DELAWARE COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 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 Alice Gillis to accept the minutes of the business meeting and executive session held on Tuesday, January 19, 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:
1. None.
A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the following (items C-D):
C. Cancelling Royerton Elementary School outstanding checks.
D. Cancelling Central Office outstanding checks.
The motion was approved unanimously.
VI. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Reece Mann, Superintendent, shared some information given to him by Mr. Conley, Principal at Delta High School. He read the wrestlers competed in the Sectional Tournament last Saturday where 12-13 competed and advanced to this Saturday’s Regional Tournament at Jay County. Delta had six champions with four runner-ups and a 3rd and 4th place finisher. He stated as a team, Delta came in 2nd place and was 17 points behind Yorktown. Mr. Conley wished good luck to the girls’ basketball team tonight as they play Tipton at first round Sectionals at Hamilton Heights High School. He received an email from a teacher at the High School, Mrs. Suzy Fox, who congratulated the following students for winning awards through the Scholastic Writing competition: Gold Key winners who will move on to the National Competition in New York City are Anna Groover, Maddie Gullion, and Charlie Melton. Silver Key Winners were Anna Groover and Joli Finley. Honorable Mentions were Maddie Gullion, Aubrey Holten, Cade Orchard, Abby Turner, and Faith Turner. In addition, Anna Groover and Maddie Gullion were selected as American Voice nominees. This is the best in show for their Gold Key entries. These works, in addition to the National Competition in New York City, will also be judged to receive the American Voice Award, with only one being given out each year. Mr. Conley stated in his letter that Delta High School received an A in status for the 4th consecutive year which is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our faculty and staff. He informed everyone the Indiana State School Music Associations District Instrumental Solo Ensemble Festival Award winners were Kayla Hicks, who received a Flute Gold Rating; Melissa Crouch, who received a Flute Gold Rating; Brenna Walz, who received a Flute Silver Rating; Noami Wilson, who received a Silver Rating; and Lauren Paxson, who received a Gold Rating and will be moving on to State at the end of the month.
Kelly Brown, Principal at Delta Middle School, informed every one of the 2016 Scholastic Awards. Mrs. Decker’s class ended up with 60 entries which included three 8th grade students that were Gold Key Award winners, four 8th grade students that were Silver Key Award winners, and six students who received Honorable Mention. Ms. Brown stated the bulletin board was created by Mrs. Frey. Ms. Brown hung it, but she had a picture on how she should hang it. She stated for the 2016 Scholastic Art Awards, Mrs. Frey submitted several entries and one 7th grade and one 8th grade student received Honorable Mention. One 7thgrade and one 8th grade student received Gold Key Art Awards. She said the group would like to go to Fort Wayne and see their art work on display and visit a couple of art museums. Ms. Brown stated for the Solo Ensemble Band Awards they had 20 students at Delta Middle School who received Gold or Silver Awards, all in the past week. She informed everyone that several of the staff at Delta Middle School were recipients of the Del-Com Foundation Grants and are beginning to acquire their materials. DMS is grateful to the Foundation for providing teachers with creative outlets to further enrich the lives of all of the students. Ms. Brown commented it’s pretty neat to see their Counselor receive an iPad. She’s already creating videos and has offered to do that for several people. She stated the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade boys’ basketball teams were the County Champions last weekend and the 8th grade girls’ basketball team were County Champions also. She stated it was a pretty exciting week at Delta Middle School.
Joe Schmaltz, Principal at Albany Elementary School, stated we normally think of after school activities as being at the middle school and high school, but they have a lot going on at Albany Elementary after school. He stated a lot of times some students might go home to an empty house, but at Albany Elementary on Mondays they have 2 activities students can attend. The first one being College Mentors for Kids with fifty-seven 2nd - 5th grade students enrolled. He stated it’s like a Big Brothers Big Sisters program and they start with a student when they are in 2nd grade. Twenty-eight 4th and 5th grade students are enrolled in the Albany Children’s Theater (ACT) program. He stated they have done a few things already including the Christmas program and coming up at the end of the year, they will have their 3rd Annual Albany Dinner Theatre with Peter Pan. Mr. Schmaltz will give a date later on, but it will be in late May. He informed everyone on Tuesdays and Thursdays they have Fitness Club with seventy-six 3rd, 4th, and 5thgrade students enrolled. It is a great program that helps the kids physically, socially, and emotionally. They do fun trips that involve swimming, bowling, and sledding which are outside of the building. On Wednesdays they have Albany Choir with thirty-nine 4th and 5th grade students enrolled. He stated they have sang several times already this year and will be singing more. He said these activities are good things for our kids to be able to do. Mr. Schmaltz wanted to point out the Academic Spell Bowl and Math Bowl Teams which are also great activities for the kids to have an opportunity to stay after school and be in some positive things. Mr. Schmaltz counted 17 students after school today who were meeting with teachers. He stated this is on a volunteer basis with teachers staying after school to help these kids.
