001Can I go ahead and start? We're going to start with the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance 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 pray if you'd like to join us. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the chance to be here tonight. We ask that you would lead us as we make decisions here. Please put your hand on this community, on everyone involved, the students, the staff, the parents, the whole community, and just continue to bless us in Jesus name we pray. Amen. I'm going to ask for an approval of tonight's agenda. >> Do I have a second? >> I'll second. >> All those in favor? >> We're going to
002open it up for public comments. Okay, we have no public comments. We're going to move on to our action items. I need an approval of February's minutes and financials. Motion. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I an approval of hiring Amy Wicker's elementary special education teacher. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I. >> We need to approve the 2026 2027 school calendar. >> Yeah. >> Okay. So there were three uh we went through this with uh Jamma and and teacher J then after our last meeting again um so there there calendar is always tricky every year because everyone has an opinion in terms of what what is best and so we are hemmed in a little bit because of
003our CTE our vocational work with Newcastle um and so if you look at our calendar we're we're starting we will start uh our first student day would be on a Tuesday our teacher day Monday student day um Tuesday. Now, that's important if you if you look at our look at our um 180day calendar and that's important for the first 90 days is how this works. So, we try to keep the first two quarters before Christmas and the last two quarters after. Used to be that we would many schools um would start later towards the end of August and then you'd come back for finals after Christmas break and that's always tricky. And so our our intent is to keep the first two quarters and most schools do it this well and all of them do
004it this way now. So the first quarter the first 45 would be 43 days and that ends on um so at the end of end of our first quarter would be on October 2nd and that would be then we have a full week off for for fall break and that's important later because you go down to Thanksgiving break and then you come down to Christmas. Um there was a mention about parent teacher conferences. So let's talk about parent teacher conferences a little bit bored. Um parent teacher conferences are mostly for elementary students nowadays. There's hardressed to find middle school and high school parents that often show up with parent teacher. I myself guilty on that. And part of the reason is because um communication devices have changed over the years. If there's a problem with
005Johnny or Jenny um the teacher doesn't wait until parent teacher conf there's constant and continual communication between teachers and parents. hopefully um there's all different kinds of of apps and different things that teachers can use to communicate with with parents and with students and we do that continually. So, so parent teacher conferences have always been a been a mid first quarter check-in. That's been the intent of parent teacher conferences. That way, if if Johnny or Jenny's having trouble, we catch at the end of that middle of that first quarter. They develop a plan for the rest of the year. 95% of the parent teacher conferences are parents coming in and getting a pat on the back while you've done a great job. Your daughter son is eight years old. They're absolutely you're the best parent
006in the world. Then when they're 14, sometimes that changes. But the idea is you like that pat in the back when the kids are really little and those kind of things. So it's a great time to get the parents into the classroom to see the class work, to see what's going on, see the environment. Um so I my my argument is always that that parent teacher conferences are a little bit outdated in in the past. And so uh we have a unorning day on on September 11. So this argument about the validity of parent teacher conferences, but then also when should they be? Um so we've always we stuck with that mid mid first quarters. That's a great time for parents to check in with the teacher and just to get that face to face
007there. Um, and then also if you go down right before Christmas break, the first semester ends on the 17th and 18th is a teacher work day where teacher get their grades in to finish up the first semester and then Christmas break. There was some conversation about if we started a day later in August, started on that Wednesday, have the last student day on the 18th and bring the teachers back on the 21st, but I'd like to live going into Christmas break because teachers didn't want to come back on that on that following Monday because many of them already have vacation plans and those kinds of things. Um, and then going into January, uh, one of the things we January and February, one of the things we did in February this year was really nice. We
008had winter break. We had a Friday, Monday for winter break, which gave two four day weeks in February. uh which is really nice. We wanted to do that again. But if you look at March, Good Friday takes up one of those two days. And so our four day week goes back into March. So our spring break is going to be a little bit longer, but we're not able to take that extra day in February. But January, February, March, you never know what the weather's going to be like. And you have many e-learning days over that time as well. So So that's that. Um spring break again will be the big part of last week of March, first week of April. And then our last student day um final student day would be May 20th and
