001Okay, it is 7 o'clock, so we're going to start our meeting. And behind on behalf of the school board, we thank you for being here in person or virtually. I'm Heather Stags, president of the school board. To my left is Luke Jackson, vice president. Dan Conway, secretary, Jackie Deard, member, and Matt Henkins, member. To my right is Superintendent Eric Bolan and Assistant Superintendent Susy Lips. And if you will all please stand and join me in the pledge of allegiance and moment of silence to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. You may be seated. >> All right. Moving on to our consent agenda. Our consent agenda consists of meeting minutes, payroll claims, check
002claims, budgetary claims, and a personnel report. >> Heather, I'm going to abstain from this vote. Uh nothing nothing personal against anything in the consent agenda. Just one particular item. I do have sort of an unrelated personal business association. >> All right. Thank you. All right. That being said, do I have a motion to approve the consent agenda? >> I'll make a motion to approve the consent agenda. >> I'll second that, Heather. Thank you. Any discussion? >> All in favor signify by stating I >> I >> opposed. Motion carries. >> Madam President, we have a few field uh trip or professional travel items to cover. The first one is Martinsville High School academic decathlon going to Louisville um in their USAD Rive City Invitation. That's going to take place January 9th and 10th. I recommend >>
003do I have a motion? >> I make a motion we approve the MHS academic decathlon overnight trip. >> Any discussion? >> Just I think it's a great thing that they're getting practice before the state. They do an excellent job and I know they get a lot of donations so they don't ask for much. >> Thank you our community for that. >> Yes. >> So all in favor signify by stating I >> I >> opposed. Motion carries. >> The next one's the DLAC Ignite Conference in Sacramento, California for Mrs. Oakley. That's February 18th through the 20th. I recommend I'll make a motion to approve for DAC Ignite conference for Mrs. Oakley. >> I'll second. >> Thank you. Any discussion? >> All in favor signify by stating I. >> I. >> Oppos. Motion carries. >> The annual
004Skyward Icon Conference is held in St. Florida. That's going to be February 25th through the 27th. I approval >> I'll make a motion to approve the icon conference for the employees placed before us. >> I'll second them. >> Any discussion for this item. >> All in favor signify by stating I. >> I. >> Opposed. Motion carries. >> Thank you. >> Next is our curriculum report. Good evening everyone. I'm Susie Lips. On Veterans Day, November 11th, 2025, through special programming, Martinsville Martinsville schools recognize the service and sacrifices of veterans. On the display screens in the room tonight, you can see some of the pictures of Veterans Day activities in our schools. And at this time, all veterans who are here in attendance tonight who have served or those who are still serving, please and be recognized
005for your sacrifices in keeping the United States of of America as the land of the free. Thank you very much. Thank you for serving tonight. Shout outs. Shout out to all the elementary schools, Bell Intermediate and Martinsville High School and John R. Wooden schools for their coaches, students, and parents for their time and preparation for the spellbold competitions this year. Also, a special shout out to Centerton Elementary School principal Dr. Stephanie Manley and the entire Centerton Elementary staff for the time and efforts they dedicated to hosting the elementary spellbull event this month. Shout out also to Bell Intermediate Academy principal Julie Lawson and staff who last night hosted the fourth grade parent visitor nights for all seven elementary schools parents and fourth grade students. Shout out to Martinsville High School principal Jeff Bell and his
006staff who hosted the eighth grade parent night and vocational showcase earlier this month. We want to say thank you to all those who attended and if you have any questions for Bell Intermediate Academy or Martinsville High School about classes or schedules, you're welcome to call those counselors in those different buildings. Shout out to Martinsville High School Shrek musical performers, parents, and staff for their hard work and preparation for their 21 live shows that started last weekend and continue tomorrow and this coming weekend. Update with the MSTM Martinsville prek program growth. District prek coordinators Lisa Sonica and Ally Miller have recently expanded the program by opening a 10th section to help meet the demand of the community with prek enrollment. The newest classroom is now set up and running at Poston Road Elementary School with 127
007preK students in our district currently enrolled and attending throughout the district. Our prek students have recently been exploring their project lead the way STEM modules. From learning about density through floating and sinking objects to practicing health habits, the prek students have been busy building, experimenting, and discovering something new every day. Curriculum. Other curriculum news. Last school year, the MSD of Martinsville was awarded the competitive science of reading grant for $150,000. That funding was dedicated to obtaining literacy coaches, specialized training, curriculum pilots, and reading based intervention programs to provide high quality evidence-based support and training to schools implementing the science of reading. As a result, Perigan Elementary rose from the bottom to the top performing MSD and Martinsville elementary schools on I read scores. The district is excited this year because the evidence-based curriculum amplify CKLA
