November 15, 2016

DELAWARE COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 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 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 Tyce Stebbins to accept the minutes of the business meeting and executive session held on Tuesday, November 1, 2016.  The motion was approved unanimously.

  V.                 FINANCE

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

 B.     Purchases over $7500:

 1.       None.

 

VI.              COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Chris Conley, Principal at Delta High School, wanted to commend the Spell Bowl Team for finishing 4th in their class at the state finals this past weekend. They qualified with the 5th highest score in the state.  He invited everyone to “Fiddler on the Roof” which is Thursday and Friday night at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday at 2:00 p.m.  He commended the football team for finishing their season at regionals with a loss to Roncallion Friday night, who is the #1 team in the state.  The boys’ tennis team lost in the state finals to Carmel, who is the #1 team in the state.  The boys’ soccer team lost at regionals to Lafayette Harrison, who’s the #1 team in the state.  The girls’ volleyball team couldn’t get out of sectionals because they lost to the #1 team in the state.  Mr. Zgunda told Mr. Conley we had a winning percentage of 75% for all fall sports combined. He stated there have been outstanding achievements by our young people and how they represent us and he’s always proud of the Delta Eagles.

Haley Cross, Food Service Director, informed everyone all 5 buildings had their health inspections this semester.  Four passed with zero violations.  Delta Middle School had 2 critical violations with the hot water and luckily it was an issue that could be fixed immediately.  She stated they are still working with Mr. Pyle trying to adjust the boiler and make sure we have hot water all the time.  She stated she is very proud of all the buildings.

Doug Marshall, Principal at Royerton Elementary School, thanked the 4th grade students for their Veteran’s Day Program they held last Friday.  He stated it was completely student led and the 4th grade teachers did a fantastic job getting the kids ready.  He informed everyone he received an email from Lieutenant Colonel David Skalon who received a letter thanking him for his service and sacrifice from 4th grade student Marcus Bright who attends Royerton.  Lieutenant Colonel Skalon stated it was an inspiring letter and after reading it, he rewrote a speech he was working on for students at Anderson High School.  He stated the simple assignment of writing a Veteran moved his words and message and may have made a difference to a percentage of the 1900 students at Anderson High School.  Powerful forces come with the most simplistic acts and Lieutenant Colonel Skalon’s gratitude goes to not only Marcus, but his teacher Ms. Clark for this initiative.  Mr. Marshall shared the email with Ms. Clark’s class and stated it’s nice for 4thgraders to see their words can make a difference. 

Amy Lewman, Assistant Principal at Delta Middle School, informed everyone they had a Veteran’s Program that Mr. Clark organized where Veteran’s Kevin Mahon and Preston Phillips spoke.  She stated Mr. Phillips is in his first year teaching at the middle school and he did a fantastic job addressing the students about the importance of Veteran’s Day as well as Mr. Mahon.  She informed everyone they received raving compliments about the students and their behavior.  Ms. Lewman hopes Mr. Conley will have the same thing to say when they take the students to the high school tomorrow to watch the Delta Troupers perform. She stated Elana Camp has been working very hard on the “Honk” performance which will be held on December 2nd and 3rd at the middle school and they look forward to having everyone there. 

Joe Schmaltz, Principal at Albany Elementary School, also had a Veteran’s Day Program last Friday and it went well.  He stated 80% of the students had some type of role in the program.  They had around 60-65 Veterans attend who were served a chicken noodle dinner afterwards.  He informed everyone this Friday is Parents to Lunch and this year they are holding the Science Fair at that time as well so parents can see the projects when they come for lunch.  Mr. Schmaltz invited everyone to attend.

Greg Kile, Principal at Eaton Elementary School, stated they are getting well into their silly season at school with Parents to Lunch, Fall Carnival, Book Fair, and Thanksgiving being around the corner, so things are getting busy.  He stated good things are going on, the kids are having a blast, and teachers are working hard.  He informed everyone NWEA is coming up on December 5th.  They are getting excited to get their hands on the new data and measure where they are and figure out what to do next. 

 

VII.           NEW BUSINESS

 A.     A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Alice Gillis to approve the School Improvement Plans.  The motion was approved unanimously.

 B.     Certified Staff

 1.      None.

 
 C.     Classified Staff

A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the following (items 1-2):

 1.       Resignation of Amy Sites, Treasurer at Delta High School, effective November 10, 2016.

 2.      Resignation of William Carlin, Sub Bus Driver at Transportation, effective November 3, 2016.

 The motion was approved unanimously.

