DELAWARE COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010

6:30 P.M.

ROYERTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

 

 

MINUTES

 

 

Present:  Tyce Stebbins, President; Norb Heban, Vice-President; Trent Fox, Secretary; John Adams, Member; Lorraine Tomlin, Member; Darin Gullion, Assistant Superintendent; and Steven R. Hall, Superintendent

 

 

I.                   CALL TO ORDER

 

At 6:30 p.m. Board President, Tyce Stebbins, called the meeting to order.

 

II.                PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

 

III.             MINUTES

 

A.     A motion was made by Norb Heban and seconded by Trent Fox to accept the minutes of the special session and executive session of the Board held on September 1, 2010.  The motion was approved unanimously.

 

IV.              FINANCE

 

A.     A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Lorraine Tomlin to accept the list of vouchers as presented.  The motion was approved unanimously.

 

B.     Resolution to adopt the 2011-2013 Capital Project Fund

 

A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Norb Heban to accept the resolution to adopt the 2011-2013 Capital Project Fund as presented by Assistant Superintendent Gullion.  The motion was approved unanimously.

 

C.     Resolution to adopt the 2011-2022 Bus Replacement Plan

 

A motion was made by Norb Heban and seconded by Lorraine Tomlin to accept the resolution to adopt the 2011-2022 Bus Replacement Plan as presented by Assistant Superintendent Gullion.  The motion was approved unanimously.

 

D.    Resolution to adopt the 2011 Budgets and Tax Rates

 

A motion was made by Lorraine Tomlin and seconded by Norb Heban to adopt the tax rates as presented by Assistant Superintendent Gullion.  The motion was approved unanimously.

 

A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Trent Fox to adopt the resolution of appropriations as presented by Assistant Superintendent Gullion.  The motion was approved unanimously.

 

E.     Purchase over $7,500

 

                  Knapp Supply                      DHS                          CP                            $10,720.30

 

A motion was made by Norb Heban and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the purchase of a water heater for Delta High School from Knapp Supply in the amount of $10,720.30 from the capital projects fund.  The motion was approved unanimously.

 

V.                 OLD BUSINESS

 

A.     Policy #9150 Fringe Benefit Taxes

 

A motion was made by Norb Heban and seconded by John Adams to approve Policy #9150 in reference to fringe benefit taxes as presented by Assistant Superintendent Gullion.  The motion was approved unanimously.

 

VI.              COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE FLOOR

 

A.     Student Recognition (Amy Larrabee) – Dr. Amy Larrabee brought two students who participated in the Special Olympics this summer.  Josh Tank and Jacob Reynolds were gold medal winners for unified softball.  Jacob also received a bronze medal in golf with Josh finishing fourth.  Jacob received a silver medal in swimming as well.  The Board congratulated both students.

 

B.     Students and community members spoke positively regarding a Delta High School teacher.

 

C.     Scott Alexander, Vice President of Citizens for Tax Repeal, commented on the upcoming construction wage hearing.

 

D.    A community member and mother of a Delaware Community School student spoke of a concern regarding bus routing.

 

Board President, Tyce Stebbins thanked those who spoke and closed the public comments section of the meeting

 

VII.           NEW BUSINESS

 

A.     Certified Staff

 

1.       Request for Leave of Absence

 

A motion was made by Norb Heban and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the unpaid leave of absence as requested by Mr. Matt Lyons for the remainder of the 2010-2011 school year.  The motion was approved unanimously.

 

A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the following Delta High School Fall Test Prep positions and Delta Middle School LIFT Tutoring positions (items 2-3) as presented by Superintendent Hall:

 

2.      DHS Fall Test Prep

Cheri Ridley (Language Arts)

Scott Herring (Math)

 

3.      DMS LIFT Tutoring Positions

Emily Filler

Susan DeNeal

 

The motion was approved unanimously.

 

B.     Classified Staff

 

1.       The Board was informed of the resignation of Geneva Cannaday as a food service employee assigned to Delta High School effective August 11, 2010.

 

2.      The Board was informed of the resignation of Toni Davis as a head custodian assigned to Delta Middle School effective August 24, 2010.

