001Good evening. Good evening everybody. Um, we'll continue the signin process. We're going to move it towards the back. Just if anybody else filters in and they would like to speak, you can go ahead and log into that. We'll move it to the back here. Um, I want to call to session. Um, Tuesday, January 21st, 2025 board of education regular meeting. Um, please bear with me. Today is my first day as president and I'm going to do my very best to make this question. Mrs. Nav, can you call vote please? Mr. Aila here. Mr. Bernstein here. Mrs. Lashki here. Mrs. Sears here. Mrs. Hill here. If we could stand for the pledge of allegiance. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God
002indivisible with liberty and justice for all. All right. This meeting is a meeting of the board of education in public for purpose of conducting the school district's business and is not to be considered a public community meeting. There is a time for public participation dur excuse me during the meeting as indicated in the agenda. Um we're going to move into administrative reports. Yes, I saw Mrs. O'Neal here. She's in the back. We're going to bring you the mic. We're going to put one of ours on there. [Applause] Good evening everyone. Uh start of a new year. Hope you started your new year well. And I have to tell you that things at uh CBCC are going great. And I'm anxious to tell you about a little bit of what happened in December because I didn't
003see you then. So um on the 14th we were really proud of the students. They went to um Ritman National Cemetery and they participated in REITs across America. So they laid wreaths on the tombs there and that was a voluntary thing and I just think it's a wonderful thing that they encourage students to do that. I you know sometimes we don't think that CBCC might do those kinds of really special things but they do. There's so many things they do there that and they do it really well. Another thing on the 18th and the 19th of December, the culinary arts program really showed off their emerging chefs because they had a very large uh holiday buffet and they served 165 guests which is again a very excellent hands-on experience for these kids to know how
004to it's going to be in the real world. So I uh was really impressed with that. Uh, also on the 19th, even though um the the nursing openhouse occurred, which I think is great for the health services kids to be able to go there and see if they choose to go into the nursing field, the nursing world. And that same day on the 19th, the nurses had their candle ceremony, which is marking the halfway point of finishing their program as nurses. So um again, excellent role models for those kids to see where they can go and what adults in the world are trying to do to move and advance themselves. So really good examples. And then we can't leave out our Independence Primary School because um they had a culinary immersion project going on and
005I'm sure you know um they featured 16 junior chefs in the fourth grade and uh I'll talk a minute about that at at the end when I'm uh wrapping this up, but um that is a um career tech project and more and more the state is pushing for bringing that kind of stuff down to the lower grades. And so, um, Amanda, uh, Jiren, uh, is it Geronowski? She was, uh, this spearheaded that. And then she worked with the, uh, staff there, uh, from the cafeteria to help and prep those kids. So, it was a really successful program and I was really happy to see that she was able to do that. um in January now the students are doing their 10th grade exploration where they're going up there to see all eight school districts are
006sending their students at various times to uh learn about the 24 programs that CVCC offers and I don't really think we realize that they have 24 programs and I shared that with you last time the different programs that they have um and that is kind of in preparation even though some probably will go after u on the 16th they had the student parent information night and again that coincides with the students visits. Hopefully the students were able to participate, go and see what they liked and then bring their parents back on the 16th to show them what they might be interested in. Um parents, teachers had an opportunity to interact with each other and and discuss and share um you know some of the things about their programs. February 4th through the 6, I'm very
007supportive of this. Um the Career Tech Education Legislative Seminar is happening in Columbus and every year they take students down there to interface with our state legislators to advance Career Tech, to talk about Career Tech, to share the programs they're in so the legislators can see how the kids are doing in it, how they like it, and and hopefully to continue to support Career Tech in the state of Ohio. So that's happening February 4th through the 6th. And I think that's a terrific opportunity. Josh Hayes, the principal at CBCC, um he applied for and received the DeWalt Grow the Trades Grant. I think it was $10,000. And what in fact it's all about is that any student in the construction trade programs will receive a $500 um toolkit basically. That is I mean, when they
008showed us the kit, it was it's not a kit. It's a it's a bag full of very expensive tools and equipment that would be gerine to their work when they go out into the real world. So, it's a form of a scholarship and it's done through their scholarship program. But I sent him a thank you note because I thought that was above and beyond what he needed to do and that was money coming in there that those those kids wouldn't have got and they're getting state-of-the-art equipment. So, I thought that was, you know, really outstanding. So, good for him and good for the school. Um, and then last week we approved um the creation of eight full-time career specialists. Now, you have part-time career specialists now. And Amanda is your is your uh specialist, but
009I don't know if they're going to I think they're going to post these as full-time jobs, and she can either apply for it or others will be able to apply for it, too. But these will all be given one to each district and they'll work on a full-time basis with the idea that they will then expand in the K to8 environment um as well as the K to6 moving it down. The concept in the state of Ohio now is to continue to give kids awareness of career tech further and further down into the younger grades. So that is why it's going to be a full-time position versus a part-time position. Um, I'm not used to the Oh, what happened? She became the president now. I need somebody to pass these. Okay, I'm gonna let you
010do that, sir. It's a new job for you. I'm sorry. Um, that that's my final handout or my only handout today. And that is um it talks about again career technical week which is coming up February 3rd through the 7th. And they just do really cute things for the students there to hype up hype it up. And you'll see uh uh on Monday, February 3rd, they have 100% club recognition. They they have t-shirts the kids have. Um on Tuesday, it's it's the bring your parent to school day, which I can't imagine the kids want to bring their parents to school, but maybe they do. I don't know. Um, on Wednesday it's the 10th grade visits from various schools. And then on Friday it's it's team spirit day. So I I always love when schools do
011that for the kids. I think it's fun for them. It makes school a nice place to be. And then the final thing I want to share with you is um I always like to share a student connection and this this month it's Victor Walchanowitz and he uh is doing an excellent job there in the uh construction trades program and uh he he talks one of the quotes that's in the article when you have a chance to look at it says if you're a student in construction trades you're going to be a leader. It's inevitable. And that kind of pro positive spirit I mean he's 16 or 17. He's just a a young man, but to have that kind of attitude and spirit about what he thinks he might want to do for the rest of
012his life is I think commendable. Um he does plan to attend college, which I think is important to point out. You hear me talk about that all the time. When you go to career tech school, it doesn't mean that that's where you end. You can wind up doing all kinds of things uh moving on to college and getting a four-year degree if you so choose. So, Victor's featured this month, and we were proud to have him uh have him there. It shows that he's got direction and it shows that he's a good role model and example for those students. So, I thank you. That's a quick summary and I see you're busy tonight. You've got a lot to do. So, I'm glad I was able to make it tight. Can I just um two things
