001I 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. >> All right, time here. So, I'll go ahead and do roll calling >> here. >> Trevor Hersburgger. >> David Kaufman >> here. >> Don Layman >> here. >> John Payne >> here. Brian Tapping >> here. >> Jessim Jessica McFarland >> here. >> Gretchen Thomas >> here. Scottre is here >> and welcome. >> All righty. We'll begin our meeting. The next item on our agenda is the first preliminary determination hearing on the proposal renovations and improvements to school facilities across the school corporation. These projects include roofing, paving, HVAC upgrades, site and athletic improvements, as well as the purchase of buses, equipment, and technology. If you
002wish to speak during this hearing, please be sure you have signed in um on the sheet at the back of the room, including your name and address. We will begin with a brief presentation from the admin and its advisors. Following that, members of the public will have an opportunity opportunity to share comments. Each speaker will be asked to limit remarks to three minutes and comments should focus only on the proposed projects under consideration as required by law. Notice that this preliminary determination hearing was published on August 15th, 2025 in the Warsaw Times unit and the GOA News. At this time, I will open the floor for comments from the public regarding the proposed renovations and improvements, but we're having our presentation now. >> Yeah. Okay. Um so tonight we're proposing to issue a $3.5 million
003general obligation bond. Um this bond will have no effect on our debt service levy. Um and will be used as Christina said um renovations and improvements across the corporation as identified in a facility studying this year. Um on the screen um the summary proposed financing um a $3.5 million bond um repayment term of four years. By law we're required to hold two of these hearings, one today and then the one at the next meeting. This time I'll open the floor for comments from the public regarding the proposed renovations and improvements. Hearing none. If there are no further comments, the public hearing on these projects is now closed. Please note for the record that the hearing has been held. All right, moving on. We have a time for recognition of visitors and public input. I will
004take a proposal for the amendments to the agenda. A motion move. Second motion from a second from John. Any questions or discussion on those amendments? Hearing none. All in favor say I. I. >> All oppose say sign. That motion play 70. I take a motion for the consent items to include the amendments we just approved. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion from D and second from John. Any discussion or comments on those consent items? >> Hearing none. All in favor say I. >> I. All oppose same sign. And that motion carries 70. There is no unfinished business. So we'll move on to action items. Action item A, consider the adoption of the schoolboard policies. Policy 0140, membership and policy 0150, organization. Uh these are the two policies that Dr. Croner presented at our last
005meeting. Um and these are just updates as the law has changed and He's asking for approval uh for both of these updates. >> I'll make a motion that we approve the adoption for the school policies 0140 and 0150. >> Motion from David and a second from Brian. Any discussion or questions? Hearing none. All in favor say I. >> I. >> All oppose. Same sign. That motion carries 70. Action item B. Consider the approval of the out of state field trips as listed. >> Sorry, just asking for your approval for as presented. >> A mot to approve the out of state out of state sorry trip as presented. Second. >> Motion from Kurt and a second from Don. Any questions or comments on this? Hearing none. All in favor say I. >> I. >> All oppose
006say sign. That motion carries 70. We'll move on to the transportation report with Amy Rosa. Good evening. Tonight we are checking a box. former Senate enrolled act resulted in two Indiana codes that require us to come to you to tell you that we did our job and that we as we always do every summer we review our routes making sure that in this case the law states that we don't have any elementary students crossing any state or federal highway outside of city limits which we do not. And in this case in our district we don't have any students crossing any of those highways outside of city limits and very rarely inside city limits. So, this is something we have to do in a public board meeting so that we can check the box to satisfy
007that Indiana code. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Thank you for your report. >> You're welcome. >> Thank you. >> All right. Sorry. Go ahead. >> Sorry. This is just a another Irene update. We had the updated on curriculum last time, but this is just um that I read was embargoed. So, I just wanted to talk just quickly about the why behind it. Um focusing specifically on third grade and why third grade. And there's a lot of research out there about why it's important to have students read and be proficient at reading by the third grade. um lots of studies that if students are not proficient at reading then their success is very diminished success in high school success um in predictor of eighth grade reading level predictor then at ninth grade and then
008of course into high school and those uh differences in graduation and college outcomes. And so that's why the focus on third grade reading levels and really just that change from learning to read to reading to learn and that shift that happens and our third grade teachers are are the teachers that do so many transitions at that level. Um really focusing on the basics and those foundations and K to2 and then in third grade really changing into now taking those skills and changing to now applying them to to reading to learn about things and to read about um you know your social studies and reading in math and more uh learning in your reading skills. And so it's important to make sure that we have students proficient. We want them obviously to be readers. We want
009students to be successful for the better of our community to for students to be successful in general and be contributing citizenship our community. So these are I read results over the last several years 2021 to 2025. Um the biggest thing I want to highlight here is just 2024 to 2025. You can see that all three of our buildings had an increase. And so that's definitely a celebration that we're excited to see. Again, not just the data, but to know that our students were successful that our students were able to show us one indicator, right? one out of many but one indicator that they were able to show proficiency in those reading scores. So you can see another way of displaying from 2021 to 2025 and the this is our IE% passing. So we were at
