal or teacher on attendance or non-attendance of any pupil upon religious instruction, just as our policy states that school personnel cannot promote or discourage attendance or be involved with the proision provision of the release time program. I respectfully ask the board to amend policy 5223 to make clear that no student will be forced by the school to attend religious release time. programs may not send behavior reports to public school personnel and that public school teachers may not reward or punish students based on such reports. Finally, I urge the board to add clear enforcement mechanisms to the policy. Without defined consequences for violations, the policy cannot truly uphold the constitutional boundary that Zoratch requires. I respectfully request a response to these matters from the board. Thank you. Christine
051Kemp. Hi, my name is Kristen Kemp. I live at 1580 Diplomat Drive. Um, I'm a parent to both a recent BHS graduate and a current Beaver Creek student. Um, I'm also a former public educator of 18 years. I'm here tonight to talk about school vouchers in Ohio. As a teacher in a high needs underfunded school district, I saw firsthand the impact so-called school choice vouchers has on public education systems. While prom Whoops. While promising to make private schools accessible to Ohio students and families seeking educational choice, access is only an illusion for poor and middle-class families. School vouchers do not fully cover the cost of private school tuition. Only families wealthy enough to afford to supplement the voucher to cover tuition, uniforms, and other costs associated with private education are able to use them. Meanwhile,
052each voucher defunds public school districts little by little, leaving students and educators with fewer resources and offerings for students. This effectively redlines or segregates Ohio school districts. Those who are already wealthy enough to attend private schools are taking money from public school students with less privilege via school vouchers, leaving those who cannot supplement the vouchers with fewer resources, teachers, and ultimately opportunities. I chose to become a public educator and send my own children to public schools because I believe in the public school systems as our country's greatest and earliest equalizers. Public schools are already sorely underfunded, tasked with teaching and providing specialized services to every child who shows up. Private schools enjoy the privileges of choosing who they accept and how their success is measured and reported. I ask that the leadership of our city
053school district stands up for all Ohio students to keep public money in our public school systems. Thank you for your time and attention tonight. >> Thank you. Hope I'm not mispronounced your first. Is it Kevi Grande? >> Is it Kei? Um, >> Kibby, I'm sorry. >> Thank you. >> Take your time. Hi. Uh, my name is Kivy Grandandy. Uh, pronouns they them. I live at 2437 North Null Drive in Beaver Creek. Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak on the uh RTRI tonight. Um I am also a parent and a taxpayer. My husband is a 2013 Beaver Creek High School grad and we moved back here for the excellency of the schools. Beaver Creek has many students of diverse backgrounds thanks to Wright Pat and Wright State. Although the main religious affiliation in
054our area includes direct sex of Christianity, we do have students who practice Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam to name a few. From their website, Lifewise aligns themselves with quote historic orthodox Christian beliefs and they follow a biblical literalist dogma. The children of families who follow different religions may not allow their children to attend instruction with their classmates who do have parental permission. This may lead to feelings of exclusion, especially if those who attend come back with treats, literature, and invitations to pizza parties. As one parent who I spoke to in the Kahana School District relayed, their parent their child felt left out and scorned. According to this parent, I have and ha I have I have and have been a school-aged child and feeling left out can be detrimental to their me mental health forming strong
055bonds and exclude it as a child is important and exclusion can lead to depression, self-doubt and even possibly poor academic performance. Um, another example of alienation I'd like to touch on is the attitude towards LGBTQ community, single parent families, and same-sex marriage families. In their discussion of hard topics in the FAQ section of their website, Lifewise describes these people as sinners. The impact of hearing that could be detrimental to students. According to the Trevor Project, 43% of Ohio LGBTQ youth have considered suicide. 12% have attempted. Risk factors included mistreatment, stigma, and discrimination. As Dr. Fiori spoke about, supporting students with disability is a priority for BCS. And at this juncture, I don't know what accommodations would be provided uh for any students with physical, mental, or learning disabilities. And as a disabled person as myself,
056I hope these students would not feel excluded either. BCS has a mission statement in their handbook that states, "Together, we provide a safe, supportive learning environment to engage all students with innovative experiences to reach their greatest potential. Um, public schools should honor secular and only secular education during the school day so that all students feel welcome, represented, and respected. It is not a part of BCS mission for our children. Thank you. and Rachel Pile. Hello, my name is Rachel Pile. I live at 211 Stratford Lane and I'm the program director for Lifewise Academy Beaver Creek. Thank you all for allowing me to speak today. I recognize many of you as my family has lived, worked, and served in the Beaver Creek community for over 90 years. As a third generation of Beaver Creek graduates from
057my family, I owe many opportunities I've been provided to Beaver Creek City Schools. I'm excited for my family's future as my own children now represent the fourth generation to enter Beaver Creek City Schools. Needless to say, I'm a passionate advocate for our schools and I'm grateful for the opportunity to speak with you about how our students lives can be enriched even further. Our schools already set a high standard with outstanding academics, dedicated teachers, and a commitment to holistic student development. But imagine adding a layer of moral and character education that complements this foundation without interfering with the school day. This is where Lifewise Academy comes in. For those unfamiliar, Lifewise Academy is a nonprofit program that offers Bible- based character education to public school students during school hours. It's off-campus and at no cost to
058the district. It's fully voluntary, parent approved and operates under release time policies that have been upheld by the Supreme Court since 1952. This program is also supported by Ohio Revised Code, which has been effective since 2014, and our own schoolboard policy, which has existed since 2015. Lifewise allows kids to step away for a short weekly class once a week, maximum of 1 hour during lunchtime or non-graded course as as was discussed to learn timeless values like kindness, integrity, resilience through engaging stories and activities. Now, why is this beneficial for our schools? Studies and real world data show that um studies and real world data show remarkable impacts. Schools partnering with Lifewise see increased attendance rates by nearly 7% as students get excited about this positive break in their routine. Suspensions drop significantly up to 20
059fewer inschool incidents per school which leads to fewer disruptions in a calmer learning environment. Bullying decreases, classroom behavior improves, and even academic performance gets a boost. All while all while freeing up school resources since Lifewise handles the transportation, volunteers, and facilities for their classes. For Beaver Creek City Schools, this means our already high achieving students can thrive even more with better mental health support and character building that aligns with our community's values. The benefits extend to our entire community as well. Lifewise fosters stronger family and neighborhood ties by involving local volunteers, parents, grandparents who mentor our youth. It builds a sense of unity and purpose, equipping kids with tools to navigate life's challenges, reducing community issues like youth delinquency, and promoting empathy and service. In a world full of distractions, this program grounds our children
060in principles that last a lifetime, all while respecting diverse beliefs. Since participation is optional, I've seen firsthand how Beaver Creek Schools shape bright futures, and Lifewise Academy is the perfect partner to elevate that mission. We can embrace this initiative to invest in our kids' hearts as much as their minds. Um, and I would also be glad to discuss anyone's concerns. Um, if there's any parents that are worried about life-wise, I'm glad to speak with them. Um, I have a lot of different resources that I've provided people. So, >> Okay. I'm going to need a motion, a second to approve the July 15th board of education meeting. So, moved. >> Second. >> Any discussion? Mville, >> Dr. Fischer, >> yes. >> Mrs. Romano, >> yes. >> Mrs. Nut, >> yes. >> Mr. Taylor, >> yes. >>
061And Mr. Morris, >> yes. >> Items for board discussion. >> Yes. Evening. We have four items for board discussion. Uh, first one uh we put on here is the uh vouchers heard Ohio lawsuit. Uh we've we've been looking at this for um uh probably the last few months and I know the board um was planning for tonight to to look at that. So at this point I'll turn it over uh to the board. >> We don't even have here. Okay. Sorry. >> And I don't know if the board would like to talk about this now. I know later in the agenda we've got a vote on this as well. So I'll leave that to the board. >> We'll go for it now. Okay. So, we have been discussing this topic since um May and we've
062had um the Ohio's Hurt Voucher Coalition Committee speak to us last month. So, I would like input from each board member. We've had a whole month to think about what was presented to us last month. Questions we had asked, questions and answers were posted on the district website for everybody to see in case we weren't at the meeting. So I would like to open this up to our board for discussion. Mr. Taylor, I'm going to start with you. >> Thank you very much. >> Okay. >> I always wanted to start. >> See, there you go. >> Get a chance. >> It's your lucky day. >> I am very good. >> So, okay. Well, you know, here we are with this. And um both sides seem to have a strong argument. I do tend to lean