Tyler Davis, student at Ball State, stated he is in the College Mentors for Kids program. He informed everyone that he and his mentors are here for a class assignment that is taught by Sue Paul. He stated one of their assignments was to attend a school board meeting and write a paper about it. Mr. Davis just met Kelly Brown, Principal at Delta Middle School, and found out in about two months he will be in her building doing a practicum. He commented it is nice to see how board meetings are ran and it is nice to be here.
VII. NEW BUSINESS
A. Certified Staff
A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by John Adams to approve the following (item 1):
1. Retirement of Joe Scott, Teacher at Delta High School, effective February 2, 2016.
The motion was approved unanimously.
A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the following (item 2):
2. Retirement of Timothy Brannock, Guidance Counselor at Delta Middle School, effective at the end of the 2015-2016 school year.
The motion was approved unanimously.
B. Classified Staff
A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by John Adams to approve the following (item 1):
1. Termination of Ryan Whitney, Custodian at Delta High School, effective immediately.
The motion was approved unanimously.
A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Alice Gillis to approve the following (items 2-5):
2. Recommendation to transfer John Carter, Custodian at Delta Middle School to Delta High School, effective February 3, 2016.
3. Recommendation to transfer Jennifer Stephenson, part time Custodian at Delta Middle School/Central Office to Delta Middle School full time, effective February 3, 2016.
4. Recommendation for a bus route change and pay adjustment for Jerry West effective February 1, 2016, as presented.
5. Recommendation for a bus route change and pay adjustment for Anita Weimer effective February 1, 2016, as presented.
The motion was approved unanimously.
C. Extra-Curricular
A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the following (items 1-3):
1. Recommendation for Jeri Harman to transfer from an Assistant Coordinator to Corporation Wellness Coordinator.
2. Recommendation to appoint Kevin Shafer as a Volunteer Assistant Baseball Coach at Delta High School effective February 2, 2016, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.
3. Recommendation to employ Emily Grider as an Assistant Girls’ Track and Field Coach at Delta High School effective February 2, 2016, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.
The motion was approved unanimously.
D. Conference Requests/Field Trips
A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the following (items 1-9):
1. Hanna Kikendall requests permission to attend Teaching with Primary Sources to be held from February 18, 2016 through February 19, 2016 at IU East in Richmond, IN.
2. Miranda Hummel requests permission to attend Teaching with Primary Sources to be held from February 18, 2016 through February 19, 2016 at IU East in Richmond, IN.
3. Eric Murphy requests permission to attend Teaching with Primary Sources to be held from February 18, 2016 through February 19, 2016 at IU East in Richmond, IN.
4. Amanda Lewis requests permission to attend HANDS ON: Crafting Your Curriculum to be held on February 19, 2016 in Indianapolis, IN.
5. Cathy Giammichele requests permission to attend Trauma Nurse Core Curriculum to be held from March 2, 2016 through March 3, 2016 at the St. Francis Education Center in Greenwood, IN.
6. Julie Brown requests permission to attend the PowerSchool Users Group Midwest Conference to be held from March 21, 2016 through March 23, 2016 at the Blue Chip Hotel in Michigan City, IN.
7. Joey Gossett requests permission to attend High in Plain Sight: Sweeping Drug Trends to be held on April 12, 2016 at Walb International Ballroom-IPFW in Fort Wayne, IN.
8. Lance Brand requests permission to attend NISMEC Grant Award at HASTI to be held on February 4, 2016 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN.
