001I love the school. Um, [music] the students are like really nice. Um the teachers [music] they really positive and yeah like the teachers in my old school I never asked questions with my teachers and now at this school since my mom went here so I [music] basically know all the teachers that's here. So now I can express to what I'm feeling and what I need to ask, my friends, you know. [music] Yeah. Cuz you know the education is pretty good. The the teachers are great, you know, but my friends is the best part. I like most about HM Central is definitely the students, the people, you know, all the people I met [music] uh since I've been here cuz I moved here on uh middle school. So like the people [music] have been great. I
002made a lot of memories since freshman year, uh sophomore year, all the years. [music] You know, some days you going to have days where like you don't want to come, but like like the days I come [music] like it get funner and funner as like I get in the older grade, but it's [music] not it's not easy, but like when you do what you got to do, it become easy. [music] So, it's really just chill for me. >> Good. There's never any like problems or nothing and it's always like good [music] vibes. Everybody's like chill. I like the people. I like the community. I would definitely say it's [music] fun. It's definitely creative. Like, you definitely don't know what you're going to get coming [music] through the door every day. In a in a good
003way, though. Um um I would [music] say it's safe. It's loving. Um it's definitely welcoming. >> The teachers the most [music] about the school. Yeah. Say my experience is pretty good. I don't have any complaints. >> Okay. atmosphere is good here and there's there's good people here because um when she teaches [music] it like actually makes me want to actually try the things she teaches cuz when she she does it is uh so like inspiring to me nation let's Hey, hey. I love the school. Um the students are like really nice. Um the teachers [music] they really positive and yeah like the teachers at my old school I never asked questions [music] with my teachers and now at this school since my mom went here so I basically know all the teachers that's here. So
004now I can express to what I'm feeling and what I need to ask, my friends, you know. Yeah, [music] cuz you know the education is pretty good. The the teachers [music] are great, you know, but my friends is the best part. I like most about him Central is definitely the students, the people, you know, all the people I met uh since [music] I've been here cuz I moved here uh middle school. So like the people have been great. I [music] made a lot of memories since freshman year, uh sophomore year, all the years. You know, some days you going to have days where like you going to come, but like like the days I come like [music] it get funner and funner as like I get in the older grade, but it's not [music] it's
005not easy. But like when you do what you got to do, it become easy. So it's really just chill for me. >> It's good. There's never any like problems or nothing and it's always like [music] good vibes. Everybody's like chill. I like the people. I like the community. I would definitely say it's [music] fun. It's definitely creative. Like, you definitely don't know what you're going to get [music] coming through the door every day. In a in a good way, though. Um um I would say it's safe. [music] It's loving. Um it's definitely welcoming. >> The teachers the most about the school. Yeah. Say my experience [music] is pretty good. I don't have any complaints. >> Okay. atmosphere is good here and there's there's good people here because um when she [music] teaches it like actually
006makes me want to actually try the things she teaches cuz the way she she does it is uh so like inspiring to me nation let's rock Hey, I love the school. Um the students are like really nice. Um the teachers [music] they really positive and yeah like the teachers at my old school I never ask questions with my teachers. And now at this school since my mom went here, so I basically know [music] all the teachers that's here. So now I can express to what I'm feeling and what I need to ask, my friends, you know. Yeah, [music] cuz you know the education is pretty good. the the teachers [music] are great, you know, but my friends is the best part. >> I like most about H Central is definitely the students, the people, you
007know, all the people I met uh since I've been here cuz I moved here on uh middle school. So like the people have [music] been great. I made a lot of memories since freshman year, uh sophomore year, all the years, you know. Some days you going to have days where like you don't want to come. But like [music] like the days I come like it get funner and funner as like I get in the older [music] grade but it's not it's not easy but like when you do what you got to do it become easy. So it's really just chill for me. >> Good. There's never any like problems or nothing and it's always like good vibes. [music] Everybody's like chill. I like the people. I like the community. [music] I would definitely say it's
008fun. It's definitely creative. Like, you definitely don't know what you're going to get coming through the door every day. [music] In a in a good way, though. Um um I would say it's safe, [music] it's loving. Um it's definitely [music] welcoming. >> The teachers the most about the school. My experience [music] is pretty good. I don't have any complaints. >> Okay. atmosphere is good here and there's there's good people here because [music] um when she teaches it like actually makes me want to actually try the things she teaches cuz the way she she [music] does it is uh so like inspiring to me nation let's Hey, hey. I love the school. Um the students are [music] like really nice. Um the teachers they really positive and yeah like the teachers at my old school I