063one one way more than another right now, but it is one of those things that um in fact does it take money away from public schools? Yes. In a global sense, it sure does. Um you know, it has impacts on us mostly um on a kind of a secondary sense in my book, but um it's it's a tough one really. So, I don't have too much much to offer you on that right at this point. >> Okay. Okay. Um, I can tell you that this topic has probably caused more sleepless nights for me than almost anything you've discussed as board members. Um, there's three things that uh board members are tasked to do that are our responsibility in writing. The first thing is we hire and fire the superintendent. The second thing that we're charged
064with is to hire and fire the treasurer. Those are the only two employees, all right, that the board has. The third thing is to set board policy. Those are our three written responsibilities. But there are also some what I call unwritten expectations. Um the first would be and we all know this we should not be involved in the day-to-day operations right of a school district. That's why we have a superintendent. The second unwritten expectation is that we need to be as fiscally prudent as possible with taxpayer dollars. And then the third unwritten expectation and we all know this and we all believe this and that's that all kids can learn and we have to do whatever is necessary to make this happen and every decision we make has to be what is best for kids.
065Now the voucher program uh as it exists today does not allow us to do that. does not allow us to do our job. The voucher system started off as a way families of low income could still have school choice for their children. The system today, however, allows for vouch either full vouchers or partial vouchers for everyone. And this is not how it was designed to be. As I just said a moment ago, we all believe that kids can learn. And personally, I believe, and again, I'm not speaking for the board now. I'm speaking for me. Personally, I believe that families should be able to choose schools, all right, for their children based on their religious beliefs, based on pedagogy, or based on curriculum. Okay? But I also believe that if a family has the means,
066they should be responsible for paying for their children's tuition. I do not want freedom of school choice to go away for every family. Now, as you've heard earlier this evening, and I can't remember if it was Andrea that said it or Kristen that said it, and I thank you for your comments, as they as they said this evening, that's it's in the hands of the court system right now. And I do not see nor any of the numerous people that I have talked to see this being resolved soon. And everyone agrees that when it is finally decided, it's going to be challenged or appealed. And as we mentioned already today, there's over 600 school districts in the state of Ohio. Half of the school districts in Ohio have joined the coalition. The other half have
067not. So most people can see both sides. You know, there's no right or wrong answer. There's only opinions on this matter right now. Now, my recommendation, okay? And again, you can take it for what it's worth, but my recommendation is that we table a vote tonight. There's no rush on joining the coalition. I we table the vote for approximately a year to see what decision comes out of the court and to see where the process stands. You know, the bottom line for me is this. I want to make sure that all kids have the same opportunities so they can have better educational outcomes. But at the same time, I want us to be fiscally responsible. And a vote tonight does not guarantee either one of those to happen. So in summary, I want for kids
068from lowincome families to have the opportunity to get vouchers so they can attend the school of their choice. But I also want any family that wants school choice if they have the means to be responsible for paying for it. >> Thank you. >> You go ahead. Um, so I've been pretty vocal about where I stand on this. I'm going to start with uh try and boil down my thoughts on this matter to three main points. Uh, point number one, I believe Beaver Creek residents deserve a tax break on their property taxes. We've just gone through two bond issues where we've been told that we cannot afford to build the high school we need to staff our to to fund and to to be able to teach our elementary school students to be able to move
069our children around the way we need to. And when I have heard from members of the community, it has not been that they don't support the schools. It has been that we are wildly overtaxed here in Beaver Creek. And um as a resident myself, I moved here a little over 15 years ago from Massachusetts, which is not exactly known for being a low tax kind of place, I bought a less expensive house and started paying more money in property taxes. I look at my tax bill right now and I see the city schools are the biggest item on there. And um I'm sure a lot and everybody I think is in that situation. And you'd be excused if uh maybe you didn't dig deeper and maybe you just thought, well, obviously the most expensive thing
070was the school, so it must be the school's fault. And I think a lot of residents feel that way if they don't really dig into it. But I've spent the time digging into it, and I have in my past four years here really looked at our school finances and how our school compares to various other districts. We are exceptional in that we spend over $1,700 less per student than the average district in in Ohio. We are extremely efficient with the money that our taxpayers give us. While doing that, we also outperform over 80% of the other schools in the state of Ohio. We have a phenomenal school district which is making exceptional performance with very little budget. So then the question is, well, why are our property taxes so high? And the answer comes down
071to the fact that the state does not fund public schools in Ohio the same way they do in almost every other state in this country. So I lived in Massachusetts and I went back and I dug up, okay, how much money was the state funding versus local schools funding in Massachusetts? And it was close to 80% state funding. Local funding was very, very small. It was all coming out of state funding. And in Michigan, I grew up in a fairly affluent neighborhood, probably one of the most affluent in in the state, frankly. And um even there, the state was paying 60% of that school district's budget, right? And here, we're told that because we have a lot of property value in our district that we only get 10% of the cost to educate each child
072according to the fair school funding plan. And that's why our property taxes are so high. And so when we talk about a program like this voucher plan that's taking a billion dollars a year out of our state budget and giving it to children uh as Denny said over 90% of whom are above the poverty line and were already enrolled had already made school choice. They don't need the vouchers to be able to be able to empower that school choice. Okay. This program is not only misappropriating state funding that should be going to public schools, but it's not actually serving the the people it was originally intended to serve. What started out as a program to help poor students succeed has turned into welfare for the wealthy. Giving 90% of this money to families over five
073times the poverty line. And what started out as a program to en enable school choice is now mostly supporting families wealthy enough to already have made that choice um and had already been sending their kids to private school but are now able to enjoy an extra family vacation on the backs of our taxpayers. And I don't think that's fair. So um for those reasons um I believe that this is poor tax policy and needs to needs to be ended. The second reason and my second and third are shorter. I promise that's the longest one. My second reason is when we all joined the board, we swore an oath to the Ohio Constitution. And as we heard earlier today, the Ohio Constitution couldn't be more clear that Ohio will have a single system of education. A
074single system, not two systems. The voucher program creates a whole separate system for wealthy parents to be able to fund their kids private education. Okay? So, it's not a single system. and it's giving money away to religious institutions in clear violation of the Ohio Constitution. We all know we have a process for amending the Constitution. We've done it a lot over the last couple of years. If we want to update the law so that it is legal to send money to religious institutions, then we can put that to the voters and have a vote. But we can't just pass a law that's unconstitutional. That's not okay. I believe in law and order, and we need to obey the Constitution in this state. Um, and on that note, I will say one other thing. I understand
075that there are a lot of schools that are supporting this and that we currently aren't. I will tell you that when I was in school and we had group projects, I was not one of the kids who sat around and let everybody else do the work. I was one of the kids who did the work and got the stuff done and stayed up late and turned in my homework even if my groupmates weren't pulling their own weight. And I would call on us to be one of the school districts that does our homework in this group project. Okay? We are the only ones who can stand up and fight for this taxpayer money that's going out the door with the $2 billion that has already been spent over the last two years to fund this
076program. We could have built eight new high schools in this state like the one we needed right here in Beaver Creek with no impact property taxes. Free and clear. We could have just spent that money and built that high school. This year we're on track to have four more high schools, but those are going out the door to this private voucher program. Okay, that's what this means. This is real money. This is a lot of money, and we need to establish a policy in the state of Ohio that actually supports our local taxpayers. That's what I'm after. Um, and finally, the third reason uh that I support voting for this and not delaying a vote on this is because of the lack of transparency and regulation in these third party schools. There is no control.