008used at Paragan for the pilot is now being used in all of the elementary schools grades K through four and is being implemented in all those schools for this year and for the next several years. Also this year, the district is adding the science of reading to its instructional focus. District reading specialist Lisa Soniga and e-learning director Jenny Oakley have worked together to lead this charge networking with the CESC which is the central Indiana educator service center to facilitate professional development. The CIESC has customized a writing cadre that provides our Martinsville principles and teacher leaders in each building with writing strategies that they can then share with their colleagues and their PLC's on well Wednesdays. In closing, in closing and with the spirit of thanksgiving and being grateful, we want to give a thank you
009shout out to all of the district's teachers, administrators, and support staff, custodial, instructional, food service, technology, maintenance, clinic, office, bus drivers, and other transportation. everyone plays an intricral part of what the MSD of Martinsville does every day of the school year. Thank you very much. Thank you for attending tonight. The next item is old business. Wanted to give a brief update on the new school. If you haven't driven by uh out there, um it's amazing how fast progress goes and they're moving a lot of uh dirt. Curbs are going in. You can now see what the footprint of the property is going to look like and we're we're excited about that. So excited that in early December we will be making the announcement on the schools that are impacted and our next steps. So be
010for that. We'll we'll be excited to uh share that news with our school community. So, be on the lookout for more. That's all I have on old business. If I can turn the page here. Okay, there we go. Took a moment. All right, action items. U first one is a big one. elementary uh device uh fleet refresh. This is our computers for our elementary program. So recommend approval. >> I'll make a motion to approve the elementary device. Second. >> I'll second. >> Any discussion? >> Couple things on that. Just looking at the amount. I know it's a huge amount and I know it's an important necessary piece of again continuing to try to limit screen time with these kids. I know this is 674,000 a big investment all these studies come out less and less
011screen to try to balance that it's just going to be critical I mean I think we got to do it as far as curriculum and different things but this is >> just my computer >> all the screen time we're on and all the screen time they're on how can we just limit it as members of Can I can I follow up on that guys? Okay. Um I think that's paramount. That's why I was really proud that John R. Wooden for example led the way on cell phones a couple years ago where we took a lot of heat if you remember and then the state followed and adopted our model for statewide because of the impact. It's amazing when you walk in to the ele to the lunchroom at wooden and you hear conversations. It's too
012loud which is outstanding because before you never heard anything because everybody was looking down. So I think you're absolutely right. The more we can do the better. But obviously this is part of delivering the curriculum aspect and Sunday, you know, a lot of the companies, they're all digital. I mean, you know, digital. There's just no way around that. Sometimes >> they found a way to make money. >> They they did. They did. And you know, and the cost you're right, it's a lot of cost, but um it's like a it's like anything once you buy it, it's already started to depreciate things change and security with testing, some of the restrictions and things we have to have. But some of those are touch screens for our younger students. But yeah, it's quite expensive and um
013I think our kids do a pretty good job of taking care of them from what I know and because they are expensive and they're not paying for it, you know. So >> I think our elementary teachers too do a good job of trying to balance it. I mean they're trying to make sure they're not on there constantly because I've talked to several of them. So I think that's good. Speaking to wooden, I think it's also helped with discipline problems. >> Yes, it impacted. Imagine the the conversations keep things from escalating because right, but then also you don't get those little text messages where somebody's making fun of somebody at the did you see what he's wearing over there? What she's doing? Then there's response and then there's agitation and then escalation and then there's a
014problem. We deal with that all the time and we still deal with social media Mondays which stuff happens over the weekend and we have to clean it up on Monday. But I appreciate the the comments you each made. >> So I have a motion and a second. All in favor signify by stating I >> I motion carries. >> The next item is the IDOE STEM grant. We've been fortunate to receive that again this year enhancing our computer science offerings. Um we've have we have great staff and the right number of grants throughout the year and uh I've got one of them right here, one of our starters on the front row. Miss Adams does a fantastic job with grant for us. So thank you Miss Adams publicly. So I definitely recommend approval of the ideal
015east grant. Do I have a motion? >> I'll make the idea. >> I'll second. >> Any discussion? All in favor? Signify by stating I >> I >> opposed. Motion carries. >> Once again, we're getting into the donation section. And here we are coming up on the the season of Thanksgiving. This our community and we've talked about at every board meeting. You all have made comments. I've made them. We have such a generous supporting our students and our efforts here in Martinsville. So, I'll read them with the amounts and then vote them as a block that thank you Martinsville school community and our businesses and the service clubs. First one is from one of our service clubs. It's the Ctoma to the Martinsville High School academic ECA account. $800 donation from Greeks Pizzeria to the MSD
