May 3, 2016

DELAWARE COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

TUESDAY, MAY 3, 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 Trent Fox and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to amend the agenda, as presented.  The motion was approved unanimously.

IV.              MINUTES

A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Trent Fox to accept the minutes of the business meeting and executive session held on Tuesday, April 19, 2016.  The motion was approved unanimously.

V.                 FINANCE

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

1.       Netech                             Secured Schools Grant                   $50,000.00

CP                                                       $13,459.58

(DMS and DHS Video Surveillance)

The motion was approved unanimously.

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

 

2.      Textbook Purchases      TBR

      Cengage                                                                                 $15,124.72

      Aleks                                                                                      $1,875.00

      Curriculum Associates                                                       $8,803.80

      HMH DHS                                                                            $62,304.45

      HMH DMS                                                                            $51,569.40

      McGraw Hill                                                                         $109,014.12

      Zaner-Bloser                                                                                    $2,483.13     

 

The motion was approved unanimously.

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

3.      Neola                                GF                                                       $14,150.00

The motion was approved unanimously.

 

VI.              COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE FLOOR

 

Teresa Orcutt, President of DCCTA, announced we have a State Award Winner here tonight. Ms. Lourdes Davis-Gordon was elected as the 2016 ISTA Minority Educator of the Year.  She has served on many committees from the local level to the state level.  Ms. Orcutt is very pleased Ms. Davis-Gordon has provided us with the education of our students’, as well as, our professional organization.  Ms. Orcutt asked Mr. Conley if he wanted to add anything and he quoted Krisha Conley by saying, “One of the sweetest women I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.” John Adams also quoted Taylor Adams by saying, “The best little teacher she’s ever had.”

Kelly Brown, Delta Middle School Principal, stated this past Saturday they hosted the Statewide Super Bowl Meet with 18 schools, 50 plus coaches and 270 students participating.  Delta Middle School took 1stplace in 4 of the 5 categories: Social Studies, English, Science, and Interdisciplinary.  She stated they found out Monday Ms. Hapner’s Social Studies team won 1st place in the entire State of Indiana.  The team consisted of Joey Miranda Szutowicz, Tristan Pickering, and Adam Navarro.  Three other teams also took State top 10’s.  The English team of Marissa McCoy, Kate Paxson, and Natalie Talbot finished 7th in the State.  The Science team of Ashleigh Brelage, Carter Neal, and Kerissa Withers took 9th place.  Ms. Brown stated the Interdisciplinary team which is made up of members of each subject earned a 10th place finish. That team consisted of CJ Childress, Carter Neal, Tristan Pickering, Natalie Talbot, and Kerissa Withers.  Ms. Brown stated the coaches who are Mr. Banta, Ms. Decker, Ms. Triplett, and Ms. Hapner have ran this for years and do such a great job.  She let everyone know a home track meet was going on tonight, County is next Thursday, the Choir Concert on May 10th, and a Band Concert on May 17th.  She stated they have a lot going on and will finish ISTEP testing tomorrow.

Joe Schmaltz, Albany Elementary Principal, stated they finished ISTEP testing on Thursday and it went well.  He thanked the board for approving the purchase of Chromebooks because everything is going extremely well.  He stated in celebration of having testing done, they had the Annual Albany Carnival last Friday night which was a success and great family fun.  Mr. Schmaltz was impressed with the high school and middle school students that were there helping because they did a tremendous job. 

Christy McGuire, Royerton Elementary Assistant Principal, stated they are done with ISTEP.  She wanted to annunciate how well attended the students were last week with only 3 make-up students out of about 260, which is remarkable.  She thanked all parents for this.  She stated the students were attentive and she feels being able to test with Chromebooks in the environment where the students learn every day is going to reap rewards.  She is excited to see what the results are and thanked the Board for Chromebooks.  Ms. McGuire stated Thursday night they are having a Talent Show where around 30 kids will be performing. She encouraged everyone to come for this great event.  She stated they have been celebrating their teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week and wanted to thank them for their service.  They spend a lot of time doing what they need to do for our kids and she’s very appreciative of that.  She stated NWEA testing will be starting next week and it will be their last round of testing.