013I wanted to share with the board as well. Dave, the superintendent, Magnus and I are going to be meeting in February. Um districts across the state were not only having problems finding bus drivers, but the other issue and uh Mr. Mr. Dry and I have had this conversation is bus mechanics. So many of our bus mechanics are usually a second career. They are older in their age. They're getting close to retirement and we don't necessarily have a pipeline of students and it's a it's a good job. Um it's great benefits. Um it's great work. So we uh in talking with you know Mr. Mangus CBCC has an automotive program. We've talked about what would be our options for also having a diesel mechanic program and then we could actually pipeline students directly from there to
014start to do an apprenticeship with our mechanic and eventually build that person into then taking over uh for that position. And so when we had that conversation obviously there's eight other school districts, seven other besides us. So a lot of the superintendents were interested in that. So that it's that partnership of to your point um you know we can't forget about the options for our careers. There's a lot of really great careers out there, right? Um and to really think about how we can mutually benefit each other for that. Um and also in regards to Amanda and that position going full-time, that's a huge uh win for our district. Uh because they're only here part-time, their time is not necessarily, you know, spent in all of the buildings equally. And I feel strongly that um
015you know we do a really great job at the high school with you know college readiness. Our kids are taking the SAT, the ACT. We're helping them with all of that. You know preparing, filling out the common app, um doing all that. But I also think we need to focus on what are the careers out there, college or not. Um you don't want to spend four years trying to figure out what you want to do. Yeah. Um and I say that because it's an expensive um it's it's an expensive trial and error. Right. Right. So the more that we can provide students with what are the options out there. Uh because there are so many that I think I mean I don't even in our students have no idea of of what's out there and
016the pathway to get to that career can sometimes be being in that career while they're paying for your college clinic today will do that right you go start with them and they're paying for you to go and become a nurse um and and you don't have any student loans. So well I've been impressed very much with CBCC's willingness to partner with communities. they they are partnering now with um Brook Park in the uh firefighters and and they're willing to take a partnership on with anybody. So, that's just excellent to hear. And if we could be at the forefront of that, you know, if we can be showing that interest and getting that ball rolling, well, I will certainly do what I can to help continue to promote that and talk to the other board members
017about that as well. Yeah, I appreciate it. And if I could, yeah, because I'm going to forget. Um, can you just pass on to your administrative team? Mike Reinhardt that you have working there with the sales and service and trans transitional work which my son's a part of is just a treasure. Um, he went out of his way today um to help facilitate a meeting with my wife for my graduating senior to help him with, you know, work experiences and just really was proactive and took the initiative. and it's a new startup company and that would that helps uh adults now like my son transition to the real world workplace and he just he didn't have to do it and he did and he did it for another independent student um and just if you
018could just pass that on I just was like and then he constant communication and obviously he works with my wife in professional level at Brex since she's at Brexville but and so she knows him but um he's just you could please just above and beyond above way above and beyond. So, and just how he helped and and it's going to be ongoing, too. So, we're going to be having a series of meetings and he didn't have to do anything. Well, I appreciate you recognizing that. Thank you so much. And so, Neil, before you scoot out, because I know you may not be here during my piece, it is school board recognition month. Oh, yeah. So, just a little something for you along with some cards. A thank you. Thank you for all that you for.
019Okay. Have a good meeting. Thank you. Thank you so much. Oh, well, can you come next time to Chicago? Um, next up, um, our treasure miss. Absolutely. Uh, couple just a couple updates for you that were in that Facebook for everyone here in the audience tonight. Um, this year we're doing roll call just so you're aware by alphabetical and then ending with President Hill. So, nothing's changed weird, but if you notice I'm calling in a different fashion. We're going alphabetical and then to Mrs. Hill as the president. Um then secondly, we got our science of reading stipen which is exciting. That's our reimbursement of the stipens we gave to staff. Staff have been working with Mrs. Kogan to get more science of reading information and curriculum down to help through the students. It's an initiative
020by the state but it's actually a funded mandate which is probably the most exciting news of the night because we typically get unfunded mandates. Um so that was an exciting uh reimbursement that we got to this past month. And then our tax advance, just for anyone who's following my exciting tax advances and five-year forecast and financials, is that this our tax advance of January was very, very low and it was very low throughout the county of all districts. We only got 60% and we typically get 90% of collections. But the issue at heart is that the tax bills went out very very late and are still, I believe, going out at this time. So there hasn't been a chance for any early um a lot of pay early early payes. So the advanced pot of
021money to distribute to schools was much less than it normally is in January. So they had to go with 60% and they had to reduce it. Um we we will get the money. It's just a matter of once tax bills and pay and such. So but that was a shot. So I think all of us in school districts because we didn't realize that was happening. So that was something that was not on our radar that came through. And then lastly a quick uh shining moment here. Dr. Ferski's estate. um he was a independence grad who was a physician and he donated a nice donation to our district for the arts. So Miss Superintendent Kogan and Mr. Jennovich are working to with the arts department to work on some programming enhancements that will be funded by
022that gracious donation. So that's an exciting thing for our district and you'll be seeing those happen throughout this. And that is my update because I get to go again. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Dley. Uh yeah, I have a couple of things. Uh so you I know each of you had heard our wrestling mats were delivered. It's an exciting time. It was a lot. There are a lot of mats there. Um our wrestling coaches did a great job of kind of sorting through and I imagine it was like Christmas for them opening up residents and so we were actually able to get the varsity room mats completely installed. Ran a few bumps with that process, but we worked our way through it and so they're up and running. Our middle school mats, they'll be installed at
023a later date. um you know, having the availability of staffing is is really the the main is the main thing. Um and so their season's coming to an end soon, so we'll have a little bit more flexibility in how we can install those, but they're well aware of that. Um, last time you had asked for a bleacher uh update and I actually have one now because this week we actually I touched base with the company and um we are waiting on the snow to clear but we will have um a final inspection and uh since the time uh we had our last uh football game and um now I've had another company go out who does bleacher inspections for us anyways. They have for I mean for as long as longer than I've been here.
