3/9/26 Johnstown-Monroe Local Schools Board Meeting

001Mhm. >> Mhm. >> Yeah. >> You ready? Yeah. If you're not, here we come. Did you have your sign-in? Derek, you need more time to get ready? We're >> [snorts] >> Are you ready? I'm Ready now? I don't think I'm pressing it. Yeah. You're completely Cuz I got to It's There's a like a 20-second delay. Yeah. I think it's live. All right. Uh >> [clears throat] >> we will start our Monday, March 9th meeting with a moment of silent prayer. Please stand for the pledge. 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. And Treasurer, call roll. Mrs. Davis. Here. Mrs. Todd. Here. Mr. Benton. Mr. Noble. Here. Mr. Frazier. Here. And reading

002of the notice. This is a public meeting of the Board of Education for the purpose of conducting the school district's business. It is not to be considered a public community meeting. There is a time for public participation during the meeting as indicated in the agenda. Each statement made by a participant shall be limited to 3 minutes. By request of the superintendent, the district shall make reasonable accommodation for a person with a disability to be able to participate in this activity. A recording shall be made of each meeting of the board as administrative aid and shall be preserved as public documents of the board. And any additions or deletions? I do not have any. All right. Can I get [clears throat] a motion to adopt? So moved. I'll second. Thank you. Call roll. Mr. Benton. Yes.

003Mrs. Thomas. Yes. Mrs. Davis. Yes. Mr. Copple. Yes. Mr. Frazier. Yes. You can sit down. And public remarks list. >> Yeah, we got a list here. Sure. And first up we are all Are you speaking, Mary? Yes. You are first on our list. Welcome. Can I lower this? Yes. Very short. Okay. All right. Hello. I'm Mary Mangold with my husband. We have four children that live in the district ranging from elementary school all the way up until entering high school next year. With that, we have a lot of experience in the district and from our opinion, and I'm proud to say our experience has always been amazing. And I for one am sad to see you leave um and move on. Um there is an exception to that and I'm here today to talk about

004that. I'm here today asking for the conversation to be opened up to change our current uniform style dress code into a traditional dress code similar to those of our neighboring peers. Certainly, I cannot address all of my concerns and countless hours of research in 3 minutes, but I will express a few today in hopes that the parent concerns and input will be taken seriously. We are not a group of loud, angry moms complaining on Facebook. We're real members of this community. A community in which some of you, all of you have campaigned to to earn a seat at the table you're at now. We don't come to you today to be adversarial or create friction. We're here because we often hear that nobody comes to these meetings and brings this issue to you. And that

005it's only a few people that really have a problem with this dress code. And I'm here to say that's not true. Although we know emails have been sent, our presence here today hopefully will show you that we are serious. We would like to be taken seriously and we hope that our presence here today will show you just that. We're asking to be taken seriously not only our point of view, but also our desire to have input in the clothing that our children are forced to wear as parents are forced to spend money on. We are now the only public school in Licking County that has a dress code that dictates to parents what fabrics, patterns, and colors to dress their children in. As well as the only school in Licking County to require collared shirt

006in order to receive an education in our district. With other schools citing their change to focus attention on student learning, not what students are wearing. Unfortunately, our state grade cards will reflect that the performance of our students does not rise above our neighboring schools that offer students the ability to dress in clothes that make them feel comfortable and confident. There is an old adage that says, "If you dress good, you feel good, you perform good." Although I would agree with that general concept, there's an important distinction to be made. Who decides who looks good? What you as board members have deemed looks good, in reality, makes many children feel silly and awkward. They don't feel good, and so they don't look good, they don't feel good, they're not performing good. I don't have time today

007to touch on the amount of time that teachers and administration are spending policing our current dress code instead of teaching. This is a real concern that isn't being talked about enough. Not enough conversations made available asking for teacher input and their concerns. And when brought up to board members, the response I've heard from some are, "They can go teach anywhere else." This is not okay. We are asking that our dress code be updated to not include a collar, not restrict colors, fabrics, patterns, etc. We're requesting that dress code of other public schools in our areas be reviewed by all board members, superintendent, principals, and community input together to form a new dress code policy that still provides structure that the district desires, but one that mimics a traditional dress code that other public schools are

008allowed to wear that offers a place where students can feel comfortable and confident. Kevin, are you speaking as well? Okay. Is there a clock or am I just going to somebody going to wave me down if I go I'll call time. Perfect. Thank you. Thank you for your time today. My name is Kevin Mangold. I'm the proud parent of four current Johnnies. Uh I would like to ask the school board for clarity regarding the appropriate process for for submitting public information requests from the district. Where should parents and community members go to get documented answers to questions regarding district data or the data itself? I personally would like to be informed on what protocols and statutory guidance the school board relies on to ensure that the district dress code policy and its enforcement does not

009create potential civil liability related to discrimination, disparate impact, or bias based on factors like age, gender, disability, or financial status. Specifically in regards to color requirements, color, fabric, and pattern restrictions. To understand this, I have questions like the following. What representation does the school board leverage today in its policy decisions to understand the dress code's impact on current families enrolled with a current special needs student, a current female high school student, a current female middle school student, uh a parent of multiple female students? What representation does the school board leverage today in its policy decisions to understand the dress code's impact on current families enrolled from a teacher's perspective at each of the high school and middle school? What were the originally stated goals of the dress code from the school board when it was

010established in 2008? How were these goals measured then and now by the school board? What timeline did the school board originally establish in 2008 to review and assess the impact of the dress code policy. Where to find a documented list of dress code policy changes that the school board has approved each year since the established school board policy in 2008. How are dress code policy changes tracked by the school board against the originally stated policy goals in 2008? What resources are used by the school board to benchmark dress code policy goals and impact in comparison to other schools in the area? Which, if any, schools uh the school board has identified as our benchmark cohort in regards to dress code policy. Which, if any, industries and professional organizations the school board monitors for dress code

011changes to ensure our dress code is current with post-graduation expectations. And [snorts] I have more and I will bring those next time, but my question really is is there someone to connect with to understand where to submit these questions to get meaningful answers. Thank you. Mr. Michael, do you have an extra copy of your I can email it. Yeah, if you could because it'll be easier for us and then we could take your questions and it's you know, we're trying to record but it'll be easier to have that. Yeah, I can do that. Thank you. Thank you. Brittany Noll. Okay. Okay. Good evening. I am also here to speak about the school dress code and why it may be time to reconsider them. I was an eighth grader when we first implemented this dress code

012and I can say that it has never been fair favorable by the students. While the uniforms are often or dress code is often introduced with good intentions, the reality for many families and the students is more complicated. First, one of the biggest issues is consistency. The expectations for uniforms are not always the same across the middle school and the high school. Rules about what is allowed, what fabric is acceptable, or what counts as appropriate can change from building to building. This creates confusion for families who may have children in multiple schools. When policies aren't consistent, it makes it harder for parents to know what to buy and harder for students to understand what is expected of them. Second, I would like to talk about the financial burden uniforms or the dress code can place on

013families, especially in um single-income households such as myself. Uniform clothing is often more expensive than regular clothes, and it usually has to come from specific stores or brands. But the cost doesn't stop there because kids are still growing. They grow very quickly, and that means we're not just buying uniforms once at the beginning of the year. We're buying them again and again as our children grow. This year alone, I have personally had to buy school clothes and home clothes three times because my child has decided she wanted to grow 5 in since August. Um For many families, again such as myself, managing already tight budgets, this adds up very quickly. Another issue that deserves attention is how uniform policies can unintentionally affect students' confidence and body image, particularly for our girls. Uniform clothing is typically

014made from the same fabric and cut for everyone, but bodies are not made the same, and what fits one student comfortably may not fit as another student comfortably. As a girl who was considered larger when this was implemented, I remember how uncomfortable that could feel. So, while I was wearing the same clothes as everybody else, it didn't make a difference. And my daughter's best friend is currently experiencing the same issues, and it's not fair. It is not fair. >> [clears throat] >> So, I will digress. So, another situation is I feel like our expectations are unreasonable. We are teaching our kids to to be better adults, and I've never worked in an environment where we are required to wear collars. Business casual would be something I would feel is expected for a school uniform or

015school dress code where they wear jeans or t-shirts as long as it refrains from obscenities or being too revealing, and I think that is what we should consider for our students. Thank you. Betsy Porter. Good evening, school board members. To introduce myself, I'm Betsy Porter. I am a mother of three Johnstown Middle School students. I want to shed light on the psychological effects of school uniforms on teenagers. While uniforms are intended to promote tradition, unity, and discipline, their impact is complex and affects self-identity and the mental health of our students. True uniforms can foster belonging and reduce social hierarchies. However, Johnny Wear, which the district officials state is not a uniform or a dress code, may have room for misinterpretations and even bullying. For example, my son was bullied for this type of material versus

016this type of material. Both are polos, but yet was bullied relentlessly about this specific material. If the term Johnny Wear was replaced with uniform or dress code, this would require the school board to follow Ohio Revised Code 33-13.665, which states in Ohio public school members are authorized to adopt a school uniform policy and dress code to promote safe and effective learning environments. Such dress codes policy must include input input from staff and parents. They must provide a 6-months notice before practice and offer assistance to economically disadvantaged students. Mandating uniform attire can limit teens self-expression potentially lowering self-confidence and causing stretch stress which is noted as a number of factors of psychiatric and mental health issues. Research published in 2022 at the Ohio State University found uniforms do not enhance academic progress as previously hoped. Instead,

017restrictive policies like Johnny wear will increase stress and negative impact on self-esteem and mental health. A 2019 meta-analysis highlights that when students have more freedom in attire they achieve better psychological outcomes including body acceptance, identity development, and healthier peer relationships. Thus developing a value system that predicts lower psychological symptoms over time. For example, my youngest daughter who has since graduated into the sixth grade no longer creates personalized clothing which she used to love to do. She is quoted, "There is no point. I can't wear it." Her created creativity has been stifled and forced to live in a suffocating box of conformity dictated by an untraditional 19-year school district policy. Where's my cursor? While uniforms can make create community, they also hinder individuality, creativity, identity, and self-worth in students. I encourage you board members to consider

018the psychological impacts and involve all stakeholders in discussion about dress codes aiming for community satisfaction. So, what will it be? Fully embrace the true uniform and disband the term Johnny Wear, or allow students to individualize and promote a comfortable educational experience, how a student and their guardians see fit. Thank you for your time. Ashley McFadden. My name is Ashley McFadden. I have three incredible daughters who are students at Johnstown-Monroe in second, fourth, and 10th grade. I'm here today to kindly request a review of our current policy regarding the school dress code. Having lived here for 6 years now, it's clear that the current dress code or Johnny Wear policy is a burden for students, parents, and staff alike. My oldest daughter started school here in 6th grade, nervous but excited for middle school. We went