Chris Conley, Delta High School Principal, stated ISTEP is almost over at the high school and next week ECA testing will begin.  He let everyone know the Sophomores have been tested and tested and have lost about 3 weeks of instruction in English and Math classes with the amount of testing they’ve had to do.  He said the teachers who have to work around schedules have been flexible and they are very appreciative of what their efforts have been.  He stated Ms. Gossett has been working closely with the teachers who have been administering the tests and they have had very few technical glitches which they are thankful for.  He thanked the Resource Room teachers for helping with students.  He informed everyone girls’ softball is playing tonight in county at Wes-Del and the high school will host the county track meet on Friday night.  He stated Bobby Blevins was honored by the Senior Class at “A Taste of DelCom” and they already miss him a lot and will continue to miss him.  Bobby has meant so much to so many kids over the years.  Mr. Conley informed everyone the SmashCancer Tennis match at Yorktown is still going on tonight and Mr. Cleland announced over the 5 years this has been going on, 4,500 shirts have been sold and over $20,000 in donations have been made to local cancer charities.  Mr. Conley stated Mr. Cleland started this 5 years ago and it is now state wide.  He said it’s great to know it was started here at DelCom Schools by one of our own. 

 

VII.           NEW BUSINESS

A.     A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by John Adams to approve the Delta Middle School Handbook (2nd Reading), as presented.  The motion was approved unanimously.

B.     A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the Delta High School Handbook (2nd Reading), as presented.  The motion was approved unanimously.

C.     A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Alice Gillis to approve the Transportation Handbook (2nd Reading), as presented.  The motion was approved unanimously.

D.    A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve Elementary Textbook Adoption (2nd Reading), as presented.  The motion was approved unanimously.

E.     A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Alice Gillis to approve the Delta Middle School and Delta High School Textbook Adoption (2nd  Reading), as presented.  The motion was approved unanimously.

F.     Mr. Mann informed the Board about the Collection and Forgiveness of Debt Policy (1st Reading).

G.    Mr. Mann informed the Board about the Elementary, Delta Middle School, and Delta High School Textbook Rental (1st Reading).

H.    Mr. Mann informed the Board about the Criminal Gangs and Criminal Gang Activity Policy (1st Reading).

I.       Certified Staff

1.       A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the resignation of Kortney Zimmerman, Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher at Delta High School, effective at the end of the 2015-16 school year.  The motion was approved unanimously.

2.      A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the recommendation to employ Rachel Vance as an Elementary Teacher at Royerton Elementary School effective August 1, 2016, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.  The motion was approved unanimously.

J.      Classified Staff

1.       A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the retirement of Bobby Blevins, Custodian at Delta High School, effective June 1, 2016.  The motion was approved unanimously.

A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the following (items 2-3):

2.      Resignation of Micheal Daugherty, School Bus Driver, effective April 25, 2016. 

3.      Resignation of Amy Fowler, Special Education Instructional Assistant, at Delta Middle School, effective at the end of 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 (items 4-9):

4.      Recommendation to employ Susan Lee and Casondra Batten as Summer Bus Cleaners, effective June 1, 2016 through July 29, 2016, as presented.

5.      Recommendation to employ the following Food Service Cooks for the Summer Food Service Program:

 

Crystal King- Eaton Elementary School

Karen Starks- Eaton Elementary School

Tracey Brooks- Eaton Elementary School

Beth Rees- Albany Elementary School

Angela Shepherd- Albany Elementary School

Tracy Bullock- Albany Elementary School

Missy Haney- Albany Elementary School

 

6.      Recommendation to employ Ashley Hansel as a Latchkey Substitute Aide effective May 4, 2016, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.

7.      Recommendation to employ Mikayla Rainho as a Latchkey Substitute Aide effective May 4, 2016, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.

8.     Recommendation to employ Kasey Speicher as a Latchkey Substitute Aide effective May 4, 2016, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.

9.      Recommendation to employ Brian Meadows as a Custodian at Delta High School effective May 17, 2016, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.

The motion was approved unanimously.

 

K.     Extra-Curricular

A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the following (items 1-5):

1.       Recommendation to employ Laura Seibold-Caudill as a Head Boys’/Girls’ Swim Coach at Delta High School effective for the 2016-17 school year.

2.      Recommendation to employ Nikiya Parsons as an Assistant Varsity Cheer Coach at Delta High School effective for the 2016-17 school year.

3.      Recommendation to employ Heidi Zickgraf as an Activity Supervisor at Delta High School effective for the 2016-17 school year.

4.      Recommendation to employ John Rodriguez as an Assistant Volleyball Coach at Delta High School effective for the 2016-17 school year.

5.      Recommendation to employ Jon Kern as a Head Freshman Basketball Coach at Delta High School effective for the 2016-17 school year, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.

The motion was approved unanimously.

 

L.     Conference Requests/Field Trips

A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Alice Gillis to approve the following (items 1-5):

1.      athy Giammichele requests permission to attend the NIHSS Best Practice Session: Neurologic Assessment to be held on May 2, 2016 at IU Health/BMH in Muncie, IN.