024Um the report I asked for it to be expedited and I got it last week. Um so it took them a while but they actually found that they're completely intact and safe. The things they found were minor and they were all the things we actually identified when myself and the project manager walked through. Um, so the company who inst the installer um was back um several weeks after the last football game and did address all the things we identified supposedly. That's what the final walkthrough is for. And so when we go through um we'll take a look and make sure that they did everything they said they were going to do and then they will get the rest of their money. Can they say anything about the stains like how long it's going to take
025to clear that's really going to happen? They don't have any way to predict, but some of the stains have already started. Even up until that last game, they weren't as extreme. Anything that was really large, we just replaced the boards all together. There's also no guarantee that those stains won't come back just because of the way the the metal is. It's not a coated metal and so it's something that it's a process that they do how they're milling them. So, but uh hopefully we'll know in the snow there's how much they're um I wanted to get Mrs. Kogan talked about the bus driver update, but I wanted to share some information with you today about that. You know, we we've continued to look for bus drivers. We haven't stopped. Um, but we did recently enlist
026the help of a recruiting service, someone from Independence, and um, as of today, literally had one applicant um, sent to me and, uh, Francine and I are going to go ahead and look through the file and, you know, they already have a CDL, but it's just not that simple. Actually, it's not it's not as simple just to have a CDL. There's a passenger endorsement. There's training that has to be done. Our schools like they go through a lot of training. It's not that you can just get that and jump on the bus and go. Fortunately, we we train our drivers. Um and uh we do pay for our drivers to be trained. It includes the cost of classes and the time that they spend during their training sessions. Um we've talked about this in the
027past, but it continues to be a problem not only for independents, but for many districts in the state of Ohio. Um, I just want to let you know that we're continuing to exhaust a variety of options and really just wanted to give you an update because the last time I really spoke about it was in Septemberish. Um, but just because we haven't talked about it doesn't mean we aren't doing things. I mean, we've had several people walk through the doors, we've interviewed them, they hear what's on the table, what's required, and some say, "I don't think this is a good fit for me." And others, you know, we've had someone who started the process and then it just was more than they had anticipated. So then they did not continue with it. So we get
028a variety of results, but we are, like I said, we're continuing to to try. Um, and the last thing that I want to talk about, I'd like to give a shout out to our maintenance and custodial staff. Um, over the past several months, um, they've gone above and beyond covering shifts, anything from absences. You know, it's not common knowledge that having a substitute list for teachers, I mean, everybody knows that happens, but having a substitute list for a custodian or a cleaner or a maintenance person, it's just not that common. Um, we're fortunate to have a a veteran substitute who's been a sub for us for over 40 years. Um, and we we've been very thankful for him. Well, he would like some time on his own and to not to do that. So, our
029maintenance crew and our custodians have really stepped up to cover when someone's sick or they're out um by working extra hours. On top of that, we host a ton of events. We are such a small we're a small school. We don't we don't host events like we're a small school. We host events like we're a large school. And they step up and they put in the hours. And you know, a lot of people think, well, they get paid. They get paid overtime. They also have families. They have lives. And you know, 60 to 80 hours grows old quick. Um, and so I just want to I want to thank them because they really step up and I think they just really realize their importance. And sometimes sometimes it can get lost. You just think these
030things happen like you think the building's clean. You think that the the walkways are clear and the the the walkways are safe and the roads are clear. It doesn't happen by accident. It happens often times when we're sleeping or when, you know, we're not here on site. but um they do a great job and they've really been um stressed um in time the past uh most specifically the last two months. So I just want to give them a shout out and uh and say thank you so and make you aware of it. And that's it. Going back to the bleachers, how much is that last payment that we are still 285 285? Okay. I didn't give or take I didn't give anybody um to top just so that you know on Friday was the legislative
031breakfast where they invited uh Kyle County superintendent and Lorraine and uh there was probably 25 superintendents there and there was all representatives were invited. Five of them showed up um out of all of them but one of the topics was transportation and one of the requests from us was thinking about transportation, it hasn't been looked at for a long time on those requirements to become a bus driver. Um, and so a long time ago, the bus driver was also the mechanic, like if the bus broke down, they were like getting out and fixing the bus and trying to figure out what's wrong with the bus. Um, so a lot of the assessment and the piece that they have to do is above and beyond what we would even ask a bus driver to do. The
032130 point inspection. Yes, the 130 point. You can't miss anything. So, um, one of our requests was we want our bus drivers to be trained, right, on how to ride drive the bus and and provide safety for our students, but at the same time, can we look at it so it's not so difficult for someone to get the endorsements that they need and the CDL. So, they thought that was something that they could do. So, we hope that they take that back to other legislators. that and you know the passenger capacity would be nice if that were increased you know maybe to 13 right just saying that record all right thanks Mr. Den yes so I'm up I'm going to make it really quick u Mr. Dry is going to queue up a video for
033me over there on the TV. Uh, but it is school board appreciation month. Um, someone asked me why you guys got a whole entire month and I said, "I don't know why you get a whole entire month, but you do get a whole entire month." So, um, you have a little um, gift in front of you from Mr. Drying and Miss Nap and I. And then inside your envelope are hilarious cards written by our primary school students thanking you for being a board member. Um, and so that's awesome. And I just wanted to read this um, proclamation really quick that will be attached to our minutes. And then as soon as I'm done, Tom's just gonna, it's a really quick video. It's very cute. Um, so whereas our community values a quality education is a