016of Martinsville Special Services Department for 840 donation from Indiana Pork Producers for to the FFA at Martinsville High School. $850 donation from Society of Indiana Pioneers to Green Township, $1,000. Donation from BK5K, that's the youth fund to Martinsville Orchestra, $1600. donation from the Clemens Family Foundation to Martinsville High School tennis in the amount of $2,000. I recommend approval all these generous donations. >> Okay. Do I have a motion? >> I'll make a motion we accept all of the generous donations. >> I'll second that. Heather. Any discussion? All in favor signify by stating I motion carries. Gonna be quick. Jackie, you got to Is there a ball game to watch tonight? >> Okay, I use a Is anybody using their device to see? >> Okay, I will we'll start out by making it quick, but uh
017happy Thanksgiving to the Martinsville school community. Um, this is one of my favorite holidays. I enjoy the opportunity to spend time with family and friends, the blessings that we all receive. It's also my favorite holiday because I can eat all I want, not get in trouble. I can lay around, watch a football game, and not get in trouble. Do you see a trend here? Uh, it's it's it is great. And I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and feel blessed. we all do up here. I know. Um I w want to also congratulate our fall teams, our competitors, our academic teams are just ramping up. You know, I think Martinsville High School qualified for Spellb Championship this year and that's the first time in a number of years. So really proud of them. The
018academic decathlon just ramping up. We had the math bowl spell. We have all this stuff happening all over. and I congratulate the kids. The high school had a great fall season um with each of their sports whether it be individual or team. Um so we congratulate them and thank them for their efforts. Watching those senior nights and seeing the the families uh experience that after going through 13 years of sports and competition is is very touching and we don't take that lightly as a community will offer that. Uh we definitely want to thank the high school uh administration, the athletic department, Mr. Stags, his team for hosting the numerous IHSAA events. We had one of our IHSA commissioners, assistant commissioners here uh recently and she pointed out that she didn't realize how many events Martinsville
019High School hosted for them. So that's a testament uh to our our facilities and also to our team because uh Kip and that group do a fantastic job and they know it's going to be done first class manner. I often share with the board um kudos from officiating crews uh visitors where they come and experience first class hospitality, a first class event and that's that's a testament to our people. So I wanted to give a public shout out to them. I'm thankful for them and what they do. Um I'm looking forward to seeing Shrek this weekend because I've never seen the musical. I've seen the movie. I've never seen the musical. excited to go see it and we'll try to watch both casts this weekend. But if you get a chance to go, they always
020do a great job. I don't care what the performance is, they do a phenomenal job. So, I'm excited about that. I'm thankful for our performing arts there. Mrs. Lips already went down all the departments, bus drivers, maintenance, and custodial and aids and food service. Am I missing any? And teachers and ad office staff, admin. thankful for all of them. Uh appreciate everything you do. We couldn't do it without you. That's all I have. >> Like to comment. Um I noticed that somebody is going to be retiring in our comments on our district. We're going to miss her. I appreciate her. >> You can say her name. >> Okay. I felt like I don't know if she is Mrs. Sonica, Lisa Sonica. And I thought the letter she wrote to us and it made me feel,
021you know, and we had two other people that had to resign and we're talking about how they didn't want to leave our district that they had things that forced them to where they had to make that decision. That makes you feel good that this community, this district. I did want to say that some people don't want to mention their names. >> I know she does, but they're very private people. So, >> but I did want to say that. And they did a great job with the eighth grade. I was at the eighth grade orientation vocational. The high school staff did an excellent job and they had business people there. It was great. Thanks to those businesses that shields I should mention everybody. >> You're right. >> I'd just like to wish everyone a very blessed
022Thanksgiving uh next week and you get to enjoy the couple days with your family and friends and spend that time and just reflecting on the many blessings that each of us have. you all enjoy that >> as well. Thanks for all you do. I know there's a lot of things to go unan in the world we're in, but I do appreciate what everybody does. You know, there's a new school. There's lots of excitement. There's other challenges within the organization that we address. We want to continue to have that feedback and things. It's great things. We need that feedback to continue to improve. I think it's important apps. >> Have a great Thanksgiving. It'll be a good trip. If you're traveling, stay safe. Just enjoy time. Enjoy time with people that that mean the most to
023you. >> Yep. Again, happy Thanksgiving everybody. Thank you for coming and we will see you all next month. Do I have a motion to >> I make a motion we adjourn. I'll second. >> All in favor signify by stating I. I. >> Thank you all.