001I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Prior to this evening's meeting, the board did have a um very uh good executive session, great discussion. Thank you, board, a lot of good information. I think uh Superintendent Bigger appreciates that feedback and he has a lot of good stuff he can go forward with and plus we gave him some assignments. So, we had an executive session on real estate. Uh one other item before I get to 2.03, uh Dr. Diller is on line with us, uh not in person, so I will hopefully remember to pause when it comes time to vote because I know there is a time lag with this
002great technology. Item 2.03, approval to adopt tonight's meeting agenda. Motion and second, please. Motion to approve. Second. Motion by Mr. Haydock, second by Mrs. Gaugler. Any questions, discussions, amendments, revisions? Okay, hearing none, all those in favor signify by saying I. I. I. Opposed? Eyes have it and so moved. I forgot to pause already, first time. 3.01, Superintendent's report. >> Yep, thank you, Mr. Norcross. Uh I would like to uh thank everyone that participated in the survey. We did get up to almost 1,300 folks. The board has seen some preliminary results. We will get them out to the public in the near future. But also present those to you in the May board meeting. So some really really good information coming from those surveys that are very helpful to the district in our actions moving forward.
003I also want to thank Bev lying my hair of assistant. You have backup documents because board docs for two days has been wonky across the entire United States. So we were worried we almost had to cancel this meeting, but she pulled together a PDF packet and we were going to find a way to have this meeting. So she worked all afternoon to get that done. So thanks Bev. May 4th to 8th coming up is staff appreciation teacher appreciation week. We're always excited to recognize our staff. So if you have a chance during that week, stop in, send an email, say hello, just appreciate a staff member in general. Last item calendars, the old refrigerator calendars, the flip calendars, they will go out in the mail starting this week. They will go to any family that
004has an address in our system. We will also put some at the registration for new kindergarten registrations and some in the schools for people that just show up. So we're very excited about that calendar. A lot of work went into that calendar. So we hope to get to see those in your mailboxes coming real soon. And last item, I do want to thank the board when we get to the budget. This budget is a budget that really helps our future schools of distinction, one Trojan community. I did write a press release. It'll go out after the the approval if approved tonight just to share with the the public our approach to the school budget for the 26-27 school year. That concludes my report. Okay. Thank you Mr. Berger. I wanted to also make a comment
005on board docs. You know, I apologize it was inconvenient for if it was inconvenient for everyone. You know, we're welcome to today's modern technology. We all get used to it and we like it and then when it doesn't work, we hate to we hate it like no one's business. But there was nothing intentional. You know, the benefit or the good news about it uh having sat on this board for going on 13 years now that you know, it's We're so transparent anyway, there really isn't anything new on there, especially the board meetings are set up. Everything that you see on there mostly except for a couple new items on the consent agenda were on the meeting 2 weeks ago. So that's that's good. Apologize for the inconvenience. And in Chris and I's conversation earlier this
006morning when he we're talking about this that he advised you that we might not be able to have a meeting, but thank you Bev for that. There might be a change in the works coming because board docs as we know it is going away. So that'll be a administration board decision what platform we want to if we want to stay on the platform or move to another platform, but we'll let Chris and his team tell us what to do and then we'll just probably follow. Lastly Chris mentioned education week. Friday is principal's day. And Google gave me a nice little saying here. I liked it. School principal's day on May 1st is your reminder, mine too, to take time today and say thank you to the educational leaders who look after your children every day.