034vital step along the pathway to success for our children. And whereas Miss Hill, Miss Sears, Mr. Aila, Mr. Bernstein and Miss Laskkey contribute greatly to this community through their service on the Independent Local School Board of Education. And whereas these local decision makers set the policies and procedures to govern all aspects of the school district operations. And whereas the school board keeps attention focused on progress toward the school district's goal and maintains a two-way communication loop with all segments of the community. And whereas these school board members are serving our community with integrity, honor, and a commitment to our children's futures. Now, therefore, I, as the superintendent of the Independence Local School District, do hereby declare my appreciation to the members of the Independent School Board and proclaim the month of January 2025 as school
035board recognition month and independence. I urge all citizens to join me in recognizing the dedication and hard work of local school board members and in working with them to mold an educational system that meets the needs of both today's and tomorrow's children. In official recognition, I hereby my signature on this 21st day of January. So, I know that you all know what your job is, but the question is, does anybody else know what your job is? Hit it. Welcome to a special edition of IPS Live. This segment is dedicated to our very special board members. Did you know that January is school board recognition month? No, I had no idea. Do you know what a board member does? Well, let's see if anyone here at IPS knows. My name is Megan and I'm a junior
036reporter. Um, do you know what a board member is? No, I do not. Um, can you take a guess? They play at recess. I think a board member is a person who works at the school and uses a printer. I guess they're kind of like a jud. Hi, my name is Vivian. Do you know what a board member does? No. Can you take a guess? Um, they work with Ariana Grande. I'm Megan and I'm a junior reporter. Do you know what a board member is? No. Can you take a guess? [Music] They artist. Do you know what a board member is? No. You want to take a guess? Those are some great answers, weren't they? We appreciate our board members for their dedication to our education. They help shape our futures in very different ways.
037They devote many hours setting policies and planning for our schools. They serve on school board because they care about providing quality education in our community. We would like to personally thank Mr. Aila, Mrs. Sears, Mr. [Music] Burstein, Mrs. Hill, and Mrs. Lassi. We would also like to give a special thank you to our superintendent, Mrs. Kogan, and our assistant superintendent, Mr. Grying, who work closely with our board members. Thank you all for your hard work. and dedication to making Independence local schools a place where students can thrive and become the best versions of themselves. We hope you're enjoying your special month. You truly deserve it. That was precious. You'll all get a copy of that. Yes. Thank you. Um we're going to move on to the public participation portion. Um, it is the policy of
038the Independence Board of Education to hear public comment at board meetings. The public is invited to speak to any of the agenda items and other school topics. At this time, comments should be limited to three minutes. Um, I have the Google form here, so I'm just going to call the names and then if you just want to come up to the podium, um, Mrs. Sears will do the three minute timer, so she she'll let you know if you go beyond your time. Um, so first up is Robert Schul. Could we have Sam go first, please? Would you mind? Uh, good evening. My name is Sam Krooks and I'm a senior here at Independence High School. Uh, I wanted to let you know, some of you may know, that a Trinity coach harassed me online and
039in person. After letting the administration know about the online harassment and after personally letting the administration know about the personal interactions I had with this coach on the night of the game, nothing was done. That night of Friday, January 10th, my father was the only man to protect me and defend me when no one else would. I couldn't ask for a better father in that moment. Now, it is heartbreaking to know that my father will never watch another minute of me playing basketball again after having coached me my whole life. Excuse me. And along with this, my father who has coached me in baseball, my friends, and my own brother is now in jeopardy to coach me and all of us in our final year when our vision has been planned that this would be
040the greatest year in independence baseball. My father has brought together a group of kids over the years we call our family. To see him not in charge of this family this year is impossible to imagine for me and for the rest of my team. I want to thank those who came out tonight in support of him. Please consider what I've said here when making your final decision. Thank you for listening. [Applause] Thank you. Thank you, Sam. This is Jesse. Good evening. My name is Jesse Sigfer and Sam Krooks is my nephew. Cyber bullying. Cyber bullying. unwanted behavior that takes place over digital devices and platforms that serve to defame, spread rumors, and humiliate. Sam Crooks was cyberbullied the week of January 10th, 2025, not by a player, but by a coach on Trinity High School's
041basketball team. A coach. The video showed Sam falling on his stomach while playing defense in a repeated mo motion, rewound and played three times to the theme song from the Looney Tunes. a coach. If that was not enough, this same coach was allowed to freely walk into our high school on Friday, January 10th, and gain access to Sam in his own locker room alone. While preparing for his game. How does that happen? How does it happen? If Brett Deal, the athletic director, knew of the cyber bullying and bullying and targeting of Sam on that night. If Brett Deal did his homework on the history of this school with independence, how does that happen as a student athlete, a child? I'll tell you how. Brett Deal did not do his job that night. He did not
042communicate the urgency of this matter to the district or the police on duty that night. Your inaction resulted in a father having to protect his son immediately when he received a text from Sam that Harold Rasul, assistant coach for Trinity basketball, had just entered the locker room with Sam in it alone. Stalked, waited to enter once his team had left. How does this happen? our students. My nephew, how dare you use Jim Crooks as a scapegoat for your inaction and complete lack of protection. He did what any father or mother would do on that night and in that moment. You don't deserve Jim and James James and Jess Crooks in this district. You really don't. You really don't. The treatment of them and lack of support during this time has been utterly despicable and embarrassing.