019shopping for the approved types of clothes, and although she was annoyed at the rules surrounding what students could and couldn't wear, the idea of being dress coded was terrifying for a rule follower like Lily. She put a lot of thought into her outfits every day and would wake up about 5:00 or 5:30 in the morning to make sure to have enough time to get ready, wear the correct articles of clothing, and to get to school on time. Nevertheless, she was dress coded. Sometimes it was due to the fiber content of the clothing, sometimes it was because the color wasn't considered just right. Other times it was the cut or the style of the garment to blame, and sometimes it was what seemed like nonsense. It took time away from class, put even more pressure on

020physical appearance at a time when the way students look is already too big a stressor, and it seemed to to very heavily biased towards girls and what they were wearing as boys were very rarely dress coded. She played basketball and ran track, but neither uniform was school appropriate. And the spirit wear we bought for our athlete couldn't be worn at school, either. Throughout middle school, she continued to insist on only allowing me to buy clothes that were well within the rules, often nixing my suggestions if they were even the slightest bit ambiguous for fear of misinterpretation by school staff. My straight A student earned many dress down days, but towards the end of middle school, she ignored them completely and didn't participate because she would almost always receive a dress code violation for the outfit

021she chose on what should have been a reward day. When she went to DC with her class in 8th grade, they were miserable because of the heat and looked out of place by all the other schools they saw wearing normal weather appropriate clothing. Now, she's a sophomore at JHS and she no longer wakes up early excited to get ready for school. She brings extra clothes in her book bag because she knows someone will take issue at some point during the day and she's usually right. On many occasions, she's been dress coded and switched clothing with a friend only to have that friend go the rest of the day with no problems. Her motivation to follow the rules is gone. She has tried her best and it wasn't enough over and over again. I've watched my

022bright and hap- my bright-eyed happy girl turn into a reluctant and skeptic sophomore who struggles to find the motivation to care when the outcome is so often the same. She's singled out for reasons she can't foresee in front of her peers and essentially told that the way her body looks in clothing is paramount to class instruction time. I know this is not what our dress code was designed for, but this is what it's evolved to. I know that our students, especially our girls, don't want to be told that they're in trouble based on a technicality, a difference in hue, or because their bodies are a distraction. I know that our teachers and our staff don't want to be spending their time telling kids that what they chose to wear today doesn't fit within the narrow

023guidelines of our handbook. My hope is that we can work together as a community to come up with a new dress code that works for everyone. One that allows kids to be confident on their way to school in the morning. One that allows teachers to focus on the million other things that they do for our kids on a daily basis. And one that we as parents can understand, respect, and support. Thanks for your time and for your consideration. Lillian McFadden Hi. Okay. My name is Lillian McFadden and I'm a sophomore in high school and I take issue in the dress code and I'm going to cover a couple of my personal reasons why tonight. Not to say that I disagree with having a dress code whatsoever, but I would like to say that the state

024of our current one is flawed. One of the issues with the dress code as it stands is that there is unequal enforcement. The dress code is not enforced for a large majority of my peers and classmates. I often see a certain type of student getting stopped for their outfits when they aren't the only ones wearing that exact thing. I myself wore a dress once and got dress coded and the next day my friend wore the same one and she did not get dress coded. This has nothing to do with the clothing that we're wearing and it's more about who the person that is wearing them is. >> [snorts] >> It singles out people based on things that have nothing to do with their clothing and such as their physical attributes. Secondly, there's a distraction from

025learning, being pulled from class, getting called down to the office, and interrupting in the passing period cause a lot of anxiety and stress on not only myself, but for everyone I know. I constantly see people worrying about whether their outfit will get them in trouble instead of focusing on class. The lack of consistency creates an environment where students feel like they're being watched and judged rather than being educated. This is only This is not only embarrassing and distracting, but for them, but for everyone around us. Instead of helping us focus on learning, these interruptions make school for more feel more stressful for everyone involved. Lastly, another issue is that dress codes are embarrassing and uncomfortable because they're enforced differently depending on how someone's body looks in certain clothes. Two students can wear the exact same

026outfit, but one person whose body draws more attention will be the one who gets dress coded. That can make students feel like they're being judged for their body rather than what they're actually wearing. It can also make people feel singled out for something they can't control. Situations like that can be really uncomfortable and embarrassing, especially when it happens in a place meant for education. It sends a message that certain bodies are more inappropriate than others, even when clothing is completely the same. I'd like to close with a thanks for your time and willingness to hear my side of it. Thank you. Kaylee Kaiser. Hello. Um my name's Kaylee Kaiser, and I've lived in this district for a little more than 13 years. Many of you may be familiar with me because I have been a

027vocal advocate of changing the dress code since my kids entered middle school, about 8 years now. In fact, I sent my first email to the school board at the time and the superintendent at the time in 2021. I'm speaking today to continue to advocate for that change. In fact, last year, another parent put a survey out and the findings were shared with Dr. Wagner, the middle school and high school administration, and a group of parents in a meeting. As I was lucky to be included as one of those parents, I thought I would share those findings with you today, as it is pretty inclusive inclusive of the frustrations that parents have with the current dress code. So, here are the common themes and frustrations from the community survey that was done in fall of 2024.

028Flexibility and comfort. Many respondents emphasized the need for more flexibility of the dress code. They argue that the current policies create discomfort, limit personal expression, and are often impractical for students. There's a call for clothing that is both comfortable and conducive to learning without being overly restrictive or uncomfortable. Gender inequality and discrimination. A recurring theme involves the perception that the dress code disproportionately targets female students with stricter rules for them compared to male students. Many expressed concerns that the code sexualizes young girls' clothing choices and imposes unfair standards, such as stricter enforcement on girls' attire, or restrictions on styles that don't fit certain body types. Financial burden. The cost of purchasing uniforms or additional clothing to meet dress code standards is another common complaint. Many families note the financial strain of needing two separate wardrobes,

029one for school and one for personal use. Additionally, the high cost of specific clothing required for school is cited as a barrier for some students, especially those from lower-income families. Lack of body Well, on that part, too, I've actually seen posts where people are going to take their kids out of this district because of the dress code. Just putting that out there. Lack of body diversity and fit. Many parents and students note that the dress code doesn't take into account the diverse body types of students. Clothing options for various body shapes and sizes, particularly for girls and plus-size students, are often limited, and finding clothes that fit well and meet dress code requirements is a significant challenge. Impact on mental health and anxiety. Several comments focus on the negative impact of strict dress code. The

030other So, there's mental health and anxiety, focus on education, not appearance. We really need to focus on education as Mary mentioned. Uniforms and alternatives, inconsistency of enforcement, inclusivity, and sensory needs, support for change. I just think that we would like to show that we really would like change. It's been too long, way too long. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Sarah Porter Good evening, board. My name is Sarah Porter. I've been in the district since 2016 when my oldest was in fourth grade. I have three children that are in the middle and high school now. So, I've been with the district for quite some time. And rather than a prepared speech like anybody else brought, I wanted to share with you an anecdote. As I was sitting in sixth grade orientation with my oldest, and they

031were discussing Johnny Wear and its importance, I was told the beginning of this tradition. And it horrified me. Because the beginning of this tradition was that a teacher could look out across our students and automatically tell which person didn't belong because they weren't wearing Johnny Wear. Now, let me give you a why that was horrifying. All of this, this entire dress code is online where anybody has access to it. It took less than 5 minutes to find it. And it's simple. It's a polo, it's khaki pants. Everybody has access to this. But, I'll take it one step further. My partner is a Columbus police officer. He is often called to the school districts on his precinct and has said the danger to the students are not our outsiders who don't belong. They are the students

032themselves toward each other. The fights that he sees in Columbus school districts, not in a place like Johnstown. It's the fights among students. It's the fights that escalate and then the police need to get involved. So, when I'm looking at the tradition that I've been asked to speak about that is Johnny Wear, it brings to mind a quote by Brandon Sanderson. But, merely being a tradition does not make something worthy. We can just assume that we cannot just assume that because something is old that it is right. So, I am here amongst the other parents tonight to petition you to adjust the dress code for us and for our students. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Amanda Pennington. >> [clears throat] >> Hi. So, unlike most everybody else, we are new to the district. This is

033only um our Well, for my oldest, it's his first year in the district, and for my younger or my second child, he's been here for a year and a half. I have two other students who will later become Johnnies as well. Um I'm just going to go ahead and read what I wrote now. Um I'm the parent of a 12-year-old student in this district. I'm here tonight to share concerns about the current school desk dress code and how it affects students with autism and sensory processing challenges, and I apologize in advance if I cry. My oldest son spent 2 years being homeschooled and returned to the classroom this year by his choice. Bringing him back into school was a very difficult decision for our family. In fact, we really considered home open enrolling him in

034another district. The main reason for that consideration was the dress code requirement. My son has autism spectrum disorder and learning disabilities. School has not always been easy for him I'm sorry. academically or socially. So, returning to the classroom was a big step. One of our biggest concerns during that transition was clothing. We were not aware of the clothing requirements when we moved into this district. For children with sensory sensitivities, clothing is not simply a preference. Textures, seams, collars, waistbands, and certain fabrics can cause real physical discomfort and anxiety. Since the beginning [snorts] of the school year, we have already faced multiple struggles. My son has refused to wear the shorts we we purchased, refused certain shirts because the collar feels too large or the fabric bothers him, and refused pants because they suddenly became uncomfortable.

035Many mornings start with him not wanting to go to school, not because of school itself, but because of the dress code clothing he is required to wear. >> [snorts] >> What makes this especially difficult is that he actually enjoys school in almost every other way. But the dress code requirement creates stress for him at least once a week, and often the anxiety starts as early as Sunday evening when he begins worrying about what he will have to wear the next day. In addition to the sensory challenges, the dress code policy can create a financial burden for families. When a child cannot tolerate certain fabrics or styles, parents [snorts] often end up purchasing multiple multiple versions of the same item hoping to find something their child can wear. In our case, we have already purchased several

036dress code items that I'm 30 seconds. Ultimately could not be used due to sensory discomfort. My intention is not to criticize the purpose of the dress code. However, I respectfully ask the board to consider adding flexibility or accommodations for students with documented sensory needs. As [snorts] parents, we want our children to exceed, attend school consistently, and feel comfortable in their learning environment. When something as simple as clothing becomes a barrier to attendance and well-being, it's worth asking whether small adjustments could make a meaningful difference. Our children experience only one childhood. I hope we can create policies that support their ability to learn without unnecessary barriers. Thank you. And Raquel Radcliffe. Okay. I need to wait for you. Are we taking too much time? No. No problem. We're fine. He just asked for contact information about

037staff or about the I was just joking actually. >> [laughter] >> He was just asking about contact information. >> Okay. Tell me when you're ready for me. >> [clears throat] >> All right. First, I want to start by saying thank you. I've watched this team of professionals grow over the past 12 years. To our new administration, thank you for your work and you've been doing in math and reading. I truly appreciate the focus on helping kids learn to read. I look forward to the day when every child where I live can read. Tonight though, I'm not here to talk about reading or scores. >> [laughter] >> I'm here to talk about the school dress code. And the ways it has affected my family. To protect the privacy of kids like mine, I'm going to talk

