001We can go ahead and start the meeting. We're going to start with the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance 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. We're going to begin with prayer if you'd like to join us. Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for the chance to be here tonight and we ask that you would just be with us here, lead us and guide us as we make decisions about this school and this community, and please bless everyone involved here, bless the students, the teachers, all of the staff, all of the community, all of the parents, and just say we pray. The first thing I'm going to do is ask for an approval of
002the agenda. Do you have a motion to approve the agenda? I'll make a motion. Do I have a second? Second. >> All those in favor? Aye. At this time, we're going to open it up for public comments on the agenda. And no public comments, so we'll move on to I need an approval of the March meeting minutes and the financials. Do I have a motion to approve? I'll make a motion. Do I have a second? I'll second. All those in favor? Aye. Um we're approving our TV James Tungate. Tungate. Do I have a motion to approve? I'll make a motion. Do I have a second? Second. All those in favor? Aye. Move on to approving elementary para Gabriella Franklin. Do I have a motion to approve? I'll make a motion. Do I have a second?
003I'll second. All those in favor? I. I. Move on to approve that Sarah Johns is a middle school math and science teacher. I'll make a motion. Do I have a second? I'll second. All those in favor? I. You want to do you want to speak on that? Just so that way we >> was going to wait till the end or do it now. Um so what the idea um what we've got our feel like our middle schools are getting lost. Right now in grade 7 and 8 they don't really have a program for them. And so speaking with Ryan, speaking with Jim, speaking with our guidance coalition, speaking with our with our leadership team, like what can we do for our our students in grade 7 and 8? And so one of the thoughts and
004this will be done later um is for you to consider not to approve tonight but later unless you're really gung-ho about it. Um is to move into a middle school concept of grade 6 through 8. Um so it'd be a hybrid between a high school where the high school they switch every period and go because in high school you worry about credits. Um you know, in K through 8 you're not. You're worried about content. And so we felt like our kids are are getting shorted in the middle school in terms of content of content. So the concept here um Sarah Johns is a fantastic teacher you know in any realm wherever she's at. But her strength is in math and in science. And so what we're our plan for next year moving forward to this
005is to create a middle school block for our grade 6, 7, and 8 where Sarah will work with two blocks of kids uh for 90 minutes back-to-back periods of science and math. At the same time when her kids are in getting science or our science and math, the other group of students are getting English and social studies for like back-to-back blocks. So two 90-minute blocks and then they switch. So they'll they'll have that's 3 hours of really intense instruction in social studies, science, math, and language arts. So, that's the intent is to combine students and give give our middle school students a real intense learning environment. So, it's not high school where you're going from period to period, but it's not elementary either where you stay with the same teacher all all day long. But,
006we felt like going back to back periods and again, tonight's just an introduction and we want to introduce these things to you. Um but, either way whether we do the middle school concept or don't, we feel we need to bring in staff for um for for our students. Is it to It's basically adding a position. That's kind of what I wanted everyone to know that we we haven't lost someone, we're adding people. Correct. Yes, we're adding a position and we feel like the smaller class size and and um We have a almost almost 30 kids in grade six and so, um having breaking those kids into smaller cohorts, um we feel like we can we can we can focus and be more intense when it comes to our instruction. I'm going to move on to
007approving April Buckles middle school language arts teacher for 2026-2027. I'll make a motion. Do I have a second? Second. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Move on to approving Kelly Frey fourth grade teacher for 2026-2027 school year. I'll make a motion. Do I have a second? I'll second. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Um I guess I kind of kind of jumped ahead having you do that, but back to the middle school realignment. Yeah, so what what are your thoughts? I guess as as we introduce it tonight, the concept of what we could do a realignment where we have the pre-K to five for the elementary, middle school concept would be grade six to eight. Middle school then would be over at our high school. We're going to the high school. Really, what it would
008be is moving our sixth grade into a high school concept. Uh right now it's it's in pre-K to six. Um but really it's by name what it is in terms of what we do programming. Um so if you want to name it that, that's that's one thing. Just something to consider, something we can talk about as we go along there. Um So that would be the middle school realignment. Uh my recommendation would be go elementary K to five. And then go middle school six to eight and high school nine through 12. And then that gives the middle school kids their own focus, their own time. Cuz oftentimes in middle school the kids get lost. Um we joke in the superintendent ranks um we just don't want the kids to fall backwards in middle school. You
