March 15, 2016

DELAWARE COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

6:30 p.m.

ADMINISTRATION BUILDING

 MINUTES

 

Present:  Adam Williams, President; Trent Fox, Vice President; John Adams, Secretary; Alice Gillis, Member; Tyce Stebbins, Member; Darin Gullion, Assistant Superintendent; and Reece Mann, Superintendent

I.                   CALL TO ORDER

At 6:30 p.m. Board President, Adam Williams, called the meeting to order.

 

II.                PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

III.             AMEND AGENDA

A motion was made by Alice Gillis and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to amend the agenda, as presented.  The motion was approved unanimously.

 

IV.              MINUTES

A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Trent Fox to accept the minutes of the business meeting held on Tuesday, March 1, 2016.  The motion was approved unanimously.

 

V.                 FINANCE

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

B.     Purchases over $7500:

A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the following (item 1):

1.       Renaissance Learning                          CP                   $10,929.86

The motion was approved unanimously.

A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the following (item 2):

2.      A&S Roofing                                           CP                   $285,000.00

            (Delta Middle School roof replacement)

The motion was approved unanimously.

A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the following (item 3):

3.      Dell                                                           CP                   $12,990.00                      (computer carts)

The motion was approved unanimously.

A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Alice Gillis to approve the following (item 4):

 

4.      E Rate Bids

Netech                                                                    $262,482.27

ASG                                                                         $110,196.00

Contingency                                                          $14,771.73

Total                                                CP                   $387,450.00

The motion was approved unanimously.

 

VI.              COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Joe Schmaltz, Principal at Albany Elementary School, stated they had five students at Albany attend the Ball State Regional Science Fair.  Three of them did very well which included: Adam Gillis (3rd Grade)-Honorable Mention, James Root (3rd Grade)-2nd place in division, and Jacob Bilby (4th Grade)-2nd place in division and received the Association of American University Outstanding Project Award.  He stated this past Saturday one of their 4th grade students, Hope Moles, was in the WIPB/BSU Regional Spelling Bee.  Hope finished in the top 20 of about 50 local participants.  Mr. Schmaltz wanted to give an update on testing and where we are right now.  He informed everyone the ISTEP window closed last week and the IREAD window closes this Friday.  He gave the Board a sheet showing the time spent on testing so they could see the amount of time that is put into it.  He stated testing has been a controversial subject over the past several years.  He had the test times for ISTEP, Pilot Testing, IREAD-3, and ISTEP Part 2 that will be completed April 18, 2016 through May 6, 2016 on the sheet.  Mr. Schmaltz thanked the Principals for doing an outstanding job with all of the testing.  He commented that we ask a lot of the building Principals, Assistant Principals, Counselors, and everyone else involved, which is a big project and they have all been fantastic.

Kelly Brown, Principal at Delta Middle School, went to the opening rounds of the Wrestling Conference.  She stated it was a well-run tournament and DMS had four 1st place finishers and they came in 2nd place for the conference.  She informed everyone that Ms. Lewman did a great job planning and organizing ISTEP and making sure the make-up tests were completed.  She stated Ms. Lewman did a great job and she was impressed.  Ms. Brown informed everyone that Anna Krejsa participated in the Regional Spelling Bee and made it through 3 or 4 rounds.  She is very proud of her.

Doug Marshall, Principal at Royerton Elementary School, wanted to report back on the use of the Chromebook labs.  He stated it has been a phenomenal tool placed in our teachers’ hands and they are utilizing them in a great way.  He informed everyone that Ms. Conti, School Counselor, and Ms. Grismore who works in the library, have put together a nice digital citizenship unit.  He stated the kids have done a nice job of learning about navigating on the internet.  Mr. Marshall wanted to thank Ms. Meadows, Secretary at Royerton Elementary, for doing a wonderful job organizing their yearbook.

Brett Clark, Interim Athletic Director at Delta High School, shared they have 175 spring athletes that have started practice these past few weeks.  He informed everyone spring season starts April 1st with a baseball game against Yorktown.  He wishes all the athletes good luck and hopes to see everyone at the games this spring.  Mr. Clark stated the sweatshirts that were given to the Board tonight are a token of the high school’s appreciation for their continued support.  Mr. Clark commented it has been a fun winter and the success was pretty phenomenal with state qualifiers and state championships. 