009never asked questions with my teachers and now at this school since my mom went here so I basically [music] know all the teachers that's here. So now I can express to what I'm feeling and what I need to ask, my friends, you know. Yeah, cuz [music] you know the education is pretty good. The the teachers are great, you know, but my friends is the best part. I like [music] most about HM Central is definitely the students, the people, you know, all the people I met uh since I've [music] been here cuz I moved here uh middle school. So like the people [music] have been great. I made a lot of memories since freshman year, uh sophomore [music] year, all the years. You know some days you going to have days where like you don't want
010to come but like like the days I come [music] like it get funner and funner as like I get in the older grade but it's [music] not it's not easy but like when you do what you got to do it become easy. So it's really just chill for me. >> It's good. There's [music] never any like problems or nothing and it's always like good vibes. Everybody's like chill. I like the people. I like the community. I would definitely >> like to call uh to order our Tuesday, [clears throat] February 17th, 2026 regular school board meeting to order. Can we stand and pledge the allegiance to the flag? >> I aliance 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
011justice for all. >> That was phenomenal. >> Wow. >> Thank you, young folks. I love it. >> That's so encouraging. [laughter] [clears throat] >> Roll call of trustees. >> Trusty Spencer, >> present. >> Trusty Stanford, >> present. >> Trusty Candilera, >> present. >> Trusty Guerraraa, >> present. >> Trusty Blake King, present. We do have a quorum to move forward with our regular school board meeting. Mr. Selenus, please. >> Good evening, everyone. Um, before we start our meeting, I'd like to make a quick announcement. We are saddened to learn of the passing of Reverend Jesse Jackson, a tireless advocate for civil rights, justice, and equality. Reverend Jackson dedicated his life to uplifting communities, amplifying voices of the marginalized, and reminding us all of the power of hope, service, and unity. His legacy will continue to inspire
012generations to stand for what is right, and to work towards a more just and compassionate society. At this time, I ask that we pause and join together in a moment of silence to honor the life, legacy, and contributions of Reverend Jesse Jackson. Thank you. At this time, I'd like to call up Mr. Daniel Dalton, who will be uh providing us with a financial update. All right. Good. Good evening, school board members. Daniel Dalton, Senator Dalton, Municipal Adviserss. Can you hear me? All right. Okay. [clears throat] So, last month, I was here to present on the year-end financials. This evening, I am here to present on the financials through January 31st of 2026. So, as you will see once this is pulled up, The slide summarizes the beginning a second slide please. Uh summarizes the beginning
013balances, the year-to- date receipts, expenditures, and the ending balances as of month's end. Um in the education fund, you'll see where we started, what we received, what we expended, and where we ended at roughly $24.3 million. M >> you'll see in the debt service fund we ended the month with negative $1.8 8 million. And just as a footnote here, uh this is a property tax based fund and we uh as I explained last month, we have expenditures one month and then we receive property taxes the following month. And so this fund should be replenished in entirety by June. >> Okay? >> And then our next debt service payment will be in July. The operations fund, you'll see that we ended the month at $19.1 million. the rainy day fund, uh, $6.3 million, and the self-
014insurance fund, $3.3 million. Now, down below in that second chart, you'll see a listing of each of our title grant funds. Um, all of them are negative, but as I've mentioned in months prior, these are reimbursement based. And so that first one with a negative $1.8 million, yes, we've spent that money, but we have requested reimbursement for it. All right, next page, please. This is a one-mon overview of the education fund. So, we brought in about 7.4 million and we spent about $9.9 million. So, just slightly over budget in the >> Wait, say that again, please. >> So, we we received roughly $7.4 million in revenue >> and we expended about $9.9 million. >> Okay, I see that. Okay. Thank you. >> And the next page, this is the operations fund. We brought in $1.1
015million and we spent $2.9 million. However, this is also a property tax based fund where we will receive uh revenues in June and December based on property tax uh distributions from the county. And that's a natural course. [clears throat] We'll spend we'll spend more than we receive on any given month outside of June and December. >> [clears throat] >> Next page, please. This is the debt service fund. You can see that we have no revenue. That's typical. We had debt service obligations towards our um bonds and our common school loans that we had to make, right? And we will also receive property tax revenue in June and December to replenish what we have spent. And then this is the key page here. This is the budget versus actual chart which says the education fund we
016have spent roughly 12% of the budget in one month. As you will notice that's higher than 112th. >> Um that's pretty fairly typical. Um right off the bat at the beginning of the year we'll you know most school districts in the state of Indiana will spend more in January than they do for any given month. the debt service fund. You'll see that we've spent close to 40% of that already, but that's frontloaded by the debt service and will be replenished by property tax as I had mentioned. And then the third operations fund, we have spent roughly 10% of that budget through the first month of the year. >> So the overall spending roughly aligns with expectations for this point in the fiscal year. And um if there are any questions that the board would have