2.      Cathy Giammichele requests permission to attend ACIS Recertification (advanced cardiac life support) to be held on May 11, 2016 at IU Health/BMH in Muncie, IN.

3.      Lance Brand and Terry Summers request permission to attend Lilly Teacher Day to be held on May 12, 2016 in Indianapolis, IN.

4.      Amanda Lewis requests permission to attend Language Acquisition Through Motor Planning to be held from May 19, 2016 through May 20, 2016 at Perry Township Education Center in Indianapolis, IN.

5.      Brett Clark requests permission to attend Advanced ALICE Training to be held from June 27, 2016 through June 28, 2016 at Tri Central High School in Sharpsville, IN.

The motion was approved unanimously.

 

M.   Information and Proposals

1.       Superintendent

a.      A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the Summer Blast Program, as presented.  The motion was approved unanimously.

b.      A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve permission to post IREAD-3 teaching positions.  The motion was approved unanimously.

c.       A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Trent Fox to approve permission to post DHS Summer School classes.  The motion was approved unanimously.

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

1.       Rebekah Weaver, DHS Jazz Band, requests permission to have a Jazz Café Admission on May 6, 2016 at Delta High School, as presented.  Proceeds go towards admission fees for next year’s jazz competitions.

2.      Joe Schmaltz, Albany Elementary PTO, requests permission to hold the 6th Annual DelCom Track Meet on May 16, 2016 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., as presented.

3.      Jessica Farmer, Dance Team, requests permission to hold a dime toss on May 18, 2016, as presented.  Proceeds go towards competitions, new uniforms, and poms.

4.      Chris Overholt, Delta Football Boosters, requests permission to hold a golf outing for the football team on June 18, 2016 at Lakeview Golf Course from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., as presented.  Proceeds go towards the football team.

5.      Chris Overholt, Delta Football, requests permission to hold a Youth Camp from July 18, 2016 through July 20, 2016 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., as presented.  Proceeds go towards football team meals and equipment.

6.      Terri Shaw, Mrs. Shaw’s Class (Book Charity), requests permission to resell used books donated by Royerton students from May 2, 2016 through May 20, 2016, as presented.  Proceeds go towards the Center Chapel Food Bank.

2.      Assistant Superintendent

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

a.      Use of Facilities:

1.       Cindy Glaze, Delta Force Running Club, requests permission to use the Delta Middle School Cafeteria on May 4, 2016 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. to hold a spaghetti dinner for all runners, as presented.

2.      Chris Overholt, Delta Football, requests permission to use the Delta High School Football Field and Stadium from July 18, 2016 through July 20, 2016 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to hold a Youth Football Camp, as presented.

3.      Cindy Glaze, Delta Force Running Club, requests permission to use the Delta High School Pool on May 7, 2016 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to have an Indy Mini Celebration, as presented.

The motion was approved unanimously.

b.      A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the request for Royerton Elementary School to accept a donation from Daryl Parsons in the amount of $200.00 to be used towards a motivational convocation for the students’, as presented.  The motion was approved unanimously. 

c.       A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the request to surplus items at Delta High School, as presented.  The motion was approved unanimously. 

 

VIII.        LETTERS/NOTES 

IX.              BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS

Tyce Stebbins – Mr. Stebbins stated testing sounds like it’s going well at all buildings and wanted to applaud the staff and kids.  He said testing is always tough, but the kids performing on the tests makes a bigger deal now-a-days than it used to.  He thanked all the families for getting kids home on time, having good meals, etc.  He stated it seems like every meeting we have someone donating something, whether it’s a large or small item and people are thinking about who they can give back to.  He thanked Mr. Parsons for his donation to Royerton Elementary School.  Mr. Stebbins commented we have leadership at all different levels in this school district, whether it be staff members or students.  He stated when you have extra-curricular activities and events, the kids really start to learn what it takes to be successful and show others how to donate or give back and that is the leadership that blossoms.  Mr. Stebbins stated Mr. Blevins’ retirement is significant and it’s nice to hear staff members tell stories about him and that’s something to be proud of.  He congratulated Ms. Davis-Gordon on her Minority Award, it is a great honor and he hopes she enjoys that.  Mr. Stebbins thanked all individuals involved with Textbook Adoption and welcomed Ms. Vance.