Chris Conley, Principal at Delta High School, wanted to bring attention that tomorrow the Student Council will be having a blood drive through the American Red Cross in the Auxiliary Gym.  He informed everyone the FFA students have been exhibiting their animals at the Farm Festival which is today and tomorrow.  He stated Anna Groover, Senior, has been named Indiana Association of School Principals Academic All-Star and she will receive an award on April 26th.  Anna is one of only forty students in the state of Indiana that will receive this award.  He stated Anna has won many things and will be quite successful.  Nick Bantz, Senior, received one of thirteen C. Eugene Cato Scholarship Awards presented by Methodist Sports Medicine.  He said each school has the right to nominate one senior athlete and this is the 3rd year for this award and Delta High School has won this two times.  Maddie Gullion, Junior, received a Gold Medal in the Scholastic Writing Contest.  She will receive an award at Carnegie Hall in New York City this coming June.  Mr. Conley stated this is quite an award.  These are juried writings and they go through several layers of judging to get to the National level and to be awarded that is quite the achievement. Mr. Conley is very proud of these students.

Greg Kile, Principal at Eaton Elementary School, wanted to thank Ms. Addison for her years of service.  He stated she is leaving quite a legacy and reputation.  He said students that have gone through Pam’s class know she loves them well and it didn’t take long to hear her name associated with being caring and loving when he came to Eaton Elementary.  Mr. Kile stated he is happy for her, but she will be missed.

VII.           NEW BUSINESS

A.     Certified Staff

A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Alice Gillis to approve the following (item 1):

1.       Retirement of Pamela Addison, Teacher at Eaton Elementary School, effective at the end of the 2015-16 school year.

The motion was approved unanimously.

A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the following (item 2):

2.      Resignation of Stan Daugherty, Teacher at Delta High School, effective March 28, 2016.

The motion was approved unanimously.

A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the following (item 3):

3.      Recommendation to employ Katherine Holdren as a 2nd Grade Teacher at Royerton Elementary School, effective August 1, 2016, pending successful completion of license and degree.

The motion was approved unanimously.

A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the following (item 4):

4.      Recommendation to employ Jennifer Case as a School Counselor at Albany Elementary School effective August 1, 2016, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.

The motion was approved unanimously.

 

A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the following (item 5):

5.      Recommendation to employ Grant Zgunda as an Athletic Director at Delta High School effective July 1, 2016.

The motion was approved unanimously.

A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the following (item 6):

 

6.      Recommendation to employ Rachel Underwood as a School Counselor at Delta Middle School effective July 18, 2016, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.

The motion was approved unanimously.

 

B.     Classified Staff

A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the following (item 1):

1.       Salary Clarification.

The motion was approved unanimously.

A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the following (items 2-4):

2.      Resignation of Jennifer Stephenson, Custodian at Delta Middle School, effective March 9, 2016.

3.      Resignation of Sharon Shelton, Food Service Cook at Delta High School effective March 14, 2016.

4.      Resignation of Heidi Hautala, School Bus Driver, effective             March 15, 2016.

The motion was approved unanimously.

A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the following (item 5):

5.      Recommendation to employ Joshua Tiedeman as a Full Time Sub Bus Driver effective March 16, 2016, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.

The motion was approved unanimously.

 

C.     Extra-Curricular

A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by John Adams to approve the following (item 1):

1.       Resignation of Hanna Kikendall, Academic Team Coach at Delta High School, effective March 11, 2016.

The motion was approved unanimously.

 

A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Alice Gillis to approve the following (items 2-7):

2.      Recommendation to employ Joe Schafer as an Assistant 7th and 8th Grade Boys’ Track Coach at Delta Middle School effective March 28, 2016 for the 2015-16 school year.

3.      Recommendation to employ Shane Conley as an Assistant Football Coach at Delta High School effective March 15, 2016 for the 2016-17 school year.

4.      Recommendation to employ Dave Edwards as an Assistant Football Coach at Delta High School effective March 15, 2016 for the 2016-17 school year.

5.      Recommendation to employ Samuel Carlton as an Assistant Football Coach at Delta High School effective March 15, 2016 for the 2016-17 school year.

6.      Recommendation to employ Heidi Zickgraf as a Head Varsity Volleyball Coach at Delta High School effective March 15, 2016 for the 2016-17 school year.

7.      Recommendation to employ Ryan Vanskyock as an Assistant Boys’ Track Coach at Delta High School effective for the 2015-16 school year.

The motion was approved unanimously.

A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by John Adams to approve the following (item 8):

8.     Recommendation to employ Erica Pluimer, Scott Herring, Johanna Kikendall, and Suzy Fox for the Delta High School End of Course Assessment Sessions for April-May 2016, as presented.

The motion was approved four in favor with Trent Fox abstaining.

 

D.    Conference Requests/Field Trips

A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the following (items 1-6):

1.       Kim DeVoss requests permission to attend Teaching Star Lab to be held on March 15, 2016 at Eaton Elementary School in Eaton, IN.

2.      Megan Stroble requests permission to attend Teaching Star Lab to be held on March 16, 2016 at Eaton Elementary School in Eaton, IN.

3.      Joey Gossett requests permission to attend Standards-Based Grading and Assessing to be held on April 5, 2016 at The Landmark Centre in Ft. Wayne, IN.