017for me, I'd be happy to answer. >> Any questions? Trustees. >> Trusty Spencer. >> No, I don't think so. >> Okay. Go ahead, sir. >> Thank you. [clears throat] >> So, the next two pages are just a monthby-month cash flow projection for calendar year 2026. So, this is the education fund and I know the text is quite small. Um, one second. So, this fund is projected to operate at a modest annual deficit, approximately $1.6 million from what we can say today versus what we can project through the next 11 months. That's the education fund. The good news is you you do have quite a substantial cash reserve balance to support additional operations. Now, my my focus for you would be let's let's take a look at the next five years. Let's do a five-year plan
018and say um five years from now, 2031, where do we sit? And I would say the same thing for the education fund and the operations fund which is on the next page. So in sum uh for this operations fund, you will notice that the projected deficit in this fund in the bottom right corner is $6.5 million lost to our cash reserve. >> That's based on current spend um with no adjustments made. And that that's assuming we spent the entire budget that was approved in the [snorts] fall. >> Approved by the board in the fall. >> Approved by the board, of course. So yes, we're cash balances are strong across across major funds. Um spending is tracking roughly close to what we budgeted back in the fall and projected deficits are manageable given current reserves. Um
019I would just recommend that we continue to monitor on a daily basis, on a weekly basis exactly what goes out the door in expenditures and what we bring in the door in revenues. just >> and that that that concludes my report. Madam trustee, go ahead. >> I have a question or two. Go ahead. If that's please. >> Sure. >> Um, so on this last page, the projected cash flow for the operations fund and I know we're only one month in, but if this were to stay how you put on here, we're at a deficit of six and a half million at the end of the year. How do we cover that? How do we I mean six and a half million I I don't think that's a small amount, >> right? So that's a great
020question. So we have we started the year with roughly $21 million in this fund. So that's just uh think of it as a separate bank account, right? Operations fund in the fund accounting would be its own bank account. Um we would end the year with roughly $14 million in that account because we burnt six and a half. [clears throat and cough] >> Your voice is dropping. Could you >> Oh, sorry. >> Repeat that please. So we we started the year with roughly $21 million in the operations fund >> and we ended the year with roughly $14.4 million as you can see in my projection. That means we burnt $6.5 million of our reserves. That doesn't mean we have to cover that deficit. It just means we're we're we're pulling from our cash balance reserve. >>
021Gotcha. And do these numbers reflect um any type of decline in the funding we may receive come the next school year? >> Precisely. Yes. Yes. So according to legislation Senate and rule back one everything like that one of the major drivers for reduced revenue will be increased circuit breakers which reduce the amount of property tax levy that the district can receive. And so we can levy property tax all day long, but we're going to see an increased circuit breaker impact because the state legislation approved this bill that says we want to save dollars, right, for each individual taxpayer. But by doing so, that strips away revenue from municipalities, from schools, counties, cities, towns, everything. [clears throat] >> And go ahead. I'm sorry. >> No, thank you. Mhm. >> And keeping in mind if I'm I'm
022not I'm clear that we did lose initially $8 million right off the bat from SP Senate Bill one. >> It will yes it will hit it will be reduced revenue. We haven't seen that loss [clears throat] yet but we will see it come this year come in June when we receive our first property tax settlement. >> Thank you. So >> and this took that into account already. >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> Okay. So we again we have to be mindful of our spending. I think we've done quite well under the new leadership and the new board. Uh [clears throat] we are going to take on our fidiciary responsibility extremely um well go ahead sir. Are you finished? >> That concludes my report unless there are further questions. >> We [clears throat] so appreciate you
023and uh we got to stay on top of these numbers and um thank you so much. Thank you, >> Mr. Selenas. >> Thank you, Mr. Dalton, for [clears throat] that information. Uh, and yes, uh, trustees and community, uh, we do have to be very, very mindful of the spending. We have to make sure that, um, all purchases are necessary and very, very, very much uh, needed to operate the district. As you can see, we are a district that um, has learned from the past and we don't want to be back into where we were in the future. So we will be making very very strategic decisions and also being very mindful of every dollar that we spend. Okay, we are ready for our celebration of Black History Month and we are going to begin our
024presentation by welcoming Burn Annie Burns Hicks Elementary School. [applause] And as you can see they came in deep today. Okay, they took about three, four rows of people, but I would like to welcome our principal, Miss Melinda Hawkins, to the podium. [cheering] [applause] >> Good evening, trustees, President Blake King, and Superintendent Selenus. I would like to take a moment quickly to acknowledge two precious members of our school family who have who we have recently lost. Summer Smith, one of our third graders, and my niece, uh, Kaylee Hawkins, one of our first graders. There have been no perfect words, uh, for moments like this in our school. The loss of our children has impacted every hallway, every pod, every classroom, and every heart in our building. Our students have felt it. Our staff has felt it.