Alice Gillis – Ms. Gillis wished luck to the Marathon runners this weekend and said they had a nice spot on T.V.  She stated Mr. Cleland and the tennis teams were doing a great job tonight at SmashCancer and there was a nice article in The Star Press on the program.  She thanked Mr. Darby from Yorktown and everyone who has helped with Relay For Life the past several years.  She congratulated the Delta Middle School Academic Super Bowl winners and stated it sounds like we did well and she likes to hear that.  She congratulated Ms. Davis-Gordon for the Minority Teacher of the Year Award and commented it’s quite an achievement.  She wished good luck to Mr. Blevins on his retirement.  Ms. Gillis wanted to give a shout-out to the administrators for bringing updates on what is happening in their buildings because it is good to know.  She welcomed Ms. Vance and wished her luck with her career here. 

John Adams – Mr. Adams congratulated Ms. Davis-Gordon and let her know he hears her name from his daughters all the time and they truly love her.  He stated Delta Middle School being Super Bowl winners is a great honor and congratulated them.  He stated in the past, ISTEP didn’t go well and it’s nice to hear it is going well now and he is glad Chomebooks have made a difference for everyone.  He said that is was the intent was and he’s glad they could provide those to make the education experience better.  Mr. Adams hates to hear the sophomores are losing about 3 weeks of time in the classroom and maybe that will change in the future.  He thanked the administrators and teachers for getting the kids prepared for testing. 

He gave a shout-out to all the teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week for being with our kids every day and helping them become the citizens we hope they will be. He congratulated Ms. Vance and thanked all retirees.  Mr. Adams mentioned we don’t always know what is going on in personal lives with people in our school system and he wants everyone to know we are a family here and we care.  He wants to make sure every so often we are able to bring that up and say we are thinking about those that have family suffering or fighting an illness.  He stated you don’t always hear about them, but you know they are out there.  Mr. Adams said it’s a good time to bring this up and we are praying for those families and wishing nothing but the best for them. 

Trent Fox – Mr. Fox congratulated Ms. Vance and looks forward to hearing great things and he’s sure she will be excited to get started.  He congratulated Ms. Davis-Gordon on her accomplishment and let her know he hears all kinds of things about her, not only from kids, but from his wife as well.  He stated it is a great honor and he is thankful she is in our corporation.  He wishes Bobby Blevins the very best on his retirement and he’s sure he will enjoy it and be back at the school as much as he can at sporting events.  He stated it’s a testament of how much Bobby enjoyed the kids and being around the school system and he is very thankful for that.  Mr. Fox gave a shout-out to all teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week.  He stated we are truly blessed and honored to be able to have them as our staff and we appreciate each and everything they do for our kids.  He stated the strides and steps they’ve taken will hopefully lead the kids to bigger and better things as they move on outside of life itself.

Adam Williams – Mr. Williams, speaking as a parent and Board Member, stated there is a lot of strain/stress and routine broken for everyone participating in ISTEP.  He said disruption of what is normal for teachers and their classrooms, in addition to having to plan completely around other events and areas, is difficult.  He greatly appreciates what everybody does, the pride they take, and the emphasis they put on helping the kids achieve their very best.  He stated we are guided to show importance in education and our corporation takes that very seriously and it shows with the scores and how much teachers and the administration care.  Mr. Williams concurred with his fellow board members on the many wonderful things they had to say about appreciation for the corporation, fundraising, retirees who have served, extra-curricular activities, academic super bowl, etc.  He stated we can’t quantify all of that stuff and it’s wonderful to hear.  He asked for everyone to please keep sharing and hopefully it will get out to the community because it helps to instill pride.  Many people are working hard and he appreciates that.  Mr. Williams mentioned he went with Eaton Elementary to Camp Tecumseh and he is proud of the kids for representing Eaton and DelCom schools extremely well.  He stated they had a lot of fun and the camp was well ran.  He appreciates the time and commitment that takes place to get everything organized.  He has a new appreciation for Elementary Principals.  Mr. Williams appreciates the Principals that take this on, the teachers that volunteer, and the parents that participate. 

 

FUTURE MEETINGS

A.     A regular meeting for the Board of School Trustees is scheduled for Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. at the Administration Building.

B.     A Retirement Breakfast is scheduled for Thursday, May 26, 2016 at 8:00 a.m. at the Delta Middle School Cafetorium.

X.                 ADJOURNMENT

A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Trent Fox and Board President, Adam Williams, adjourned the meeting at 7:26 p.m.

 

May 3, 2016

 

ADAM WILLIAMS                                              ___________________________

TRENT FOX                                                        ____________________________

JOHN ADAMS                                                   ____________________________

ALICE GILLIS                                                    ____________________________

TYCE STEBBINS                                                ____________________________