077There is no ability to audit what happens to this money. Literally, these organizations could be taking our taxpayer money and spending it to lobby Congress people in the state house to give more money to this program. Okay, that's not okay with me. That should not be allowed. We need to have auditability and traceability of public funds no matter where they go, even if it's private organizations. So as a stipulation of this program or any program like it, I believe these these other entities should be subject to the same kinds of financial regulations that we do exceptionally every single day thanks to our fantastic treasurer and her staff. Um and that lack of transparency also applies to curriculum. We are open and clear with the public about what our curriculum is, what we teach, how we
078teach it. We encourage our community to come learn what we do. And these ski these schools have no such obligation to be open and transparent about their curriculum or test performance or really anything. There is nothing to prevent these there's very little to prevent these organizations from ripping off Ohio taxpayers and ripping off the people who send their kids there. It's a gamble and I think it's a bad one. So for those three reasons, the tax break for our local citizens by properly funding public schools so we don't have to slow down as much of that need to our community, our oath to the constitution and the rule of law and order and the lack of transparency. I ask our board to vote yes on both moving forward with this issue and joining the the
079voucher lawsuit. Thanks. >> Okay, Mrs. H. Okay. Um, I think both of you shared some points that I also believe um to be true. I won't belabor them, but just mention um the original intent of vouchers is something that I think most of us can probably get behind. Um, there are a lot of kids that don't have the opportunities that most of our kids in Beaver Creek have the opportunity to have. Um, I volunteer with an organization called Shoes for the Shoe List. I work in a lot of schools and come here as well. There's low-inccome kids in Beaver Creek, too. Um, I work in a lot of schools and I see a lot of kids that don't have what we have here in Beaver Creek. So, um, the weight of that is on my
080mind as as if we make a decision, how does that affect those kids? And I I hate to be one of the people that would take that opportunity away. That being said, the system now is not what it was designed for. Um, I do think that giving money away to people who would otherwise be able to afford it, have already made that decision for their family is not the right thing to do. Um, that being said, I believe parents do have a choice. I'm a huge proponent of public schools. Um, I have lots of friends who make other decisions and that's everybody's family's choice to make. um you know, state state funding in general has been ruled unconstitutional for many many years and nothing's been done about it. So you can win a lawsuit and
081still nothing changes. So I'm not saying you that it won't because it could. But I think there's a perception by some that just because we vote to join something and it perhaps that moves forward and is successful according to what they're seeking that all this money is just going to be written to a check and Joyy's going to get it in her mailbox. Like that's not going to happen. Um our state legislators do not care about funding public schools. They don't. I think that's something most of us can agree on. Um they're not going to just give us that money because those kids don't get it anymore. That's just not going to happen. If you think that you're not, you don't understand public funding at all. Um, again, we spend far less and we outperform
082other districts. Um, I do think that the concern about regulation is a valid one. I think, you know, regardless of your faith background or maybe you want to go to a STEM school or whatever, those schools should be following several guidelines that we have to follow in terms of how money is spent and how children are educated and how they're measurable items are um accounted for, I guess, to a state legislator, particularly if they're if they're receiving state funds. I don't think that's what this accomplishes necessarily. I think that's a se could be a separate issue. Um, I've really gone back and forth on this over the several months, I think there's really good points on both sides, but having be closely associated with somebody in the legal field, um, legal things move real slow.
083Um, if you're in any way affiliated with that, you understand that. Um, I have a hard time voting to spend money that's not mine. I try to remember every time I sit up here when I make a decision that the money we spend is yes, I pray into it. So, I'm a taxpayer, but I'm giving away money that is yours or yours or yours. And I really try to take that to heart. Spending $16,000 a year right now for maybe no, excuse me, no result. I'm having a hard time with that. when we put forth a levy, that's different because that's something you have an opportunity to have a voice in as a taxpayer to support or not support. So, that's not me making that decision to spend it for you. This would be doing
084that. Um, and because of the the fact that I just think this just had the success in the one court, um, like someone mentioned, there will be, I'm sure, an appeal of all of this process. It's going to take a lot of time. Uh I I agree with Denny that I'm not sure that there's a reason to rush it and I think we can reassess that and I think we should um or whomever's on the board if not all of us are on here. Um but I think yeah I mean giving it a year is probably reasonable and that's just where I stand with it right now. >> Thank you. Well, I'm going to try not to repeat what everybody has said because you don't need to hear this again. But um my position has
085always been very clear on how I felt about this. I do believe in school choice, every parent has a right to choose a school their child should go to. I do believe that the way the vouchers originally were proposed for these kids and underperforming school districts who didn't have a chance, the vouchers gave them a chance. I taught in Dane City Schools for one year and I know the chances those kids didn't get. I'm not knocking Dane public schools. They try as hard as they can and I've worked with those teachers there. But it's not a beaver crreek. It's not a fear. It's not a centerville. And some of those kids, I had a friend of mine was a teacher, a principal at one of the proprial schools, and I'm not advocating for proprioal schools
086or any private schools, but most of her kids were on the voucher program. they wouldn't have had a chance had they not were given that chance to go to a school. And yes, her school was accountable. They took all the state tests because she felt as a principal if those kids were going to her school, they were getting voucher money. She should be accountable. I'm not saying every school is. So to say all these schools are not accountable is not a true statement. I think the parents that send their kids to private schools should pay for those private schools. We shouldn't be paying for them. If you send your kid to private school, then you can afford to send your children there. But with that being said, after hearing the coalition speak last month, right
087now the lawsuit, they don't know the potential time. The question asked to the coalition was, you know, what is the timeline for the resolution of the lawsuit? And I quote, their answer was difficult to speculate. much depends on the 10th district's calendar. Nobody knows how long this is going to take. When once like Mrs. Huds, once a decision is made, it's going to go to the Supreme Court. It's going to go to another court. And how long is that going to take? There is no guarantee. The coalition couldn't guarantee it. No one can guarantee that if vouchers are totally eliminated that the money the state in their education budget that is going to the vouchers will come to the public schools. I personally don't see that happening. But that's just my opinion. Like Mr. Morrison
088said there over 600 school districts in Ohio. 300 have joined. Each one of us and myself in particular as a board member and an educator is sitting on this deis because we're here to support what's right for kids, not just Beaver Creek kids, all kids. So, while I don't agree that all these vouchers should be going to these other schools for people can afford them, as an educator and a board member who my goal is to support kids and do what's right for them, the elimination of all vouchers. The only people that's going to hurt are these kids who are would never have been given a chance had it not been for these vouchers and their parents taking the chance and saying, "I want the voucher to put my kid in a school system that
089they have a chance." I want to give you an example. I personally called Carol High School because I wanted questions answered. I'm tired of getting this answer from this person, this and this. You know, I'm a person. If you know me, I will go to the source and I'll listen to your opinion, but I need to go to the source and get the answers. Spoke to Matt Subski. He was very open and forthcoming to all my questions. Carol has 670 students. All of them are on vouchers. Approximately 300 of those six 670 students receive the full voucher program because their families are at or below the poverty level. I'm not advocating for Carol High School or any appropriate school. I just happened to call one school. It was local. This principal wasn't pushing for anything.
