March 1, 2016

DELAWARE COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 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 Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Trent Fox 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, February 16, 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:

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

1.       Lite The Night Technologies               CP                   $22,750.00

2.      Dell                                                           CP                   $60,000.00

TECH             $72,000.00

3.      GJ Sales   (wrestling mats)                                         

Delta High School                                 ATHLETICS  $2,931.00

Delta Middles School                            ATHLETICS  $2,931.00

Sports Facility Fund                             CP                   $2,931.00

Delta Wrestling Club                            DONATION  $1,000.00

The motion was approved unanimously.

 

VI.              COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Kelly Brown, Delta Middle School Principal, stated they have completed 2 days of ISTEP and it has gone very smoothly.  She said it’s nice to have the paper and pencil because the whole building can test at the same time.  She would like to thank and give all credit to Amy Lewman who spent hours putting labels on books and organizing everything.  She informed everyone they had 16 DMS Choir members perform with 85 other students from surrounding counties at Circle of the State.  She stated the students have been working on 7 songs since Christmas break and have been rehearsing after school.  On Saturday they had a day long rehearsal from 8:30-3:00 to make the music as perfect as they could.  They performed an hour concert along with elementary students from our district and the surrounding counties and ended the concert with a song called “Why We Sing” which was their finale song from the Corporation Concert last year.  She let everyone know Ms. Olfier said it was a great performance and thank you to everyone involved.  Ms. Brown informed everyone DMS won County in wrestling last Thursday which is a pretty big deal and the conference is this Saturday.  She stated the boys’ swim team have only won conference two times that Ms. Whittington can recall and Saturday was one of the two.  She said they were up by 47 points going into the final relay.  The final relay is 40 points if you win.  She stated we were disqualified because one of our swimmers jumped off too early, but they still pulled it off and won by 7 points.  She said it’s a pretty big deal to win conference in swimming.  Ms. Brown got to watch the 6th grade girls’ basketball team on Saturday morning at the County Championship game.  She informed everyone they lost by two points, but they played really well.  She commends them, they showed great sportsmanship, and held their heads high.  Ms. Brown stated FCCLA had their State Leadership Conference this past weekend.  Thirteen students attended the conference and the total medal count DMS students brought home was: 7 Golds, 5 Silvers, and 1 Bronze with five members qualifying for Nationals in San Diego, CA this summer.  She informed everyone Shelby Gillis will be moving on to the State Science Fair.

Ms. Brown informed everyone about what’s been going on at the high school as well.  She gave a shout-out to Ms. Decker, Ms. Fox, and all the students given awards for writing this weekend.  She believes five major awards are presented and Delta students won two of the five.  Sage Coy placed 7th in State Wrestling Finals on February 20th.   Andrew Torres finished 12th place in swimming for the 50 freestyle at State and qualified for the state meet in the 100 freestyle as well.  Drew Ellery was a state qualifier in the 100 breaststroke.  Chandler Tucker was a state qualifier in the 500 freestyle.  In the 400 freestyle relay team were state qualifiers: Andrew Torres, Chandler Tucker, Devyn Tarr, and Jared Hunt.  The 200 freestyle relay team finished 15th in the state: Andrew Torres, Devyn Tarr, Josh Rawls, and Jared Hunt.  The boys’ basketball team starts Sectionals tonight at 7:30 against Yorktown at Marion High School.  Round 2 is Friday night and the Championship game will be Saturday.  She stated spring sports practices are under way. Ms. Brown informed everyone Jackson Boyle won 1st place at the Science Fair with three specialty awards and placed in the top 10 to go to State.  The State Science Fair will be held on April 2nd on the IUPUI Campus. 

Doug Marshall, Royerton Elementary Principal, concurred with Ms. Brown about Circle of the State.  He stated they had several kids involved and they were able to rehearse each week with Ms. Eichorn who did an excellent job of preparing them for the event.  He thanked parents and students for signing up for that and they represented Royerton and Del-Com well.  Mr. Marshall stated they had a couple students that were highlighted the last board meeting for being part of the Science Fair.  He congratulated Emily Hayes for receiving an Honorable Mention at the Regional Science Fair.  He stated the Math Bowl Team had a successful season and they represented Royerton and Del-Com schools well at the Regional Tournament last week.  He stated they came in 1st in their division and he is happy for them.  Mr. Marshall stated Larry Battson came a few weeks ago.  He has been doing convocations for years for our schools.  He is an author now and he kicked off Royerton’s Young Authors Initiative.

Haley Cross, Food Service Director, informed everyone this past month an auditor with the State did an Administrative Review. Only a couple minor things were found and they’ve already been corrected.  Ms. Cross stated they are very proud of it.