025Our families have felt it. And yet, in the midst of Greece, I have seen extraordinary strength. Our teachers have shown up each day ready to teach, but also ready to listen. They've created space for questions, for tears, for memories. They've provided structure when students need needed stability and compassion when they needed comfort. Our student support specialists and social workers across the district mobilized immediately, ensuring students and adults had safe spaces and access to support. Our families extended grace and partnership. Our district leadership responded quickly with resources and most importantly care. Most importantly, our staff is taking care of one another. We have checked in. We have stepped in. We have leaned on each other just as family does. Summer and Kaye were loved deeply. They brought light into our classrooms and they will continue to
026be part of our school's history. While the grief is still present, I'm incredibly proud of how our building has responded, not just with professionalism, but with heart. We will continue to support our students as staff as we move forward and we will continue to do what we are called to do. Show up for our children every single day. I want to say thank you for all of the support that our school has received um in the loss of two students one month apart and we are very grateful for all the support we have had. But on the bright side, I am so proud of these friends who are here with us. They are going to present um a poem for us that they've been practicing. And I want to give special shout out to um
027Miss Leland. She is our fourth through six specialed resource teacher and she is um amazing with our children, with our families and I could not be prouder of the work that she is doing with our students. So take it away, Miss Leland. [clears throat] >> [applause] >> Okay, we are Eddie Burn Six. We are the Bulldogs and we would like to honor Miss Annie Burns Hicks to start. So, this is a brief slideshow to introduce her to many of you who may not know. Thank you. Annie and her family moved to Hammond from down south for her father's job as a preacher and he became a longtime reverend of the historic Mount Zion Baptist Church. That is her and her siblings and her and Reverend Burns and Mary Burns. Next slide. A true scholar, Annie
028Bernick graduated from Ball State University and obtained her mers from Depal University. In her teaching years, she was hired by the school city of Hammond to teach at Maywood Elementary School, my alma mater. She taught at Maywood for over 40 years and helped create the first all-day kindergarten program. Miss Annie, go back. Miss Annie had to file a lawsuit against the school city of Baham because the superintendent at the time was not ready to hire a black teacher. She won that case and began her career and stayed there for 40 years. Annie, Miss Annie along with her kindergarten colleagues such as Miss Stall started the reading initiative and helped to create the first full day kindergarten. In her after years, this wall must come down. Most of us was Oh, next slide. Most of us
029were present the day that Maywood Elementary School became Annie Burns Elementary. The school was lined with children. We did a parade. She was so excited to be there and it was just one of those moments where you just you felt the the feelings. You know what I mean? Um what a moment it was for Ham in history. Many of us were present. [clears throat] Next slide. Can you play this video please? This is our inspiration and it says Mary Burns but it was actually this is a quote from Miss Annie Bernix on this video. >> Is there there no video there? PDF. >> Oh, I'm sorry. Well, the video states that that sometimes we sit around as a community and we're waiting on others to do something. We're waiting on you. And she wants us
030to be the people to step up. It is our turn to be that person. Don't wait on anyone else to make it happen. It's time for these kiddos to make it happen. And so, that's what they're here to do. Our Annie Burntix is our trailblazer in education. and we lost her in 2024. She leaves a legacy of ambition, perseverance, and the pursuit of higher education. Thank you, Miss Annie. [applause] >> Everywhere we go, [singing] >> who we are. So we tell them >> So we tell them >> we are the Bulldogs. [singing] >> We are the Bulldogs. >> The Burns Bulldogs. [singing] >> We are the Bulldogs. >> The Burns Hicks Bulldogs. >> The Bick Bulldogs. >> Every morning after our pledge of allegiance, we say words of affirmation. Most schools do pledges. Not at
031Burns Elementary School. We have a bulldog salute. I'll give you a beat. I can't achieve. If I try, I can. I can learn. I smart. I have my heart. I am a bulldog. I am strong. I show respect to get along. I am worth it. When I tell my PEOPLE [applause] AWESOME. [applause] And last, but certainly not least, if you've been to any of our recent Black History programs, there is a very important poem that we state. [clears throat] We've been teaching our kids this poem since they were mostly in kindergarten. And it's just something that we uh hold to heart. It's something that's very important to us to remind ourselves how important we are. Although others may want to put you down, you will not put yourself down. Right. Right. Here we go. >>
032Hey child. Hey child. Do you know who you are? Who you really are? Do you know you can be what you want to be if you try to be what you can be? >> Hey black child, do you know where you're going? Where you're really going? Do you know you can learn? What you want to learn? If you try to learn what you can learn, do you know you are strong? I mean really strong. Do you know you can do what you want to do? If you try to do what you can do. Hey black child, be what you can be. Learn what you must learn. Do what you can do. And tomorrow will be what you want it to be. [cheering] >> [applause] >> Thank you so much for having us. [applause] >> I
033got to start dressed up. So cute. >> [applause] >> And please come see us on Thursday, February 26. We'll have a wonderful presentation. >> 26. >> We truly thank the Annie Burns Hicks Bulldogs and your entire staff, Mrs. Hawkins, uh, Miss Leland, and, uh, your assistant. Do I see Miss Stokes? Yeah, Miss Stokes. And, uh, I, uh, my heart is full. Woo. I am just full because this is the culmination. This is why we do this because this is the results of academic achievement and self-esteem and critical thinking. This is what we're about. Thank you so much. continue to be what you are because you are that person that you said. [applause] All right, super superintendent. See, y'all took her breath away. Thank you again, Burns Hicks. Thank you again for being here, for inspiring
034us. We are now going to also be very, very blessed by another performance. We're going to invite um our fifth grade student, Leila Cross, from Edison Elementary. [applause] [sighs] >> Mr. Grim, would you like to give an introduction? All right, Mr. Grim. >> Mr. Grim uh principal of Edison will be uh introducing. Thank you, Mr. Grim. Superintendent. [snorts] >> Hi, uh board. Thank you for having us here. Uh I'm very excited to introduce one of our future well present and growing future musicians, Leila Cross. Uh Leila is one of our fifth grade students as Superintendent Selena said. She is a amazing presence in the school. Uh spreads her joy wherever she goes. I I heard that she had performed well multipo times. She comes from a performing family in the back. Um and I heard
035that she had put on some performances about [laughter] payday. Very proud family. and uh I asked if she might be interested in uh singing a song for us at the board meeting and she immediately got on board. I also have to add uh I I told uh mom and dad in the back I would do this. I was very blessed many years ago to uh work with Leila's older brother Josiah that's now at Aurora College going to Chicago State to play football next year. So go Josiah. >> Oh my goodness. [applause] >> Chicago State. You're broken down and tired of living life on Merry go around and you can find the fighter, [singing] but I see in you. So we going to walk it out [music] and move mountains. We going to walk it out
036and move mountains. And I'll rise up. [singing] I'll rise like the day. I'll rise up. I'll rise unafraid. I'll rise up and I'll do it a thousand times again. I'll rise up high like the waves. I'll rise up in spite [singing] of the egg. I'll rise up and I'll do it a thousand times again [singing] for you. [singing] For you. For you. [singing] When the silence isn't quiet and you feel like it's getting hard to breathe, but I know you're feeling like dying. [singing] But I promise we'll take the world to his feet and move mountains. Bring it to his feet and move mountains and I'll rise up. I'll rise like today. I'll rise [singing] up. I'll rise under Friday. I'll rise [screaming] up and I'll do it a thousand [singing] times again for you.