090He just answered my questions. I have played around with this. Like Mr. Mars had said, I've lost sleep. I think about this all the time. What's right for me? Spending $16,000 of our taxpayer dollars is not what I could do at this point. not yearly because there is no guarantee for me to say to our public, I'm going to spend your money which you have no say in and I can't guarantee you anything. Even though I don't believe that, like I said, I will say it over again, those schools should be getting voucher money for parents who can afford it. Number one, I can't spend our taxpayer dollars on something I have no proof or guarantee. And most of all, I can't take money away from kids who would never have a chance in life
091had it been for these vouchers who rightfully was supposed to go to them to start with until the Ed Choice expansion took over. So for those reasons, I too would like to table this for another year because I don't see the courts doing anything. The voucher people have been in operation for 35 years. 2022 is when they even started to go after the said choice. It'll be four years soon. We don't know. They don't even know. They said it. I quoted them. They don't even know how long this is going to take. And for those reasons, I too would like to table it. >> I'd like to add one thing. Um recognizing the concerns that um you know, it it feels a little bit like we could be taking away a badly needed source of
092uh education for children um who do need that voucher uh in order to be able to attend a a well perform a better performing school. Um, I would just uh like to remind everyone that the fact that this lawsuit is going to take a while and has very clearly uh lost in its first round gives our legislator uh plenty of time to come up with a solution that is lawful, complies with the constitution, and still provides those students with a good option. So, I I do while I do understand the hesitancy to um to do this because it feels a little bit like we're harming those kids. I think our legislature has plenty of time to figure out a solution for them. >> But we don't know they're going to do that. >> No, >>
093there's no >> But I don't feel like it's our responsibility is my point. >> It's theirs. >> My responsibility as a board member and educator to protect every child. That's how that's just my personal opinion. I'm not knocking your Please understand that. But that's just my personal feel. >> Right. I just wanted to to add >> I mean I think you're right. They it should be on them and they they've had plenty of time. It's been what funding in general has been unconstitutional for years. >> Yeah. >> Why won't any legislator >> stand up for kids? I don't understand it. They're too worried about voting along their party lines. I don't care what your party is. >> Quit picking your vote because of the party line. Like do the right thing for kids. But our
094state legislators, even our local ones, won't do it. And we've advocated and advocated. I mean, several of us have done that individually. I know the district has. >> I just it's hard to put my trust in people who have clearly not doing their job for the last 20 years or so. So, why start where would they start now? >> Two two brief comments if I may. I'm hearing some very good discussions. So, thank you. Number one, we have to stand up for all kids. That's the bottom line. I grew up in the city of Cleveland. Okay? I would have been, and I'm not talking a suburb. I'm talking downtown Cleveland. I I grew up in what was considered a lowwealth home. I was not getting the education that I thought I needed. So, I went
095to a private high school. I went to that high school. There was no such thing as vouchers. I got to school early and cleaned classrooms in the morning and I stayed afterwards and cleaned after school. I got paid a dollar an hour. All right? But I knew the value of an education. All right? And so therefore, my point for saying that is all kids have to have that opportunity to be successful. I'd also say that in 2022, Ohio State University did a survey or they did a study, a research study, and it came up with students of of what I call low from lowincome families given the opportunity to attend a a charter school or a parochial school, etc. they performed better uh if they had that opportunity and they had a better chance of
096going on to college. So, I don't want those kids to be cheated. What else can we hope for and you guys said it a lot more eloquently than I can. There's one line item for education in the state budget and and that's wrong because right now anybody that applies for a voucher that means that total pot of money becomes less for public schools. So what you're saying is I that needs to be changed. So there are several things there are several things that can happen but right now I'm just speaking for me right now. I don't want to do anything that's going to harm any kid. And right now in this district, we've got 69 students that are attending private schools from lowincome families. All right. On voucher money, and I want them to have
097an opportunity to learn, be successful. That's where I'm coming from. >> You know, the number of kids that are going to appropriate schools total, >> it's not just low income. >> Well, there it's quite a bit more total. I don't know the exact number. Okay. That's it. Yeah. I mean, at some point, you have to fight the fight. And if you don't fight the fight and stand back and let others fight the fight, you know, no battle's ever been won that way. So, we all have to step up and fight the fight at some level or another. you know, whether we move this on down the road uh till next year's vote. Personally, I think that might be a little bit too long, but uh to make a decision, okay, >> but um you know,
098we I think we as a as a school system need to step up and have a voice in this cuz right now we don't have a voice in this. We're letting other people make the voice. So that's it. Well, after hearing everybody's comments tonight, um I'm going to make a motion when we get to item 11 to table this voucher discussion until December of 2026, at which time the board then can revisit this topic or this and um reopen the discussion or not. So, I am going to make a decision and I'm going to do this when we get to item 11. We can't do it at this point. >> So, I'm just telling you and you get to vote on it. Yes or no? So, it's not like >> I'm telling you this is
099what we're doing. >> I'm just telling you when we get to 11, that's what I'm going >> Robert's rules. >> Correct. >> There you go. [Music] >> Okay. Thank you everyone. >> Thank you for the conversation on that. Uh we'll move to uh item two and this may be a tag team item uh with Mr. Schweiderman and Mr. Schuman. >> Mr. Schuman said he'll he'll chime in if he feels I'm not covering it properly. >> He's standing outside. >> He's ready. He's going to watch you. He's going to evaluate it. >> Oh, there he is. So, if I may, I would like to cover the next two items together in the same conversation because they are both directly related to each other. Um, as uh as as we know this evening, we um celebrated the
100retirement of one of our members of our technology department. Uh, one of the things that we like to do uh to ensure that we're being good stewards of our taxpayer dollars is to evaluate positions when they come open, to evaluate job descriptions and evaluate pay structure uh and the structure within an organization. Uh, and so Mr. Schuman has the foresight to do that within the technology department. Uh and after receiving the resignation um uh of a staff member in his department, uh he spent some some time conducting and reviewing research in regards to the best practices and staffing technology departments uh in school districts. And he compared what we do here, what those best practices are, and what other school districts and comparable school districts do. Um our technology department employees were involved in that
101conversation. I can tell you Mike takes very seriously uh the opinions and values the opinions of the people in this department and they identified a list of areas that they felt our district needs to work on and address. That included additional systems uh that have been regularly added throughout the district over a period of time. Things like HPARA and Parent Square that we're using now to better our services. Uh but they do have impact on our technology department. uh the reality of cyber security and data privacy and the importance of those things uh to our families and our communities uh and our our staff members. We house a lot of private data uh and that's important for us to make sure we're we're doing those things well. are expanding network monitoring responsibilities and activities that