007After all, they guide academic set success, excuse me, and set the tone for an entire school year. We have a lot of former principals in here who now maybe moved on to bigger roles, but we have two current principals, Mr. Brenize and Mr. McKee down there. This a principal for another couple weeks. So thank you current principals, all principals whether you're here or not and former principals. So to the staff in the buildings on Friday if you don't do it and every day anyway, thank your principal. Parents, students, thank your principal. And that concludes my report this evening. Item 5.01 is privilege of the floor. Again, we'll start with the sign-in sheet. Mrs. Hanks. Good evening. Good evening. My name is Leslie Hanks. I live at 3267 Porter Way in Chambersburg and I'm a grandparent
008of two children at two students at Scotland Elementary. So I would like to comment on agenda item 6.07. The lease term extension agreement for the Chambersburg Education Center or the CEC. This is the engagement center located in downtown Chambersburg that provides a variety of services to students and their families including kindergarten and other registrations. ELL services and referrals to social and health agencies and it's a welcoming station that provides important services and connections. I've expressed my opinion about the location of the center to all of you by email, but I'd like to make this public statement. In its first year, the center has become well established. Its location has become known to the community. The staff has worked tirelessly to establish programming and a welcoming environment. Substantiating data was provided by Andrea Mills during her
009previous presentation to the board. My request is simple based on data, logic, and service to our students. I'd like to ask that you consider leaving the center at its current location and commit to the lease for the coming year. Thank you. Parker. My name is Parker Christofoul for those that don't know. First of all, I would just I just want to say that Mr. Norcross stole my thunder just a minute ago. I was going to talk about how Friday, May 1st is National Principal's Day. Most people won't know that because Friday is also color day. But I wanted to take tonight to recognize two specific administrators who really made an impact on me and I think a lot of other students. First of all, I want to recognize Mr. Brenize here. I really appreciate him,
010everything that he's done for the school so far in his first year here. There's been challenges for him, but I feel like he's done great getting through them. And he also does a great job at like helping students become better leaders and better themselves, just all the students in general, too. And then the second one I want to recognize is Dr. Showenberger. She is the academic principal at CASHS. She does a great job, too. Most students don't see her every day because she isn't, you know, talking to students one-on-one every day as some of the other ones, but she definitely is always there for the students. She loves her student here committee. She always wants to make sure the students are involved. She's the one that got me involved in a lot of things, especially
011the CASHS ATSI steering committee. So I just want to thank both of them for everything they do for us and thank them and appreciate them. Thank you. Thank you, Parker. I didn't mean to steal your thunder, but you showed me up and that just warms my heart. It makes me smile when I see the the new generation showing these old guys up. So thank you, Parker. Appreciate your comments. There's no one else out there, so um go to item six, consent agenda. Items previously discussed at committee of the whole. We have 12 items on there. Of course, the 13th item is just the actual vote for all the previous 12. But as always, turn it over to administration to if they would Well, no, I'm going to first do it this way. If there's any
012of those items that anyone would like to pull out, vote on, or discuss separately, we'll do that now and then we'll go through the normal process of administration and then board questions. Again, these are all items previously discussed and tonight is the vote. But if you want to discuss or vote on any separately, just start calling them out, please. Okay. Hearing none, Mr. Berger, anything that the admin would like to In the next section, I think with resources in math, we can do it at 7:08. There's another section with the contracts. But there's a reason why I want to talk about it now because 6. 09. So just just so you know, this is a kind of a point of order. 6.09 is our math resource. So you're approving the resources that we've spoken about