Greg Kile, Eaton Elementary Principal, pointed out that Deborah Browning has been with Del-Com for 37 years.  She walked into her classroom 37 years ago when he was 1 month old which is pretty exciting and impressive.  Mr. Kile stated Ms. Browning pioneered the Special Ed Program at Del-Com and was hired to start it.  He informed everyone we are in the room with somebody that from then until now, has had their hands on all that we do in the area of Special Education and has such an incredible influence on the way we serve those students and meet their needs.  He wanted to give measure to the pieces and parts of our program she’s touched and the kids she’s influenced.  He stated it’s a special thing and an incredible amount of experience, heart, and passion is going to walk out the door at the end of the year and that’s amazing, but also heartbreaking to those that know what all Ms. Browning does every day.  Mr. Kile stated the other thing about Deb that goes unseen is the mentorship she’s offered our teachers over the years.  He said if you hang out with the staff or talk to the teachers, there are endless people that will say, “Deb Browning taught me that or Deb Browning showed me how to do that.”  He stated the influence she has on staff is incredible.  Mr. Kile has a close friend that served as an Instructional Assistant with Ms. Browning.  He stated his friend lit up about this incredible teacher that he met and all he learned from her.  Mr. Kile didn’t know then he was going to get to serve with her later so that’s been a blessing to him.  He stated Ms. Browning loves children and she does this because she cares about kids.  She loves them in a way he thinks is rare, tangible, powerful, and it means something.  He said it influences the people around her, the school, and the district and she has not only loved the kids well, but has taught others to love them well too.  Mr. Kile stated when we get to the end of a teaching career like this, we start reflecting on what we are leaving behind and what’s important to us and she is leaving behind a great deal.  He said there are teachers out there Ms. Browning has mentored that are now mentoring others and that’s incredible.  He stated the program she’s built, loved, and nurtured will continue to flourish long after she’s gone and that’s a big deal. Mr. Kile wants Ms. Browning to know her legacy to him is that he feels incredibly motivated to continue the great tradition she loved.  He stated she has set the bar high and communicated 37 years that if we are going to be a part of this school, we are going to do it right and serve kids well and that is a beautiful thing.  Mr. Kile thanked Ms. Browning for her legacy.

Amy Larrabee, Special Services Coordinator, stated we have two people here tonight that are leaving at the end of the year that include Ms. Browning and Ms. Orcutt.  She stated we are literally losing almost 80 years of experience.  Ms. Larrabee stated these two ladies have been great supports for her and two great mentors.  She stated they will be greatly missed by her and by everyone they know.  She thanked both of them for their service.

 

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 Deborah Browning, Special Education Teacher at Eaton Elementary School, effective at the end of the 2015-16 school year.

The motion was approved unanimously.

B.     Classified Staff

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

1.       Retirement of Beth Davis, Food Service Cook at Albany Elementary School, effective May 25, 2016.

The motion was approved unanimously.

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

2.      Recommendation to terminate Tonya Hopper, School Bus Driver, effective February 25, 2016.

The motion was approved unanimously.

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

3.      Resignation of Nick Tetzlaff, Instructional Assistant at Royerton Elementary School, effective February 19, 2016.

The motion was approved unanimously.

A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Alice Gillis to approve the following (items 4-9):

4.      Recommendation to employ Dennis Shields as a Custodian at Delta Middle School, effective March 7, 2016, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.

5.      Recommendation to transfer Darlene DeVoe from a School Bus Driver to a Custodian at Royerton Elementary School effective March 18, 2016.

6.      Recommendation to employ Chris Thompson as an Instructional Assistant at Delta High School effective March 14, 2016, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.

7.      Recommendation to increase hours for Joe Schafer, Instructional Assistant, from 4.75 hours per day to 8 hours per day.  (split between Royerton Elementary School and Delta High School).

8.     Recommendation to increase hours for Autumn Grismore, Instructional Assistant at Royerton Elementary School, from 24.5 hours per week to 29.75 hours per week.

9.      Recommendation to employ Angela Morey as an Instructional Assistant at Royerton Elementary School effective March 15, 2016, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.

The motion was approved unanimously.

 

C.     Extra-Curricular

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

1.       Recommendation to employ Ryan Bickford as a Head 7th and 8th Grade Boys’ Track Coach at Delta Middle School effective March 28, 2016.

2.      Recommendation to appoint Curt Howard as a Volunteer Assistant Baseball Coach at Delta High School effective March 1, 2016.

The motion was approved unanimously.

 

D.    Conference Requests/Field Trips

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

1.       Chris Pyle requests permission to attend the Interface K-12 Education Summit to be held on March 2, 2016 at The Stutz in Indianapolis, IN.

2.      Haley Cross requests permission to attend the INSFPAC Committee Meeting to be held on March 3, 2016 at Northwest Allen County High School in Fort Wayne, IN.