102we do to mitigate um those threats to our systems. Um our Wi-Fi system operations across the district and updating our management systems that we have and looking at our computer warranty work that is done. Those were all items that our department said um need to be looked at and including in addition to that was then also the reality of mobile device repairs. Um every student in our district has a mobile device that requires attention care and regular maintenance. And so through that conversation and his studies, he's uh brought to the board and uh through our HR department, we work together on a job description uh for a new position uh with the intent of not filling the network and systems administrator position um for the uh resignation it received, but um going forward with a
103new job description for a junior junior network and systems administrator position in the school district um and hiring an additional IT support technician with the emphasis on mobile device repairs. So from a numbers standpoint what that looks like is um you have a job description in front of you tonight for junior network and systems administrator. uh you have a updated manager coordinator exempt salary schedule that includes what a uh what that position being added would look like. Um the individual selected for or individuals selected for junior and network administrator positions would spend about half their time uh currently on typical and enduser support. Um but then the other half of the time as a junior network and systems administrator spend their time on our network and systems administration tasks. The idea is to um look
104at uh potentially offering the opportunity of promotion to two of our current IT support technicians uh if they express an interest in this opportunity um and evaluate them as candidates for that position. Um but that would open up two positions for promotion. Um so it would be the addition of those two positions and then uh if they promote from within instead of having two IT support positions that would become vacant we would have one um but then utilize our relationship with MVCA which is our local IT um support group and there's a name for that I'm missing right now. Mike >> ITC um and MVCA is our designated ITC and we have the ability to purchase services from them uh and to purchase the needed services that we would have uh for IT support from
105MVCA rather than um having a full created position here within the school district. Um, in looking at the analysis of the salary and cost of these moves, it looks to better serve uh what we do um and save uh the district about $24,000 annually. Um but it it creates an opportunity for growth within um the department uh for members who are currently there by the possibility of promotion into a job that gives them some additional responsibility and time and it shifts some of the work that we do in our technology department. So those are brought to you today as items of discussion. So if you have any questions about those either Mike or I can answer that. Um and then next our idea would be between now and next month to begin the work on
106hiring uh posting the jobs, hiring for that and bringing back final recommendations of um of uh of the job description and the salary schedule uh and potentially uh recommendation of individuals to fill those positions at the next board. >> Any questions? >> Great. Thank you very much. Okay. So, our final item tonight uh is a very exciting item. Uh this is audio enhancement. And I'm going to turn it over to Mr. Tyler Alexander. >> Good evening everyone. Uh members of the board, Mr. Utton, uh Mrs. Kits Miller. This is an exciting uh presentation uh for you tonight uh to discuss our partnership with uh audio enhancement. Uh audio enhancement. Uh we've been working with them for uh many months and it has been a pleasure to work with uh some of their reps uh Jimmy
107Bible and Kevin Mitchell um to get put this project together. Uh aging PA systems is what began these discussions. Uh we have aging PA systems in many of our buildings across this district. And as we know uh PA systems are are crucial to the safety uh of our children so that we can communicate uh quickly uh to both students and staff uh in the buildings. What I'm going to present to you tonight um not only are we going to get PA systems, but we're going to get many other uh great uh features from audio enhancement um as a part of this project. Another thing that is really exciting about this project is that audio enhancement is going to make Beaver Creek City School District a showcase district uh in this part of the country. Uh
108we are going to host um other school leaders, other districts um into our district when this project is complete uh so that they can see how the features uh that they will install um integrate uh into our buildings. This project is seven buildings. It's Beaver Creek High School, Ankeny Middle School, Fairbrook Valley, Parkwood, Maine, and Shaw elementaryaries. Uh other building, the other buildings in the district have updated and newer uh PA systems. And Koi Middle School, uh Trayvine Elementary School, and the preschool already have uh classroom audio uh within the buildings. At the end of this project, um the seven buildings will have the following features. They will have highfidelity classroom sound reinforcement so that every student is in an environment where they can hear the teacher clearly and perform their best. This system integrates
109with hearing aids and colear implants directly. Wireless teacher microphones uh with safe built in with safe button built in. Teachers can live a better day by being less fatigued, control their classrooms more easily, deliver instruction to all students simultaneously, and rest assured that notifying safety and admin officials is just a button press away. This also sets us up to be compliant with Alyssa's law in these seven buildings when it passes in Ohio. We will also get the mic 360 student microphone. It is an engaging student microphone that can be tossed. It is a round ball almost like a foam ball that can be tossed throughout the room, increasing engagement and making it easier for teachers to manage their classroom and student participation. This next feature is amazing. It's called the clear connect translation so that
110every student has access to instruction in their native language and break down language barriers in the classroom. So students that are e English language learners that will be able to use their Chromebook or other device and receive live translation into their native language when the teacher is speaking. In addition, students who are deaf that are unable to sign are are able to receive English translation as a part of this uh project. And we will receive the state-of-the-art Epic intercom paging and bell system that is easy for anyone to use and completely customizable for a K12 environment. Completely evolving campuswide communications. So all of those features come with this project which is pretty amazing. We will be uh this project is a part of the capital improvement plan. Uh we have uh made some adjustments to
111the capital plan um to cover the cost of this. Uh it is all coming out of PI. It will not come out of general fund monies um for the district. Uh the total cost for all seven buildings is uh just under $2.7 million. Um which is an absolutely amazing price that audio enhancement is giving us and because we are allowing um other districts to come in and see this system uh in in live uh we have been able to get a great deal from audio enhancement. So we can't thank Jimmy and his team uh enough. This item is a part of uh the agenda tonight for approval. Uh we would like to get moving on this very quickly. Uh if it is approved tonight, we will begin uh working with engineers and getting them into
112buildings uh within the next month and we hope to begin installation during the school year because installation will happen at night and it will not impact the uh daily learning that is happening uh every day in our district. And our hope would be by the end of the school year, this system would be in those seven buildings across the district. >> This is amazing. >> It is. >> Oh, you know what to say. >> I've been lucky to work on a lot of really cool projects and this is uh one of my favorites. >> What a bonus for the kids and our teachers. >> What do you say? It's like >> Yeah. >> And the translation to another language. >> Yeah. One of the things I love, I have friends of our family who have