9. Meghan Frey requests permission to take 41 Challenge 7th & 8th Graders to tour the Saint Francis Art School and Gallery in Fort Wayne, IN on February 19, 2016, as presented.
The motion was approved unanimously.
E. Information and Proposals
1. Superintendent
a. A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the School Counselor Grant, as presented. The motion was approved unanimously.
b. A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the Delta Varsity Pre-Season Baseball Clinic, as presented. The motion was approved unanimously.
c. Superintendent Mann informed the Board of the following fundraisers:
1. Carol Williams, DHS Travel Boosters, requests permission to hold a fundraiser at Texas Roadhouse on February 1, 2016 from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., as presented. Proceeds go towards the students’ trip and the tip fund.
2. Robert Summer, DHS Student Council, requests permission to have face painting and Miracle Minute on February 4, 2016, February 13, 2016, and February 19, 2016 at Delta High School during the basketball games, as presented. Proceeds go towards the Dance Marathon and Riley Children’s Hospital.
3. Ryan Vanskyock, DHS Basketball, request permission to hold a Shoot-a-Thon at Delta High School from February 5, 2016 through February 7, 2016, as presented. Proceeds go towards gear, summer tournaments, meals, etc.
4. Carol Williams, DHS Travel Boosters, requests permission to hold a fundraiser at Applebee’s on February 10, 2016 from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., as presented. Proceeds go towards the students’ trip and the tip fund.
5. Nancy Kunk, Delta FFA, requests permission to hold a Hat Day at Delta High School one day during the week of February 22, 2016 through February 26, 2016, as presented. Proceeds go towards the Ray Brewer Scholarship.
6. Robert Summer, DHS Student Council, requests permission to hold a Hat Day at Delta High School on February 26, 2016, as presented. Proceeds go towards the Dance Marathon and Riley Children’s Hospital.
7. Seth Paul, Delta High School Baseball, requests permission to sell Adrenaline Fundraising Cards from March 7, 2016 through March 16, 2016, as presented. Proceeds go towards Booster Club expenses.
8. Dawn Raleigh, Delta Troupers, requests permission to hold the Spring Play “Much Ado About Nothing” at Delta High School from March 10, 2016 through March 12, 2016, as presented. Proceeds go towards the program, costuming, props, sets, etc.
9. Alicia Fuller, Delta High School Art Club, requests permission to have spring activities at Delta High School on March 15, 2016 from 5:30 p.m. through 7:30 p.m., as presented. Proceeds go towards art club activities and/or field trips.
10. Valerie Bankson, EES PTO, requests permission to sell Otis Spunkmeyer Cookies from March 28, 2016 through April 8, 2016 at Eaton Elementary School, as presented. Proceeds go towards supporting the student-centered efforts of PTO.
11. Julie Blakely and Amanda Craw, DHS Class of 2017, request permission to sell Prom Bids at Delta High School from April 18, 2016 through April 19, 2016, as presented. Proceeds go towards Prom costs.
12. Tim Cleland, Delta Tennis, requests permission to sell car window stickers at Delta High School from March 1, 2016 through May 1, 2016, as presented. Proceeds go towards tennis season expenses.
d. A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve Staff Professional Development, as presented. The motion was approved unanimously.
2. Assistant Superintendent
a. Use of Facilities:
A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the following (items 1-7):
1. Rick Freiburger, Albany Youth Baseball League, requests permission to use the Albany concession stand and diamond/softball field from February 1, 2016 through August 1, 2016 to hold the 2016 Albany Baseball League season, as presented.
2. David Bratton, Delta 3rd Grade Basketball, requests permission to use the Eaton Elementary Gymnasium from February 2, 2016 through TBD from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to hold basketball practice on Tuesday evenings, as presented.
3. Gabrielle Alexander, Eaton Baseball/Softball Association, requests permission to use the Eaton Elementary gym or hall on February 3, 2016 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to hold sign-ups, as presented.
4. Sergeant Kyle Sorrell, U.S. Marines Recruiting Station, requests permission to use the Delta High School Gymnasium on February 20, 2016 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. to play dodgeball for all applicants of the U.S. Marine Corps, as presented.