043You have made this week a challenge for from for the Crooks family. But you won't steal their peace and their joy. You won't. Believe me on that. We as a family know how to rise above and we know how to take the high road in these moments. As I close, I have three questions. How do you plan to own and admit your despicable inaction and documented mistakes about the protection of Sam Krooks, my nephew, on the week of January 10th? Secondly, what is documented and planned when Sam Krooks goes to Trinity on Tuesday, February 18th? How will you make up for your inaction on February 18th? A neutral site like Ka Heights, extra police. Have you even thought about it? Last question. How could you abandon the Crooks family like this? They have done nothing
044but pour into this school for years. They have shaped and molded the lives of so many students. They have kept families in independence. They have when people have said, "No thanks. This administration is far too weak for my family." The crooks said, "No way. India is good. Please stay. They did that. They had your back when they didn't have to. And you've abandoned them. You've absolutely abandon them. And they're Can you please please I'm talking shame. Shame on everybody for your inaction to protect my nephew. I'm Rachel Paluso. I am also Sam's aunt. Jim is my brother. I'm a graduate of the school as well. I just needed to talk on their behalf as well. This is um in my opinion, Jim did absolutely nothing wrong. He protected his son. What the bigger deal here
045that Jesse has said is that nobody in the school did anything to protect Sam prior to this happening. Everybody knew, all the people knew what was happening with the video online and everything. In my opinion, you have failed my nephew. He the fact that he has to sit up here and def try to defend himself and ask for protection is absolutely insane. He is a student. That coach should not have been allowed to be in this building. Everybody knows that we have a tumultuous relationship with Trinity. Does the athletic director or our superintendent know that Trinity stole money out of all of our student athletes bags at a basketball game? Do they know what's going on? More attention should have been given to this. There's no reason that Sam should have been targeted oneon-one in
046that locker room that night. No reason. And for him to my brother to get a text from him in the stands and watch nobody do anything to protect his son and he's getting blamed and kicked out and possibly lose his job as a coach over this. It shouldn't even be on the table. What should be on the table is the protection of these student athletes. They are supposed to feel safe. And because we did nothing, you did nothing. I'm sorry, not me. because the school director did nothing to protect him and to take care of this situation. That coach is out there coaching other team, coaching other teams with other schools. January 14th, January 17th, he's out there coaching other at other schools. And those kids are potentially being harassed just like Sam was. And
047that is because nobody did anything. That coach should not be on that co that team coaching any longer. That man is a predator. He is picking on athletes. I don't care if Sam is 7 feet tall and 18 and a senior. Should not have happened. It is a disgrace that you are taking this action on his dad, my brother Jim. You have let the students down. You have let the parents who have been pouring in to show their support down. And then you wonder why you have so many children kids leaving the school district because you are supporting the wrong people. I have one son that has left the district already. I have a seventh grader coming up and he has the choice to go wherever he wants. But if this isn't made right, you
048can count on one less student coming to the Independence High School. these baseball players and athletes that have that are here today. He has coached since they have been five, six years old. He has shaped their lives. He has helped these parents and he deserves to be in the gym watching his son. He deserves to be coaching the senior year of these kids. Thank you so much. [Applause] I'm gonna go in order who I have. Robert Schulz. Members of the board, my name's Rob Shy. Um, I can assure you that uh Jim Krooks is the reason that my son is a student at Independence High School. Um, ever since our relationship with Jim began, he's done nothing but foster an environment of respect. um not just for himself, but mutual respect between he and all
049the boys. Um it's because of that respect that I've seen grow over the years that I have absolutely no doubt in my mind. Um take his relationship with Sam out of it. If that were my son, Jim would have done the exact same thing. And um actually feeling a little emotional and I'm not that kind of guy. Um, not only do I feel as though Jim did the right thing, I feel like he had an obligation to do what he did. And if somebody wants to tell me a law that was broken, I'm glad to hear it. Um, when we're discussing a man's future who's done nothing but be loyal to the district, um, and doesn't ask for anything in return, I think this is just ridiculous. Um, we've got to do right by our
050people the same way that Jim has done right by us uh for I don't even know how many years now. Thank you, [Applause] Bill. Hi, my name is Bill Saba. Um, I met Jim for the first time back in 2010 after moving into the city um with my family. Anthony now 16 who's who's on the baseball team and then uh his younger brother Carmen. Since then, I've known Jim as a tireless leader in the community with the highest character serving both the city of Independence in his many capacities and also giving back to the independent school system as uh you know as the example here as the as the varsity baseball coach. My son Anthony had the opportunity to play uh coach pitch baseball years ago uh for Jim's Independence Recreation Team uh back when
051he was just in primary school. I enjoyed watching Jim coach baseball and his love for independ independence came through every interaction. I also appreciated the opportunity Anthony had playing for Jim at such an young age because he was surrounded by such a great role model who helped reinforce the leadership I strive to reinforce in my boys. Fast forward 15 years later and that consistency and character and Jim's leadership track record has only strengthened his reputation in the community. He still coaches Anthony and now it's at the high school varsity baseball level. And Jim does it with the same consistency and character and leadership I witnessed when I first met him. Jim's long-standing community involvement and service should speak for itself. I'm here to support Jim Crooks. Thank [Applause] you, Dominic. Uh, good evening. My name