037[singing] >> [applause] >> Oh my god. [applause] >> And I would like to shout out my dad and the cross clan. >> Oh [applause] my goodness. We We have to have a photo. Photo. >> All right. Uh, Miss Leila Cross and family, please come up to the front for a picture. >> Oh my goodness. >> Miss Leila Cross and family, please come up to the front for a picture. your autograph. >> So, we got in church. Yes. >> [applause] >> want to give a quick shout out to Miss Matis on keyboard. SHE'S OUR [applause and cheering] OH, how wonderful. We we were able to hear Lala at the Martin Luther King March. She did the Star Spangle Banner, which is an extremely difficult song to sing, and she I mean, she belt it out. So
038again, let's give her another big round of applause. Thank you for this talent [applause] the school city has to offer. So to all the haters, just watch our school board meetings and watch our kids. [laughter] All right, m Mr. Superintendent. >> What can I say? >> Thank you again, Burnt Six and Edison. That was amazing. Thank you for starting us off right this evening. Okay, uh we're going to move on to our first period of public expression. Uh Trusty Stanford. >> All right, we have one speaker for first session and that's Dr. Michaela. >> Mr. Selenus, do you want to let the students know if they don't want to stay for our boring board meeting stuff now [laughter] when it gets boring? >> So, uh any parents, if you are interested in uh leaving the
039meeting now, please do so at this time. Uh we will be here for about an hour. You're welcome to stay, but if you need to get uh home, we definitely understand. And thank you for joining us this evening. >> It's great time to leave the meeting. I agree. No offense to you. >> So, we all want to make sure that we're able to continue to do the types of things and beyond that our students were h were were we were so happy to see our students share with us tonight. Um, but the financial projections are literally just what I've been saying and other people have been saying. And we've known since April of 25. And this is the thing. I mean, I could read you my notes from September 30th, um, in which I say,
040"Hey, we've added 35 positions." Now, I don't have a problem being honest with people because I there there's no cost for me to be honest. So, I will say maybe what other people do not want to blatantly say, which is when you're having issues both on the education side and the operations side, budget-wise, that has to do with you adding 35 new positions. And that's the thing like [clears throat] there hasn't, as far as I know, been any kind of and it's hard to know, right? Because we used to have an entire thing. We used to look at the entire report. The entire report used to be uploaded along with some of these summary things. You know, we don't have access to that in the way that we used to and we need to >>
041because I would I would love to be proved wrong. Absolutely. I would I would love for things to be easier. I would love for us to be able to just kind of be like, "Oh, everything's fine and good because I believe in this board and I believe in the intentions of this board." And I believe those are good intentions and I believe that there's a lot of people that sometimes may give information that's just not accurate. But if we're talking about adding 35 positions and we knew in April, it wasn't a mystery. We knew when we had our budget hearing, also not a mystery. And trust me, I have again and again spoken to many people and said there has to be honesty about the impact of all of these new positions. And whether or
042not that has taken place privately, I have no idea. But it should have happened up here tonight. Somebody should have said to you that staffing is part of that equation. That 35 new positions that were not previously in existence, that's part of it. And I'm not talking about the ones that have funding attached to them. I'm talking about the ones where we don't know where we're going to get the money from. Thank you. Thank you. That ends first session. [clears throat] M superintendent, may I want to pause for a second here um just for clarity purposes and I I say this with all the um intent for clarity. When we came on as a board in a new administration, [clears throat] the first superintendent that took over in July indicated under no uncertain terms that
043the cut was too deep. DEP and we are having there will be a public work session that will explain in detail what this board and this administration has done financially to cut. And uh so please uh [clears throat] stay tuned. And as far as 35 new employees >> [clears throat] >> No, no, that didn't happen because um we have to operate. We have to provide our students with resources and certified instructors. So, nothing new. They weren't new. So, let's be clear. and our public works session that will be either the 2nd or the 4th uh Tuesday of next month will clear all of this up. Thank you, Mr. Superintendent. Our next agenda item is unfinished business and at this time there is no unfinished business. So, we will move on to the uh minutes. >>
044Okay. [clears throat] Trustees, what's your pleasure of our minutes? We have minutes of January 6th, January 20th, executive session, special board meeting January 6, and approve a school school board meeting minutes [clears throat] January 20th. There's your pleasure, please. May I have a motion? >> Madame President, >> Trusty Candelera, >> I move for the approval of items A and B, the approval of the executive session minutes January 6, 2026 and January 20, 2026 as presented. >> A second, please. >> Second. It's been moved and properly seconded by Trustee Spencer to approve the uh minutes of January 6 and January 20 executive sessions. Are there any questions? >> Any questions? All in favor say I. >> I. >> Motion carry. Thank you. >> I need a motion. >> Madam President, >> Trusty Spencer, >> I move
045for the approval of the special board meeting minutes from January 6, 2026. >> Do I hear a second? >> Second. It's been moved and properly seconded by Trusty Candelera for the approval of special board meeting minutes for January 6, 2026. Are there any questions? Any questions? All in favor say I. >> I. >> Opposed? Eyes have it. And finally, item D. Wear a motion. >> Madam President, >> Trusty Canela, >> I move for the approval of item D, the approval of the school board meeting minutes January 20, 2026 as presented. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. It's been moved and properly seconded by Trusty Spencer for the approval of schoolboard minutes uh January 20, 2026. Any questions? Any questions? All in favor say I. >> I have it. Motion carried. >> Mr. Selenus.