113two kids that are hearing impaired and we have uh a ASL translators for them in the classroom, but what happens when that person's sick? And you know, that just takes takes away barriers for kids that have that need that extra help that if you know if something something breaks down in the plan, we have a way to to help them. >> The audio makes a big difference with the teachers has it on her because when I taught, I had several kids who had hearing issues. So >> I was a teacher that had the audio system on me, microphones around the classroom, >> but it just didn't benefit those kids because if you have your back to a ball, you know, like the board, >> they can hear everything you're saying. >> It is a great
114bonus. >> And the fact that it is built in, it's not a system that is just attached to the wall. Y >> um it is built into our building. It's it's through our network. Um, one thing I did not mention as a part of this project uh they will send three of uh three people from our IT department uh for training and so our folks if something goes down will be able uh to troubleshoot and fix uh the system um which is another great resource to have inhouse and we don't have to call a technician in uh from another part of the state or neighboring states. So, is it a mic that what does the teacher actually wear? >> So, it's a lanyard and at the end of the lanyard, uh, it's kind of an
115ovalshaped device and that has the microphone in it. That lanyard is also where the safety button is. So, um, if a teacher presses that safety button because there's an issue, um, administration and, um, our security guards and our SRO's would be alerted to an exact location of where that teacher is. It's not just that teacher's name. It would alert them to an exact location uh in the building. >> If I could just add I I was able to see this group probably 3 years ago. I I attended a workshop uh through AASA and we probably what it was an interesting workshop because you meet with vendors and they're not trying to sell you anything. They want to learn from you about how they can make their product better. And so there were probably about seven
116to 10 vendors there. And when I saw audio enhancement, it you just you ought to go on and go to their website and just look at their story. Their story is unbelievable about how they got into it. I would encourage everybody to look at audio enhancement >> and their story. But >> once you start seeing the product and you start understanding the impact, it's really what you said Joanne. This is really the first we give a lot of tools. Bobby is so great at giving tools to our teachers >> um and to our staff to make their lives better, but this is the first tool we're actually going to give them that physically makes their life better. And um >> and the kids and so and then when we saw it years ago or three
117or four years ago, um I was so impressed with it. It's one of the first things I said to Tyler when Tyler came on board is if we ever had that opportunity to build that high school, I want we wanted audio enhancement to be the in there and >> and working with Jimmy and Kevin has just been outstanding. They are just excited for the project. We're excited to partner with them. We think they're one of the best partners we could join and this is going to be great for our kids and it will transform our classrooms. So, I'm very excited about it. >> Can uh can you speak a little bit? You you mentioned seven buildings. I don't remember if you mentioned which ones, but um two things. Obviously, that's not all of our buildings.
118Um so, was that based on like the building need um the needs of students in various buildings like populations that had more needs or others or or what? And then the second question is um would there then be plans to expand this to others? You think is that an outyear decision? So, how we got to those seven buildings was um last year uh we replaced the PA system uh in Koi Trayvine and so they they run off of the same PA system and there's different codes that they use to make announcements just at Koi just at Trayvine and so we replace that. Uh we also replaced uh the PA system at Ferguson Hall and then uh the PA system at the preschool center uh functions the way it should and and so so those buildings
119all have updated PAs. Um okay, Koi and Trayvine and the preschool also have classroom audio um as a part of those buildings. And so it it's it's different than what audio enhancement brings. And there are features that audio enhancement has uh that those buildings would not have, but these were our focus because we have PAS that are that are failing at times in these buildings. So, we need to address these first. In a perfect world, I would love to move audio enhancement into all of our buildings. I think that there are benefits that they bring u more than just a PA system and more than just a classroom audio system. And uh the focus though right now is just these seven. Uh we will get those implemented and and I I would imagine that we're
120going to begin having discussions cuz I I think where it's going to travel fast uh when when those seven buildings have it and it's up and running >> if it's as popular as we think it's going to be. >> Absolutely. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Yep. >> Is this a hard wire system? >> It is all Yes, it is all through the network. Uh it is not a wire. Now, the the microphone is a wireless microphone in the classroom. It's not and both the student mic and the teacher mic, but all of our all the all the new speakers um all the devices are all tied directly into the network. It's not um and Mike, you can correct me if I'm wrong because Mike was involved in these meetings, but we're not running a bunch
121of speaker wire. It's it's all through the network. Is that cor that's Yeah. >> Which is why they we can do it during the school year because they don't mess with our current system. >> Yeah. >> Uh they will install in addition to our current system when it's up and running. We can then remove the our current system from the classrooms. >> Okay. So, uh the microphones that you wear Bluetooth >> I I'm not sure how exactly. I was wondering I'm just wondering about range >> r they will inside of a classroom will be no issues >> like surround sound. >> Yeah it will be no issues and and they can be utilized across different sizes of classrooms. So I don't know exactly what the range is for the devices but um in all the
122conversations we've had there will there will be the way it will be set up is each classroom will will have their own devices uh so that um those teachers classrooms function appropriately. >> Sure. As someone who's worn a microphone for uh hearing impaired students should have been wearing one for myself but hearing impaired students. Um, the reason I asked about range was because you could literally go out of your classroom at lunchtime and have a conversation with another teacher and the student would come back in and say, "Hey, I know what you said to >> I'm sure there will be some training involved." >> It's called off the >> I was just wondering about that. Okay. >> And as a hearing impaired person, I wear both hearing aids and colear implants. Um it would have
123been very nice for me. Hearing um hearing channel students uh have to work three or four times harder to keep up just from the communication that goes on in a classroom or in life in general that it requires a lot more focus. Um, and is this like a loop system that they use in theaters? >> You know what that is? >> No. And I'm not positive. >> Okay. Not all theaters have them. >> Okay. >> And uh I stopped going to movies years ago because I could not see mouths moving. I hear some sort of sounds, but then what they were. >> Yeah. So um but if the iters have installed it'll feed back through hearing aids or codier implants uh feeds directly into those. >> So that's very a big improvement. So I go
124to theaters where they have this. >> I will I will check because that's a >> Yeah, it doesn't sound like a loop system. >> Um I will check with uh with Jimmy, our rep both on range and the loop system for sure. >> Okay. Yeah. from somebody's been hearing challenge since they were about 5 years old. Uh I know the challenge. >> Yeah, absolutely. >> The challenge is great. >> Any other questions? >> Thank you. On behalf of our kids and teachers. Thank you. That's amazing. Okay. Under financial reports, um I'm getting a motion, a second to approve the following. The July 2026 financial reports and the permanent appropriations and amended certificate for fiscal year 2026. So moved second >> discussion. >> So um we are only one month into this new fiscal year. Um
125so it's too soon yet. I mean, if you look at my financial report, there's an awful lot of blanks in there. Um, so it's too soon yet to give an analysis of where we are financially. We haven't even ran a payroll yet for the current um faculty and staff. Um, and we did have a higher number of resignations and retirements at the end of last year in comparison to other years. So, you know, we haven't ran that yet. We also we don't have a breakdown yet of the um state formula funding for this year as the formula funding was part of the bianial budget. Um so I and I don't expect that at this point that we'll see what that new funding looks like until about the end of October. I assume in the October
