DELAWARE COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
MONDAY, JULY 13, 2020
6:30 p.m.
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
MINUTES
Present: Adam Williams, President; Trent Fox, Vice President; Lance Engle, Secretary; Jacob Case, Member; John Adams, Member; Darin Gullion, Assistant Superintendent; and Reece Mann, Superintendent
-
CALL TO ORDER
At 6:30 p.m. Board President, Adam Williams, called the meeting to order.
-
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
-
AMEND AGENDA
A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Lance Engle to amend the agenda, as presented. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
MINUTES
A motion was made by Lance Engle and seconded by Jacob Case to accept the minutes of the business meeting and executive session held on Monday, June 15, 2020. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
FINANCE
-
A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Jacob Case to accept the list of vouchers, as presented. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
Purchases over $7500:
A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Lance Engle to approve the following (items 1-8):
-
Intrado OP $8,967.00
(School Messenger Renewal)
-
Zoom CARES Act $9,000.00
(Live Virtual Remedial Instruction)
-
KnowBe4 OP $12,852.00
(Security Awareness Training Subscription)
-
Duncan Supply CARES Act $22,480.00
(Water fountains with bottle fillers/coolers)
-
Hillyard CARES Act $20,553.86
(Emergency supplies)
-
W.R. Dunkin & Son OP/FS $80,000.00
(Cooler/freezer)
-
Educational Furniture Project 2020 $109,446.55
(Fitness Center project)
-
Med Global CARES Act $49,350.00
(face masks)
The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Jacob Case to approve The Community Foundation Grant ($5,000.00), as presented. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
A motion was made by Lance Engle and seconded by Jacob Case to approve the 403(b) Restatement, as presented. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Trent Fox to approve Fuel Bids with Petroleum Traders as our fuel provider for the 2020-21 school year, as presented. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Lance Engle to approve Form 9, as presented. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Jacob Case to approve the recommendation for Third Party Purchasing (HPS), as presented. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
Monthly Finance Review-Dr. Gullion.
-
COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Amy Lewman, Royerton Elementary Principal, informed everyone they started Kindergarten Round up today and had 58 students attend. She stated the parents were fantastic and 95% of them came with masks on and the kids were in and out in about 20 minutes. She thanked the Board for allowing them to get a true sense of where the students are going to be before they come to them this year. She informed everyone the parents were very appreciative they could bring their children in one time before the start of school.
Amy Larrabee, Director of Special Services, introduced Sarah Swift who she will be recommending for the Case Conference Secretary position. She stated she comes from Blackford and had no idea she knew a lot of people in the corporation. She stated Mrs. Swift has two little girls and she’s hoping she will move this way.
Christopher Conley, Delta High School Principal, thanked everyone for their participation and patience at Graduation on Saturday. He thinks they made the best of a bad situation. He stated it’s a pretty emotional time for everyone involved and something they will never do again. He thinks they had all but 40 students attend so about 160 students went through in about 4 ½ hours. He stated while the lag times weren’t as quick as they would have liked, every child was honored. He stated they had staff there to cheer for them and their name was announced like it would have been at Emens. He stated they tried their best to make it a semblance of what they deserved and they didn’t get what they deserved, but they did their best.
-
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
A motion was made by Jacob Case and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the permission to move forward with the Delaware Community School Corporation Re-entry Plan for 2020-21 and the Delaware Community School Corporation Covid-19 Athletic Guidelines with permission for flexibility, as presented. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
NEW BUSINESS
-
Classified Employee Handbook- 1st Reading.
-
Transportation Handbook-1st Reading.
-
Certified Staff
-
A motion was made by Lance Engle and seconded by John Adams to approve the retirement of Julie Whittington, Teacher at Delta Middle School, effective July 28, 2020. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
Classified Staff
-
A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Jacob Case to approve the termination of Jacob Overla, Custodian at Delta High School, effective July 6, 2020. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
A motion was made by Lance Engle and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the following (items 2-5):
-
Resignation of Kortni Garret, Instructional Assistant at Eaton Elementary School, effective immediately.