038about myself. Imagine that. I'm a neurodivergent person and sometimes I experience extreme discomfort in my body. Learning in a building with bright lights and loud sounds can already be really difficult. Being required to wear clothing that works for some, but not for me or people like me, just adds another barrier. When sensory sys- when my sensory system is in overload a lot can happen. I can I can't regulate my body temperature. Waistbands and collars start to feel so irritating that it takes over my ability to focus. I get migraines. I get intense anxiety and honestly it's exhausting. Yes, I can push through it. I do it every day. No, it won't kill me. Well, pushing through sensory discomfort doesn't make learning easier. It just makes learning harder. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Another concern is that there

039is no clear formal process for students who struggle with these clothing for students who struggle with clothing because of sensory needs. I personally know two children who didn't graduate from our district. There were many reasons for this, but I also know sensory needs were never fully supported in the way that allowed them to feel comfortable in the building. The current dress code also creates a divide between families who can easily access approved clothing and families who can't. Right now, there aren't really equitable solutions for families who struggle to provide approved clothing. Just today, February 9th, at least one child didn't come to school because they didn't have proper clean attire. I have a friend with three children whose apartment doesn't have a washer and dryer. I can remember like several times I would sit in

040her hallway with her while she would wash their clothes for school in the bathtub one piece at a time just so her kids would have something clean to wear to school the next day. If I were going to talk about equity if I were going to talk about equity, we have to talk about access. At the very least, that could mean clothing partnerships, scholarships, respectful clothing distribution programs and access to loaner clothing that is appropriate. My child has been told things about her body, her clothes her clothes and her body at a time when she was just beginning to understand what in the what it means to have a body. Today a child skipped lunch because of how they felt in their body. I spent countless hours standing in dressing rooms with my daughter while

041she tried on different styles of polo shirts. More than once those moments ended in tears because nothing felt comfortable. This is reckless. Do you have yours written down that you're going to I do, but can I just finish it? I'll just Please keep these things in mind as you move forward. I truly hope you have a body and lifestyle that allow you to comfortably follow these policies written in the handbook because the truth is not everybody does. I could stand here and ask you to accommodate these people, but tonight I'm asking for something better than that. Please consider removing the current dress code and working together to create something new, something more equitable, more inclusive, and better for all children. Thank you. >> [applause] [clears throat] >> Anybody else miss the sheet? back to my

042Okay. Can Can I Can I address the crowd and just thank them for coming and give them like come I think we should provide a response that we'll follow up on or something be appropriate. Yeah. Um, Derek, do you have the I know we have a PowerPoint presentation later on. Can you pull that up on um We're going to be talking about board objectives. Can you pull that up for a second here? Um, one of the things in it, you know, I in these public meetings, just for the community, you know, it's hard to respond to everything live, so we're always careful want to make sure to research things. Some things we can keep in our heads, but not everything and um, later on tonight there's a um We're going to review this on board

043objectives. Go to the next one, please, Derek. Um one of the things that we're focused on this year, the the board and the last board started this as well, too, but there's some objectives we're looking at and they they break into six areas. If you stay after this, you'll hear the actual presentation. But the third one There's about 21 items on the list and the third one there is dress codes. The board is actually looking at the dress code right now. I want you to know that you're being heard. Now, what that how that all comes out, it's still early in the process. But I want you know that is on the list and the board is something that's something the board is looking at. So, board members, I don't know if you want to

044add anything. I know we're going to cover this a little bit later, but >> Just real quick, I appreciate everybody for coming in. I think that that's important information. I learned a lot from you guys. Um if anybody has any follow-ups, feel free to email us or or me. I think the more specific feedback we have, the the more helpful it'll be. Um some of the one some of the ideas like vendor partnerships or um you know, shirts and a collar, fab- you know, different things that your students are having trouble with specifically with the code would be helpful for our surrounding areas. That's something that we I'll definitely commit to looking into. So, I mean, I think you guys coming here tonight um is it's definitely helpful for us and we'll try to um

045you know, we'll we'll do a review and um give a thoughtful provide a thoughtful response. Um I can't make any promises on how it'll turn out, but I haven't been here for the development as a new board member. I wasn't here for the development, but we're talking we're reviewing what the purpose of this policy is and hearing your feedback on the effect of the policy is very helpful. So, we we can uh we'll definitely um you know, keep that in mind and hopefully provide you guys with some with some feedback. And if you su- shoot me an email, I'll invite you to the next meeting when we have additional information on the dress code. Um I think we can kind of go from there. Derek? Yeah, and if anybody wants to send me your if

046any of your notes, I'll make sure to get that to the board as well, too, cuz we're we'll take note we take notes and then we also actually watch the video and we take notes from there, too. I took a couple, but we'll If you have things like even um if you have anything um it's not really a back and forth cuz it's kind of like the >> ask a clarifying question? Um are these topics usually on meetings like today or is it mainly on the working meeting days? Um it depends. Like today later on tonight um we're going to talk about transportation and our new contract coming up and and also some alternatives there are possibly. So, typically in the work session, it's a little easier for us to work on some things or

047manage things and then we get to the larger meetings, so. Yeah. And one other thing I'll mention too is it would be very good to have your notes because we get a lot of input for dress code from the administration. So, the principals and and the the people that are in charge of the buildings say give a lot of input on what we are recommended for the dress code. So, all your information would be very helpful to share with those decision makers also. And that's a good point. We are planning on having a meeting with teachers to get their feedback, too, so um we're getting feedback from a lot of different perspectives to try to um come up with something that fits everybody's needs. So, I wanted to That's a good point. I wanted to

048let you guys know that, too. Yes, one of the things that the board has directed that we get some input from staff through our work sessions. So, I'll be following up with them as well, too, and the principals, so. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Um Um our first presentation is district financial forecast. So, Mrs. Drummy's going to we'll pull up a couple um PowerPoint slides here. If you recall, we had the um two meetings ago, we had um the financial presentation and then Mrs. Drummy always does a reconciliation of things and then at the work session we also um had some updates there in the board voted and we thought just to level set make sure everyone's looking at the same information we're going to put that up on the screen and I think Jeremy you're

049just going to go over a light update here from your reconciliation with the board approved at the work session. Right. So, with our review processes, we as we we were going through noticed some activity that will not be part of future planned activity with intra-fund transfers. So, between February 9th when we approved the first forecast, there were some revisions made to reduce intra-fund transfers. And Derek, if you could show the revised um And so, this is then what was approved at the work session. And so, in the revised, we've eliminated some of those intra-funds it's activity just within the general fund. And it actually has no change if you can scroll to the bottom. Um no change for the first 2 years in our ending cash. And future years, our cash actually improves. So, we

050just wanted to be, you know, transparent since we had approved at our regular business meeting, but then talked about some some of this activity and we needed to have the board I needed to have you approve it so we could submit by the end of February. So, that was the only reason that we approved it kind of off schedule. And so, um just wanted to share what had transpired. Right. Questions? All right. For the next presentation? Yes. Um I wanted to do a I think it's good for people to know just a a quick overview of all the work we've been spending um um and looking at board objectives. We just referenced that a few minutes ago. And um I have a copy here of a PowerPoint so it'd be easier to just sometimes to

051see it here cuz your screens are small. But some of the If you go to the next slide, please. Um as a with the board, one of the things we're doing is looking at objectives and what we've been looking at different ideas and all and we really have them in six areas there so I have them represented. Um five of those areas come from the state of Ohio and they're very much tied to superintendent evaluation process which very much aligns with board, you know, objectives. Very few times do you see divergences there and and treasure similar. Um but this model here is actually the uh from the OSBA, Ohio School Boards Association. They had a sixth area there which is the leadership and special projects. So, just read those real quick. So, when we're going

052through things we're trying to look and and see where they fit so and where what our focus is. So, that first one is on vision, continuous leader uh improvement and focus on district work. So, we're looking at some areas there that uh will fit under that category. Communication and collaboration, another area. Policies and governance, those are more of the mechanical aspects of things we have to do but yet very important. Um instruction, teaching and learning is an area that, you know, we're focused on. Resources, fiscal management, some of you just saw that earlier with um what Mrs. Drummy went through. And again, there's that last area that's been added by Ohio School Boards Association which is leadership and special projects. And we've had things like that, if you recall, a few years ago we had

053the General Miles matter and how we partnered with the city. That would be one that fits under there. So, any questions about those six areas and how we're organized? The next slide and I referenced this just a few minutes ago um when the board, you know, it's I know we spent some time on it, but a lot of good ideas. We have 21 areas that we've talked about and I just described some of the ones that are I would say of a higher priority right now for different reasons. But, one of the things we looked at is volunteerism and we're talking about how to get more volunteers into the schools. I think we're doing some good work on that. Um, most recently some of the areas have been with our Readers Leaders program that Mrs.

054Wagner has been starting and and actually cultivating there at the elementary school trying to help the teaching learning process there and also brings people in to see what we're doing in the schools. Um, our curriculum committee meets often and you know, we're in a 5-year curriculum cycle, very proud of that work. That's something that I say [clears throat] it always going to stay at the forefront, very very important. And, you know, it's one of those things you're never going to arrive, it's a process. So, we have a 5-year cycle the board has adopted. We're in year four, next year will be year five and then we restart the process again. Uh, dress code as I mentioned, that's an area that the board's looking at. So, I know you've given me some direction on that, probably

055some things to look at, but I will be talking with the staff about that. There are some I'm sorry, teachers have reached out and I'm going to work with the administration as well, too, and some thoughts about not only um, the actual dress code, but the the management of it, you know, loss of instructional time and what's what's taking what's been taken there so or the time it's been taken. Um, so, definitely going to be working on that and I want everyone to recognize that. Um, transportation by priority, this is one of our highest priorities right now because of timing. Uh, our next presentation will go a little in more in-depth than this, but this is about, you know, we're at the end of our 5-year contract with uh, community bus service. The last board

056in 2025 made this a priority. So, we're continuing that work and our contract expires the end of the fiscal year. And then, one of the things the board has asked for and you'll see this in the next presentation is going a little deeper and looking at some alternatives with transportation including, you know, we've talked about routes and should those routes be exactly the same and are there some changes. So, you'll I don't want to jump too far ahead, but you'll have some aspects of that that you'll hear next. Actually, it'll be quite in-depth because you'll see models of what our work is so far. Uh school safety always the priority for us. Um something that we need to work on. Some things we talk about, some we don't because, you know, you want to stay

057vigilant, but also it's a matter of um not always uh showing everything that we do so that it, you know, keeps it somewhat confidential, but a lot of work there. I'm proud of the focus there that uh is occurring. Uh economic development always an area of focus for us and that's really translates to business partnerships and, you know, how we're working with developers as well, too. So, focus there. These aren't any specific order right now except for transportation, like I said. Uh there's some tasks that need to be accomplished. We have classified contracts that are due at the end of this year and also administrative Some administrative contracts been under cycle. So, those are important by the end of uh June. And then facilities, you know, we've got building projects going on right now. So,