052is Dominic Narduzi. Uh, I'm a senior in Independence and I play football and baseball. And, uh, this year I'll be going on what I believe is my 11th year playing under Coach Krooks. And, uh, me and Coach Krooks have a deep bond, a deep relationship. he brought up at my uh the day I signed my letter to play baseball at the next level that we've connected on over 22,000 pitches over that time. And uh if you guys truly believe that that coach didn't know what he was doing by walking into our locker room, it's unbelievable. He's been a coach there, so he knew exactly what he was doing. And I believe that back, if you take it back to seventh and eighth grade basketball, when I played, Coach Crooks always taught us to defend your
053teammate and always have his back. And uh he taught us that when you fell on the ground, you wait for your teammate to come over and pick you up. And I believe that night, Coach Krooks did exactly that. And he defended his own kid because our AD couldn't do anything about it. Uh there's always been a heated rivalry between Trinity. I've lived through it in football and he did. Coach Krooks just was defending his kid because no one was else there. Well, no one else was there to do it. Um I believe Coach Krooks would have done that for anybody who he knew. He would have their back in that moment, but it's his kid, so he had to step up and be a man, which he always has been. Uh, and I just think
054it would be a disgrace to take him away from this school being a coach. Um, me and Sam have been playing together for so long and this is the season that we've been dreaming of our senior year and I truly think it would just be a disgrace to take coach Krooks away in our last year. Thank you, Joe. Don't do that. Good evening. My name is Joe Subucac. I've had the opportunity and been blessed to coach here at the high school for the baseball team for over 20 years. During that time, I coached side by side with Jim Crooks. And without a doubt, the thing that struck me the most is the love for his family, the passion for the sport, and his desire to make these young men not just better baseball players, but
055better young men. And over the years since I've stepped away, I've seen how much he's done with this program, how much he's improved the field and all the good things he's done for the people that are here. And the fact that there are so many here should prove everything you need to know. And I really hope that as you make your decision, you do the right thing. Thank you very much. [Applause] Um, Jordan. Hi, good afternoon everyone. I'm Jordan Mallerie. Uh, for those of you that don't know me, I was class of uh 2019. I had uh the privilege of playing for coach Krooks for one year and uh I'm now volunteering for those guys over there with the great baseball team. Um, we heard a lot about what he's done for the program, what
056he's done for the district. I'd like to talk about the man that you're potentially talking about potentially removing from this district. Um, I had the pleasure of meeting him halfway through my senior year. Uh, coach X had cancer and he was not able to coach that season. Uh, Coach Krooks came in, stepped in, filled those shoes, was a great guy, great mentor, helped me along the way. Um, especially because me and Coach X had a close relationship before that. it's hard to kind of build a relationship going into co uh going into college looking to be recruited and continue my athletic career after that. And he jumped in. He filled that void. He became the head coach you could always hope for. Um and then I went on to college. We stayed in touch. We
057talked quite often to be quite honest. Asked how I was doing. I'd ask how he was doing as coach X progressed. Um and it got worse. uh he informed me that he was no longer I was no longer to get in contact with him and that that really sucked for me not having that closure and he helped me along with that kind of helping me move past that. Didn't really want to play anymore. Um that's the kind of guy he is. That's the kind of person you're talking about removing from this program, from this district. It's not about players. You can have a great coach, you can have a great program, but these guys, they're kids now. you're supposed to walk out of here and become adults. You don't get a whole lot of that
058when you go to college. You just kind of figure it out. Trial and error. He's a guy that's telling you, "Show up early. Be there on time. If you're not there on time, be early." Crazy part told me my senior year seven years ago now. Um, always come to an event expecting to publicly speak. Crazy part, I have nothing. Um, so, uh, my bad on that part, but, um, that's he's teaching life lessons to these kids. Things that you can never grasp on a baseball field, things that maybe you can explain on a baseball field that these guys won't get now, but they're going to think 10 years down the line and say, "Oh, I never thought about how maybe doing a relay to home plate was super important because if I don't make the
059first throw good, the second guy can't make his throw to home and that's going to be get that out. You can't do that without teamwork. That's things that you can't just teach on a diamond. It's things that go on for a lifetime. I've talked to him constantly throughout my entire career in college. Continued. Obviously, I'm here now. I'm coaching these guys. Um I couldn't think of a better mentor, a better person. I just think that it's a big loss and a big mistake if you're thinking of potentially removing this man in the positions he's in because you're going to it's going to be to the detriment to them, not him. Thank you. [Applause] Tom Nardusi. Good evening everyone. Tom Narduzi. No Jim Crooks for 20 21 years. Carrie, thanks for the call back last night.
060Kelly, thanks for our conversation today. So, I don't want to stand here and blow smoke about Jim Crooks. Everybody knows what a great guy he is. He's been the top of the top in the baseball world as as my son was five years old, I think, when he started playing for it. What I am here to say is that there was wrong done on both parts as I seen it. I talked to both sides today. I talked to Kelly for a quite a long time. I see two things were wrong. They've got the crooks has one story. Kelly has another story. At some point, these two things will work themselves out. And I don't want animosity towards the school board. I don't want animosity towards the Crooks family. Although right now, I know you're hurting.