01089.66% passing in 2021. In 2025 this year we were at 94.8% passing as a district which was huge compared to last year at 88.6%. So we had huge gains um compared to the previous year. And then this is just where we are ranked in the state. I think last board meeting I I explained that even if tests change, one thing that we can see is that they change for everybody in the state. And so that's one reason why we compare where we are in the state because that that predictor changes for everyone. So last year we were in the top 32%, this year we're in the top 19.5%. So, we had some huge gains there as well. Um, this is just a breakdown of our third grade. Total, we had 213 students who took the
011test at some point. 104 of our students passed as second graders. So, 104 of them did not have to take the test as third graders. Um, we did have some students who like maybe they moved or they um were on a different track, they didn't have to take the IV test because maybe they were on an alternate testing track or things like that. So we had 108 students that ended up retesting in the spring of 2025 um when I read opened up. 81 of those students passed at that time when we had a retest the first time in summer which was at the end of May. So we had a lot of interventions that took place between the initial test in March to the May retest and we had um 24 students retest and we
012had nine students pass. We had another summer retest. At that time, we had 10 students retest and we had four of those students pass. At the end, we had 10 students get a good cause exemption. That's if you are um special education and a case conference committee decides that it would be in your interest to get a good cause exemption. Or if you are an EL student, an English learner, and you've been um learning English for less than two years, you can get a good cause exemption. So, we had 10 students who qualified for that. So, we only had one student who did not pass or did not have good class exemption who had to be retained due to the new law. So one out of the whole entire district. So that is phenomenal data.
013What I really want to focus on is our during we had like the old summer school when I first started. We had like the old traditional summer school where um we just had students kind of coming in and we did kind of group them according to like um if they passed I read or if they didn't pass and if they needed some skill work and then we switched from that after co we did extended day and we felt like you know students were like opting out of summer school. We couldn't get them here. Their parents were opting out. They had vacations planned. They had other activities planned and so a lot of them weren't coming. They were declining to come. And so we said, "Okay, how about we have them here during the school year
014like let's just extend the day and let's let's see if they'll come that way." And they did. We had a lot of success and it was a joint effort like we the business office worked with us on finding the money. Transportation worked with us on finding drivers who would drive additional routes. Um, you know, our teachers who stayed after school from multiple grade levels, not just third grade, but different grade levels, staying after school and tag teaming, figuring out child care, figuring out what they were going to do differently at in their own homes to figure out, you know, who could take the first extended day session, who could take the second extended day session. So, literally across the district, every single department in different areas working together to figure it out. And we did,
015and it was very successful. But then the state came in and they said, "Okay, under this new law, you have to offer summer school." And so extended day no longer counted and so we had to go back to a traditional summer school. So in that we came together and we said, "Okay, let's let's do that." And so we came together and we were originally going to have summer school at all three buildings. And as we started having success, we were like, "Okay, this doesn't make sense." like we have so few kids to run the buses across the district and trying to find teachers and moving them across the district. We ended up condensing it to one building and I think it was the best thing ever because to see all of those teachers come together
016and work together and to have those kids experience all of them working together was like phenomenal. So, I invited three of the teachers here together so they could kind of share their story because I think more than the data, it's more and more than hearing me talk again, I think it's more important to hear them. So, we have Cole Miller, Aaron Haley, and Laura Hail. And all three of them were with third grade this year. And we did have second grade, too. We had 33 second graders attend summer school as well. But I'll let those three continue talking. >> I guess I'm going to start. Um, first of all, it was a privilege to work with the kids. We had a really fun group of kids and it was great getting to know them. And
017um, of course, we worked on reading skills, the foundational skills, comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, but even more importantly, we understood that these kids needed help focusing on believing in themselves as well. I mean, kids know what it means when you don't pass Ivory. They know. So, we also worked a lot on that and building their confidence. Every child is different. They each have their own struggles and their own strengths and their own stories. And so we when in such small groups it's easier to work with them on that at their own level. So um sometimes what a student needs is that encouragement and a chance to build that confidence so that they know they can succeed. Um so we practice just a little more practice and reassurance they realize they could do it. And we loved
018watching that happen, watching that confidence build over those few weeks that we spent with them. Um, our hope was not only to help them be successful with iie, but to give them the tools to face challenges with confidence and to realize that they can do hard things. And they did do hard things and they told us they were hard, but they did them and that they are capable of success. And like GR said, even more. I love collaborating. We don't get that much time to do that anymore in this day and age. And I learned something new from these two every day. It was great. It was we would we're definitely going to sign up for it again. It was it was amazing to be able to work with them and watch these kids grow.