5. Heidi Zickgraf, Delta Jrs. Volleyball Club, requests permission to use the Delta High School Main Gym and Aux Gym on April 17, 2016 from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. to hold a volleyball tournament, as presented.
6. Peggy Evans, Albany Christian Church, requests permission to use the Albany Elementary Gymnasium on May 9, 2016 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. to have Basket Bingo, as presented.
7. Mehan Deckman, Eaton Baseball & Softball Association, requests permission to use the Eaton Softball Fields from March 1, 2016 through November 1, 2016 to hold practices and games, as presented.
The motion was approved unanimously.
b. A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to accept the Eaton Alumni Association donation. The motion was approved unanimously.
VIII. LETTERS/NOTES
A. None
IX. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS
Tyce Stebbins – Mr. Stebbins stated it is nice for the administrators to be here tonight and to hear the positives that are going on in our schools. He said there are lots of different things going on and people sacrificing for the betterment of the school. He wants everyone to understand what really goes on with being a part of the school and having such a positive environment. Mr. Stebbins stated we are not an A school by chance or because some students performed and picked up the slack for other students that aren’t performing, we are an A school for a reason. He stated there are positive things every day and it’s very unfortunate that there is so much focus on a negative thing here or there that we forget how many students are going through a program like this and what it means to each one of those students. For example all the Gold Key winners for writing and art and the extra-curricular activities. He stated these kids are spending time and their parents and school staff are supporting them. Mr. Stebbins doesn’t know how many of our extra-curricular coaches are volunteers but he’d say it’s well over a third and pushing half. He stated things like that don’t show up on Facebook, it’s not in the newspapers, and it doesn’t come across Channel 13 News, but that’s what makes a school work. Mr. Stebbins said he was at one of the schools for an athletic event and ran into a couple of kids. He was a little skeptical so he asked them where they were going and what they were doing. He said at the odd hour he was at the school, he found out those kids were going to a tutoring session. He knows that stuff goes on, but to think of the time a teacher is taking out of his/her day away from their families to tutor kids. He stated there are so many levels of tutoring and support that our staff is giving. Mr. Stebbins point in all this is that there are so many positive things going on that you just have to stay on those. He commented we could talk about bad stuff all we want, but you can’t talk about stuff like this and not have a huge smile on your face. He wants to thank everybody for their involvement whether it be the community, administrators, or staff. He stated they do a great job of going that extra step. Mr. Stebbins thanked the retirees for their years of service. He stated the Counselor Grant is amazing and we do a really good job of finding grants and working towards them. He thanked the Eaton Alumni Association for their donation. He stated for as long as he’s been on the Board, about 80% of the time we have a donation from somebody. He stated some of them are big, some of them are small, or its stuff that gets displayed in our libraries, but somebody was thinking about the school and the impact it would make and felt it was something great to do. Mr. Stebbins thanked the Ball State students for coming and let them know Mrs. Paul is a great instructor and a wonderful person to be around. He wanted to give a shout out to Brett Clark for stepping up into the Athletic Director position. Mr. Stebbins stated Mr. Clark ran the Sectional and County Tournaments like a champ which is a great example of the staff we have here.
Alice Gillis – Ms. Gillis stated she’s been involved in the school business a long time and it seems quite often the focus is on the negatives, but she thinks we have filled ourselves with positives tonight. She wished good luck to the girls’ basketball team against Tipton tonight in the 2016 Sectional. Ms. Gillis stated it seems our sports teams are peaking at the right time to do well in the Sectionals. She wished good luck to all the Science Fair participants this week and next and to the spellers in the Spell Bowls. Ms. Gillis congratulated all the wrestlers moving on to the Regionals. She stated they have done a super job. Ms. Gillis said great job to the high school and all of the schools with a grade A. She congratulated the Scholastic Award winners and thanked the Foundation for the teacher grants. Ms. Gillis appreciates all the other positives we have heard tonight as well.