058things that um you know, we need to follow up there. You see some of the earthwork or some of the earth is being moved out here and there's some processes there we're involved with. Same thing with the north campus and then we opened the back of the building here which is a celebration and uh you know, some more focus there. So, again, just a sample there and uh there's 21 areas then we'll, you know, put those into the objectives and decide on timelines and priorities there. But, I thought it'd be good for just to kind of level set and review that. So, anything the board wants to cover in that or any more in-depth? Again, I didn't bring all 21. We'd be here for hours doing that, but I'll do for the public again, I'll

059just say that we do have different committees too. Um where we focus on different aspects of our goals. So, those are all public meetings. If you guys want to come here um to those, it's you know, it's another opportunity to interact. There's usually two board members on each committee, so um I'm on the policy committee. I haven't had anyone come visit me yet at policy meeting. Cuz they're pretty dry, but >> [laughter] >> but it's just uh it's another opportunity for you guys to we care about what you guys think and say and we want we love the feedback, so um And for our goals, feedback on goals, so Anything else from the board? Okay. So, you know, we'll take feedback today and we're going to talk about transportation next and then, you know, we'll

060continue that work at our work session. This will follow up through the rest of this year. Really trying to finish up any task that I'll say, you know, some important things about transportation contracts, some other timelines, but then also the future visioning is important too. What where we want to become not only next year, but years into the future, so There's nothing else. I think we're going to transition to the next uh presentation, which is our transportation contract. Sound okay? And I have um with us we have three representatives from uh Community Bus Service here. Um One of the things uh I'm going to give you as the board, uh when we had our last work session we had some representatives from CBS there. And um during that presentation, Erica, and we spent a little

061bit of time on this. Um the board had asked some questions and some further research that needs to be conducted. Just to level set and then we'll go through and and I'll I'll put up on the board what you have in your hand. But our current walk zone is about a mile and a half. There's some safety provisions, so it's not exactly a mile and a half in places, but it's about a mile and a half from each of the schools. And one of the things that the Board of Education has asked is should that be different in some way, right? So, we've looked at should the distance be shorter? Should it be be matter of looking at some uh thoroughfares or some major roadways. Should we be crossing those? What about developments? We have

062a few situations where we're dividing developments. So, part of the development receives bus service, some doesn't. Then obviously the implications for all this um including financials, right? Because it could be um you know, costly. So, what we'd like to do today is kind of jump into this work and show you the next step here. Kelly, are you going to lead the first part of this presentation? I can. >> Okay. Um Derek, can you throw up the um first PowerPoint? Kelly, I'll start and you jump in and help me out. >> Okay. Okay. Do you want to introduce all of yourselves? I'd appreciate Thank you guys for coming in. Certainly. I'm Kelly Blessing. I am the site supervisor here for the Johnstown Monroe facility. This is Mr. Chris Reed. He is our regional director. And Mr.

063Julian Thomas. I don't know Julian's title anymore. I'm the vice president of community bus services. >> [laughter] >> Community bus services is also my family owned Yeah, is your dad still around? >> He's still around. He's slowing down now. Slowing down. I think Julian's doing a good job. We're seeing less of less of Terry and more of Julian so >> I think that's the that's the process. >> transition. Yeah, so what we have up here um Derek, can you let me know what on the right side? Uh we'll take the JES walk zone to be your first one. Okay, so where we left off and then I want to show you this um what you see there in that rose color red color with the red dots, that is around um JES, so the elementary

064school. And that's what we've denoted as a about 1-mi walk zone. And I say about because there's some safety areas in there, too. So, if you were to extend it, if you looked at we talked about this earlier Derek had a question. If you look at the large red dot, that's approximately where the elementary school is and you can see how much real estate there is below and above that. So, it's not exactly equal. There's some safety issues there. And then what the board has asked also is if we had a walk zone around the elementary school, but we did not have to cross 37 or 62, this is what this would look like. So, again, this is 1 mile with I'll call it like the safety provisions and not crossing those major thoroughfare there.

065Um so, 37 and 62. And then anything in the blue dots that you see around is really those would be transportation area then that we would start providing bus service to. So, some of those here we have the earlier maps I know if you've seen, but um you know, our current walking path is our current walk zone is about a mile and a half. So, this is significantly smaller. So, kind of wanted to show you what that looked like from our last meeting. So, next questions about this? Any feedback? So, this would 93 JES students that's the additional students that would be Yeah, so good question. So, >> ahead or >> No, no, not at all. So, one of the things that makes this a challenge is um it's with kindergarten. So, we have to

066you know, Kelly's leading this and has done a nice job. And what she does is she rolls everyone up. We always do that anyway. So, we know about where the patterns are. So, first grade, second, and so on. What we don't know is in kindergarten. Our kindergarten class this year is much smaller than they have been in past years and we're about 82 has been up to about 85 this year, back down to about 82. And um we're watching kindergarten registration. When I talked to um Mrs. Wagner at the elementary, um I think we have 79 families already expressing an interest in kindergarten. So, we've benchmarked about 100. To put that in perspective, last year our kindergarten was 122. That's where we ended the year. So, students can spot. So, there's some assumptions made in

067this. Now, one of the things that make this really difficult, and Kelly and the team is really doing the uh it's done a great job of this, but you have to make some approximations. We don't know when we get additional kindergarten students exactly where they're going to live. If they're a legacy family and they have other children in the school district, we know where they're going to live. But, if they're new or there there's going to be some children we don't know. So, will they be in the walk zone? Will they be in the you know, so we've taken our assumptions and you know, put that into place. So, that's about what we see right now or we can project. May change a little bit, but not substantial. When you zoom out on this a

068bit and you'll see this time with the intermediate, we also have brought in um and thought about what would it take to service this area and also the intermediate school. Remember, we have a two-tiered system, so the bus would would serve both, you know, intermediate and elementary. So, we've put some assumptions in there, too. Kelly, what am I missing from elementary school? I think you've pretty much covered covered a lot of it, especially with the kindergarteners. Um the blue dots really on here indicate, you know, as of current, these students would become eligible for transportation. So, um you're you would be adding, you know, some service for them. Um but, it it does prevent anyone crossing the major thoroughfares of 62 and 37, which I think that's that's a huge goal for us, especially with

069the safety factors. Yep. It's based on the age of the students, too. These are all elementary school students that may not be as aware of traffic concerns as students get older. Yep. So, did we look at um is that 93 total new riders would be eligible or is that the total factored down by our anticipated riding percentage. Does that make sense? So, basically when I switched everyone over into this area to be eligible for transportation, the 93 is what I currently have. Adding the kindergarteners into here, wherever they're coming into play, would add more to the 93. >> would be 93 total students that would it add to the bus route if all of them rode. If all of them rode. If all of them rode, correct. Mhm. Kelly, can you explain or any of

070you for that matter, can you talk about uh size of our passenger buses and two versus three students per seat and how that factors into your algorithm here or your math in terms of >> Mhm. All of our buses are 72 passenger capacity. That is for basically elementary school-age children. They um are allowed to fit three to a seat with the elementary. Um you cannot have them go over the seat barrier, then that becomes, you know, non-safe. And sometimes then you do have to move down to the two passenger per seat. So, when we take a look at this and we say, "Okay, we can approximately fit 72 elementary students on a bus." That is a lot because, you know, they have their coats and all their stuff and, you know, um it does become

071a little a little crowded on the bus. But, it is it is still legal with them. So, um middle school and high school, then your numbers change a little bit. And you do typically about two to a seat, right? Two to a seat, correct. When we talked about this last, uh there was an estimation of adding one bus. Do you still feel comfortable with that? >> This would be two buses. Two buses. When you say the intermediate will be a a second bus is what what this would So, one of the things we wanted to look at was a separate analysis if we just did a a change to the elementary school. So, if I'm crunching the numbers in my head, 93 students. Did we get a number on what our average ridership is of

072eligible riders? So, out of if there was 100 kids, currently, what percentage of those are actually accepting the bus services? For elementary, it's it's usually about 90 to 95%. Okay. Middle school, high school, it's a little less. One of the things the board asked about, I think it's a good question about how many buses to add in this too. We have a two-tiered system, so if we add to the elementary, it's going to add to the intermediate as well, too. So, our next slide, when we're ready for that, will show you what that looks like, too. And then the question comes, and then we're going to need some direction tonight, is where else we're going to have those drivers, and they're going to come in typically early. So, they're going to do middle school, high

073school for the first run, and then their second tier then is the intermediate elementary. Now, we were talking, and we don't jump ahead to the high school middle school, but you know, there are some different routes that occur with middle school, high school, specifically high school, and like career tech, for example, you know, a C-Tech middle, too. Kelly, you want to Derek, you want to pull up to the intermediate? So, what you're going to see here, it's your second page on the back of your first page. This will be the intermediate school, and this is an update also since the board has seen this. Um what you see there is, you know, similar process. You have the red area, which is your walk zone. Um and then we have the intermediate, and then anything um

074outside of that red would now be you know, transported. Um now, you would have some Well, you're going to have some students on 37 there, which is what we're going to have to look at on that, too. Um we also have I don't think we have any uh developments in ice lake Crawford or Concord Crossing is all in the walk zone. >> That is a walk zone. >> Okay, it's all in the walk zone. So that is all unified meadow. That's one of the things we look at. Um before now you notice though without crossing 62 that Rolling Meadows um new addition is now a transportation area. So there would be no crossing of 62. Again, this this intermediate may a route would meet with the elementary. So Correct. And again, similar process. Are telling

075me to talk about numbers there or anything. This is a little easier because we roll up and uh it predictability is a little little easier right there. >> Correct. Correct. So So the blue dots on this map indicate students that are currently this year in fourth grade who would roll up to fifth grade. So these students would become eligible for bus service. It's a little difficult to do that with the with the third and you know, and then of course fifth graders they're on a different tier cuz then they go to middle school. And the green dot there toward the top, that's the elementary school correct there in that area? Yes. >> Generally in the area. It's general area. That's all why that's there. So remind me again which the intermediates ride with what other

076groups? Elementary. Elementary, okay. So because when we talked at the work session um this would still require some students to cross over 37. And that brings up another conversation um Mrs. Davis and um Mr. Frazier and I participated with the meeting with the city which all of the board's uh aware of and we're talking about crossing guards. Jurisdictionally, that's the city but that would be something that we would talk to them about and try and help on some of those intersections. And I think they're interested in the plan. Yeah. They you to do some engineering on that. Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up. I think that's really good um for people to know is that we did have a conversation with the city. Um and so in addition to like bussing and potentially changing

077those routes, we're also looking at what other areas of the community, whether it's increased signage, lights, crossing guards. Um that's going to be definitely a joint effort, but so we are looking at this from more than just um adding additional students to bussing, but all around the community how do we make anyone who's walking to school it's make it safer. Remember this anything about this map um this is more refined than what you've seen uh at the last work session. No, and I think these are about the numbers we were anticipating I mean it's not you she knows this community well enough that she she kind of was like I'm going to spitball, but you were you were pretty dead on. >> good. She's she's taken that Yeah. data at the last meeting and then