061I think when everybody sees the whole story, we will figure it out. Jim will be restated. He'll be able to watch his son play baseball or basketball and he'll be the coach at Independence High School baseball. But I know the school board had to take an action because there was wrongdoing. Believe it or not, whatever the situation was, in my mind, Jim should have never been on that court. But if it was my son, I guarantee you I would have been on that court also. So, we just got to figure it out now. Put our differences together and move on. And I believe God's telling me I believe that it'll all work out. Thank you. I hope you make the right decision. [Applause] [Music] Michael. Good evening, members of the board, administration, and everyone in
062attendance. My name is Michael Suie. I'm a proud Independence resident and father of two Independence alumni and one current high school student. Tonight, I stand here not just to speak about Coach Krooks, but also about his family. A family has been an integral part of this community for generations. My family has known the Crooks family for years. They've been a cornerstone of this community. Their kindness, integrity, and willingness to help others has left an inevitable mark on lives, including my own. In 2017, we tragically lost our oldest daughter, Allison. We were in Columbus while our son, Ryan, remained here in Independence. That devastating moment, the first family we called to care for Ryan and support us was the Crooks family. Without hesitation, they stepped up and showed us the compassion they have showed so many
063in this community. I have personally coached alongside Coach Crooks and worked closely with this family for over a decade. Their unwavering commitment to this community and its youth is undeniable. However, I must address the troubling reason we are here tonight. Last week, Sam Krooks, a student in a member of this community, was cyberbullied, physically stalked, and harassed by an assistant coach in Trinity. That same individual had entered the back entrance of our locker room and confronted Sam while he was alone, wearing headphones, completely unaware of the threat. Some blatant violations of Sam's safety and well-being. What is even more concerning is that the district officials were made aware of this situation, but failed to act. No steps were taken to protect Sam or ensure the safety of all students. As parents, I know many of
064you would do anything to protect your children. It is unfathomable to me that the focus of the serious situation was shifted away from holding the responsible individuals accountable. Instead, Coach Krooks, a man who has given so much to this community, is being placed on leave and threatened with termination. The real issue here is the failure of the board and administration to prioritize the safety and well-being of students. When the Crooks family brought this matter to the school's attention, immediate action and protocol should have been implemented. Protecting Sam and all students should have been the top priority. I urge this board to refocus its efforts where they belong on accountability, transparency, and the safety of our children. The actions taken against coach crooks are unwarranted and unjust. The community deserves better, and so do the families
065who place their trust in this district every day. Thank you. [Applause] That was all the public participation I have um on here. And I I want to thank everybody for being here tonight um for speaking. We we all value everything that you say. We hear what you say. Um and I just want I would have the board to just say thank you for coming to me and taking the time to share that. Is there anything you add? Very good. Thank you. We're going to move on to our consent agenda um for the December. That's one of our first items agenda. That's one of the first Thank you. Um, we're going to be moving on to the consent agenda. The first is the approval of December meeting minutes for December 16th to December 17 and then
066I'm going to go to treasure uh finance report list. Thank you. Um the first thing is just the treasures report as report as presented and amended. Um the financials for December are very very routine. Nothing um unique or different about that. And our calendar year ending process is done. I'm happy to say that's a lot of work on Barb and Kim and myself to do the calendar year process. We issued 311 W2s in case you get asked on Jeopardy. And we did I want to say 421099. So um that was a lot of work to balance and make sure everything went out appropriately. But we are closed for our calendar and moving on which is exciting because our first pay was January 3rd and I don't think staff wanted to wait for us to be
067paid. So we kept moving through that. Um, and then we have a couple uh permanent appropriations and certificate of resources that I'm asking you to approve. And as you noted or as you saw um the one is for the donation of Dr. Sluberski and I pray I'm saying that correct state so that we can go forward doing doing that amount for that. It was 10. Yes, I'm sure we're going to formally accept it as a donation, but it's $10,000. Very very generous. um a couple uh salary appropriation shifts and general funded appropriation shifts and then we had reallocations of federal grants. So you'll see that on both the appropriation or budget side and certificate of resources which is the revenue side. Then our next one is the uh drum roll for the acceptance of doc
068of Dr. Sluberski's donation of $10,000. So, um, we're hoping to do improvements on the lighting, fixtures, and programming, um, for that. Excuse me. And we also have a donation from Playhouse Square, which is also $10,000 of value, and that's dispersed between the middle and high school auditoriums. So, we have two donations going forward tonight. And, um, I see that only one was listed, but Dr. Victori acceptance of that. And then, um, the Playhouse Square donation, and that was um, brokered by I'm going to mispronounced the name. Dave, who's our lady? Thank you. Dave Synynic is the person who helped us get that Playhouse Square donation, which is a really wonderful thing for our our arts and drama. Then the last one is a one then and now. I thought for sure I had none. I
069was so excited. But there is one uh for athletics that I'm asking your approval for that will pay that and get that done. So hopefully we are done with them all. And that is all I have. Hi. I probably left them on a table somewhere. Um, so I want to introduce Heidi Rhodess. Hi. Hi, Heidi. Getting hired tonight and she got to see. Right. Welcome. Welcome. So, um, Heidi, uh, is, um, here tonight. She is being approved by you, um, based upon my recommendation to replace Bonnie, who is retiring. Um, and so Heidi will be our, uh, EMIS data coordinator. I had, um, Heidi's fourpage resume and all of the amazing things that she has done. And I'm going to wing it because I can't find it. So, um, Heidi currently, so this is, um,
070an interesting, I'll give you a little schooling in how, uh, kind of this EMIS position works districts. Every district has somebody who does EES reporting. EMIS reporting is just all the data that goes into state databases that um allows us to get our federal funding to get our state funding to get our grant funding like it's really really important and your EMIS coordinator is integral in all of those things. So every district has one. Um and then all the districts then um we belong to an ITC right or an informationational technology um center and ours is connect. So when an EMIS person has a problem they call connect or if they don't know what they're supposed to be doing they call connect and connect is like you know the the wizard right in the it's
071like the oz you call they do something and then they help you fix it. So the positive is is Heidi's coming from Connect. So she her job has been for many years um prior to that she was in Brooklyn as an EIS coordinator and then went to work for um Connect. And so her job has been supporting districts, many districts throughout the state um in their EMIs work. So when you need um when uh Bonnie has a question about progress books, she calls over to connect and she talks to Heidi. So, the nice thing is is that um Heidi uh Bonnie has had built up a relationship with Heidi just through interacting with her through connect and knowing that she could call her and she could help her out with any of the issues she
072was having, get advice on how to do certain things when we had new programs. Um, so when this when Bonnie decided to retire, I started to cry and then I said, um, uh, okay, I don't know that we're going to be able to find an EIS coordinator because like bus drivers, there are no EMIS coordinators out there. Um, and actually connect is starting a new program to start training people to be EIS coordinators to again create the the pipeline for that position. So, she said, "I have someone who has been at Connect and really just wants to get back in the school district and I think, you know, she's going to apply for the job." And she did. So, Heidi and her husband um and their son live in mentor, that's what I thought, mentor.