009know, they're they're five foot four with with size 13 shoes. And one day they're 10 and the next day they're 18. Um it's it's a takes a special staffing within that realm. So we want to focus. We really want to beef up that area. And I think that's going to be great for our kids in that in that area. I think that's so. So that would be my recommendation um open for discussion. What what's your history? What are your thoughts? Um We are fifth sixth grade used to trade classes and I wanted that. I've been wanting that for a number of years because I feel like that's part of the reason why when they would get to junior high it was a huge adjustment. But when you know, in fifth and sixth grade you just
010switched for math and English, that was at least like you got used to it. So I I think that sounds fine. And our sixth graders spend a lot of time with the seventh and eighth for sports anyway, so yeah, it would make sense to have them all together especially since they're playing on the same teams most of the I think it's possible possible to change. Yeah. So then look forward to you I think. Yeah. Yeah. I mean I think if it works well we might look at fifth grade in the future because like Christie said, we did that as fifth graders and it lets the teachers kind of focus on their specialty area a lot of times because a lot of times you are like a math science person or a language arts history or
011I mean I think a lot of teachers prefer fewer things actually. I did. You did that other than English and math. Are all of the teachers on board doing it? Yeah. So that's why Sarah wanted to write it that way. Yeah. She was excited about doing this so Go ahead and Yeah. Okay. But you brought up an interesting idea cuz that's a big cut off line is that grades four five. Um there are many schools that were four through one and five through eight. Our our project is six through eight. Explore that further. Any thoughts on that? Cuz we talked about switching grades four through five. Once this got rolling staff grades four and five started talking about it as well. >> a way that our fifth graders could stay in the elementary but just
012switch for math and English? That's the thought. That's the Yeah, leave them in elementary. Like you said, strengths of the teachers. Seems like when I was in school Anderson divided the middle school and they they're middle school was six seven and eight. When I I remember Yeah, I think a lot of them Like drivers the way They might even have fifth grade in there. I don't know what grades have them. I think it's six Is it in the middle school six something? I think this this would would work. I think so. Do we also have the space in classroom wise? That's good yes. We have we have the space. We're going to but once we do this then James is shaking her head like rolling her eyes like okay, am I going to have to
013move? That's the biggest thing with teachers. >> move our classroom at Portland. Did she? Okay, number two, don't make me move. Don't make me move. What do we have to do here in the building? So it would just be a recommendation that we would go pre-K to pre-K to five for the elementary grades six through 8 middle school. >> Yeah, for now. And then and then 9 through 12. See how that works out. So that would be that would be the recommendation. What I want to recommend is 6 through 8. And then we'll discuss later on with the fifth grade but we'll move on from that. Okay. Is this going to help our accountability framework because of the advanced course work that's required and going to get us points, right? >> Yes. Okay. Mhm. That's
014what I thought it was part of this. But yeah, Stacy was mentioning something about that to me the other day that if we can get these your high kids getting the advanced course work, we can get higher test scores on that. And let me be clear to the public to everyone, there have not been accountability measures since 2019 in Indiana where the legislators have have held held harmless schools since 2019. If you know about our case, it came back saying, "Well, you were named because of accountability measures." There are no accountability measures. Um they are now putting in a ADF A2F system in Indiana which it's it's not great. The only problem with assigning grades is that you have to have a someone who grades them. And and so that's going to be the trick
015That was the problem last time. Who's going to grade it? You know, you if you're an English teacher and you hand out 100 120 assignments, 10-page 10-page essay, you got to just assign yourself 120 assignments of reading 10-page essays. And that's that's what's going to happen with the grading system as well. We went to New Castle training on this. It's it's a great concept, great idea. There's some glitches in it. Um but at least the schools know how to play the game. And you know, once there's a scorecard then then you know, then school boards and and administrators, teachers, and parents who can then will know how to play the game. We'll know what the rules are. We'll know We'll know how to play the game. When everybody's held to the same standard and then
016that's bonding. Mhm. Yep. So, um if someone wants to second going ahead. I'll second, Jeff something. Okay, all those in favor? Aye. Aye. I move on to discussing the school hours for next year. Okay, so uh teacher hours are the same. Uh one of the things we talked about with uh this year we we put in 20 minutes in the morning for for walking um and just for activity. And so I I have elementary kids in the gym with me and even high school kids playing basketball and the walking and the social part of that. Um and so the kids are engaged in the mornings. Um next year we want to cut that back a little bit just through feedback and just from what we've seen. Uh we'd like to start school by 8:10 next