 

3.      A motion was made by Norb Heban and seconded by Lorraine Tomlin to employ Gary “Scott” Gard as a technology technician for the corporation effective September 8, 2010 pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.  The motion was approved unanimously.

 

C.     Extra Curricular

 

1.       The Board was informed of the resignation of Becky Watters as a math bowl coach at Eaton Elementary School effective August 11, 2010.

 

2.      The Board was informed of the resignation of Lauren Griffis of ½ the position of student council advisor at Delta High School effective with the 2010-2011 school year.

 

3.      The Board was informed of the resignation of Brad Himes as an assistant baseball coach at Delta High School effective with the 2010-2011 season.

 

A motion was made by Lorraine Tomlin and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the following extracurricular positions (items 4-10) as presented by Superintendent Hall:

 

4.      Appoint Betty Johnson as a spell bowl coach at Albany Elementary School effective with the 2010-2011 school year.

 

5.      Appoint Jan Smoot as a fitness club director/intramural coach at Albany Elementary School effective for the 2010-2011 school year.

 

6.      Appoint Kate Nunley as a student council sponsor for ½ position at Delta High School effective with the 2010-2011 school year.

 

7.      Appoint Angela Decker as a student council sponsor for ½ position at Delta Middle School effective with the 2010-2011 school year.

 

8.     Appoint Jarod Walls as an assistant swim coach at Delta High School effective for the 2010-2011 season pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.

 

9.      Appoint Robert Slavens as an assistant swim (head diving) coach at Delta High School effective for the 2010-2011 season pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.

 

10.  Appoint Heidi Zickgraf as a head volleyball coach at Delta High School effective for the 2010-2011 season.

 

The motion was approved unanimously.

 

D.    Conference Requests/Field Trips

 

A motion was made by Norb Heban and seconded by Lorraine Tomlin to approve the following conference requests and field trips (items 1-15) as presented by Superintendent Hall:

 

1.       Julie Hansell requests permission to attend Guidance Counselor 21st Century Scholars on Thursday, September 2, 2010 at the Patterson Building in Muncie, IN.

 

2.      Kim Kemper requests permission to attend State & Federal Health Care Issues on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at the Primo West in Plainfield, IN.

 

3.      Cindy Vaughn requests permission to attend the Insurance Consortium Meeting on Thursday, September 16, 2010 at Elwood High School in Elwood, IN.

 

4.      Doug Marshall requests permission to attend Indiana’s Growth Model – IASP District #6 Fall Meeting on Monday, September 20, 2010 at Richmond Community Schools in Richmond, IN.

 

5.      Joey Gossett, Rae Floyd, and Kathy Hottinger request permission to attend State Curriculum Maps on Tuesday, September 28, 2010 at the East Central Education Service Center in Connersville, IN.

 

6.      Joey Gossett and Amy Lewman request permission to attend Internet Social Networking:  What Schools Need to Know on Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at City Hall Council Chambers in Kokomo, IN.

 

7.      Angela Decker requests permission to attend 6-Traits Coach’s Clinic on Friday, October 8, 2010 at Fishers Conference Center in Indianapolis, IN.

 

8.     Dawn Raleigh, Byron Banta, Susan DeNeal, Doug Hazelrigg, and Nannette Triplett request permission to attend the Jr./Sr. Academic Coaches’ Conference on Tuesday, October 12, 2010 at the Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN.

 

9.      Pat Ervin and Jessica Beard (student teacher) request permission to attend Econ Camp on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 12-13, 2010 at Camp Tecumseh in Lafayette, IN.

 

10.  Dee Orick requests permission to attend Indiana State Nutrition Association 57th Annual State Conference on Thursday through Saturday, October 21-23, 2010 at Grand Wayne Convention Center in Ft. Wayne, IN.

 

11.   Angela Decker requests permission to attend Increasing Students’ Test Scores on the State Writing Assessment on Thursday and Friday, November 18-19, 2010 at Don Hall’s Guesthouse in Fort Wayne, IN.

 

12.  Amy Lewman requests permission to attend the HECC 2010 State Conference:  Mobile Learning the Next Generation on Thursday and Friday, November 18-19, 2010 at Crowne Plaza Union Station in Indianapolis, IN.