013the last couple meetings that we had out here for the 30 days following the process that the state sets up. In the next section is where when you approve the the monies. So we had to approve the resource first and our consent agenda previously not talked about, we actually are bringing the contracts with the two companies forward. So I just want to let you know that 609 is first being approved because it's the resource and then in the new consent agenda is the money portion. Okay. All right, board members, any questions or comments um before we do a motion and second and vote. Hearing none, do I have a motion and second to approve items 6.01 through 6.13? Move to approve. Second. Motion by Mr. Raber, second by Mrs. Gauss. All those in favor signify
014by saying I. I. I. I. Opposed? Eyes have it so moved. 7.01 through 7.11. Um same thing. Um any items the administration would like to talk on? 708's one of them or take it away, Mr. Bicker. Yeah, go ahead, Kurt. Okay, 7.08 are those two items that Eureka Squared um is the items for K to 3 and the Amplify are the items uh math resources for fourth through eighth. What's different with this the since I've been in the district, our teachers have been printing their own materials and making math packets and going through tons of boxes of paper, probably 80% of what our Xerox work is done is is done for math. Uh our >> [laughter] >> Hey, Sarah, we can hear your dog. Our teachers uh our our teachers really wanted the the consumables
015and this contract for the next 6 years includes consumables um for the students. Um for example, I I met with an eighth-grade teacher this just this week and talking about one consumable that their textbooks uh will remain in the in the classroom, but they'll have like a homework consumable book that they can take home, which they're very excited about. And and I would just like to highlight part of us uh is also based on the survey is really reducing screen time. Elementary K to 3, no more than 45 minutes a day. We have to support resources so that we are not forcing students to go online. So, this is the beginning of a re-shift a little bit backwards to paper pencil. And so, we saw those market marching orders in the survey and this is
016the beginning of that. So, thank you, Kurt, and to the team for bringing those resources and consumables >> [music] >> forward. That's great. Okay. Anything else from the admin? If not, um any questions from any or comments from anyone from the board 7.01 through 7.11? Hearing none, motion and second, please, to approve consent agenda items 7.01 through 7.11. Move to approve. Second. Motion by Mrs. Gaugler, second by Mr. McKee. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. Opposed? Eyes have it and so moved. Item 10.01 proposed final 2026 general fund budget for advertisement. This will be our third budget vote. And there'll be two more after this. One more after this. Okay. I don't know why I always think there's five, there's four. So, the first one was uh just whether we would or
017wouldn't go over the index, and we decided we weren't going over the index. Um the second one was the approval of the preliminary budget, and this is the advertisement of the budget, and then in June 2nd will be the final vote for actual approval of the budget. So, [clears throat] Mrs. Stauffer? Thank you, Mr. Norcross. So, the budget that um is presented here this evening is the one that was presented during the Committee of the Whole. Uh we are looking at a 2.5% tax increase that will take our millage rate to 139.8793. Um we are recommending approval of this proposed final budget for advertisement as it's presented. Okay. Motion and second, and then we can do any discussions or comments. Move to approve the budget. Second. Motion by Mr. Piper, second by Mr. McKee. So,
018I have a couple not so much questions or just for for clarification for my own self and more so for the public. So, this includes 1 million going to capital reserve, correct? We We actually moved that to be a part of the debt service. So, we have a total of 3 million budgeted in this um that would be earmarked for debt service. So, no line item for No. >> Great. I appreciate that. That's something I I like hearing. The other thing as far as on the expenditure side, it includes and I picked up the wrong paper when I left the office this morning off my desk, so I had but it includes the latest from the same presentation in March, it includes the cost on Mr. Fry's latest chart for the debt service. the new
019the new debt service. >> Well, basically, it includes us ramping up to that number. So, the additional 2 million this year, right. It includes the 2 million in this year. Right. Okay. And no other questions or comments? All those in favor signify I'm sorry. Do I have a call there? Yes, sir, go ahead. Okay, um so as I began to look at the agenda, uh the first thing I noticed was way up front 6.01 the Frontline EDU uh proposal. And as I went through it, I found it interesting that they're uh stipulated in their contract an annual increase of 3%. Then I happened to look way down at the bottom of our agenda and there was a report from the Franklin Career Center. It looked like their budget went up 3.23. Franklin Learning Center here,