017year. So So buses will still come same time. Everything will be the same. 8:10 and then right now our dismissal at 3:05 we want to push that back 5 minutes as well. 3:10. Uh that's for the high school that gives the high school kids just a couple more minutes per period um you know with the instructional focus on there. Um so So our official hours next year would be 8:10 to 3:10 when it comes to students. Teacher hours are 7:30 to 3:15. Um it's going to be the same so So we're still within those constraints. Um just in terms of the end The end would be the difference would be an extra 5 minutes at the end. But that that allows our high school to have an extra 2 to 3 minutes at the end
018of the per period. Which is some of the feedback we've gotten from staff. So that's uh just wanted wanted to open that up for discussion. Any thoughts through So when is the walk The walking right now is what time period? We Kids come in in the morning. Um the Kids come in in the morning they they go to their classrooms. They put their coats, book bags away, and then those that eat breakfast go eat breakfast. Those that don't, um they they're out in the hallway with with friends. Um Move Movement engages the mind. And it gets a lot of It gets the kids going for the day. We've had a lot of success with that. Um our problems are are a lot less um when when kids are moving. And so that's worked out really
019well for us. Um and the kids you know, in terms of when your feet move, your your body is engaged, your mind is engaged, it gets you going for the day. It's For kids, it's like coffee uh for adults. So it gets them going. Um it does get a little long in the morning. The 20 minutes was a little bit ambitious, and so we want to cut that back a little bit. And that that I think that will um get us in the classroom a little sooner, and get us ready. That's actually where I was going with that, because I just read an article where they had looked at different exercise like time frames, and 1 minute out of every I don't know if it's like 30 minutes or 40 minutes was actually the most
020beneficial. They would get the kids up and like jump for 1 minute. >> Yep. So I don't know if that's the most beneficial or not. >> Yeah. Yeah. But we feel like by 8:10 everyone is is pretty much situated for the day. And um so So 8:10 is when they'll actually be in the classroom. >> And in classroom, yeah. Okay. Yeah. So bus routes are staying the same change with the everything staying the same. Um at the end of the day we push back a little bit, and that's fine. Do I have a motion to approve? I'll make a motion. Do I have a second? I'll second. All those in favor? All right. Who made that motion? Kim. Okay. Was that getting rid of home room for high school, or keeping it? Is what? >>
021Was that getting rid of home room for high school, or keeping it? Um Are we keeping that, or are we No, that's Yeah, so we're adding more We're getting rid of home room, and adding more. >> more to class Add more to classroom. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Okay, good. Yeah. Cuz We should have asked you We we want to the premium just like the most one premium on instruction time. And the great thing is teachers are the ones who are asking for it, so that's a great thing. Um so, moving on to the alumni dinner. Mhm. Uh just want to publicize one of the big things here at at Union is the spring time alumni dinner um that we're invited to. That's May 9th at 6:00 p.m. here at the school. So, if you're listening
022and and want to attend, just contact us and invitations have been sent on that as well. Do you have any other updates that you want to give before we adjourn? Um what I want to appreciate the response uh when it came to the yard signs. We have ordered more. I'm probably haven't ordered enough on that as well. Um we uh we we put in for the TAG dollars board uh and we paid a little bit out in in in the in the fall, but then we put in for TAG the actual cuz they moved it this year and we we received a substantial amount. So, um uh we'll we'll be go ahead and and disperse that coming up here soon. Um then also uh just so the community's aware, we have just got we've started
023a daycare committee. Um hopefully starting to get daycare here for next year. As we start to look for daycare, start to look for housing for for younger families and I'm trying to build our build our community. Um and then also uh board there's a spring carnival coming up here soon. Um I think the inflatables and food trucks and those kinds of things are coming up here soon. Um and before we know it, 23 days 22 days left now of school, graduation will be right around the corner. So, our seniors leave Sunday for our senior trip. And I got a ticket. I'm going to go with you for a day or two, so I didn't get to go last year. Kids so kids can go this year and uh and uh and so that goes so
024but our spring sports are are up and out and running and hitting and whatever it might be. And I'm just really proud of everyone how they've hung together this year. But it is time for for really people to hear our story after spring break and really start before we get into the election and into the summer it's time for people to know how what's going on here in the news. Does anybody have any appeals? If not, I'm going to ask for a motion to adjourn. I'll make the motion. I have a second. I second. All those in favor. I. Thank you. All right.