073So, she's going to drive from mentor um to work and work with us. But I am ecstatic. Uh I think she's going to bring an opportunity for us to look at some of the way we've been doing some things. and she's so knowledgeable when we start talking about like CTE programming and getting additional funding, I can go to her and say like, "What are we not doing that might get us some additional finance, some additional money um attached to it or what can we do um in a different way?" So, I'm really looking forward to working with her and um so that's Heidi. Heidi, did you want to say anything? I'm very excited to come back into the school district kind of the I explain it is get my hand dirty on the data again,
074you know, but I I I get to see it from this really high level and sort of be able to get back and do that and and I've lived in board meetings. So just even tonight, right, like just to be able to be a part of a district again means a lot to me. So I I do appreciate this opportunity for us. Heidi, can I ask what years were you at Brooklyn? Because I've been looking at you all night and I was like I think she's familiar and I have a therapist there um for a while. So they're like I see that connection to Oh, cool. cool. Well, it's good to see you again. So, you'll see um there's three contracts on there. Um there is um she's our contract the way it works is
075a little different. She'll be done in June with Connect at the end of June. So, our contracts go August to August. Oh, August till the end of July. So you'll see a contract for her for just the month of um July and then you'll see her regular contract starting August 1st and then she also has a third contract that is just for up to 10 days paid at her pdium to do transition with Bonnie when Bonnie leaves. Um Bonnie technically after she leaves can't come in for she can't come back for two months or have any she can't be like she technically isn't supposed to be doing anything school related that could jeopardize her retirement. So, um the goal is to have Heidi and um Bonnie in work in June um to do some of
076those transition days and then if needed once the school year starts we can always I think talk Bonnie into coming in and helping as needed if there's something that she needs some help with. But I have a feeling that she'll be fine. So those are the three contracts. So, I'm excited. And trust me, she is excited because I had a long talk with her about she's like, "I have to I have to get her. I have to get her." And she's like, and I said, "Well, I hope you do, you know, and you don't realize as even, you know, we're we're kneede in and, you know, into, you know, being board members obviously, but just how important that EMS coordinator is." And you just I don't Lyn I don't know if you recall when we
077interviewed Steve Marlo way back when that was his first question to us is who is your English like they we had gone through some real real debacles and I hope you you look too young to know how bad independence used to be with with Amos but yeah it is a very very important position so I'm thank you for saying yes and and uh welcome aboard if you want to run out you can yes now you can I mean, no, no, actually, you can't go because you're eating. Um, so I'm going to go through really quick because we're almost there to the end. Uh, revised school calendar. It is the same calendar except for it's one day earlier. There was I forgot to count the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is a work day. My fault. Uh, they
078do evening conferences which then gives them Wednesday off. I did not count that day. So, you'll see the students day is a day earlier and the staff's day is a day earlier. That's it. Soon as you approve it, we'll put it back up on the website and no one will be any of the wiser. um since it wasn't like a day in the middle. Uh theou between Independence and Kent State, we getus for our kids who attend CCP courses. You don't need to have anou, but it's nice. I usually do it. You'll see one coming on for LCCCC and TRIC. Um but this is the one for Kent State. Um the proposal for facilities, the assessments, and the master planning services. I hope we're a go with that. Um I I and we're going into
079executive session to talk talk about um signing, you know, this contract and doing some things with him. So we could talk a little bit more about it, but um that's the proposal from ADG for that. Um and then any questions on personnel? Um I think that's just Heidi's for the um exempt certified. Those are pretty self-explanatory um for classified and certified and then supplemental contracts. You will notice on number 10 that is Matt Burns, our new head coach uh for the football team. So, he is working on getting his assistant coaches. Some will be coaches that were already here. He's bringing in some new people as well, which is great. I think it's always good when you're getting there to have some people that you know can do a good job and bringing in some
080others to kind of help you out. So, I'm excited about that. So, you will be approving um his head coaching position and then you'll be seeing the assistant coaches uh probably next month. Any questions? I talk really fast. All right. Okay. Now, we're going into the approval of consent agenda. So, I have a motion to approve agenda. So, consent agenda items F1 through H1 as presented including any amendments presented second please. Yes. Mr. Yes. Mr. Bernstein. Yes. Mrs. Lassi. Yes. Mrs. Deer. Yes. Mrs. Hill. Yes. new business um policy for first reading with no action. Um yeah, and I'm just going to talk about we met with our mola rep who basically came in and said you have about eight policies that not sure why you don't have them, but they're laws and you need
081to have them on your books. One of them is the sunshine law. So, um you will see there's about eight of those are required by law and a couple of them were choice but we didn't have them and we were like they were highly recommended. So they're on here. What I would propose is instead of trying to go because we added these last minute. So I don't want you to feel like these are two read policies. So before our next February meeting when you'll vote on them, if you want to during our work session next time, if you have any policies that you would want further updates on or clarification, just let Jen or I know and then we can speak to them during our work session. Um I don't want to throw them on
082you right now and have you read through them to ask us questions. Uh, so that's that. Upcoming events, sorry, President's Day, Monday, February 17th, and then our board meeting dates, the 4th for a work session, and then the 18th will be our regular. That will be the one you'll dress up. Charlene and Greg were supposed to be here tonight, but Greg was ill, so they couldn't do the pictures, so we'll do them on the Um, any board members want to share? Yes. I um as you know I usually like to highlight a recent grad and um I know I I highlighted her before but Connor Wineski class of 19 she is now teaching third grade in Taiwan. So she sent me a nice letter over to Holly and I still have to send her one
083back. But um is she in Taiwan just to teach or was she from there? Um she's just to teach. Yeah, she's her she has a background of being Korean. Yeah. Okay. So, yeah, that's great. Yeah. Her brother just graduated last year. I I want to say um Dave D. Carlo passed away on January 1. Love teacher and coach of independence. Um just want condolences to his family. He was such a he was here when I was here. Several of us. um such an amazing man and mentor to our kids. And so I just want to share condolences to his family and pass that on. Um we'll be entering into executive session after this um to consider. Um there will be no further action um since we come out of executive session. Second call, please. Mr.
084Yes. Mr. Bernstein. Yes. Mrs. Lansky. Yes. Mrs. Sears. Yes. Mrs. Yes.