078really refined it, so This is very helpful and I know it was a lot of time, so thank you. You're welcome. Um anything else with the intermediate? If you go to the next slide, um that one would be a compilation of middle school and high school. We didn't separate it cuz we're on the essentially the same campus, yeah. Um and what we did here is we haven't made any modifications to this route yet, so you still or these routes you still have a 1 and 1/2 mile walk zone. About there's some safety Mhm. issues to go farther down on 37, we that's not a mile, but we transfer from safety region. But um this is basically in its current form for the most part. We haven't really modified this at all. Okay. Mhm. Can I

079go back one step? So there's no fourth graders in Leafy the Leafy Dell area, is that why there's no dots up there? We currently bus Leafy Dell for fourth and fifth grade. Okay. That's that's makes sense. Okay, That's why. All right, I'm sorry. So, with this map, we'll have to talk because we would have the ability to make some adjustments here if you want. And now, it's probably not going to be a one-for-one because your middle school, especially like I said before, your high school is going to require more in formal transportation. We've got some different routes that we're running right now to not public in the morning that are earlier, I think. And then, certainly, we've got a few special ed and um like I said, to career tech and all, too. So, it's

080a little heavier load that first tier, I'll say. But, would you like us to look at this map at all and try to see if we can cuz we'll have some staff to see if we can make some adjustments. Mhm. I think we're good. Okay. I mean, I think it's not that we don't want to. I just think at this time when we given the finances of what it would cost to add two additional buses and for the community to know to potentially add two more buses over a 5-year period is a million dollars. So, it's not that uh we don't care, but we also all have to be good financial stewards of the community's money. And so, um you know, we we sifted through a lot of different things. And I think we said,

081"If we have to prioritize, it's it's the safety of those younger students." Like you said, crossing those major areas. And so, um you know, I I think that we feel comfortable with the plan we have and the data we have. And the question you might ask is why haven't we done this prior to now? Right? But, there was a change in the law. Kelly can probably We had some discussions on whether or not we could do this because we changed the radius. We changed some things. And then, legally, they've just made a change within the state policy that would allow us to do this. So, it's by school now instead of within the school district. So, that was a policy change that the state made, which allows us to then look at this as an

082issue for our community. Um Anything else you want us to look at cuz what we can do as a next step is continue to find this, double-check our work, and then we can talk into work session at some point. Like I said, whatever highest priority this year is looking at that translation contract, and then we've also talked to this about this as alternates for that contract. So, we have the core contract and we look at do we want to add to it. What Mrs. Davis said is important though, adding one bus, we benchmarked it about $110,000 a year, two buses about 220. And we pull that across the forecast. We're going to need some time to do that because that's over a million dollars that's going to add just for those two routes for the

0835 years. It's actually slightly more than that because um we negotiate the contract that 220 for the two routes will be there'll be an escalator that we'll have to throw out through the forecast and show you what that increase would look like over 5-year forecast. Is there anything else you want us to look at? >> timeline if we did make a decision on this? Would it be implemented in the 2026-2027 school year? Would it be something that you would do later? Uh something we we've talked to CVS and you know, there's some constraints here with time. We're still in that acceptable window though. We want to get see if we can get the core contract negotiated then we would add this. But, if we can get this done say before the end of the school

084year, I think there's a fair chance we can get implement this for the 26-27 school year. That allows them to think about the fleet and then also staffing because you're going to need you're going to need both and whatever their supports you need cuz I'm sure there's variables when you have so many routes you have to add additional supports. So, refresh my memory real quick again. We have um these blue dots are all the eligible students that As of today. All of So, that's okay. Not just current riders, but it's all the all the students that are enrolled in Johnstown. These are all the ones that have opted in for transportation. >> opt-ins, okay. Right. Yeah, we do the opt-in process. And that occurs, you know, over the summer. Um and we didn't see a

085lot of open capacity in any of our current buses. Like to to jiggle the routes, is that Did we have any room? >> Unfortunately, no. No, they are all they are really run um very efficiently. And we've we've maximized We've maximized, you know, our our buses to to cover everything. >> agree with that. Kelly, one of the things that's interesting is I think we have to look to in our We have 52 square miles in the school district, too. So, sometimes people it's going to look as though maybe a bus isn't a fully full, especially if you're going to the southern end of the district. We're not that dense there now, but that could change over time. So, you're going to see a bus that might look half full, but then that's the time commitment.

086Mhm. You know, as opposed to the capacity. And we know that's the most challenging part of the entire routing aspect because there's so many adjustments. There's sometimes it's a one-way Yes. >> the traffic and [laughter] and that's that bus, too, I think, isn't it? Bus two, yeah. >> runs down there. So, that's the one that's the most uh challenging to keep on schedule because the traffic patterns keep changing sometimes with development down there. Yes. That's correct. Dr. Wagner, to put you on the spot a little bit here, too. Um would you say that bussing increases safety levels by decreasing traffic coming through from parents dropping off? Is that a fair assumption? I think we can analyze that. I mean, I think that makes some sense, but I think that, you know, we want to analyze

087that a bit. I I think there's two parts of that. Um we see increased capacity, at least I shouldn't say that cuz I don't know exactly, but it appears there's increased capacity. I can tell you that I think we can all objectify it to say that we see different types of vehicles now on our roads, including a lot of dump trucks and other trucks. And you know, we've been aware of some concerns that people haven't really honored sometimes the intersections or crosswalks. So, I have some concerns there. So, I think that's a concern. We can also look at probably have to do some analysis about how many parents this would take off the campus as well, too. One of the challenges we have and it you know, when we think about our next build, which

088will be either a high school or middle school, one of the things that's done in construction now is to separate your traffic. Um I know when I was working in the neighboring school district, we had the high school traffic separated into four. So, there's no co-mingling. So, you had your students, uh parents, I'm sorry, students, visitors, uh staff, and buses all in separate you know, separate flow. That doesn't happen now. We're a small district, and you know, the architecture's the architecture, but I think having some of those parents out of the flow would help a little bit cuz we're intermingling right now. We try to stagger by time, it doesn't work out perfectly. But yeah, we can look at that as well. Anything else the board wants to look at or I do have one

089more question. Uh um Anyone else besides Jesse? No, just >> [laughter] >> So, I'm going goes back to my last question of what these blue dots represent. Specifically, I'm looking at the JES walk zone. You said those were opted in bus riders. Jesse, we'll put it back up so they can see it. So, the So, the blue dots, basically, before we before I did the adjustment to the 1-mile with the the safe of no crossing 62 or 37 for JES, all of these students were in the walk zone. Okay. So, when I >> population is 100% of eligible for >> Right. So, when I went in and readjusted everything and made everyone eligible that was in that walk zone available for transportation, that's where the 93 come into play. >> Now, it makes sense. Okay,

090I just wanted to get that clarification. >> Yes. Thank you. And we we don't know who's going to accept and Yeah. This is the maximum population parents you know have advantages they're driving this work and they Correct. >> You know, or they have different events they want to manage. But we thought the way you have things modeled that we shouldn't have more than what we're expecting, right? I mean everything you're benchmarking and possibly up to two buses would cover Correct. >> Everything. Okay. Yeah, that's the thing we don't want to bring to you possibly two routes and then or two buses and then need a third. So Just two buses give us a little bit of extra capacity and flexibility. Is that It does. Okay. That's good to hear. It does. Well, and we don't

091want to plan for them to be full because I feel like you're going to re like you said, you're you're probably going to have to move routes a bit. >> Yes. And so you might have well more that are driving further out or whatever and so you're right, you don't want them to be Correct. >> plan to be full. And Kelly, remind us how many current in-district routes do you have right now In-district >> Yes. is eight. Okay, so this would take us to 10 if we added these two routes. Correct. >> there that would even give you some flexibility look at all the 10 routes as there's >> Absolutely. Absolutely. That's one of my big summer projects this year is now to >> Well, and we even talked about route two like like I

092already said that's the traffic pattern the distance but is there some way to get a little more relief in there we could build a buffer. Correct. >> If we had the um bus coming um for C-Tech, if we had two extra buses, would there be any chance that we would be able to have a route where the high school students are picked up and then they can be taken over to C-Tech cuz right now I believe they come in I think they drive in in order to make the C-Tech bus. Or did that So they have the So they have So this if those students in the the transportation zone, the 1.5, they do have the option of riding the the district the in-town buses into which we do have several students that do do

093that. They'll ride their their basically their home bus into the middle school area and then they will transfer over to bus 11 which is the C-TEC bus. So and then they're transported to school. And then a lot of the high school students they prefer to drive and just come and park at the school area and then get on the C-TEC bus. Which is totally fine. They have those two options. Yeah. Just a question. Kelly, did we miss anything? I don't think so. Board members, anything else? >> No. Jesse? Thank you. Okay. No, seriously, I mean now's the time to give it because we you know this is a lot of work and I I can't take credit for it. It's really CBS, but if there's more we'll bring this to you as the next iteration,

094but we're getting pretty close now to having the analysis done. When's the date where you guys want us to give you a heads up of heads down on what our what the plan's going to be? Do you have like a a preferred and then a a drop dead deadline that we can keep in our minds? We told them by the end of the year we would try to get that and they said that was okay with them. Yeah. Yeah, I we're we're still we're still planning to do Okay. All right. Then by the end of the year. Yeah. Cuz that gives them a couple months that you know, you know your work better than we do, but you're going to do a lot of work in routing over the summer. You're going to we're going

095to be feeding you, you know, updated enrollment information and then you'll do your dry runs. You know, so you'll have a sense of how this fits together, but we we even the contract Mr. Coppola is trying to get everything organized by the end of the year. And one of the things that it's not routing, but from a a staffing standpoint if by chance we're having an issue with staffing which I will say Kelly's been 100% service this year. But all of our locations have because we share we share staff. So if we're short somewhere she'll call our Columbus site supervisor and say, I need two for tomorrow." And they make it work. So, that's one of the benefits of being with the the contractor like CCS. And you also have another area school district you

096draw from us sometimes, too. Absolutely. And if worse comes to worse, I drive. >> Yes, I know. We were we [laughter] were working on this presentation and she wasn't available. I wear many hats. We were working on this presentation, but she wanted to focus on driving, so we appreciated that. So, and you were once a driver for >> I was once a driver, yes. >> Yes. If there's nothing else, then you know, we'll keep the board updated. I do want to thank, you know, they all came here today. I appreciate It has been a tremendous professional relationship. Um, a couple years ago, Mr. Busenberg, when he transitioned to his role, really helped facilitate with CCS and made some changes and really appreciate all all of you. And specifically three of you cuz you've done so

097much to get us here. Kelly is a wizard when her uh interface works as well, too. And and Chris is very helpful. And Julian's always picking up the phone when we call. So, we do appreciate the partnership and we'll keep you updated and we'll let you know next steps and and as well as the board, okay? All right. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks, guys. That's it for our presentations tonight. Yeah. And then we've got board committees. Um, we have first one buildings, grounds, safety, and construction. I believe Mrs. Thomas was there and Mr. Frazier. Yes. Steven >> I um met with you and Derek Derek Busenberg were out of um the country at the time, so we met without you, sorry. Um we talked about the newly renovated uh baseball,