 A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Alice Gillis to approve the following (items 3-6):

 3.      Recommendation to employ Jeanie Clark as an Instructional Assistant at Royerton Elementary School effective November 16, 2016.

 4.      Recommendation to employ Hannah Fields as a Food Service Cook at Royerton Elementary School effective November 16, 2016.

 5.      Recommendation to employ Jamie Tarr as a Food Service Cook at Delta High School effective November 16, 2016.

 6.      Recommendation to increase Sheila Mercer’s, Special Education Instructional Assistant at Eaton Elementary School, hours from 5.5 to 6.5 hours per day effective immediately.

 The motion was approved unanimously.

 

D.    Extra-Curricular

 A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the following (items 1-9):

 1.       Recommendation to employ Keith Rhonemus as a Head Wrestling Coach at Delta Middle School effective for the 2016-17 school year.

 2.      Recommendation to employ Bryon McQueen as an Assistant Wrestling Coach at Delta Middle School effective for the 2016-17 school year.

 3.      Recommendation to employ Jason Arnold as a Head Swim Coach at Delta Middle School effective for the 2016-17 school year.

4.      Recommendation to employ Alison Jackson as an Assistant Swim Coach at Delta Middle School effective for the 2016-17 school year.

 5.      Recommendation to appoint Abby Whetsel as a Volunteer Assistant 6th Grade Girls’ Basketball Coach at Delta Middle School effective for the 2016-17 school year.

 6.      Recommendation to appoint Matt Shafer as a Volunteer Assistant Boys’ Basketball Coach at Delta High School effective for the 2016-17 school year.

 7.     Recommendation to employ Erica Pluimer as an Algebra I Remediation Teacher at Delta High School effective for the 2016-17 school year.

 8.     Recommendation to employ Scott Herring as an Algebra I Remediation Teacher at Delta High School effective for the 2016-17 school year.

 9.      Recommendation to employ Amanda Craw as an English Remediation Teacher at Delta High School effective for the 2016-17 school year.

 The motion was approved unanimously.

 
A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Alice Gillis to approve the following (item 10):

 10.  Recommendation to employ Suzy Fox as an English Remediation Teacher at Delta High School effective for the 2016-17 school year.

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

 

E.     Conference Requests/Field Trips

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

 1.       Jeri Harman and Laurie Neal request permission to attend the Indiana Association for Gifted Conference to be held from December 12, 2016 through December 13, 2016 at the Marriott in Indianapolis, IN.

 The motion was approved unanimously.

 

F.     Information and Proposals

 1.       Superintendent

 a.      A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Alice Gillis to approve the rejection of all Demolition Bids for the old Administration Building, as presented.  The motion was approved unanimously.

 b.      A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the Wrestling Overnight Trips, as presented.  The motion was approved unanimously.

 c.       A motion was made by Alice Gillis and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the following Evaluation Rubrics (items 1-4):

 1.       DMS Assistant Principal/Athletic Director

2.      DHS Athletic Director

3.      DHS Athletic Trainer

4.      DHS SRO

 The motion was approved unanimously.

 
d.      Mr. Mann informed the Board about the following fundraisers:

1.       Judy Reynolds, DHS Wrestling Booster Club, requests permission to sell Delta Eagle crew socks from November 16, 2016 through December 16, 2016, as presented.  Proceeds go towards wrestling team expenses.

 2.      Lauren Griffis, DHS Secret Families, requests permission to collect donations from staff to wear jeans for the week from November 28, 2016 through December 2, 2016, as presented.  Proceeds go towards Secret Families.

 3.      Julie Blakely and Amanda Craw, Class of 2017, request permission to sell Senior Ball tickets from November 30, 2016 through December 2, 2016, as presented.  Proceeds go towards Senior Ball and graduation expenses.

 

2.      Assistant Superintendent

 A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Alice Gillis to approve the following (items 1-2):

 a.      Use of Facilities:

 1.       Heidi Zickgraf, Delta Juniors, requests permission to use the Delta High School gymnasiums from January 2017 through April 2017 to hold Club Volleyball, as presented.

 2.      Lucas Manor, Delta 5th Grade Basketball, requests permission to use the Delta Middle School Gymnasium from November 16, 2016 through March 31, 2017 to hold basketball practice, as presented.

 The motion was approved unanimously.