-
Resignation of Betty Vester, School Bus Driver, effective July 2, 2020.
-
Resignation of Susan Finnegan, School Bus Aide, effective July 13, 2020.
-
Resignation of Sandra Evans, Latchkey Assistant, effective immediately.
The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Lance Engle to approve the recommendation to employ Sarah Swift as a Case Conference Secretary effective July 27, 2020, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
A motion was made by Jacob Case and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the recommendation to employ Kenneth Stevens as a School Bus Aide effective August 4, 2020. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
A motion was made by Lance Engle and seconded by Trent Fox to approve Bus Drivers and Bus Aides, as presented. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
Extra-Curricular
-
A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the resignation of Gary Schliessman, Head Wrestling Coach at Delta High School, effective immediately. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
Conference Requests/Field Trips
-
None.
-
Information and Proposals
-
Superintendent
-
A motion was made by Lance Engle and seconded by Trent Fox to approve NEOLA Policies Volume 32, Number 2- 2nd Reading. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by John Adams to approve the review of the Teacher Appreciation Grant-Policy 3220.01, as presented. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
A motion was made by Jacob Case and seconded by Lance Engle to approve the Director of Curriculum/Assessment and Student Services pay increase, as presented. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the Director of Security pay increase, as presented. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
A motion was made by Lance Engle and seconded by Trent Fox to approve Scott Blakely as the Safe Schools Specialist for the 2020-21 school year, as presented. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Jacob Case to approve the athletic events pay scale, as presented. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Jacob Case to approve the authority to pay claims and hire, as presented. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.
-
Mr. Mann informed the Board about the following fundraisers:
-
Chris Overholt, Delta Football, requests permission to hold a Snap Fundraiser from July 8, 2020 through July 31, 2020, as presented. Proceeds go towards equipment, food, and training.
-
Tarra Foegelle, DHS Girls’ Soccer, requests permission to sell apparel from August 5, 2020 through August 19, 2020, as presented. Proceeds go towards team apparel, outings, food, equipment, banquets, etc.
-
Carlie Gehlhansen Bass, DHS Girls’ Soccer, requests permission to hold a Power Hour Fundraiser/Trip Boomerang to be held from August 12, 2020 through August 19, 2020, as presented. Proceeds go towards apparel, food, equipment, team outings, camps, banquets, etc.
-
Assistant Superintendent
-
Use of Facilities:
-
None.
-
LETTERS/NOTES
-
BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS
John Adams – Mr. Adams stated graduation was a long day, but it was well worth it. He knows everyone did all they could to make it the best event possible. He stated he’s heard from several parents and they were very appreciative that a name was called, they were able to receive their diploma, and go through some sort of ceremony. He commended everyone for their hard work on a job well done. He stated with school nurses and the job they are going to play, we are unique because of how many we have. He stated a lot of schools don’t have that many nurses so we are very fortunate and he thinks all administrators are very appreciative of that. He’s thankful our corporation has invested into those folks and the job they do and what they will continue to do from this point forward with what we are faced with. He stated a lot of other school corporations don’t have the ability to have that many nurses and we’ve been very committed in trying to keep those numbers where they should be. He’s thankful we are still able to do that even though they’ve taken some heat before for having so many nurses, but now it looks like that decision has paid off and will continue to pay off. He thanked Mrs. Whittington for all her years and to the others who are leaving for their time. He stated the reentry plan is a lot of information to take in because there’s a lot there. He stated even with the athletic side of it, he commends everyone involved. He stated some administrators will have to make some tough calls. He knows how important game nights are to budgets and how that helps support other things for our schools. He stated we don’t know how this is going to impact us as a school. He stated we’ve been faced with quite a bit in the last 14-15 years since he’s been on the Board, but he thinks we’ve always come out on the better side of things with the decisions that have been made. He stated there’s no doubt this Board will do all they can to support everyone and the jobs they are doing with all they’ll be faced with. He stated this includes the athletic side, the arts side, making sure we have people in the buildings to take care of kids, special needs, and all those things. He stated there is going to be a lot to this and we really don’t know yet how it is going to affect us, but one thing he does know, DelCom will come out on the right side of it. He thanked everyone for what they do and stated the next time they meet school will just be getting ready to start. He stated a lot of people are putting in a lot of preparation and that’s greatly appreciated.