 

13.  Lance Brand requests permission to take science classes from Delta High School to the Indianapolis Children’s Museum in conjunction with the Energy Summit at Delta High School.  The trip, if approved, is scheduled for Monday, September 20, 2010 from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

 

14.  Dawn Raleigh and Angie Goodman request permission to take the academic team from Delta High School to WTHR Studio in Indianapolis, IN. on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for the Brain Game competition.

15.   Dawn Raleigh and Angie Goodman request permission to take the academic team from Delta High School to Huntington University on Wednesday, October 27, 2010 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. for a math competition.

 

The motion was approved unanimously.

 

E.     Information and Proposals

 

1.             Superintendent

 

a.      Tentative 2010-2011 Enrollment numbers

 

Superintendent Hall informed the Board enrollment has continued to decline for the 2010-2011 school year by approximately 45 students.  That 45 students can mean a reduction in state funds of approximately $225,000 dollars.  Superintendent Hall stated we will continue to make adjustments as needed to be fiscally responsible. 

 

b.      Core 40 End of Course Assessment (Mr. Jim Koger)

 

Superintendent Hall introduced Mr. Jim Koger, principal Delta High School, to present a review of Core 40 End of Course Assessment testing.  Mr. Koger informed the Board there were 50 eighth grade students taking the Algebra I End of Course Assessment with 100% passing.  On nearly all of the End of Course Assessment testing, Delta High School is doing well when compared to the National average.

 

Superintendent Hall asked Mr. Koger to report on SRT, a relatively new program at the high school.  Mr. Koger stated SRT (student resource time) is a well received program.  After a survey of students showed most wanted SRT in the afternoon as opposed to mornings, the program was moved to afternoons.  This change seems to be very helpful and students like the time to get help from various teachers.

 

c.       Motivate Our Minds Tutoring Program (Mr. Joe Schmaltz)

 

Mr. Joe Schmaltz, principal Albany Elementary School, was introduced by Superintendent Hall to present the Motivate our Minds (MOMs) Tutoring Program soon to begin at Albany Elementary School.  Mr. Schmaltz informed the Board he is pleased to be here tonight to present a very positive program.  He introduced Ms. Monique Armstrong.  Ms. Armstrong stated the MOPs program has been in the Muncie area for over 25 years.  It is a program geared toward tutoring and helping students who are struggling.  Mr. Schmaltz informed the Board the Albany Methodist Church and the Albany Library would be partnering with Albany Elementary School to bring this program to the area.  The goal is to begin the program on September 21st.  It is a twice weekly program for second and third grade students.

 

d.      PL 221 Plans

 

A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Lorraine Tomlin to approve the PL 221 plans as presented by Superintendent Hall.  The motion was approved unanimously.

 

e.      Common Wage Hearing Appointment

 

A motion was made by Lorraine Tomlin and seconded by Norb Heban to appoint Mr. John Adams, Board Member, and Dr. Darin Gullion, Assistant Superintendent, as representatives for the Common Wage Hearings.  The motion was approved with four (4) in favor and Mr. John Adams abstaining.

 

2.            Assistant Superintendent

 

a.      Schmidt Associates Project Letter of Agreement

 

Assistant Superintendent Gullion informed the Board Schmidt Associates Project Letter of Agreement would be an agreement for architectural services to have the tennis courts renovated.  There are concerns of the safety of the courts that need to be addressed.

 

A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Lorraine Tomlin to proceed with the project with Schmidt Associates as presented by Assistant Superintendent Gullion.  The motion was approved unanimously.

 

b.      A motion was made by Norb Heban and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the surplus items from Delta High School as presented by Assistant Superintendent Gullion.  The motion was approved unanimously.

 

A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Norb Heban to approve the following building usage requests (items c-d) as presented by Assistant Superintendent Gullion:

 

c.       Stephanie Shocker requests permission for the Girl Scouts of East Central Indiana to use the cafeteria at Royerton Elementary School on Tuesday, September 7, 2010 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

 

d.      Nancy Kunk requests permission for the Delta FFA to use the commons kitchen at Delta High School for a chili supper/scholarship fundraiser on Friday, January 14, 2011 from 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

 

The motion was approved unanimously.