009uh kudos to our high school staff. They turned around quickly. We have graduation then on that Friday night uh for um for it. So So those are the conversations that went around calendar. Um just a lot of great input and thoughts on just so you know the meeting if anybody asks around the calendar. So that's the calendar presented to you. >> Do I need a motion? Do you need a motion to approve? >> I make a motion. Do I have a second? >> All those in favor? >> We're going to move on to approving coaching for the spring. Need a motion to approve. Shane Schaer is the junior high track head coach. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I need a motion to approve. Brandon Arnett for
010the boys varsity girls varsity track head coach. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> All those in favor. >> Need a motion to approve Gretchen to be the girls varsity and boys varsity assistant coach. >> Motion. >> Have a second. All those in favor? >> I need a motion to approve Dennis Ross as the head baseball coach. >> I'll make a motion. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> Need a motion to approve both Brian Clark and Kenny Ellis as baseball assistant coaches. >> I'll make a motion. >> I have a second. >> Have a second. >> All those in favor? >> I on that even though we made a small one, too. Okay. I need a motion to approve Jeff Burke to be the boys varsity
011golf. microphone. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> All those in favor. >> Understand on that one. Okay. >> This next one, number eight is as needed. >> Okay. >> Need a motion to approve Gayen to be the assistant boys varsity golf coach as needed. I >> have a second. >> All those in favor? Hi. >> Um, the last one here is for Ryan Chinister to be the middle school golf coach. Do I have a motion to approve? I'll make a move. Do I have a second? >> A second. >> All those in favor? >> And we'll move on to Gayen. >> Okay. Just a quick legal update for us again. Um, working with our attorneys, uh, we will our our court dates are set for November 24 and 25. Um and but we
012believe there will be some sort of summit of judgment u this summer. Uh that attorneys are going to get together. They have a pre-trial meeting type things that will happen in July. We believe and we believe some traction there. We believe strongly um that u you know that we will win. Um there's just we're this is unprecedented in in what we are dealing with right now in terms of um how this came about. Uh there's no there's no mediation in this because if typically schools that are under duress are sent to a a duabad board or some sort of I don't call it reconciliation but some sort of help that they would get in staying we don't need help um and and so we wouldn't fall under that jurisdiction and so we're just looking for
013the outright outright win on this without saying too much on that um but more information be coming out on that um as we get guidance on Um but couple highlights for us board uh our students did take their iate um and we are passing at 90% for our iate is excellent numbers and then also um you know we have we have done a lot academically and I'm really proud of our teachers and administrators what how we have boosted up our uh staff but also boosted up our curriculum and our assessments and everything the data boards for students And I'm proud to announce that every one of our fifth grade students um didn't do taking the checkpoint the the I learn checkpoint was at or above proficiency. Um there's just great things going on in our
014classroom and and we really simplified what goes on in the classroom. is much more effective and just getting great results and um so I think we're well on on our way to becoming an a school in building and so that's that's our intent is to be to have that but data boards every student has their own data board um that's available to parents to teachers administrators myself and in those in those grades three through eight do the testing so it's great to see so um also want to congratulate Ryan on on on a great start to the second semester in the high school it's great to see what's going on in the classroom and and there's just a piece in the high school. Um and it's great to see. So, I'm just really proud of
015the board. I'm proud of our administrators. I'm proud of our students, our families. Everyone's hung together and we'll get through this together. And um and so I know there's a lot of other schools and a lot of other school districts that are hurting financially because of Senate Bill one. And uh like I still get calls from other superintendents saying, "Hey, what's what's what can I expect?" Those kinds of things. um just because they're having to let go of teachers and and resources and programming because they don't have the resources for for this one and uh which still doesn't make sense to me why you would mess up something that's working. Um but uh all in the name of efficiency but proud of everyone here in Union and we continue to put put up the good
016fight good work and it's all about the kids and u and giving them every opportunity to successful and they're doing that. Kudos to you board for how you've hung together as well through this whole time because that's the whole goal was to divide and that hasn't happened. >> Congratulations. I wanted to say I was looking at the new accountability framework and actually like I think our high school will fare pretty well on that because of like the career ready stuff >> now that there's going to be accountability that somehow appeared you know we got held to accountability that no one else was held to but >> but it does I I thought that might be positive for our high school at least >> on the new framework. Yeah, we started looking at the numbers start
017preliminarily kind of see what that what that does. Um but yeah, there hasn't been accountability in Indiana for school since 2000 or 2020 since co that's all that all went away and uh yeah so there's no matrix so there's a matrix and I'm excited it's founded there the A to >> I need a motion to adjurnn motion >> have a second >> all those in favor Thank you.