046>> Thank you. Our next agenda item is the consent agenda. >> Trustees, before us, we have our consent agendum items A through F. What's your pleasure, >> Madam President? >> Trusty Canelera. I move for the approval of items A through E as presented. Do >> a second. >> Second. >> It's been moved and promptly second for the approval of our consent agenda items A through E. Is there any questions? >> I would like to read the accounts payable docket register. >> Trusty Stanford >> dated February 17, 2026, consisting of 324 pages. Total claims 1,986,59469. and total payroll 2,653,431 [clears throat] even. >> Thank you, Trusty Stafford. Also, uh I would like Mr. Selenas to um talk about item B, donations. Something we've never shared before, but it's incredible the outpour of donations we receive from
047people. It's amazing. People believe in us. So, moving forward, we're going to acknowledge these donations. Trustees, I mean, Superintendent Spencer, Superintendent, uh, you know, that drives. [laughter] >> You over there, right? >> Yes, I understand. Um, so again, as Trusty uh Blake King mentioned, we we have several uh organizations, community members who have been very generous with um their donations to our corporation. Uh again, as you can see, in a corporation this size, there's always needs that come up, whether they be supplies or whether they be uh opportunities for professional development. And these are not just individuals, but a lot of them, such as Project Lead the Way, have helped us u with uh fraing costs for teacher training and those kind of things. So, one of the things that we want to do is
048just go on record thanking our donate our our donors for that. But we are going to officially in the future uh invite our donors to the meeting just to say thank you and to say to people that there are people who do believe in us. They know that we are in a situation where finances may be challenging and they have stepped up to make these realities possible for our students and we say thank you. >> Thank you Mr. Selenas. Okay, we've had the motion the second and the question. Uh do we have a vote? All in favor say I. >> I. I. >> Any oppose? >> Abstain. eyes have it. Thank you. Motion carried. [clears throat] All right, moving right along, Mr. Selenus. [clears throat] Okay, our next item is new business. And we're going
049to start with item A, which is the [clears throat] approval of the 2026 27 and the 202728 school year calendar. And before we uh ask for an approval, I'd like to call our director of elementary, Dr. Dr. Denise Eisman to the podium who would like to share some remarks regarding this process. >> Absolutely. She needs a meadow. [laughter] >> Good evening, President Blake King, members of the board, Superintendent Selenas. Tonight, I am requesting that the proposed 26 27 2728 school calendars uh be approved. This recommendation comes from a very intentional process that prioritized student learning, staff sustainability, and family predictability and was built through a strong collaboration across the district. >> Before we even place dates on a calendar, we began with one guiding question. What calendar structure best supports teaching and learning over the
050course of an entire school year? Because a calendar is not just operational. It shapes instruction planning and the overall rhythm of our schools. A major part of this work involved listening. We surveyed surveyed both parents and staff and participation was strong. We heard the same remarkably consistent families wanted predictability and early planning. Staff wanted a balanced semester [clears throat] and well-placed breaks that supported instruction momentum. and both groups valued calendars that feel thoughtful rather than reactive. The feedback directly influenced the calendar that you see tonight. We also reviewed calendars from neighboring districts across Lake County. This allowed us to consider regional alignment where appropriate and particularly for families with children in multiple districts and for shared programming. We did not aim for identical calendars, but we thought and aimed for thoughtful coordination. And I want
051to highlight what I truly believe is the real strength of this recommendation. This calendar was developed alongside school administrators, teachers, and union leadership. There were multiple drafts, meaningful conversations, and respectful problem solving. Throughout the process, what stood out to me was the shared commitment to finding solutions that support students while also respecting staff needs. Honestly, it was a collaborative process that I genuinely en enjoyed and I also think in that spirit is reflected in the final product. If you were part of that committee, if you would stand up, please. I know I've got some of my colleagues [applause] here. I saw you here a minute ago. Balance instruction, time across semesters, strategically placed breaks, support pacing, and wellness, all within the instructional guidelines from the Indiana State. When a calendar is welldesigned, you don't always
052notice it, but you feel the impact. At this time, we respectfully recommend approval of their calendars, and I want to thank our families, staff, and administrators for their thoughtful input throughout this process. Do you have any questions? >> Any questions for the board? >> Thank you. >> Thank [clears throat] you. >> Wow. >> So, we need a motion. >> Madam President, >> Trustee Spencer, >> I move for the approval of the 2026, 2027, and 2027, 2028 school year calendars. >> Second. been moved and properly seconded by Trustee Kendalla that we approve uh the [clears throat] approval of the 2026, 2027, and 2027, 2028 school year calendars. Are there any questions? Any questions? All in favor say I. >> Any oppose? Eyes have it. Motion carried. Item B. This is simple enough. >> Uh do I
053hear a motion for item B? the approval of disposition of outstanding checks. >> Madam President, >> Trusty Spencer, >> I move for the approval of disposition of outstanding checks. >> Second. >> It's been moved and properly second for for the approval of disposition of outstanding checks. Are there any questions? Any questions? All in favor say I. >> I. Any oppose? Eyes have it. Motion carried. Thank you. Item C, approval of partnershipou with Calcid College of St. Joseph. Um, Mr. Selena's little explanation there. >> Absolutely. Uh this item was submitted by Dr. Eisman. Uh this is a partnership with Cay College for the placement of of teacher candidates. This agreement outlines roles, responsibilities, and expectations to ensure a structured and supportive clinical experience that benefits both teacher candidates and our students. So once again, this is