 

A motion was made by Lorraine Tomlin and seconded by Norb Heban to accept the following fund raising requests (items e-y) as presented by Assistant Superintendent Gullion:

 

e.      Bethany Davis requests permission for Eaton Kindergarten to recycle empty glue sticks/bottles for the 2010-2011 school year to raise money for supplies for kindergarten.

 

f.        Emmalee Gardner requests permission for Royerton Kindergarten to collect ink and toner cartridges to recycle for the 2010-2011 school year to raise money for kindergarten classroom materials.

 

g.      Robin Royal requests permission for Albany Kindergarten to recycle drink pouches for the 2010-2011 school year to raise money for supplies for kindergarten.

 

h.      Kelly Green and Teresa Schwer request permission for Royerton Student Council to collect donations of food or money for one (1) week in September and two (2) weeks in November of 2010 to support United Way, Salvation Army, Center Chapel Food Pantry, and other unexpected community organizations.

 

i.        Jennifer Berry requests permission for the National Junior Honor Society to hold a dance on September 3, 2010 and on January 21, 2011 to raise money for various Middle School Honor Society functions.

 

j.        Teresa Terry and Angela Decker request permission for the Student Council at Delta Middle School to hold a Hat Day on one of the following dates:  September 3, 10, 17, or 24, 2010, to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association.

 

k.      Rebekah Weaver requests permission for the Band Department at Delta High School to sell items from the Century Resources Brochures from September 19, 2010 through September 27, 2010 to raise money for the band.

 

l.        Richard Williams requests permission for Delta Troupers of Delta High School to hold Air Jam 2010 on Wednesday, September 22, 2010 to raise money for items for plays.

 

m.   Kortney Gray requests permission for Family Consumer Science students to sell cookbooks on October 1, 2010 through December 1, 2010 to raise money for class funds.

 

n.      Cindy Vaughn requests permission for Royerton Elementary School to collect coins for a two week period beginning October 10, 2010 for the benefit of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

 

o.      Nancy Kunk requests permission for Delta FFA to sell fruit and meat from October, 2010 through December, 2010 to raise money for FFA activities.

 

p.      Bill Yates requests permission for Royerton Elementary to hold a Jump Rope for Hearts and/or Hoops for Hearts fundraiser for the American Heart Association in October, 2010 and March, 2011.

 

q.      Kathy Hottinger requests permission for Eaton Elementary to hold a cookie dough fundraiser on October 4, 2010 through October 21, 2010 for the student activity fund.

 

r.       Myra Schull requests permission for the media center at Delta Middle School to hold a book fair on November 8, 2010 through November 12, 2010.

 

s.       Judi Putt, Loraine Toney, Ashley Ernstberger, and Brain Lewis request permission for Royerton Elementary School fourth grade students to collect money from fourth grade students the week prior to Christmas break to donate to the Muncie Mission to be used to serve a warm meal at Christmastime.

 

t.        Kelly Green and Teresa Schwer request permission for Royerton Student Council to sell Candy Grams during the first two weeks of February, 2011 to help support the student council general fund.

 

u.      Jennifer Berry requests permission for the National Junior Honor Society to sell candy grams on February 7 -11, 2011 to raise money for various Middle School Honor Society functions.

 

v.      Jennifer Berry requests permission for the National Junior Honor Society to hold a Penny War in February and March of 2011 to benefit a charity organization.

 

w.     Cindy Vaughn requests permission for Royerton Elementary School to collect donations for a three (3) week period beginning March 11, 2011 to benefit the American Diabetes Association.

 

x.      Doug Marshall requests permission for Royerton PTO to sell Abby Candles from April 1, 2011 through April 30, 2011 to support the PTO’s general fund to assist Royerton Elementary students.

 

y.       Terri Hopkins requests permission to hold a Scholastic Book Fair at Royerton Elementary School from May 2, 2011 through May 5, 2011 to benefit Royerton students.

 

The motion was approved unanimously.