Trent Fox – Mr. Fox thanked everyone for being here. He stated it’s nice to see everyone and have faces looking at them. He thanked everyone for their efforts so far with the reentry plan because they all know it’s going to change. He stated we just have to be prepared to flow with that and hopefully we do all the right things and can look back on it and know we grew from it. He stated Graduation wasn’t what they planned or what they wanted to do, but there was a lot of good feedback from it. He’s glad parents could be a part of it and were able to take pictures that they may not have been able to get otherwise and he’s thankful for the ability to do that for our kids. He stated he’s glad athletics have been able to start something back up because these kids need it. He stated we can’t keep staying home and not doing anything because we are only going to end up hurting ourselves the longer we keep forcing kids to be isolated. He hates to think of the health risks and everything else that might drum up from all the concerns of one thing compared to all the concerns of the other aspects of mental health and what can happen down the road from some of that as well. He prays we can continue to move forward, get ahold of things, and get better at what we are doing.
Jacob Case – Mr. Case concurred with his fellow board members. He thanked the team who came together to make plans for starting school. He stated this will be a tough issue for some parents and families who will need to do what they feel is best for them in these situations and to not feel pressure to go back or stay home. He stated he believes kids in front of a teacher is better than sitting at home in front of a computer. He thanked The Community Foundation for the Grant. He stated we lost a teacher, Mrs. Bilby over the holiday. He stated she was a great teacher and taught his daughter twice in 2nd and 4th grade. He stated without her, his daughter wouldn’t like to read like she does today and he’s sorry for that loss.
Lance Engle – Mr. Engle concurred with his fellow board members. He stated what they did for Graduation was not the favorite plan, but it was a success. He heard lots of positive feedback from parents at graduation parties who were nothing but gracious and thankful that we got to do something. He stated this has been a tough summer for administration, it’s not been a fun one and there have been a lot of ups and downs. He thanked everyone from the bottom of his heart. He stated as a Board, from everyone’s hard work and dedication with trying to make the best situation as a family and coming together as a group with this plan, he likes it. He thinks it’s going to be good and knows it’s probably going to change, but he appreciates that. He stated the loss of Mrs. Bilby was a tough one. He stated her son works for him and is coming back tomorrow so keep him in your thoughts and prayers. He stated it will be a tough day for him, but they will keep him busy.
Adam Williams – Mr. Williams thanked everyone who showed up. He greatly appreciates everyone working together to develop a plan and understanding it’s a working document because that’s really what we’re dealing with. He knows every decision in that plan is made by a group of people who care for our children at a very deep level and every decision will be based on caring for them first. He stated mistakes happen, we’ll tweak and adjust, but we know the heart is there and we will get the right answer. He stated sometimes it will be a pendulum, we’ll go too far and then have to correct to level out and then correct back. He stated with this group of people who care so much, which he sees in so many different ways, is just another example and he appreciates that care for our kids. He stated they are in good hands and he trusts the guidance the administration is putting together on researching the best method they can to get kids back in school and he appreciates all that effort.
-
FUTURE MEETINGS
-
A regular meeting for the Board of School Trustees is scheduled for Monday, August 3, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. at the Administration Building.
-
ADJOURNMENT
A motion was made by Lance Engle and seconded by Trent Fox and Board President, Adam Williams, adjourned the meeting at 7:55 p.m.
A walkthrough of the DMS/DHS projects was held following the business meeting.
July 13, 2020
ADAM WILLIAMS __________________________
TRENT FOX __________________________
LANCE ENGLE ___________________________
JACOB CASE ___________________________
JOHN ADAMS ___________________________