098softball, wrestling, cheerleading. We took a tour afterwards. It's very nice. Um, they've done a very nice job to renovate. It doesn't even look like the same place. I know we don't have a before and after picture available right now, but I think we do on our website. >> Oh, Craig Craig has all kinds of archives here. >> [clears throat] >> But it's very nice and we were able to see the students using it as well. So, that was great. We talked about um we need some more signage around the area here um at the Chambers way as well as um the police signage and I think all of that's been done except for maybe two the signs there. >> that with the city and yeah, I think I've been in on too. And I think

099um Derek Holder had said he had met with um Chief Smart, Jack Liggett and so I think I'm hopeful those things are being taken care of. >> They're in process. Um also they talked about the JHS addition and athletics construction punch list. Um those are on track. Spring summer sidewalk um at the JHS um we have the chain that goes along the parking lot and the front lawn of JHS. There wasn't a sidewalk put in there, but now that we've been in the building a few years you can walk you can see the pattern where the kids walk. So, we're going to go ahead and do that for a spring project, put the JHS sidewalk in. I think that'll help and it'll also help keep the mud from getting into JHS. Um I understand that

100that's quite intensive and as we all know it's mud season right now as all the snow's melted and the water. So, um we've reviewed the district parking lot as well. We've got some um ceiling cracks that we need to do. There was a FCCLA speed bump project where a grant was received for $5,000. We're looking at that. We don't really have too much information yet on that. But it um they were awarded $5,000. We were discussing what that might look like. Um we've talked about since we're not here at the JIS at Chambers Way, as you go down the side of JMS, down where our fields are, we've talked about how that's like a just a bit of a raceway there and possibly a speed bump. We've talked about it at different times, but now

101there's actually a grant. So, we're going to explore that a little bit more. Um, and then just another maintenance uh, items that they were talking about. And we were talking about a gym floor is being refinished and that's going to be uh, something that we take a look at, probably more information at our our next meeting. Is there anything else you wanted to add? No, I'll just say like as a first-time attendee at the uh, buildings, grounds, and safety meeting, I was quite impressed by uh, all the different projects that are going on by Mr. Busenberg and Mr. Holter. Just uh, a ton of time and things moving at once. Um, pretty impressive to see like as a as a rookie. Welcome to the committee where you get to move around. >> [laughter] >> Very

102happy for you. Yeah. Okay, we get to take chores. That's the fun part. Um, curriculum athletics and extracurriculars met on uh, >> [clears throat] >> March 4th and that was Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Thomas. Yes. So, we uh, teachers, staff, um, board members, we are still um, looking and reviewing different options for social studies curriculum for next year, but we will also have vendor presentations from our top two um, options at our March 23rd work session, which is really great. We also talked about um, some summer PD days. Anytime we have new curriculum, it's really important that teachers have time to get familiar with the content, the online material, all of that. So, just like in years past, we plan to provide summer PD days for them for social studies. Um Principals shared high-level updates

103on content. Principals shared anywhere between five or more minutes updates. Um so, they were supposed to all have five minutes, but what I will say is the principals were so excited to share so many things that Grace's face There were a lot of She was waiting in the hallway. Um Here's what I'll say. We talked about a lot of different things. We talked about um each each building's um how they're implementing tutoring, whether that was something started in the fall that they're planning to continue in summer. And these are things that we have been able to provide a little bit earlier every school year, which is which has been really good. We've been able to look at our data sooner and say, "Why would we wait to January to help provide support for students if

104we know they need it in September or October?" Which is really great. Um I think that each building has done a really good job looking at the needs of their individual students, whether it's before school, taking a little bit of time during the day, in school, after school, providing the set incentives for students to be a part of it. It's been really uh really tremendous and cool stuff to hear about. Um I will not be able to go into a lot of the specifics, but uh they did a great job kind of giving us an update on where they were with things. Um we also had an opportunity to look at the special education profile summary. It's very similar to a school report card. Grace gave us a really good um Grace Wagner gave us

105a really good insight to lots of variables that are included as a part of that. Um One of the things about things like school report cards and the special education profile summary is data always lags is years behind. And so, as a parent, as a teacher, as a board member, uh you can see numbers, you can see stars, you can see met not met, and it can be really concerning. Often that data is 2 to 3 years behind, and so, um we've gotten assurances from Grace. I mean, we feel really great about where we are with things, and hope to see some different um scores changing in the next couple years with some some really positive things we've implemented. Uh we also talked about uh athletics. Softball the softball trip is coming up. We have

10628 student athletes uh varsity and JV, six parent chaperones, um they're really excited for that trip. Uh we also talked about the new facilities here, alleviating some scheduling issues, which has been really great. More space, more opportunities to not have to cram into the same building. Um Also, wrestling has an overnight tournament coming up as well, so wishing them the best of luck. Very exciting, and um last thing we just kind of reviewed was um anticipated resignations, and um Cathy? Yes, yeah. I was thinking um yeah, I was thinking retirement. Yes, uh resignations and retirement that we anticipate might be happening this year, um and starting to think forward for next year as as how we uh shift and fill those positions. Okay. And then we have finance that met on uh March 2nd. Well,

107fi- finance is not as exciting as the two that went before us, but we're the uh make sure we have money people. So, um we are uh diligent to try to do that because all these initiatives that we have take money to have them implemented, right? So, um we focused mainly, you know, we always talk about the five-year forecast to make sure we have the money in and fully show Uh said changes to our forecast earlier in this meeting. But two of the items, main items that we talked about were revenue type items, okay? That we talked about. One is, and you'll see on our agenda tonight, we're asking for some uh 2025 tax year property valuation complaints that were were um uh filing within the county. What happens is we have a property that's

108being developed within our school district, and this property was uh farmland, usually under CAUV, and um some entities have bought these properties, and they've paid uh many times the estimated value of those properties. So, we think that those properties are now intended to not be farmed anymore in the future. So, we want to make sure that um we get the right uh tax base for those properties going forward, cuz it's a revenue stream for us. The uh So, that's one thing you'll see a number of them, and we have to file individually based on the entity that bought it, and they have the right to challenge that complaint, right? So, if they bought it and paid many times its value, and they say I'm still going to farm instead of developing it and putting a

109plant or a factory or something there, they can also uh file an objection to our complaint. So, it's not a given, but most of the time it's going to be a given because that's why they bought it. And then the other thing that we talked about was we have various agreements uh when people develop our properties and and do industrial or commercial. And uh one of the issues that we have is with the city of New Albany has annexed a lot of our property that's south of town. And um we have some concerns because we had a uh clawback to one of our agreements, and that's happened a couple of times over over the past several years, and where they want to clawback money that that we we supposed uh that we thought we had

110and we really want to understand that process and that process with all our different agreements cuz we have various agreements with different entities. So, we're we're taking a look at how do we how do we get better information so we can make a better decision to make sure that we're actually getting the money that we're supposed to get based on the contracts that we have. So, we're going to take a look at a couple different options and come to the board hopefully by our next meeting and have a proposal to say this is what we want to try to do to make sure that we're fully receiving the funds that are due us based on our agreements with these different entities. And that's basically what we talked about. We there was a couple other little

111minor issues that we talked about but those are the two highlighted ones that I would want to present today. Anything else with finance? Good job, Alan. No. No. If is that okay, Amanda? That was Amanda's first time, too. Finance is not very exciting, but it's it's what? It's not very exciting, but if you if you don't have the money, so like, you know, we talked about bussing, right? So, so we want to make sure we get our the right money that's due us because we have a forecast, right? So, when people claw back money from us it adjusts our forecast. So, it makes it hard to do some of the initiatives that we'd like to do if we're not getting the money that we think that we're due or we we have it in our

112forecast and then all of a sudden it's taken back and and that's that's a hard thing to do to adjust to that. Cuz we don't want to do anything like the bussing question and I don't know what the decision of the board's going to be, but we don't want to do anything within the school district that's going to cause us to have a problem later in our in our life to where we have to take something back. So, we want to be very careful about the things that we spend our money on because we don't want to ever have a clawback with bussing cuz at one time we didn't have bussing here in our school district for the high school students and we don't ever want to go back to a situation like that where

113we have to call back a service that we've initiated at an earlier important time. You know, to the board members, if you ever want to get off a committee, you I think you got to talk about how good it is. That's the way you talk about policy. Yeah. But you want to talk about how good it is so that you want to make it attractive to the next board members. >> if you're not going to sell these policies, it's going to be hard to sell them. You know, this man is taking [laughter] my place. You got to think about it before you know, in the fall we start talking about policy or that committee structure and stuff. Okay. Um sorry, we were having a little sidebar just to be transparent because we were trying to

114make sure we had the insurance ready. So, Mr. Fecher, you're going to jump in and I'll I'll jump in where I can ever need to, right? Yeah. And so, we met, I'm sorry, on on February 26th was the date. Yeah. February 26th we got together and it was an absolute blast. Everybody >> [laughter] [laughter] >> No, um it was it was very informative. Um it especially like looking at it from a different lens. Usually I'm the person that's sitting behind the computer at work picking the right health plans and and finding out um you know, what's really important. But it was really useful. Um Dr. Wagner brought in um a vendor, Tyler from What's it from Gallagher? Gallagher. >> Yeah. Um Tyler and his responsibility is looking at all the different health plans that that

115are out there, making sure that we're competitive, um and we're being responsible, how they can showing us how they compare to the other health care um plans that are out there for other districts. It was it was very informative um and it's a it's a really interesting balance between, you know, being responsible with what we're spending on health care and making sure that we're providing the right benefits for the the administration and teachers as well. Um overall is I I think it's we're heading in the right direction. I think there's still a lot of opportunity there. Um and I think we're we're looking for opportunity to find more savings in the health care um area, but um I think there's a good plan going forward for that. It was a really fun process also. Um

116it's a little bit different from my other committee. Um being able to collaborate with the teachers, Mrs. Shaver was there and and kind of leading the way. It's It's really nice to have to be on a committee and work with the teachers as well and hear their input and kind of balance that back and forth. Um so everybody has a good understanding of the of the different roles and um it's also nice to have a lot of different ideas moving there too to to find the best solution. What did I miss? No, I think you I think you covered it. It's So Okay. You know, we had a increase of almost $310,000 this year and the employees paid part of that. The board paid part. I think um one of the things and I said

117this in in December, but one of the things that um is important what you said, Mr. Fitzgerald, is having the partnership. Um Mrs. Shaver is there and she's leading with some of the other staff, but it really kind of flattened things out and have some just honest discussion. Um our health care plans have been um separated and we started that in 2023 and we have the standard PPO and then we also have a high deductible plan that we brought in in January '23. And that high deductible plan is run um more efficient the last 2 years um than it than the PPO, but this last year ran the most efficient and we're really kind of proud of that because we're starting to see the the turn, I think, there. And we looked at loss ratios