 

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

 b.      Request for Eaton Elementary to accept a cash donation in the amount of $1,370.00 from the Eaton PTO to be used for field trips, as presented. 

 c.       Request for Delta High School to accept a donation in the amount of $1,000.00 from Brian Parkinson to be used in honor of Grant Zgunda for the Football Team’s Escrow account, as presented. 

 d.      Request for Delta High School to accept a donation from Culver’s (Scoop of Thanks) in the amount of $900.00 to be used for the Delta FFA, as presented.

 The motion was approved unanimously.

 

 VIII.        LETTERS/NOTES

 IX.              BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS

John Adams – Mr. Adams thanked everyone for coming.  He stated since he’s a Veteran himself, he loves that the buildings do Veteran’s Day Programs to let the students know what that’s all about.  He greatly appreciates them doing that.  He liked the discussion tonight about data from NWEA testing and what we are able to get from that.  He thinks it’s great and allows us to see more of where our kids are than we ever have before.  He stated as a parent, he would be excited, but as a Board Member he is extremely excited because it’s the future and vision of our corporation and where it’s headed.  He challenges everyone to look at the change, keep, and modify elements as they move forward so it allows them to look outside the box as to what they can do for student achievement.  Mr. Adams stated it’s good to hear from the administrators on what’s taking place in their buildings.  He gave a shout-out to all fall sports teams and stated 75% of wins is an outstanding effort from all of our kids.  He hated to see the football team lose on Friday night, but they gave it their all, just like all the other teams have done.  He congratulated first year head football coach Mr. Overholt for the success they’ve had this year. 

Trent Fox – Mr. Fox thanked everyone for coming.  He thanked the administrators for sharing.  He enjoys hearing what’s going on because he’s not in the buildings.  He stated getting donations is great and we love having them because it allows the schools to do things they maybe couldn’t do.  Mr. Fox stated he really appreciates getting those. 

Alice Gillis – Ms. Gillis congratulated the high school Spell Bowl team for an outstanding job.  She said for “Fiddler on the Roof” actors to break a leg and 75% winning percentage is very good for all of our fall sports teams.  She stated it is good to hear the report from the State Board of Health on inspections.  She stated she is not a Veteran, but appreciates the fact the schools go overboard for Veterans because they deserve it.  Ms. Gillis thanked the administrators for the updates and appreciates hearing what’s happening in the schools.  She thanked Amy Lewman for her presentation and conversation about the potential of our data from testing.  She congratulated the wrestling team.  Ms. Gillis stated she worked the Book Fair at Eaton Elementary this week and it’s going well.  She’s looking forward to judging the Science Fair at Albany on Friday.

 Tyce Stebbins – Mr. Stebbins wished good luck to the actors in “Fiddler on the Roof”.  He stated after months and months of hard work, he wishes those individuals the best.  He stated it is great for a student to write a letter and touch a Veteran like 4th grader Marcus Bright did.  He stated that can make a difference and its neat one of our students did that.  He thanked Mr. Bright for sharing what all of us think and don’t have a chance to say.  He stated a ton of hard work has went into the School Improvement Plans and thanked those that took the extra time and effort in comprising those plans.  Mr. Stebbins thanked everyone who gave a donation to the corporation. 

Adam Williams – Mr. Williams stated sitting up here listening to everything from the small to big things, school updates and improvement plans, the rubric completion process, donations, and Veteran’s Day Programs; we are very fortunate to be surrounded by a lot of high quality people that care so much about our school, kids, and community.  He said it shows in so many different ways and is always appreciated. He stated it can never be said enough.  He stated you can tell as they were asking Ms. Lewman questions about data points, it’s not just filling out forms to be compliant, it’s imbedded in what we are trying to achieve and it’s hard work to compile that information.  Mr. Williams stated that highlights the details of what they are being asked to do and they do it with a smile on their face, while still dealing with everything else that’s going on.  He thanked everyone and stated those little and big things are greatly appreciated.

 

FUTURE MEETINGS

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

 

 X.                 ADJOURNMENT

A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Tyce Stebbins and Board President, Adam Williams, adjourned the meeting at 7:33 p.m.

 November 15, 2016

  

ADAM WILLIAMS                                              ___________________________

 TRENT FOX                                                        ____________________________

 JOHN ADAMS                                                   ____________________________

 ALICE GILLIS                                                    ____________________________

 TYCE STEBBINS                                                ____________________________