054a intentional way to strengthen our uh teacher pipeline for the future. >> Thank you. Do I hear a motion? >> Madame President, >> Trusty Candelera, >> I move for the approval of the partnershipou with Cal College of St. Joseph as presented. >> Do a second. >> Second. >> It's been moved and properly second by uh Trusty Guerrero for the approval of the partnership with with Cal College. Are there [clears throat] any questions? Any questions? All in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? Eyes have it. Motion carried. Thank you. Item D, approval of partnership agreement with Indiana University Northwest. It's basically the same thing. Uh, do I hear a motion? >> Madam President, >> Trusty Candelera, >> I move for the approval of the partnership agreement with Indiana University Northwest as presented. >> Second.
055>> It's been moved and properly second by Trusty Spencer for the approval of the partnership agreement with Indiana University Northwest. Are there any questions? Any questions? All in favor say I. >> I. >> Any oppose? Motion carried. Thank you. Oh, item E, our last one, approval of contract extension with food 25 school. A little explanation, Mr. Silliness. >> Sure. This was submitted by our food service director, Lynn Sturl. And this is a uh co-op. And so we would benefit by being part of this co-op because it significantly reduces food costs, increases a broader range of products for our students, and guarantees compliance, ensuring all products and processes meet strict state and federal USDA regulations. By joining the foodtoschool purchasing cooperative, we have benefited from substantial cost savings by leveraging collective buying power for cafeteria food
056supplies and services. >> Thank you. Do I hear a motion? Madam President, >> Trusty Spencer, >> I move for the approval of contract extension with food to school. >> Second. >> It's been moved and properly seconded by Trusty Candela for the approval of contract extension with food 25 school. Are there any questions? Any questions? All in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? Motion carry. Thank you. The next thing is our calendar and let's share that with you right now. [clears throat and cough] Uh, Tuesday, March 3rd, executive session, 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 3rd, uh, regular school board meeting at 6 PM, administration center. Tuesday, March 17th, executive session, 5:15 5:15 p.m. administration center. And Tuesday, March 17th, regular schoolboard meeting, 6 p.m. administration. Uh, this is subject to change. Also, we will be
057uh uh scheduling a meeting either the second or fourth Tuesday in March for a public work session. Uh and at that work session uh Mr. Selenus will be basically given like a state of the state of the school city finance report and we additionally we will have a u an analysis of the esser two and three funding and co money that was spent and that that would be presented by our financial consultant for transparency. So uh that is our calendar and also uh principles and teachers and various departments you know every third Wednesday we'd be on WJO. So if there anyone out there want to be on WJO next month uh call Mrs. Lopez so we can get you on there and get that get get that programming going. And also for next month we
058always want to have at least uh two student bodies presenting uh their and showcasing their their talent. So get with Mrs. uh Anna on that as well. Okay, that's our school board meetings. What's next? >> Our next item is public expression second period. Trusty Stanford. >> All right, second period. We have one person and that is Dr. Michaela. Good evening again. So, I'm going to now read to you what is already in record from September 30th. That was my public comment at the time. It's already in the record. We've already heard me say all these words before, but that's fine because yes, the number was 35. Uh, and keep in mind that was the number as of September 30th, which was you had one on the personnel report from January 21st. So people at home
059feel free follow along on the personnel reports. One on March 4th, zero in March 18th. Wonderful. One in March 13th, one in March, I'm sorry, May 13th, one on May 30 20th. Uh, that was funded from education fund. um four from the education fund and two from operation fund on June 18th. Five from July. I at the time had said I believe that one of those might have been miscatategorized and may not have been a new uh position but unclear. One from July 15th, four from the education fund on August 5th. Um and those are just the ones that are not actually funded by something else, right? We're talking about just stuff that pulls from one of your two major funds. If there was another funding source identified, I didn't count that. Um, seven from
060the August 19th report and that was six from the education fund and and no fund was listed on one of those. Four from the second. That was probably the night I made one of my first comments about this because it it was getting a little worrying by this point. On the 23rd, there were five um that were not tied to any kind of enrollment and four of those were out of operations. Um and that was the count at the time. That wasn't even the count now. So yes, th those were the numbers. You can look at the personnel report and I've said this before and at no point did anyone contest this before and it's not if I'm reading a personnel report and it says new position. That's a thing. And see this is the
