001Hey, I love the school. Um, the students are like [music] really nice. Um the teachers they really positive and yeah like the teachers at my old school I never asked questions with my teachers and now at this school since my mom went here. So [music] I 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. Yeah, cuz you know [music] 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 uh since I've been here cuz I moved [music] here uh middle school. So like the people have been great. I [music] made
002a 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 going 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 [music] 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 [music] never any like problems or nothing and it's always like good vibes. Everybody's [music] 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 way, though.
003Um um I would say it's safe. It's loving. Um it's definitely welcoming. The teachers the [music] most about the school. Yeah. 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 [music] um when she teaches it like actually makes me want to actually try the things she teaches cuz the way she [music] 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 ask questions with my teachers. And now at this school since my mama went here, so I basically [music] know all the teachers that's here. So now I can
004express 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 I've been here [music] cuz I moved here on uh middle school. So like [music] the people have 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 like the days I [music] come like it get funner and funner as like I get in the older grade [music] but it's not 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. [music] I would definitely say it's 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 >> Good evening. Welcome to our Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025 special board meeting regarding our teachers contract. Um, pledge of >> allegiance. 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 justice for all. >> Thank you, Mr. Selenas. Roll
006call. >> Oh, roll call. Okay. >> Trusty Guierra, >> present. >> Trustee Spencer, >> present. >> Trusty Stafford, >> present. >> Trusty Candela, >> present. >> Trusty Blake King, present. We have five present. We do have a quorum. We can move forward. Mr. Selenus. >> Good evening, trustees. President Blake King, community members, and members in the audience. The first agenda item for today is uh our public expression first period. Trusty Stanford. >> Thank you. First speaker is Marsha Shanik. >> Shash Shenik. I'm so sorry. >> I'm gonna get it. >> My name is Marcia Shennik. I am the elementary trustee for the Hammond Teachers Federation. I was also part of the negotiations team for the Hammond Teachers Federation. I teach fourth grade at Edison Elementary School. I've been teaching in Hammond for over 40 years.
007I am not at all proud of this settlement. I am not at all proud of how the negotiations process was conducted. I'm not sure what instructions were given to the team representing the school city of Hammond, but I can't say I'm proud of the work that was done. I'd like to draw your attention to page 16 in appendix A. I made several comments a week ago. the things that need to be corrected. We still have problems here in appendix A, the salary range 49,000 to 86,000. I'm not sure why this new salary range does not reflect the raise in the base pay, nor why the appendix B, why those salaries weren't adjusted up the $1,000 to represent the raise in the base pay. >> Excuse me. Could you go back to your first >> uh
008uh page 16? >> My page 16 is a is a signin sheet. >> Well, okay. >> My page 16 is appendix A. And and here in here in is another problem is that there were so many collective bargaining agreements shifted around. Now it's this one. No, now it's this one. No, now it's this copy. That's a problem in itself. >> Thank you. Uh, so I I'm in appendix A. I should maybe I should say that. Okay, appendix A. Uh, at near the top the salary range 49,000 to 86,000. I'm not sure why those salaries weren't adjusted to ref to uh reflect the new increase in base pay. Then at the bottom, the schedule is suspended for the 2526 school year. That was never brought up during the negotiations process. I don't know why that is
009part of the collective bargaining agreement. We never agreed to that. I we I have teachers now saying, "Well, what does this mean for us? What does this mean? How am I going to get paid?" I I don't know how to answer those questions. On page 17, the provisions regarding the salaries of new hires reflected will be in effect for the 2425 school year. New teachers want to know what does what does this mean for us? What does this mean for the 2526 school year? I don't know how to answer those questions for them. Just go to the next one. >> At what point? Okay. [clears throat] For clarity purposes, there were several, if I understand, there were several concerns that you had at the last meeting. Were those two issues part of that? May I
010ask the question? Is that in order? Because I don't recall those two issues. >> Yes, I brought those up at that meeting. >> So, an additional My understanding was it things were corrected. So, when So, you're saying when you got the new >> Mhm. >> that it still remained in there. >> Okay. Thank you. Mhm. >> Um maybe we should take a recess so that we can talk to our labor attorney and get this figured out. >> Trustees, do I have a motion for a recess? >> I have a motion for a move for a recess. >> Second. >> It's been moved and probably second that we take a recess. U an 8 minute recess. >> What did she say? >> 10 minutes. >> Five or 10? >> 10. If we need If we need
011If we don't need all the 10, we will be back. Is that good? Okay. Thank you. I mean, >> I can't get in. So, I can't [music] Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Data. Nah. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. [music] Heat. >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Thank you for your patience. We're back in session. Uh Tuesday, December uh 2nd, 2025, special meeting on our teachers contract. Uh we will now have attorney Dixon to >> We need to finish public expression. >> Oh, public. I'm sorry. >> No problem. >> Okay, next and last speaker, Dr. Michaela. Hi everybody. Good good evening. I just want to say like is a person that's a completely like external party to everything. I don't get the sense that the board is trying