020tuition rates increased 3.93. The national inflation rate is about 3.3%. And in the survey we recently conducted, public voted 67% favored support of public funding. I'm not suggesting we change our 2.5 to something greater. All I'm suggesting is nothing getting any cheaper, and 2.5% takes us into a hole a little bit more. I appreciate that the district and Mr. Bicker only asked for what he needs. It's not how much we have, it's how we use it. I agree with that. All I'm saying is we can't keep doing that forever because we're going deeper and deeper into a ditch. And I just throw that out there for future discussion. And I forgot to turn my mic on. Sorry about that. I do it all the time. I agree with much of what uh Mr. Haydock is
021saying. I I did go back and look at my own tax records cuz I had made a comment on the fly at our last meeting, and if you include Homestead Act, just to be clear, uh now this is just my own personal taxes. Everybody's property is different, right? And and many people in our community are renting, right? Um but my tax bill from 2020 to now is actually down $161 because of the Homestead Act. And so, we can afford more. We can >> [laughter] >> we can invest more in our kids and in our staff. We have $300 worth, 270, whatever it ends up being. We don't quite yet know. Million dollars worth of projects on the horizon. So, I will be voting no. Um I certainly don't hold it against the administration or anyone
022on the board. If you vote yes, I expect this to pass. I think it's a reasonable budget overall. And I certainly appreciate all the hard work that has been put into this. Um but that's that's where I am. So. Anyone else thoughts or comments? Um yeah, I'll I'll add a comment that um in Mr. Haydock's statistics, I appreciate those, and I have sat here for 2 years saying about what our historical average increase is, which has been in that two and a half to 3% range. Uh and then when I look through Mrs. Stauffer's presentation from the March meeting, there were a couple years there it was over 4%, but I know at least one of those years it was actually 3% cuz it went to four with the plus one. Um I um so,
023I I we're all concerned about that, but I won't speak for everyone else. I'll speak for myself. I am extremely concerned about it. Uh however, we are taking on we're going to start incurring some more debt, and I look at the way to mitigate this budget if you have concerns, and it was some of my comments from 2 weeks ago, is we really look at what we are spending on. To you know, I like what you said, Mr. Haydock, it's how we use it. Uh I often say it's needs versus wants. Um so, I think there's things that we can all do as a board, as administration, as building administrators, as teachers in the classroom, that you know, there's ways we can find you know, this budget is big enough. There's always ways that people
024can find to save a dime, save a nickel here, because there's some things, as Mr. Haydock mentioned, you know, they're just going up anyway. It's the nature of the business. But, I think we can offset that with some fiscal responsibility from everyone, knowing that, you know, at the end of the day, um the the the issue here is long-term debt. Unfortunately, we do have adequacy money right now, which is the other thing that that helps us. Without adequacy, we'd have a totally different dynamic going on here. Any other questions or comments? Okay. Hearing none, all those in favor signify by saying I. I. Opposed? No. Okay. Motion passes 7-1, I believe. Didn't I didn't hear Mrs. Duckworth. Dr. Diller. Are you on, Dr. Diller? Oh, okay. Okay, 8-1. Thank you, Mr. Stauffer. 10.02, gifts, grants,
025and donations. Motion and second to approve our free money. Move to approve. Second. Motion by Mrs. Gogler, second by Mr. Raymer. Questions, discussions, comments? Mr. Haydock. Um so, I think it was uh Mrs. Gogler you suggested the last meeting that we include those kind of donations we get from other sources that typically haven't shown up on this chart. And it it's really an interesting thing to see how much support we get from communities, particularly um organizations of faith, uh in particular. And uh so, I'd like to thank all those folks that provide that kind of support. I just want to bring out um one thing that was the biggest donation here. Yeah, Grand Point. I think um since all the other ones talked about uh food donations like backpacks with uh edibles, that uh the
026donation from Grand Point was for food, not foot. And I was thinking, they're giving everybody socks, $4,500 worth of socks. >> [laughter] >> That's awesome, but no, I I suspect it's a typo. And it's [laughter] not socks. That's it. We can blame it on AI. >> [laughter] >> As a matter of fact, a number of months ago I asked that the uh gifts and donations be removed from the general consent agenda and be separated, because I felt that we needed to have more acknowledgement of those donations, and I personally appreciate the partial summary of the power pack donations from churches in the community that is listed on the agenda. I say partial summary because if you look at the list of churches that I gave you, we don't have a complete summary at this point.