4.      Joey Gossett requests permission to attend “High in Plain Sight: Drug Trends and Identification” to be held on April 12, 2016 at IPFW in Ft. Wayne, IN.

5.      Angela Decker requests permission to attend the 2016 Literacy Retreat by Smeken’s Education to be held from June 15, 2016 through June 16, 2016 at the Shipshewana Event Center in Shipshewana, IN.

6.      Reece Mann and Darin Gullion request permission to attend the 2016 IAPSS District VI Spring District In-Service to be held on April 13, 2016 at the Ball State Alumni Center in Muncie, IN.

The motion was approved unanimously.

 

E.     Information and Proposals

1.       Superintendent

a.      A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve permission to post 2016 Delta High School summer school positions.  The motion was approved unanimously.

b.      A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Alice Gillis to approve the Delta High School Cheer Camp.  The motion was approved unanimously.

c.       A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the Delta Wrestling Club Wrestling Camp.  The motion was approved unanimously.

d.      A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the 21st Annual Tim Cleland Tennis Camp.  The motion was approved unanimously.

e.      Superintendent Mann informed the Board of the following fundraisers:

1.       Brian Osner, Delta Soccer Boosters, requests permission for the soccer boosters to work at the BSU concessions on March 12, 2016 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., as presented.  Proceeds go towards the DHS soccer team.

2.      Missy Haney, Delta High School Softball, requests permission to sell trash bags through the Jadcore Company from March 16, 2016 through April 8, 2016, as presented.  Proceeds go towards the softball team.

3.      Autumn Grimore, Royerton Elementary Library, requests permission to hold a Scholastic Book Fair at Royerton Elementary School from April 11, 2016 through April 15, 2016, as presented.  Proceeds go towards books and other student resources for the library.

4.      avania Burrous, Royerton PTO, requests permission to hold a Daddy/Daughter Dance at Royerton Elementary School on May 12, 2016 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., as presented.  Proceeds will benefit students through the PTO budget.

5.      Kim Bennett, Best Buddies, requests permission to sell apparel (t-shirts and sweatshirts) from March 28, 2016 through April 1, 2016, as presented.  Proceeds go towards the Best Buddies Program and activities.

6.      Tim Cleland, Delta High School Girls’ Tennis Team, requests permission to sell t-shirts and hair ribbons for SmashCancer on May 3, 2016 from 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., as presented.  Proceeds go towards local cancer organizations.

2.      Assistant Superintendent

A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the following (items 1-3):

a.      Use of Facilities:

1.       Laura Seibold-Caudill, DHS Swim Team, requests permission to use the Delta High School swimming pool and locker rooms on various dates in April and May, as presented.

2.      Tim Cleland, DHS Tennis, requests permission to use the Delta High School tennis courts from June 27, 2016 through July 1, 2016 from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. to hold the 15th Annual Penguin Classic Tournament, as presented.

3.      Tim Cleland, DHS Tennis, requests permission to use the Delta High School tennis courts on various dates in April and May from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to hold middle school tennis practice sessions, as presented.

The motion was approved unanimously.

b.      A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the policy on Materiality and Process for Reporting Material Items (2nd Reading).  The motion was approved unanimously.

c.       Dr. Gullion informed the Board about the policy on Expenditures from Extra-curricular Accounts for Educational Purposes (1st Reading). 

d.      A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by John Adams to approve the Delta High School surplus items that will be donated to the Delta Wrestling Club.  The motion was approved unanimously.

 

VIII.        LETTERS/NOTES

 

IX.              BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS

Tyce Stebbins – Mr. Stebbins thanked Ms. Addison for her years of service.  He stated it’s neat to be able to be at that point in your career that you can retire and everyone thinks so fondly of you.  He is thankful he knows her and nice to hear great things from Mr. Kile and everybody that has served with her.  He thanked Mr. Clark for the sweatshirt.  He stated he forwarded an email to Mr. Mann from an alumni that is a State Farm Agent and he is donating a bunch of flat screen TV’s.  He thought this might be something we would be interested in.   Mr. Stebbins wanted to recognize one of the Tuttle twins that coached a girls’ 2ndand 3rd grade basketball team at Royerton.  He witnessed her coaching and she had an incredible personality and did an incredible job with the kids.  He stated to see a sophomore doing that with great energy was neat to see.  He stated it is nice to hear all the great things our students are doing and we have great kids in this district, but it’s for a reason that is due to great teachers, leaders, and parents.  He commented we have people that aren’t just leading in the classroom, they are leading in fundraisers and teaching kids about how to give back and it’s neat to see the full circle of what’s going on within our school district.  Mr. Stebbins welcomed the new hires and he hopes they enjoy their time at Del-Com.  He can only hope they last as long as Ms. Addison and Ms. Orcutt and he’s excited to have them on board.  He let Mr. Zgunda know he hopes this next path in his career is as enjoyable as his football career.  Mr. Stebbins knows there are huge expectations in the Athletic Department, but it’s neat Mr. Zgunda already knows what those expectations are after coaching for so long.  Mr. Stebbins knows he will put the same amount of effort in for the department as he did for the football program.  Mr. Stebbins appreciates all the information and newsletters they are getting from the schools.  He stated they weren’t as informed a few years ago as they are now.  He stated Spring Break is coming up and encouraged everyone to be careful.  Mr. Stebbins attended the Del-Com concert last night and stated the kids did a fantastic job and it’s neat to see the diversity in the kids when you attend different activities and programs the schools put on.  Mr. Stebbins thanked The Star Press for the article on our special education retirees. 