3.      Jennifer Stone and Deanne Brown request permission to attend ServSafe Training and Testing to be held on March 9, 2016 at AU Flagship Center in Anderson, IN.

4.      Linda DeVoe requests permission to attend IDOE to be held from March 22, 2016 through March 24, 2016 at Pendleton High School in Pendleton, IN.

5.      Suzy Fox requests permission to attend Smeken’s Literacy Retreat to be held from June 15, 2016 through June 16, 2016 at Shipshewana Event Center in Shipshewana, IN.

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 following Latchkey programs:

1.       Summer Blast approval.

2.      Eligible Elementary Interns.

 The motion was approved unanimously.

b.      A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Tyce Stebbins to approve the 2016 Summer Meal Program, as presented.  The motion was approved unanimously.

c.       A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Trent Fox to approve Administrative Performance Awards, as presented.  The motion was approved unanimously.

d.      A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the 2016 Delta/Cardinal Swim Club Swimming Clinic, as presented.  The motion was approved unanimously.

e.      A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Alice Gillis to approve the Delta Swimming Camp, as presented.  The motion was approved unanimously.

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

1.       Robert Summer, Student Council, requests permission to hold fundraisers for the Delta Dance Marathon from March 11, 2016 through April 1, 2016, as presented.  Proceeds will be donated to Riley Children’s Hospital.

2.      Alli Juskevice, Delta Cheerleading, requests permission to have a flower sale from April 16, 2016 through April 27, 2016, as presented.  Proceeds go towards cheer camp expenses and practice clothes.

3.      Alli Juskevice, Delta Cheerleading, requests permission to hold a fundraiser for sponsors from April 27, 2016 through June 1, 2016, as presented.  Proceeds go towards camp clothes, equipment, signs, poms, competitions, music, etc.

4.      Alli Juskevice, Delta Cheerleading, requests permission to sell cookie dough from April 27, 2016 through May 18, 2016, as presented.  Proceeds go towards cheer camp and competition expenses.

5.      Lesley Chan, Delta High School Art Department, requests permission to hold an “Empty Bowls Project” on April 20, 2016, as presented.  Proceeds will be donated to a local food bank or community garden.

6.      Jennifer Berry and Doug Marshall, Royerton Elementary PTO, request permission to sell Abby Candles and other products from March 31, 2016 through April 14, 2016, as presented.  Proceeds go towards PTO supported activities and initiatives for Royerton students.

 

2.      Assistant Superintendent

a.      Use of Facilities:

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

1.       Jama Marlow, North Delaware Baptist Church, requests permission to use the Royerton Elementary Gymnasium on March 19, 2016 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. to hold the Annual Easter Egg Scramble, as presented.

The motion was approved unanimously.

b.      A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Alice Gillis to approve the Pilot Chromebook application process.  The motion was approved unanimously.

 

c.       A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by Alice Gillis to approve the following (items 1-3):

1.       Valic Adoption Resolution

2.      Valic Adoption Agreement

3.      Valic Legislative Amendment

 

The motion was approved unanimously.

 

VIII.        LETTERS/NOTES

A.     None. 

 

IX.              BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS

Tyce Stebbins – Mr. Stebbins thinks Mr. Kile spoke as well as anyone could about Ms. Browning’s service and he wanted to extend a thank you from the kids in our community and all the patrons.  He stated Mr. Kile is right, it’s not just 37 years of experience, it’s the leadership and all the things that go with being a great employee.  He stated on behalf of the School Board, the patrons, and all the kids in our community, he would like to say thank you.  Mr. Stebbins stated ISTEP is going on and thanked those that are making sure the tests are administered by the book.  He said it is stressful on the kids to do the amount of testing we do, but it’s probably more stressful on our administrators and staff.  He thanked everyone for working hard.  Mr. Stebbins stated with the sheer number of extra-curriculars, our kids aren’t just participating, they are excelling in lots of different avenues.  He commented it is neat to hear about FCCLA, the music program, Science Fair, and it is nice the wrestling program is back where it needs to be.  He said every month we have new extra-curricular activities, but the story is the same and we have a lot of kids participating and doing really well.  Mr. Stebbins would like to thank the parents, staff, and the means we have in place for the kids to participate in extra-curricular activities because it is very important.  He stated he’s made a point every meeting since he’s been on the Board to thank those that have donated money to help off-set some of the costs.  He thanked the Delta Wrestling Club for donating $1,000.00 towards a wrestling mat. 