John Adams – Mr. Adams concurred with his fellow board members. He stated there are a lot of good things going on in our schools. He wanted to give a shout out to our retirees and the years of service they’ve put in with Del-Com and what they were able to accomplish here. He wishes them the best as they move on. Mr. Adams wanted to take a minute and explain to the Ball State students who are trying to learn the process of how school board meetings go. He stated it may seem we move through this process fairly quickly and he doesn’t want them to think the Board gets all this information the night of the meeting. He let them know they get the board packet on a Friday and that gives them time to look at things and make sure they can challenge the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, or one of the Administrators of something in the board packet that’s going to be presented. This allows them to get answers to some questions they may have. He stated every so often it’s nice to mention this because sometimes they can move fairly quickly and tonight they haven’t spent all that much time on things, but a lot of the stuff they went over was already known about, worked upon and now it’s to the point where it needed to be done in a public meeting. He said it helps them to be prepared and know a little bit more of what’s going and if there is something they need more information on, they can challenge that during the meeting. He wanted to point that out for them as they are here and looking at the way we conduct business. Mr. Adams stated the Counselor Grant is a great opportunity to get someone else in the building at Albany Elementary School and that can make a huge difference. He is glad this happened and it can help the school out. He wanted to give a shout out to the middle school for the bulletin board and to Ms. Brown for putting it up based on instruction. Mr. Adams stated there are a lot of things going on and it was nice to hear things about students that don’t get to play on Friday and Saturday nights. He said he knows those things are going on, but it’s great to bring it back into our focus again and remind us of what these kids are doing. Mr. Adams stated its good our staff is working hard and trying to do great things for our school corporation and he greatly appreciates it.
Trent Fox – Mr. Fox thanked everyone for coming and wanted to reiterate the fact of how much all the staff, whether it be teachers, support staff, or administrators, he feels we are pretty blessed with what we have because a lot of them go above and beyond almost every day it seems like. He stated you can go to any school and someone will be there even on a weekend, somebody is in there working and doing something. He said his son is one that went to Anatomy tutoring on a Sunday just to get the extra work in and do studying for a test that was coming up. Mr. Fox commented that we have all kinds of teachers that will go above and beyond and do a lot of that stuff. He stated that does take a lot of effort and he’s sure most of the time they don’t feel like they are getting much in return, but he will tell you that a lot of those students may not say it, but they are gaining a lot of valuable experience from those individuals that they are looking up to. Mr. Fox appreciates everything everybody does because without the staff, we wouldn’t be the school system we are. He wanted to give a shout out to all the writers, band, and all other awards students have earned this past week. He stated Gold Key Awards are a huge honor and not easy to come by. He stated the teachers that are a part of that whole mix really push hard to get that to happen and it makes them feel like their efforts were really validated for what they are doing. He congratulated the girls’ and boys’ basketball teams who won County in the middle school and high school. Mr. Fox congratulated the wrestlers for a great run in Sectional and hopefully they can have some good things happen at Regional and move on to Semi-State. He stated the girls’ basketball team is against Tipton tonight and hopefully they can have some good things happen as well and move on and continue with their season. He stated swimming sectionals are this week as well and hopefully that will go well for them.
Adam Williams – Mr. Williams concurred with his fellow board members. He thanked everyone for all the wonderful summaries of the good things happening in our schools. He stated he doesn’t have kids at Albany so seeing the list of after school activities quantified is great. He loves to see this and it’s a great refresher. Mr. Williams doesn’t have kids at the high school yet so getting those updates as well are great. He commented that sharing this in the meetings and getting it out in the public any way we can is always great because we have a wonderful system. He said to get involved if you have kids, if they aren’t involved in something, find something. He stated you can’t go through with what we just listed and not find a spot for your kid to do more and to get enthused and excited. He was at the Math Bowl Competition today and the kids were high-fiving and jumping up and down when they got a question right about math and you can’t ask for a better environment. Mr. Williams greatly appreciates all the teachers that are just as excited. He stated Mr. Schmaltz was giving fist pumps to the kids when they got something right. He stated it matters, they care, and the kids are having a great time out there learning and becoming better people.
FUTURE MEETINGS
A. A regular meeting for the Board of School Trustees is scheduled for Tuesday, February 16, 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 7:14 p.m.
An executive session was held immediately following the business meeting on personnel matters.
February 2, 2016
ADAM WILLIAMS ___________________________
TRENT FOX ____________________________
JOHN ADAMS ____________________________
ALICE GILLIS ____________________________
TYCE STEBBINS ____________________________