118for um this last year, so it ended in it's calendar year 2025. The loss ratio on the PPO plan was 140% and if you're in that beyond 90%, that's not good. So, we're we're not doing well there. In fact, we paid out claims of 1.5 million plus beyond what the premiums were. So, that's a significant concern. But, the high deductible plan ran at 55%. So, we actually there about $479,000 to the good. So, that helps offset and like I said, for the first time ever we have more staff now on the high deductible as opposed to the PPO. And uh Yeah, I get the question sometimes about are we just cost shifting, but the idea with these high deductible plans is really supposed to be an education and it's supposed to be consumerism. So, if

119you're spending your own dollar, to some point you're going to be more critical of that and not just drop your card down and offer a you know, whatever the copay is. Um So, anyways, yeah. So, I think we're definitely trending in the right direction and again, appreciate the teachers in the staff who are jumping in on that and it's a work in progress, but we are making progress and these numbers, I won't go through all the data, but they're much they're getting better than they were in the last so many years and I think that keeps the viability of our plan because as the board said, we want to keep you know, good cost, but also want to keep good benefits for everyone. That's part of what you attract and how you retain staff. What

120was the increase for the high deductible plan of enrollment this year for 2026? >> Um we had I'm curious. Yeah, well, I appreciate that. It's in the summer committee minutes. >> [laughter] >> Yes, now You still have to know. Um 46 to 60. Oh, that was good. Yeah. Yeah. That's good. Yeah. 14 >> Thank you. Yeah, which is significant because we had last year Well, total we had 66 on the PPO and um 46 on the high deductible. So, that's tip for the first time like I said. And I really do have to compliment Felicia on all this, too, because she's been focusing on what we call financial Fridays and we've had different topics. Recently, she's been focused on retirement and and uh you know, plans that you have to pick cuz new staff newer

121educators have to pick a plan a benefit plan now within their first summer years of being employed as an educator. But, um these are some of the discussions we're involved with, too, so. Okay, I think that's it for that. Um and policy. Policy was the most exciting. >> is Dave. This is going to talk about that. It's a great policy. >> out. Every time. Um Wish you were there. So, we were able to review 15 policies during the meeting. Um one policy is actually a new to our district policy and I'm also really happy to say that the rest of the 14 were just revisions. And so, if you see a resend resend and replace, that means we've missed or we're behind by two different revisions and we're So, the fact that we got through

122all of those and they're just revisions, that means we were pretty more up-to-date on those, so that's really exciting to see as we move forward. I'm seeing less and less um res- resending. Okay. Yep. It's your cop- anything. I know you were there and it was an exciting committee with you there. Yeah, the the one the updates we had were pretty um they weren't drastically different, but a lot of the policies um that we were changing, it was more just legal language updates to be up with the most recent recommended language. Um >> I don't think there was any particular code updates, honestly, that out of the ones we reviewed for the first reading that were really of note. It was They were all pretty administrative this time, so nothing very controversial to add or

123exciting to tell you about, but we're making progress. Yep. One thing I'll mention about policy, if I can inject since I was on the committee for many years. Um policy just does a broad look at at what's happening and gives a framework for the school to operate from. From policy, then the administration develops handbooks, um administrative guidelines, and that's how they actually run the school. So, we as a policy committee, we kind of give a broad guidance based on policy, and then it really goes back to the administrative guidelines. So, one thing that you may want to look at as you look at things, it may not be the policy, but you may want to look at administrative guidelines. Might answer the questions that you may have. >> [clears throat] >> Okay. Um technology typically

124meets about once a year, so we'll That's for Mr. Benton and Mrs. Davis. We'll look to schedule that in April >> Yeah. Yeah, we need to do that a couple times. We're already getting, um you know, looking at our equipment cycles and >> That's another exciting committee. We look at refreshing, um That is a fun one. the uh the computers that, you know, and uh Promethean boards and uh I'm on all the exciting ones. Um so, we'll we'll keep you updated about that. Probably April Yeah, April's great. You know, we'll we'll get down there, but we're already working on that. Ms. Cybulski's working on that, but And we have a budget for the technology committee, so we try to stay within our yearly budget and on the refresh cycle. So, we've been doing a very

125good job. Uh Debbie Cybulski's been doing leading us for many years, that Ready for local professional development committee? So, local professional development committee met on February 19th, and those in attendance Stephanie Stukey, Laura Kurtz, Renee Britton, Annette Price, Robin Wagner, Abby Fitz, and Brad Weerman. They look at individual professional development plans for staff. We had three submitted. They did approve two of those three, and they submitted or returned one back for revision just because of some questions. This committee is also charged with license renewal. So, they did handle three staff members, and they were able to renew their licenses. They also looked at some professional development hours that needed to be approved. They did approve four staff there. And then they're looking at some work for the future, which they'll be covering at the next

126meeting. And then their next meeting is scheduled for March 19th, 2026 at 3:30 p.m. Thank you. Sure. And then we have consent approval of consent agenda. Consent agenda number 26-03-055 is approval consent agenda. And can I get a motion for that? I'll motion. And a second. Second. All right. Then you can go through it. >> me to go through and review some of these, Mrs. Davis? I'll just do a high-level overview, but we have some unpaid [clears throat] days there. We don't reference why those are there, but we're recommending the board approve those unpaid days. We have resignations of two staff members on the list here. One is Kathleen Schamba. I'll just give you a little information. She's been working with the Johnston-Roanoke schools since the 2014-15 school year as an intervention specialist at the

127elementary school. So, she's ready to take that next step. And then Ray Hufford's been here for a while, and I have a separate write-up I want to read about her, but she's been here for 17 years. She actually started in the 2009-10 school year. Mr. Hancock gave a little information here I want to share. So, she's been she's been 19 years in education, 17 of which are with Johnson and Morrow. And Mr. Hancock was talking about at the middle school how they wants to thank Ray Hubbard for her dedication and care that she's shown to our students every day. Um she consistently goes with you know the extra mile. She often isn't worried about just following the clock, so she stays late when she needs to really focusing on students and making sure they succeed

128they succeed. Um she has a general care for students that she certainly exudes and strong support. She's a a good teammate. Um and really just a kind of a fun favorite among staff and students he shares. And then you know he said that she'll be greatly missed in the some time rest of of the school year. But I think 19 years is significant education and 17 of those in Johnstown, so working on special needs. We do appreciate that. Yes, thank you. Um we have a tutor we like to recommend and I know I talked to the board about this, but part of what we're focused on is our teaching learning program and providing support for staff members, so that's here on the previous staff member would come in and help one of our um less

129experienced staff members with some academic performance student student matters. Uh classified employment we have a couple staff there who we're recommending. One of whom is a student attendant, the other for food service. Uh supplement employment we don't have a lot this this time in the year. We just have no school track assistant coach listed. Volunteers our references are ready. Some of it are some of it here, but this is part of this reader leader program that this is Wagner has been leading up leading with Mrs. Douglas at the elementary, so that's been good. And then we also have some other um general volunteer positions. And then we have some academic or sorry athletic positions here. We have a baseball for the high school and also seventh grade for softball. Board meeting minutes, we had quite

130a few board meetings in February. So, we have one meeting on the 9th, the 18th, and the 23rd. So, you should have meeting minutes to review there. We also have monthly financial report from Mrs. Drummey, and that's the end of that portion of consent, although Okay, there's separate resolutions next. So, that that's the first portion of consent. Sorry. All right. We'll call the roll, and then we'll comments. Mrs. Thomas? Yes. Mr. Frazier? Yes. Mr. Copple? Yes. Mrs. Davis? >> Yes. Mr. Benton? Yes. Um I just want to say I noticed that every single month our list of volunteers remains to be is a long list, and I really appreciate all of the volunteers in in the schools, whether it's high school, middle school, whatever. But, I also I'm seeing the Readers Leaders program on here,

131and I just It was a part of curriculum, I should have said. But, as a part of the Readers Leaders program, they come in set days of the week to read with students, and sometimes they come in on days that they don't have to come in because they just enjoy being in the building, and that was really great to hear. So, thank our thank all of our volunteers. Um resolution 26-03-056 is consent agenda, and this is going to be for complaints against valuation of real property. Can I get a motion? I'll make the motion. I'll second. Um Mrs. Drummey can go through and you know, review each of these. You have multiples here. Um one of the things we did talk about though, and I was talking to Mrs. Thomas, and because of her professional

132commitments, I believe you're going to abstain from all of these just in case there's any interface with your professional work, correct? >> That's right. I'm in the telecom business and there is a it's best to abstain. Yeah, I think that's good. Mrs. Trevino, want to walk us through any of these here? I know there's multiples. So, I think Mr. Benton did a good job explaining earlier why we do this. I I think what isn't really apparent is how much value is really at stake and why we do this. When we challenge a property value, it's when a sale has occurred and that sale results in a change from the auditor's value at market value of more than $500,000. So, and these properties, many of them have sold in multi tens of millions. And so, uh

133there is a change in value that does exceed more than 500,000 on all of these properties. Additionally, these are all for-profit entities. We never ever challenge a residential home value or an owner-occupied home. So, um it's very strategic and it really is in the best interest to protect the tax base. Nor do we challenge any farmers that may increase the land holding that they have. You know, farm land has gone up in value. So, it may not be totally reflected within the city auditor, but um we try to stay away from that and really target just the entities that we think are going to do uh you know, commercial or industrial buildings. All right. Call roll. Mr. Benton. Yes. Mr. Frazier. Yes. Mrs. Davis. >> Yes. Mrs. Thomas. Abstain. And Mr. Copple? Yes. Resolution 26-03-057

134is Phoenix Central agreement. Okay. Oh, okay. Which one are you looking at? I was looking at Do we have this one? Yeah. So, number number eight. I'm still on page seven. >> Maybe I'm in the wrong spot. I can read the book. Number number eight. >> I'm on page 10. Yeah, you know what? That it's confusing we put all those Oh, I thought we had to vote for each one. I thought we had to vote for each one. No, we put them all under resolution 56. >> it. Okay. I was looking and I was like, that's a lot of them. No, no, no. They're all put together. >> We appreciate that. >> So, resolution is now we move to superintendent recommendation. So, resolution 26-03-057 is a resolution for Phoenix Central agreement. >> Can I get

135a motion for that? I'll motion. >> Thank you. And a second? I'll second. Um so, we don't talk a lot about this, but this is for students special needs. We can't meet their needs in the district, so this is a separate placement. All right. And call the roll. Mrs. Thomas? Yes. Mr. Benton? >> Yes. Mrs. Davis? >> Yes. Mr. Frazier? Yes. Mr. Copple? Yes. Resolution 26-03-058 is Columbus City Schools agreement. Can I get a motion? I'll motion. And a second? I'll second it. Similar to the previous resolution, this is for students special needs that we cannot meet their needs in our school district right now. Call the roll. Mrs. Thomas? >> Yes. Mr. Benton? Yes. Mr. Frazier? Yes. Mr. Copple? Yes. Mrs. Davis? >> Yes. Resolution 26-03-059 is the second reading of revised policies. And

136a motion? I'll motion. I'll second it. >> Okay. I know um we've talked about this before committee, but everything that's represented here has been through the policy committee. Mhm. All right, call the roll. Mrs. Thomas? >> Yes. Mr. Benton? >> Yes. Mrs. Davis? >> Yes. Mr. Copple? Yes. Mr. Frazier? Yes. Resolution 26-03-060, second reading of new policies. Any motion? I'll motion. I'll second. I'll second. Thank you. Call the roll. Mrs. Thomas? Yes. Mr. Copple? Yes. Mr. Benton? Yes. Mr. Frazier? Yes. Mrs. Davis? >> Yes. Resolution 26-03-061 is a first reading of revised policies. Any motion? >> I'll motion. I'll second. All right, we're ready. Call the roll. Mrs. Thomas? >> Yes. Mr. Frazier? Yes. Mr. Benton? Yes. Mr. Copple? Yes. Mrs. Davis? >> Yes. Resolution 26-03-062 is a first reading of new policies. Any motion?