 

VIII.        LETTERS/NOTES

 

A.     Superintendent Hall informed the Board letters/emails that came in recently had been shared with them prior to the Board meeting.  Also, thank you notes continue to come in from students who had animals in the Fair auction.

 

IX.              BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS

 

John Adams – Thank you all for coming this evening.  Students, I’d like to thank you all for coming out this evening for a teacher you care about.  The support has been well documented for us.  Thank you.  Josh and Jacob, it is great to see you here and congratulations on the medals you’ve won.  My hat’s off to you.  Matt, Christine and Jeffrey thanks for getting up and sharing in support of what you believe.  Scott, thank you for coming in regards to the wage hearing.  Deanna, thank you as well for your comments, they are well noted.  Mr. Clawson, director of transportation, is here and we’ll be taking a look at the bus routes to see if there’s anything else that we can do to help with that.  The Motivate our Minds program is a great opportunity for our students.  Monique Armstrong and the Albany church, thank you for the community support and help.  Thank you Mr. Schmaltz for presenting the program tonight.  Thank you again to everyone for coming tonight.

 

Trent Fox – I’d like to thank everyone for coming this evening.  I am hoping that everything is going to come out just fine.  I know everyone has their opinions.  Thank you to those of you who chose to stay for the entire meeting.  It shows caring about the school as a whole, not just one thing.  You are the next generation.  Hold strong, keep moving forward and work hard.  Thank you Mr. Schmaltz and Mr. Koger for the presentations this evening.

 

Norb Heban – Thank you for coming this evening and sharing any concerns.  I appreciate the professional way in which you presented those concerns.  Dr. Larrabee, thank you for bringing your students.  Thank you for the presentation on the MOMs program as well.  It is imperative in this economy that the community works with us.  Thank you.

 

Lorraine Tomlin – Thank you to everyone who came and also to those who stayed for the entire meeting.  Barry, thank you for spending your time installing a water heater in an emergency for us.  Congratulations to the special Olympic medal winners.  Thank you Mr. Schmaltz and Mr. Koger for your presentations.  Congratulations Mr. Scot Gard.  I’d also like to thank University Christian Church for their appreciation service for all educators and the plaque given to the schools in appreciation of their work.

 

Tyce Stebbins – Thank you to those who spoke this evening.  Anytime you can share about something that has affected you in a positive way, it can help others be affected positively as well.  Use those things to positively affect those around you.  I have often spoken of the donations given to our schools.  They teach our kids very important lessons.  Mr. Schmaltz and Mr. Koger both mentioned the positive things going on in our schools.  Dr. Gullion mentioned the positive fund raising we have for good causes.  Mr. Mays, Ms. Dely-Stinson, and Mr. Grant spoke of their positive feelings and I appreciate their thoughts.  Mr. Alexander, thank you for sharing.  Anything we can do to keep costs down is the best thing for our school system.  Ms. Case, thank you for your comments as well.  Also, the MOMs program is a great program to bring to Albany Elementary School.  That’s how we teach our kids to support their communities and lend a helping hand as well.  Personnel issues are confidential.  We appreciate the support, but we cannot legally respond.

 

X.                 FUTURE MEETINGS

 

A.     A regular meeting of the Board of School Trustees is scheduled for Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. at the Administration Building.

 

B.     ISBA/IAPSS Fall Conference is scheduled for September 27-28, 2010 at the Indiana Convention Center.

 

C.     ISBA Fall Region Meeting will be held on Thursday, October 7, 2010 at the Delaware Country Club in Muncie, IN with registration beginning at 6:00 p.m.

 

XI.              ADJOURNMENT

 

A motion was made by Norb Heban and seconded by Lorraine Tomlin to close the meeting.  The motion was accepted unanimously and Board President, Tyce Stebbins closed the meeting at 7:48 p.m.

 

An executive session was held immediately following the business meeting to discuss the job performance evaluation of individual employees.

 

 

 

TYCE STEBBINS                                                                                                                             

 

NORB HEBAN                                                                                                                                

 

TRENT FOX                                                                                                                                     

 

JOHN ADAMS                                                                                                                                

 

LORRAINE TOMLIN