126number we get paid twice a year from the or twice a year feels like it twice a month from the state. And so I assume at this point we probably won't see it until the second payment of October. It's going to take them a little while to get all the way through the bananal budget and figure out exactly how the school districts are being funded. Um that being said, um I did want on Monday we received um receipt of the government finance officers association award for outstanding achievement and popular annual financial reporting for fiscal year 2024. It's a prestigious recognition made possible by our previous receipt of the GFOA certificate of achievement for excellence in financial reporting for our annual comprehensive financial report which is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial
127reporting established in 1945. This program challenges state and local governments to exceed minimum generally accepted accounting principles requirements, creating comprehensive financial reports that embody transparency and complete disclosure. The program specifically recognizes governmental entities that demonstrate exceptional commitment to these elevated standards. These dual awards underscore um Beaver Creek City School's commitment to maintaining the highest standards of financial transparency and accountability. The recognition validates our ongoing efforts to provide clear, comprehensive financial information to stakeholders and demonstrates our dedication to responsible stewardship of public resources and trusted to support student educational outcomes. The district's commitment to prudent financial management while delivering outstanding educational results received additional validation through state level state level recognition. That was at the national level. We also for that same fiscal year received state level recognition. For that same fiscal year, the state of
128Ohio designated our district as only one of 18 districts achieving placement in both the lowest 20% for per pupil expenditure and the top 20% for academic achievement. This remarkable distinction places the Beaver Creek City School District among just 3% the top 3% of Ohio's 605 school districts. A testament to our strategic approach to maximizing educational impact while maintaining fiscal responsibility. This achievement demonstrates that excellence in education and efficient resource resource utilization are not competing priorities but complimentary objectives that reinforce our mission to serve students and our community effectively. >> Congratulations. >> And I definitely want to thank my team. It's not something we do by ourselves and definitely want to, you know, thank my assistant Jamie. She's right there by me every single day and everybody on our team. So, yeah, it was a it
129was a it was a great thing on Monday. It was really cool. So, thank you. >> Thank you. >> That's it. >> Okay. >> Mrs. Dano, >> yes. >> Mrs. Hunt, >> yes. >> Mr. Taylor, >> yes. >> Mr. Morrison, >> yes. >> And Dr. Fischer, >> yes. >> Okay. Understand your new business items board action. I'm going to need a motion, a second to approve the following employment salary changes, leaves of absence and terminations for certified board report and classified board report. Cooperative agreement Trayvine shared use path land donation Shaker Town and Graange Hall agreement for educational placement. approval of audio enhancement contracts, type 4 reimbursement, and the approval of the handbooks. So moved. >> Second. >> Any discussion? >> I just have a couple things to cover with the board. Uh first one
130is uh number two. We've had discussion about this in the past. Uh if you are in front of Koi and Trayvine, you will see the shared use path is being is currently under construction. Um there that is an agreement that we have right now between Beaver Creek City Schools, the Green County Parks and Beaver Creek Township. So that is moving forward at this point. Uh the other one is the land donation. Uh again, this is just a reminder that's the corner of Shaker Town and Graange Hall. Uh that property is uh being utilized for expansion of road there. So, uh we are in full agreement with that cuz obviously we see that helping us uh down the path and um type four reimbursement that's our typical transportation and then uh the approval of handbooks. I
131know we have started school already so we will work to get these handbooks approved by the board before we have kids utilizing those handbooks. So, uh, we left that off, but, uh, there's no no, uh, specific or major changes just truly being updated from the past year. So, that's all I've got. >> Okay. >> Call the RO. >> Mrs. Hunt, >> yes. >> Mr. Taylor, >> yes. >> Mr. Morrison, >> yes. >> Dr. Fischer, >> yes. >> And Mrs. Ricardo, >> yes. And we're item number 11. Um, I am going to make I need a motion, a second to table the approval of the resolution to join the vouchers Ohio until December of 2026 at which time the board can choose to reopen the discussion or not. >> Can I ask I think what I
132want to ask is a point of order since we don't do Robert's rules all that often. Would this motion prevent us from taking this up sooner? If somebody introduced a motion to say something changed, maybe in July or whatever, we wanted to re-evaluate this. Would this motion prevent us from taking this up earlier? >> I I don't I my understanding it would just be a motion to override the motion that was already >> It wouldn't take anything. It would not uh I don't think this motion will supersede, >> right? It would just be another motion. >> It would just be another motion. >> Right. Thank you. Appreciate that. >> So, I need a motion to second. >> So, moved. >> Second. >> Call the vote. Mr. Taylor, >> um, >> yes. >> Mr. Morrison, >>
133yes. >> Dr. Fiser, >> no. >> Mrs. Rano? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Hunt? >> Yes. >> Motion passes. and we're into announcements. So September 1st, Labor Day, no school, all offices closed. September 6 and 7 is the Beaver Creek Popcorn Festival. September 15th, it's a regular board of education meeting at 5:00. Then we have a joint work session with the city of Beaver Creek and Beaver Creek Township at 6:30. And that's right here. >> Correct. >> And now we're on to board comments. Mrs. H. >> Okay, I'll keep it brief because we've been here a while. Um, just want to thank the administration for planning opening day. I always enjoy that day. It's I love going to the new staff breakfast and getting to see the new staff. Um, but opening day is always really
134well done and Paul always makes us cry and I always forget to bring tissues. So, I'm going to remember that for next year. Um, I want to congratulate Bobby on her award. Um, I think we tell you this a lot, but hope I'm sure we don't tell you enough. We appreciate everything that you do for our kids, for our staff. Um, a lot of the things that come to you as ideas. I know I work with a lot of people and I've worked with in the past a lot of people who are idea fairies. They these great ideas, but then they don't ever do anything with them. So, um, I just appreciate that when you have those ideas and dreams that you really pursue them for our kids and for staff. So, thank you. Um,
135in terms of um, the voucher discussion, I just want to say like I appreciate the fact that I'm sitting on a board with people who we don't always agree. There's lots of decisions we make that we don't always agree. Sometimes we work through a discussion and come to an agreement, but we can walk away from the table and have and have these discussions and be respectful with one another regardless. And I also appreciate that people from our community come to speak to us and let us know it. Just because we may or may not disagree does not mean your opinion isn't valued and isn't heard. So, um I don't want that to be the perception, at least from my my perspective. Um in terms of the RTRI conversation, um I appreciate the sharing of the
136information about that. I know there's been a lot of questions. We get a lot of emails. Um and it's good for us just to share that information with the community. I know that some of you may or may not be aware we have kids that have utilized this policy or this law for several years for in another faith. Um, and I certainly, you know, I believe that each of us has our right to to explore whatever faith we believe or none at all. Um, so I just appreciate that we've set some very strict guidelines for that for for any opportunity for any faith that would like to do that. Um, and I know that our district is very good about keeping up those guard rails. So, I don't believe that we're going to allow things