012to do anything contentious or that the teachers are trying to do anything contentious here. I think everybody wants a good solution, wants to come together in a good way, but it just it's it's a little befuddling when somehow even though nothing else has changed, there's all the stuff in the middle that gets in the way. I just I hope we can get something done today, tomorrow, etc. with state whatever that moves things forward so that immediately we can kind of turn over a new leaf or build a better foundation for something going forward because I think there are so many people who are perhaps even more external than I am to this situation that want some contentious nonsense or to put a bad impression out there and for whatever reason that all this confusion has
013happened Um now um you know there's a lot of people that are going to try to make this into something that isn't. But I I truly believe again I'm always encouraging every school board your governing body. You are the legal authority. You're the people that are legally responsible for everything. And if it's just like a procedural thing where now maybe the old system of let's let other people do the thing and we're going to trust somebody else to handle it and trust everybody to do the thing is not working anymore. then maybe let's just re-evaluate that moving forward because I definitely of all the situations in this county where you know I might have expected something like this to happen it wasn't here and I don't think it happened again because anybody having any ill
014will toward anybody else I think just at the end of the day there's a lot of pressure and there's a lot of learning curve as I think people are trying to learn new ways to go about things in a in a better fashion. And I really do feel like, you know, the board is trying its best. The teachers are trying their best. You know, I believe this board wants to support teachers. And again, like maybe we just need a more active role moving forward. At the end of the day, that's not a thing that you're not allowed to do. It's all there in state statute. At the end of the day, everybody else is your employee. Everybody else. Um, so do without what you may and I'll be praying for a good outcome. So, thank
015you so much and and thank you to the teachers in the union. >> Thank you. That's our last speaker for public expression. >> Thank you, Trusty. Thank you, [clears throat] Trusty Stanford. Before we go to uh item three, a we would like our our [clears throat] corporate attorney uh attorney um Dixon to come before the board, please. >> Thank you, Madam President. Members of the board, uh tonight you'll be voting on the recommended contract between the School City of Hammond and the Hammond Teachers Federation. Uh the two teams we have been meeting since September. Um I feel and I thought the team felt that we came up with a resolution that satisfies both parties. Um we worked very hard and I felt had productive meetings. I will say um to address concerns that have been
016addressed tonight. Um I believe there may be a disconnect between um individuals and uh the attorney for the Hammond Teachers Federation, attorney Jeff Macy from Indianapolis. Appendix A, which is the question tonight, that was submitted uh by attorney Macy. Um and uh we looked at that and we were fine with that, but that came from their attorney. Um as far as appendix B, at the bottom of appendix A, it [snorts] does state effective January 1st, 2022, a salary schedule with equal differentials has been incorporated. This schedule is suspended for the 2526 school year. Mr. Attorney Macy was also involved in that. The next page starts out with forformational purposes only and then goes on to explain what that salary schedule does, which is not effect in effect for this year nor was it in effect
017for last year. Um, as far as the $1,000 under the compensation model, uh, the teacher is given $500 an increase for an eval for their evaluation if they're highly effective or effective. [snorts] Um, as Miss Smith spoke about last week. Also, for experience, um, if they have a minimum of 120 paid days a previous school year, they receive another 500, which equates to the 1,000. [snorts] Um, and it has to be split up. Um, you cannot put uh all your eggs in one basket as they say down in Herb. Uh, we then have for the academic needs of students, we gave a $250 increase to the base salary upon notification of cert certification uh for the early literacy certification. Uh, the state has re uh required that we uh recognize that and we agreed to
018give $250 for that. [snorts] It also talks about the teacher uh retention of a $750 stipend, teacher cost of living of a $500 onetime stipend. [snorts] Um, and then a certification incentive stipen of $250 uh for a temporary teacher/emergency permit if they become licensed by the end of the school year, which was what uh Miss Smith talked about last week. Having said that, after the board votes tonight, if agreed upon, um the contract once ratified by the teachers, hopefully ratified by the teachers, a contract will then be sent to Gateway through the Indiana Education Employment Relations Board known as Herb and we hope to get that completed as soon as we get our signatures. Okay. >> Are there any questions of attorney? So you're recommending app to approve this contract? >> Yes, ma'am. >> Thank
019you. >> Trustees, what's your pleasure for item 3 a ratification of teacher collective bargaining agreement? Do I hear a motion? >> Madam President, >> trustee Spencer. >> I move for the uh ratification of teacher collective bargaining agreement. >> Do I have a second? Second. >> It's been moved and properly seconded by [clears throat] Oh my god. by Kh Trusty Kendalla for the approval of ratification of our teachers collective bargaining agreement. Are there [clears throat] are there any questions? Any questions? All in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? Eyes have it. Motion carried. Thank you. And the last item on our agenda is for adjournment. Do we hear a motion? >> So moved. >> Second. So moved. I mean it's been moved and properly seconded for the adjournment. Let's see you on the 16th.