027And likewise, the monetary amounts apparently reflect a difference in the interpretation of the requested information, since some appear to be weekly or maybe monthly, while others are probably an annual amount of money. Regardless, the amount is not important to me. The acknowledgement that our students are receiving food from these organizations, and these are students that have food insecurity, and this manner of addressing food insecurity, I feel, needs to be acknowledged, not in the dollar amount, but in the giving uh spirit. >> [clears throat] >> From my research, uh food insecurity has been being addressed in this manner since approximately 2017, when Healthy Communities Partnership initiated this weekly program. I say weekly because bags of food, I see them at Grandview because I go there, but bags of food are supplied to students who have a
028need uh each week on Friday afternoon to help them for their weekend whenever they don't have the free breakfast lunch program that we support. Um if you search power packs on the internet, some programs are more centralized than ours, particularly the school district of Lancaster County or of Lancaster has a very interesting power point program that you might want to look at. But, uh I did provide, as Mr. Haydock said, a list of the churches that provide this service to the elementary schools, and I just personally want to acknowledge their dedication to meeting the needs of our students, and I very much appreciate that because food insecurity is something that many of you know is very near to me because of my nursing background and having taught nutrition and various reasons. Um and so, I
029just want to very publicly say that all of those organizations, whether they're churches or civic organizations, that give gifts, grants, and donations need to be thanked very graciously for what they do. Thank you. I'll second phase comments. Do we need a second on this one? We had a motion and a second. >> That was a joke. >> [laughter] >> But, you can make another comment if you'd like. You're welcome to. Yeah, I I'll just summarize that, and I it's refreshing, and it's warming, and it's enlightening when you look at this these lists, you know, you have organizations, you have businesses, and you have individuals. It it encompasses from all all aspects of our community. So, always appreciate it. Never turn down free money. Okay. Also, can I just add a comment? Go ahead. Just to
030just to say, you know, teacher appreciation is is is this week coming up May 4th through the 8th. And also, what we're saying about gifts and donations, I know there's a lot of staff members that that uh give to their students on a regular basis, and will spend their own money, time, effort to to provide for our students. Some of those things that, you know, as a district we we can't provide or do not, but uh you know, be it a coat, be it gloves, be it whatever they give. But, we do have a staff who is very loving and giving in that way. So, want to congratulate them and say something to them, being it is appreciation week. Thanks. Okay, no other comments? Uh all those in favor signify by saying I. I. Opposed?
031Eyes have it and so moved. Item 11.01, uh first reading, policy 217.1, early graduation. Motion and second, please. Move to approve. Second. Motion by Mr. McKee, second by Mr. Haydock. Questions, discussions? All those in favor signify by saying I. I. I. Opposed? Eyes have it so moved. Item 11.02, uh policy uh approval of policies on the second reading, policy 223, use of bicycle scooters, e-bikes, motor vehicles to policy 237, electronic communication devices, aka cell phones, policy 354, employee use of electronic devices, and policy 611, purchased budgeted. Motion and second to approve the four policies. Updates. Move to approve. Do we have a second? Second. Motion by Mr. Piper, second by Mr. Haydock. Questions, comments, discussions? That was Mr. McKee. Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, he is. I'll have to go to the hearing doctor get my
032hearing checked. Okay. Hearing no none, all those in favor signify by saying I. I. I. Opposed? Eyes have it, so moved. Okay, item 13, new business, board members, any items to bring up under new business, which would be future board action discussion items, not action items. It'd be discussion item, then eventually an action item. Open it up to the board members. Okay. Moving on to item 14, information, vacancy summary, district enrollment summary, disposal of books, equipment and supplies. That's standard fare. The next three, well, any comments on those three, Mr. Beggar and Mr. Widman? 1401, 1403 and then reports, um board members, would you like to make any reports on any of the committees? Um, for the Franklin Learning Center, I'm assuming Mrs. Gauss and I will be there at the meeting on Thursday and
033Mr. Raber, our new board member. Hear, hear. Okay. Right. No other business, meeting's adjourned. Thank you. Are you going