137to happen that are unsafe for kids who do not wish to participate. And so, um, you know, I know we have those things in place and I appreciate that so that all people are respected and all all their beliefs are respected as well. So, again, thank you for the opportunity to have good discussions with people that we don't always agree, but when we walk out, we at least respect one another. So, thank you, >> Mr. Morrison. >> Okay. Uh, thank you. Um, like you said, we've been here a while, so this will be will be brief. First of all, congratulations to our retirees. Um, like Darren always says, we accept their retirement with regret because when we hire somebody, it's our goal that they're going to stay with Beaver Creek Schools for their the rest
138of their career. So, uh, congratulations to each of them. Uh, I'd like to also congratulate Bobby on that well-deserved award. Great job. Uh, congratulations to our uh, financial department for our financial reporting award. Great job to everyone on the opening session. Great job with the military family welcome night. Great job with the new staff welcome. The open houses all went well and our athletic seasons are going well as well. So, we're off to a good start. >> Okay, Dr. Fiser. Well, Denny uh summed up a lot of my points really well. I absolutely it's been a great night for awards and recognition. So, absolutely I want to echo those. Congratulations. Uh it's just so great to have uh such a phenomenal administration uh that hires such great teachers and and work so hard to keep
139them here until they just decide they're not going to work anymore. Um and that's that's great. That's something that I'm proud of. Uh it really shows that we have a phenomenal community. Um, I also want to echo uh Christa's comment and I was going to say it whether or not you said it. Um, I want to thank my board members. Um, I obviously I didn't get the outcome I wanted here tonight, but um, we had a respectful conversation and so much of what we see in politics today is not that. Um, and I really appreciate that we were able to stay focused on the issues. And I want to say I abs while I while I uh have a different conclusion, I absolutely resonate with all of your core values and the the bases from
140which you threw your decision. Um and uh and so I walk away here uh with all the same respect I had for each of you before we walked in. Um so I'm really uh pleased that we have such a a high functioning organization across the board. That's all. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Ter. Okay. Um, for the retirement recognitions, of course, school nurses are one of the great strongest links in in our safety and the health of our students, and they deserve all of the praise that we could possibly heap upon them. Could we say she couldn't retire? >> We It's bad to do that. They don't like that. >> I don't think she'd agree with you anyway. Uh so uh for the awards ceremony or for um all the award winners, you know,
141it's just a sign of excellence that Beaver Creek School has across the board and um all the things that we do at the administrative level or at the teacher level are all uh indicative of improving student outcomes. So that's kind of where we're at. More awards, please. Um, so the uh the vouchers the voucher situation I mean it just gut-wrenching for me and what I see and problem with it is and it's like a problem with a lot of things in our culture. becomes a matter of mission creep. It started off for poor kids. Didn't end up that way right now. So those are little incremental changes when people get power to do a certain thing, you know, they're always looking for well what's the next step? What can I do again to make a
142different change and use this as my springboard to do that with? So, uh, still having issues with that. Um, we're probably leaning toward Mr. Fiser on that cuz we've got to stay in the fight somehow. The cost doesn't disappear just because we don't join. They're still fighting that they need funds to do that with. Uh, let's see. Career center off to a good start. Did your daughter say we were off to a good start? >> She said it was a great start. >> Awesome. And uh yeah, so again, we're maxed out in students this year. >> Mhm. >> And looking for ways to uh increase one, increase our programs and two, increase our student ability to take those programs. So, um, just like us right now, you know, we're overloaded in in students and we're
143looking for ways to solve that problem, but we are out there as well. You know, culture's kind of changed at this point and people are very interested in. Um, those kinds of jobs that are hands-on jobs that you don't necessarily need a college education for and you can make a lot of money when you get out of high school. and cut those and cut those costs. Um, we're looking of course at some different things in terms of maybe building or drilling programs to Beaver Creek. So, I mean, all those things are kind of uh on the books. So, we're looking forward to it. It's uh again just like a lot of schools and a lot of places uh for us out there it's not as much a matter of money um as it is for
144us but it is a matter of space and so we're working with that. Great start to the year. Always good. I'm still crying about my baseball. >> That's good. >> Got a bunch of people to sign it already. I still can't figure out how to get into that crystal case. I'll help you. >> Thank you. They're getting ready to get out my hammer. >> Don't do that. >> Okay. Is that the way it works? Simple. >> You slide it. Yeah. >> Yeah. These are usually things I'm good at on my many years of construction, but I always default to the hammer. >> Then you can't put the ball in. >> Yeah. Well, it doesn't go back in. Okay. >> Nicely. So, >> okay. >> But other than that, that's it for me. Keep up the
145good work. >> Well, I want to say the one thing about these members of the board is that while we don't always agree, it's like we respect each other and that says a lot for these people. That's why I love working with them. So, thank you all for a great discussion tonight. Um, and while everybody may not be happy, and I don't mean the board members, but the community, the one thing about this board is we're honest about how we feel. And that to me is what's important. So, we'll see where this goes. Um, I want to tell you that Laura Laura Kovar, who is our high school English teacher, she received and I was, it was nice that she invited me, but I was at Sinclair College yesterday. She received the CPC CCP teacher
146of the year award from Sinclair. That was very special. And it was interesting sitting there at lunch with all these educators. It was really interesting listening to these college professors talk, but I have to share this. This is the one thing I said nothing else tonight. This is important. I was sitting there at the table and we're talking and one person said and Lauren said, "Oh, you're the person that the kids talk about or you're the person." She said, and this one per she actually the two professors said, "You know, when we get Beaver Creek kids, we're like, we're good to go. It's going to be a great year. She because our kids are so prepared and that says a lot for our teachers and this district. That is such an I sat there and
147I was just beaming like that's Beaver Creek. So yeah. So to all our teachers, to our administrators that give them the tools they need, thank you cuz this is what makes this district so special. And with that, come to see us at the festival. Band camp was fabulous. Love being with those kids and serving lunch. They're so much fun. I'm going to tell you, those are the most well-mannered kids that you can deal with. They come through the lines. We're serving. Thank you. Please. Thank you. No, thank you. This is great. Thank you for Okay. It's like they're amazing kids. And I said that to Matt Fus. He goes, "Yay, I know." I said, "Well, it starts with the leadership." And it does. So, thank you to the band camps for a fun week. And
148with that, come see us at the popcorn festival or whatever festivals you go to that weekend. Have a great weekend. With that, we'll see you at the next board meeting. And with that, I need a motion and second to go in executive session for the appointment, employment, discipline, or compensation of public employees, Ohio Revised Code 121.22G1 22 G1 and court action Ohio revised law 121.22 G3 pending in litigation move second. >> Okay, thanks everybody. Roll call. >> Oh yeah, roll call. >> Mr. Morrison, >> yes. >> Dr. Fischer, >> yes. >> Mrs. Rono, >> yes. >> Mrs. Hunt, >> yes. >> Mr. Taylor, >> yes. >> Thank you. >> I just realized that earlier [Music] I didn't need to [Music]