019It made your heart feel good and able to watch them succeed. >> Yeah. And I would say to piggyback off that a little bit as well, um just the relationships that we were able to build, not only with the students, but also I mean with these two, it was great. Um with the students, just working in such a small group, we were able to realize and really tap into what their interests were. And so some students share that they love to go camping. And so I was able to find um all of us kind of differentiated passages at their reading level that brought in their interest. What about camping did they like and how can we leverage that to help build confidence and gain momentum moving forward um when we started diving into that testing.
020And then another thing that I want to do is also shout out um Dr. um wow Dr. Dr. Thomas and Dr. Coh um just because of everything that we um were able to accomplish with them as well. They trusted us. That was the biggest thing is we noticed we our plan going in was we were going to test them on a Monday and a Tuesday. They came in Monday and it was like dragon feet. Not a single kid was awake and Yeah. And so we decided, you know what, that's not putting their best foot forward. And so we were able to test them on a Tuesday and Wednesday. And I don't know any other leadership other than Dr. Thomas and um Dr. Carter that are able to really trust their teachers the way that they
021do. So thank you guys as well for all of that. >> Super successful. >> Absolutely. And again, I just thank the administration and the board for allowing us um to do this and enjoyed the small number. Um we were able to do individualized plans for each of them. Um the three of us, like Laura said, collaborated well together. Um we were able to get the kids up and moving throughout the day that they saw all three of us um because they were in small groups. And I think that um was key as well um because we were able to differentiate between our groups even. So we have the same skills but we were able to scaffold and meet them where they were at. So again, thank you to all of you as well. Um I
022also would like to shout out Marcy Porter. She was able to get the kids lunches um at the beginning of the week and they took those home. Um snacks were provided. Transportation was awesome. Like everything ran so smoothly and like um Gretchen, you said about the location. I think that definitely was key um to the success of this. And then again, I really enjoyed having all three buildings, elementaryaries, coming together um and having all hands on deck. >> A great experience. >> So Laura is at a Eron is the coach at Woodview and Cole was fourth grade at walking. Now he's third grade. So all three buildings working together in third grade in all three different roles. That's all we have for Irene. Any questions for any of us? >> Can I add something to
023>> Mr. Mr. >> He's here too. >> I'm just here to support because I watched what they did. But they talk so much about the kids and it is the kids that test, but this weighs heavily on the teachers all year. I mean, this is something we've already had conversations about. I read for this coming year. But and not heavy in a way that they put all that pressure on themselves, but it is it's there's a lot to it. And you think about these kids, we know that it's a K3 um >> you know, collaborative effort because they've had 720 days of schools. I'm sitting here thinking about that, you know, four years of school and they didn't pass. They get 18 days then to try to figure out a way where we got one
024more shot to get them to pass and they did. And so it's, you know, you can't just make up all that time, but they do a great job. It was a great great team effort, >> but they do put a lot on themselves. >> You think you can scale that to be more of a part of the curriculum for the whole year? >> It is. Oh, it absolutely is. >> Oh, it is. Oh, from now already starting already. >> All right. >> Yeah. And even when we didn't have well after the first test well it goes on the whole year but then after the first test those that didn't pass there was a another intensive session for those kids to get them ready for the end of the year and then the 18 days they
025have >> and you just never know that test day when they take it. You don't know if that kid had a rough morning. >> There's a lot of questions on that test. >> We already have data from second grade. So, we already have, you know, important things that we know about them as readers that trust me, we're already working on it. All right. >> For sure. >> I didn't highlight this part, but this is from our current third grade now, which would have been second grade last year. 63% of those students already passed as second graders of the 149 across the district. So, we're looking at the rest of those students, but 37% across the district and saying, "Okay, what were they not successful?" We have some inclass assessments and schools. We have other data
026that we're digging down and doing some interventions during the school day now and and looking at what can we do to get them geared up and and just become proficient readers. Again, that's ultimately what the goal is. It's not just the test. It's to get them proficient readers. The test is one measurement of that. >> Well, thank you and thanks for adding to your already long Monday to come here and and give us some insight on that. We appreciate your extra time in the summer as well. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> All right. Thank you. >> All righty. There being no further business to come to the attention of the board. A meeting to a motion to adjourn is in order. >> Motion from Trevor, a second from Kurt. All in favor say I.
027Oppos. Yeah,