137I'll motion. Second. I'll second. Thank you. Call the roll. Mrs. Thomas? >> Yes. Mr. Frazier? Yes. Mr. Copple? Yes. Mrs. Davis? [clears throat] >> Yes. Mr. Benton? >> Yes. Good. Yep. Board comments, any? Board comments, anyone? Um I'll I'll just make a quick comment on the what we talked about the policy committee that um to communicate with everybody that we're looking at way they ideas on how to um present the policy updates um more transparently. You know, whether they're attachments included here or how they're presented at the policy meeting too, just to make it easier for everybody who's here and everybody who's not at the policy meetings to kind of digest more specifics about um the policy updates. So, I just want to let you know that we are looking into that one and hopefully

138we'll have some um tweaks that uh make that a little bit easier um for everybody to see what's going on. >> Yeah. And so, one of the things we talked about with that is is when we are presented with policy, it it's helpful for us to have our current one and then the proposed one. We've got the different colors. Um and we want to be careful about having the ones with the you know, different colors maybe out and people thinking it's something that's passed. So, we talked about maybe needing a draft watermark on those or something so that um the time in between first and second readings, you know, um those can be available to people. So, I just want to thank everyone, um the staff it and the kids as the students as well

139because this is a hard time to be in school. Spring break is just around the corner and everybody spring is sprung. So, I know it's difficult to focus on school and activities at school, but we need to still stay in it. We've got two more months. Mhm. That's right. >> [clears throat] >> Anything else? Anybody? Um I'll congratulate the basketball team. Um they made it to the district finals and it was a good run um in the tournament. So, throw that out there to acknowledge them. It's exciting. Thank you. >> Both of our basketball coaches were LCL coaches of the year, our girls basketball coach and Oh, that's cool. I didn't know that. LCL And then uh boys basketball coach as well. So, that's nice. Yeah. That's cool. Anybody else? All right. Superintendent comments? >>

140Um a couple things. Um really proud of the work that we're able to accomplish in the school district. Mr. Shipton's been uh hosting uh some businesses coming in and recently we had Licking Memorial Hospital and Summit Home Care come in and looking at our certified nursing assistant program. As a reminder, we just opened up that health science pathway this year and we thought we'll start with uh proof of concept. So, we have the certified nursing assistant and as a reminder, if a student is a senior and they graduate for this program, they are work eligible as long as they meet all the criteria. So, uh but both of those facilities came in. Um both There's some pipeline there, I think, that we can help with uh meeting employment and then I was encouraged by both

141organizations too because there's a bit of a grow-your-own there, too. So, maybe hiring some graduating students as uh nursing assistants, then helping them grow into potential nurses or some other positions. So, thank you, Mr. Shipton, because he's having to uh be the host, but that's a good celebration and um we have the eight students in that program right now and 40-some in the feeder program and we're working on schedules at the high school and there's probably going to be about 24, so we might triple the size of that program for next year and then we'll start thinking about the future and more health science pathway, probably um pre-med in the future. You know, we've talked about pharmacology, maybe farm uh vet tech, so some things to look at there. But thank you. Um we have

142an event exciting coming up on March 11th. We have our freshman students are going to COSI and that's something that we started a few years ago with our partnership with Intel and they took the entire high school a few years ago and these last years in successive uh moving forward that they're just taking the freshman. That way we have every student having experience and I always enjoy that. I'm not sure there's a big uh reveal. Last year we had the Star Wars display and the year before that was the Titanic display, I believe. So, it was uh you got to walk through the Titanic a couple years ago and it actually felt like you were in the ship and it was time period. Oh, pig sucking. That's fine. Yeah, there we go. Yeah, there we

143go. It's always fun, I'll tell you too, with our students because, you know, they're cool when they're in high school, but they get in there and, you know, kind of shed all that and they get to see the environment. It's like Um, but I certainly celebrate our um, vocal music program. Um I think there's some information coming out on a spoiler from OEA OMEA competition that they're they've done very well in that program continues to grow. And uh, you'll see some of that showcased uh, Charlie and Chocolate Factory is uh, starting Friday, so it'll be Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. If you haven't got your tickets yet, try to see if you can get those, but that's always well worth it. I'm always impressed with how well the students do. It's just completely amazing. And then,

144um, this is Warner. Ms. Warner does a great job leading that program. Um, bless you. Bless you. Um, and then, uh, one of the things we're looking at also is, um MGA's here still. No, she's not here. Um, she's been helping lead from curriculum along with Mrs. Seibel. We, um, have a partnership with Vantage Vantage Data Centers and, uh, on uh, March 25th, they're going to have a career tech day. Part of it will be here. And, um, they're going to bring some equipment and all too, so it won't just be for data centers, but it's going to be career tech in general. And we're actually, um, we when we formed these partnerships with C-TEC and our career tech programs, we told them we would invite the western side of Licking County, so we've invited

145Southwest Licking schools, uh, Licking Heights, and also Northridge to participate. So, now some of them have spring breaks and other commitments, so I'm not sure they're all going to materialize, but this will be our launch of this program, um, and hopefully there'll be more to come, you know, with Vantage, but that's exciting to you know, help our students, uh, see what uh, career tech options there are. Um something that I put in the uh, weekly report, but um the city is looking at their charter, so I'm actually going to work with Mrs. Copple on this. She's going to be part of the charter review, but um there's an interest from the city about a greater partnership with the school district, and one of the things that um some school districts do, and I'm a I've

146been participant when I was working in our neighboring school district, is that developers would come to the school districts either before or during the time they approach the city for development, and I think that's important because we not only look at you know, implications of uh enrollment and what that's going to do with our facilities, but [clears throat] also the economics of things as well, too. So, um we're working with Mrs. Copple on that, and part of the larger charter commission, so I'm looking forward to that, and I think again we can get our voice out there more forward planning, so. Um some of this was brought up already, but just to put a fine point on it. Girls basketball's exceptional year. Um LCL uh Cardinal Division champs, season of 18 and five, and they

147went to the playoffs. Um boys season of 19 and six. Um also LCL Cardinal Division champs. Both of our coaches, Kyle Higgins and Scott Helmke, both LCL coaches of the year. So, a lot to celebrate there, a lot of excitement um coming off of our uh you know, basketball season, so and a good building for the future. And then lastly, um it's just planning for the next school year, so I'm sure you all saw the announcement today, and like any anything else psychologically, I'm just going to be telling you it didn't happen, and we're just going to keep working for the next four months, but my life will change, and uh we'll deal with that in the future, but uh for right now we're going to we got about four more months left, and we'll

148just keep uh focusing on everything we need to this year, focusing graduation and all, too. Um but then uh you know, certainly I have to start making some plans for the future that doesn't stop us from our objectives and you know, what we're going to focus on and, you know, for this year and the next cuz that shouldn't change just with a leadership change, but and then I'm think I'm going to stop there cuz, you know, I could get emotional. And and we want to thank you for all that you've done. And and you need to understand, too, that they wanted him to go ahead and start now, right? So, he negotiated with the state that they hired an interim so that he could stay with us till July. So, he could work with us

149to find a new superintendent and help in the transition. He did not have to do that. So, that shows you the character of the person that we've hired and been with for all these years. So, many thanks. Yeah. I want to thank you, as well. Yeah, thank you. I want to just say, too, that he's you've been a great leader for this district and what an honor with to be selected for um that new role or or that role superintendent of the Ohio State Board. So, that's it's a really cool reflection on his um you know, professional acumen and what a statement for Johnstown, too, that it's a great reflection on our school district that you've been selected for that and, you know, as we look for a new leader, what a cool what cool

150shoes to fill. Um so, well, congratulations and it's well deserved and and we're going to miss you, but >> Yeah, thank you. Yes, I psychologically I'm not addressing it. I'm just going to suppress all that right now and four more months we got to work, but I know that's not healthy, but it's just it's way to handle it. No, no, no, [laughter] no, no. And I almost feel like I could jump off, too. No, it's it's, you know, this is Johnstown. It's a special place, guys, and I, you know, I like anything else, you get opportunities and all too and I wasn't going to go to another school district, but you know, the invitation was there and it's it's hard to turn that down when it's the state of Ohio, but it doesn't mean I'll

151be gone and, you know, there's just different levels of advocacy and you know, it's a it's a special place. Can I be positive about something? Yes, please be positive. >> um for us members who have seen more than one superintendent, I think we have seen the tremendous positive change you've made in this district, and I think one thing that is going to be really helpful is he really put Johnstown on the map. Um I mean, Intel did as well, but I'm going to let him take the credit that really put Johnstown on the map of a really great school district to be at. We've got great administrators, we've got dedicated teachers, and I think that he has created so many wonderful opportunities that I feel strongly that we're going to be able to attract some

152really talented other people to fill his position. Well, thank you. Um to Mr. Cabell's point, you know, it's interesting because uh this process that I believe, I don't know for sure, but I've been told there's been a lot of vetting. So, they were watching board meetings and you know, background checks, I'm sure, and all kinds of things, social media. But, a lot of the discussion came out about Johnstown, you know, and it's all the excitement here, and and I do think the candidate pool is going to be deep here, and I think we've got good structure here, so I think um you know, the future will be bright. So, but again, we have 4 months, so we'll focus on that 4 months. I'll say >> We do. Yeah. Um then we have executive session for

153ready for that. So, that's resolution 26-03-063. And um that's for the consideration of appointment, employment, dismissal, discipline, promotion, demotion, or compensation of a public employee or official. Mrs. Davis, we're not expecting any vote after the meeting. >> No action afterwards, yep. So, so you're welcome to stay around, but we won't be doing anything exciting when it's over. So, can I get a motion? I'll motion. And a second? I'll second it. Thank you. Call the roll. Mrs. Thomas? Yes. Mr. Benton? Mr. Benton? Yes. I move to adjust to the adjournment. Mrs. Davis? Yes. Mr. Cothran? Yes. Mr. Frazier? Yes. And Ms. Scott? All right. You want to go to executive session about 7:08 maybe a couple minutes Is that okay? Yes.