061thing. Real support looks like this. Yeah, real support also looks like bringing money to the school corporation. I applaud people that do that. I encourage people to do that. Um, I'm not someone who would ever want my name read up on a mic or thanked public freely for anything because that would make me wildly uncomfortable. I'm never anyone who's going to stand up here and talk about anything I've done other than this kind of thing where yes, that's what occurred. I'm not an enemy of the school corporation. I'm not a former superintendent on the internet talking about who I think should be your next superintendent. I didn't run this school into the ground. I'm just trying to help protect you from the people who did. >> Thank you. >> That ends second session. >> Where
062are we? >> Superintendent report. >> All right. [clears throat] Good evening everyone. Uh thank you for being here today. I would like to begin this evening by extending our sincere appreciation to all of our parents and guardians who attended our parent teacher conferences today. Your presence and partnership make a tremendous difference in the academic success of our students. When families and schools work together, students thrive. So, thank you very much for being in attendance this evening for our parent teacher conferences. We also want to thank our students, our staff, and our families for their participation in today's asynchronous e-learning day. Your flexibility and commitment to maintaining the continuity of instruction is greatly appreciated and reflects the shared dedication we have to ensuring that learning continues both inside and outside of the classroom. So again, today
063was both an asynchronous e-learning day and also parent teacher conference day um across our schools. As we continue to celebrate Black History Month, we want to express our gratitude to our outstanding students and staff who have shared their talents, voices, and stories with us throughout this month. performances, presentations, and leadership remind us that black history is American history and that our diversity is one of our greatest strengths. We look forward to many more meaningful celebrations and recognitions across our schools as we continue honoring the contributions and achievements of black leaders, past and present. We have several uh wonderful opportunities this month at our schools to celebrate Black History Month, and we're looking forward to that. I would also like to uh share an important reminder with our community. The city of Hammond Gaming Advisory Committee
064is currently accepting applications for funding. All applications must be submitted by online by February 20th to be considered. We encourage eligible groups and organizations to take advantage of this opportunity. And so we are asking for anybody in our school corporation who would like to uh be considered for this to please submit your application by Friday the 20th. Also, this Friday, we'll be we will be hosting a dual language parentformational meeting at 10 a.m. at our early learning center. Is that correct? Yes. Um, we invite families who are interested in learning more about our dual language programming to attend and discover the many benefits this program offers for our students and communities. And finally, this evening, we are proud to recognize one of our own Mortyn High School graduate Christian Williams. Let me tell you a
065little bit about Christian Williams. He is currently a senior at Lincoln University of Missouri. Lincoln University is proud to recognize Christian's achievements as a marketing major who consistently demonstrates excellence, creativity, and leadership. Christian, who is set to graduate in spring of 2026, was recently selected for the prestigious H.B.CU Honors Media Futures Fellowship, an elite opportunity for high achieving students who make significant contributions to their institutions and communities. Christian's selection for the H.B.CU VCU honors program underscores his academic accomplishments and leadership at Lincoln University. His commitment to his studies, passion for marketing and branding, and ability to represent his university on a prominent platform positions him as a true role model for his peers and a shining example of the success that begins right here in the school city of Hammond. We are incredibly proud of
066him and look forward to celebrating all that he will accomplish in the future. Congratulations, Christian Williams. the mansion. [applause] >> That was so exciting. >> I was looking for Mrs. Wheeler. There she is being all modest. >> Smile on the mansion. >> There you go. [laughter] You don't have your tambourine on standby. >> All right. And thank you as always for your continued uh partnership, dedication, and support uh of our students and our families. Together we continue to move forward with hope, pride, and purpose. Thank you everyone and have a wonderful evening. [clears throat] >> Thank you, Mr. Selenus. Any reports from the board? Any comments, reports, black history moments, or anything? Well, I would just like to leave with this note. Um, this is Black History Month [clears throat] and uh I think I've
067overdosed on Michelle Obama, our first African-American uh first lady, United States of America. And it was something in all of her books and commentaries that I've read, becoming and all of that, and it was one word that resonated so well, and it was effort. her parents taught her, you got to put forth the effort. So that's my message to all of our students, just as black history, but to all of our students. We have to put forth the effort. Parents, we have to help our students put forth that effort. Teachers, we just got to go above and beyond considering what we're facing in this global economy and what's going on in our United States of America effort. And once we know we've put our best foot forward, we've done all that we can do, the
068results will be phenomenal. And I'm going to leave you with this old negro hymn. You all were familiar with James Cleveland. Oh my lord. The name of it is I ain't no ways tired. >> I don't sing, but I can sure talk it. I don't feel no ways tied. I've come too far from where I started from. Nobody told me that the road would be easy. I don't believe he brought me this far to leave me. I don't believe he brought me this far to leave me. I've been in trouble. I don't believe he's brought me this far to leave me. But God brought me. I've been friendlinessless. I don't believe he brought me this far to leave me. School city of Hammond. He didn't bring us this far to leave us. Do I hear
069a motion to adjurnn? So >> moved. Second. >> Motion to journ. Thank you.