Alice Gillis – Ms. Gillis wanted to give a shout-out to Ms. Browning who’s had a very long career with Del-Com.  Ms. Gillis has been at Eaton Elementary a lot and stated Ms. Browning has a huge presence in that building and she does an excellent job.  She hopes the boys’ basketball team is being successful tonight at Marion.  Ms. Gillis stated 17 students participated in Science Fair and they came home with 12 awards which is really hard to do.  She stated several kids got multiple awards and two will be going on to the State Science Fair.  She knows from long-term experience it’s difficult to get Honorable Mention and we had several 1st place winners and that’s an accomplishment in her mind.  Ms. Gillis watched the Brain Game on Saturday and she was glad to see Anna Groover, Nate Osner, Brendan Bow and Jared Hunt who did an excellent job.  She stated they were doing very well until the minute quiz and then Avon kind of killed them on that one, but they did a great job.  She said we need to give those kids credit for going above and beyond and putting themselves out there on TV.  Ms. Gillis saw information about the writers and artists that Ms. Brown talked about in both the high school and middle school.  She stated they came home with some major awards.  Ms. Gillis stated Circle of the State has been good for many years and Ms. Olfier and Ms. Eichorn do a great job with that.  She said it’s really great to see how many students we have who excel in additional activities which says a lot about our community, parents, students, and everyone across the board.  Ms. Gillis is proud of food service and that all went well with the auditor.

John Adams – Mr. Adams thanked Ms. Browning for all of her years of service.  He stated he greatly appreciates it.  He thinks Mr. Kile did an excellent job talking about what 37 years of experience can do for a school corporation.  She has touched a lot of people and he thanked her for that.  He stated buying 480 Chromebooks doesn’t happen overnight and it is a step of moving forward with technology.  He wanted to take a minute and thank all the people that deal with that.  He stated there’s a lot that goes into that and making sure we are capable of handling this kind of thing.  He said it is a big undertaking and he wants to make sure our patrons know there’s a lot that goes into it.  He stated it’s easy for the Board to sit here for a few minutes and buy Chromebooks, but they had the easy part and now the hard part is up to all those involved moving forward with this.  Mr. Adams is glad ISTEP is going smoothly.  He hopes they finish up smoothly as well.  He knows in past years it hasn’t always went well, but he’s glad it’s going well this time around.  Mr. Adams stated they’ve been doing Summer Blast for a few years and he thinks it’s great they’ve been able to maintain the cost of that program and that’s so important.  He commends the Latchkey Program for being able to maintain and do that now for quite some time.  He stated that goes to the leadership of those running that program and being fiscally responsible for what they are doing and providing. Mr. Adams stated we have taken a lot of donations in and we are always accepting donations for our school corporation at the board meetings.  He said it seems like we have a lot of gracious folks around here, whether it be the wrestling club or individuals that donate to a specific class or project, and it would be hard to do a lot of the things we do without their help.  He stated it is greatly appreciated and means a lot. 

Mr. Adams stated the three wrestlers that went to State, he’s sure their year didn’t end the way they wanted, but they represented our school well and he can’t thank them enough.  He stated boys’ basketball is playing tonight and he wishes them well as they move on in their season.

Trent Fox – Mr. Fox thanked everyone for coming and thanked Ms. Browning for her service over the years.  He stated he had some kids go through there and it’s nice to have that kind of stability and mentorship at the school to help not only staff, but the kids.  Mr. Fox thanked the sports teams at the middle school who have been competing lately.  He stated the 6th grade girls’ basketball team got runner-up. He said they were so close, but panicked a little bit down the stretch and let it get away from them.  He stated it was neat to watch them and get to see that.  Mr. Fox congratulated Jackson Boyle and Shelby Gillis for going on to State for the Science Fair.  He stated it is a huge honor to be able to do that and he’s sure they will represent themselves and our school well. 

Adam Williams – Mr. Williams thanked those that serve every day.  He stated that’s what this industry is.  He said we are serving the kids, constituents, and everything we do makes such a huge difference.  He stated it’s a vulnerable point in kids’ lives with growing up and we are an influence and that’s huge and important.  He never wants to lose site of the important work that everybody does.  Mr. Williams wanted to highlight how big a difference retirees make in kids’ lives.  He stated one quiet voice can make a kid change the direction they are going.  He said we truly do appreciate it and it’s an honor to be here and see that. Mr. Williams thanked everyone for all the good work.

 

FUTURE MEETINGS

A.     A regular meeting for the Board of School Trustees is scheduled for Tuesday, March 15, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. at the Administration Building. 

 

X.                 ADJOURNMENT

A motion was made by Tyce Stebbins and seconded by John Adams and Board President, Adam Williams, adjourned the meeting at 7:20 p.m.

 

March 1, 2016

 

ADAM WILLIAMS                                              ___________________________

TRENT FOX                                                        ____________________________

JOHN ADAMS                                                   ____________________________

ALICE GILLIS                                                    ____________________________

TYCE STEBBINS                                                ____________________________