He stated it was really nice seeing that and educating not just our community, but the surrounding area.

Alice Gillis – Ms. Gillis gave best wishes to Pam Addison on her retirement.  She thanked her for having a long and outstanding career with our community and schools.  She congratulated the sports teams and all individuals for receiving outstanding performance awards.  She thanked Mr. Clark for the sweatshirt.  Ms. Gillis is proud of the music program and congratulated Anna Groover, Nick Bantz, and Maddie Gullion for their awards.  She is happy to see the employment of counselors because she has seen the need for counselors in all the schools and she thinks we are going to accomplish that.  Ms. Gillis stated she has spent a little time in Eaton and Albany schools the last few weeks and has seen great things going on which she is very happy and proud of.  She welcomed Ms. Case and Ms. Underwood.

John Adams – Mr. Adams concurred with his fellow board members.  He commented it was a nice article in The Star Press and it’s good to see that about Del-Com schools and we appreciate it.  He congratulated Ms. Addison and wished her the best.  Mr. Adams stated it is neat to hear about all the great things going on and they are able to get a lot more information now and he thinks that is great.  He stated it allows them to understand a little bit more of what’s going on in the buildings.  He wanted to mention to everyone here tonight that even though it seems like they rush through things, they’ve had this information for several days in advance and they’ve been able to contact Mr. Mann or Dr. Gullion about any information if they have questions or want to challenge anything.  Mr. Adams thanked the new hires. He stated over the last few board meeting we’ve had several people retire that have spent many years with Del-com schools so he wishes the new folks the best of luck.  He wanted to give a shout-out to Stan Daugherty who has given us some great years.  Mr. Adams congratulated Mr. Zgunda.  He stated he was able to be part of the process and he knows the vision and what Mr. Zgunda’s goals are and he couldn’t agree more as Mr. Zgunda moves our Athletic Department forward.  He stated it is great to have Mr. Zgunda back in a leadership role.  Mr. Adams wants everyone to enjoy themselves on Spring Break and to come back ready to go and finish this year up.

Trent Fox – Mr. Fox thanked everyone for coming.  He thanked the new hires and let them know we are excited about Del-Com schools and they will sense a lot of that when they get into the buildings they will be going to.  He stated we have passion for the kids and that’s ultimately the reason we are here and without them, we wouldn’t be here doing what we are doing.  He stated we try to strive to get everything we can to the staff so they can prepare and do the things that need to be done.  Mr. Fox congratulated Ms. Addison on her retirement.  He remembers going to Camp Tecumseh with her which was a lot of fun.  He stated this next chapter will be a lot of fun for her and to enjoy it.  He congratulated Mr. Zgunda.  Mr. Fox commented that Stan Daugherty has been good for us and the program and he’s glad he was able to find something closer to his son and grandkids.  He wanted to give a shout-out to the National Honor Society on the blood drive tomorrow.  He stated it’s neat what our kids do and how they come together and want to reach out and help others in the community by doing canned food drives, charity events, etc. and we are excited to see those things.  Mr. Fox stated as a parent, it gets you excited that your kids are going to a school that has that kind of philosophy about giving back.

Adam Williams – Mr. Williams thanked everyone for coming and concurred with his fellow board members.  He congratulated the new hires and wished everyone well.  Mr. Williams congratulated Ms. Addison on her retirement.  He stated his fellow board members summarized everything well tonight and they do appreciate everything everyone does.

 

FUTURE MEETINGS

A.     A regular meeting for the Board of School Trustees is scheduled for Tuesday, April 5, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. at the Administration Building. 

B.     A School Board Retreat is scheduled for Tuesday, March 29, 2016 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at multiple locations.

 

X.                 ADJOURNMENT

A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by John Adams and Board President, Adam Williams, adjourned the meeting at 7:31 p.m.

 

March 15, 2016

 

ADAM WILLIAMS                                              ___________________________

TRENT FOX                                                        ____________________________

JOHN ADAMS                                                   ____________________________

ALICE GILLIS                                                    ____________________________

TYCE STEBBINS                                                ____________________________