Delaware Community Schools

DELAWARE COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2025
6:30 p.m.

MINUTES

Present:** Valerie Alexander, President; John Adams, Secretary; Dave Grasso, Member; Lance Engle, Member; Darin Gullion, Assistant Superintendent; and Greg Kile, Superintendent

Absent:** Jacob Case, Vice President

1. CALL TO ORDER

At 6:30 p.m. Board President, Valerie Alexander called the meeting to order.

2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE (Recess Meeting)

President Alexander recessed the regular business meeting to hold a Preliminary Determination Hearing.

The President presided over the hearing, welcoming everyone and introducing members of the Board and speakers.

It was explained to the Board that pursuant to Indiana Code 6-1.1-20-3.1, whenever a school corporation proposes to enter into a lease agreement and/or issue bonds for the construction or renovation of a school building or buildings, resulting in total costs in excess of certain thresholds, or if the School Corporation has a debt service fund tax rate over a certain amount, the School Corporation is required to hold two public hearings on its preliminary determination to issue such bonds and enter into such lease agreement. This meeting represents the first of such hearings. Notice of both public hearings was published in the Muncie Star Press on February 5, 2025 and was sent via first-class mail to the Delaware County Clerk and any organizations which requested such notice as provided in Indiana Code 6-1.1-20-3.1. The proof of publication of the notice of the hearings was presented to the meeting.

It was further explained that at this hearing all interested people may give testimony and/or ask questions concerning the renovations and improvements to school facilities, including HVAC, roofing, ceiling, lighting, flooring, athletic, parking, and site improvements, and the purchase of buses, equipment, and technology (collectively, the “Project”). The purpose of the hearing is two-fold: (1) to inform the public as to the proposed Project; and (2) to allow all interested parties, taxpayers, and patrons of the School Corporation to voice their opinions as to the Project and ask any questions.
After the purpose of the hearings was explained, the presentations regarding the need for the Project were given. An evaluation of the existing facility was then presented, as well as a discussion of the details of the proposed Project. The estimated Project cost and schedule were then presented to the public. It was explained how this Project could be funded, and the potential tax rate impact the Project would have on the community.

After the above presentations, the President announced the Board would now hear testimony and questions from the public. No comments were received.

President Alexander closed the hearing and resumed the regular business meeting.

3. AMEND AGENDA

A motion was made by Lance Engle and seconded by Dave Grasso to amend the agenda, as presented. The motion was approved 4-0 vote.

4. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE FLOOR

No comments were received.

5. UPDATES FROM PRINCIPALS / DIRECTORS

CONSENT AGENDA

A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Dave Grasso to approve the following under Consent Agenda:

6. MINUTES

Accepted the minutes of the business meeting held on Monday, February 3, 2025.

7. FINANCE

Accepted the list of vouchers, as presented.

8. NEW BUSINESS

1. Certified Staff

1. None.

2. Classified Staff

1. Resignation of Kyan Speidel, Custodian at Eaton Elementary School, effective February 10, 2025.
2. Recommendation to employ Jennifer Sides as an Instructional Assistant at Eaton Elementary School effective February 19, 2025, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.
3. Recommendation to transfer April Lear from a Food Service Assistant Manager to Manager at Royerton Elementary School effective February 18, 2025.

100. Extra-Curricular

1. Recommendation to employ Nakkia Patrick as an Honor Society Sponsor at Delta Middle School effective for the 2025-26 school year.

500. Conference Requests/Field Trips
     1. Joey Gossett, Lynn Calloway, Cindy Kunda, James Lodl, Sam Carlton, Mary May, and Nancy Kunk request permission to attend Early College Collective to be held on February 19, 2025 at MADE at Plainfield in Plainfield, IN.
     2. Joey Gossett, Lynn Calloway, Cindy Kunda, James Lodl, Mary May, Nancy Kunk, and Sam Carlton request permission to attend the RECN Quad Meeting to be held on February 20, 2025 at Jay County High School in Portland, IN.
     3. Lindsey Thompson requests permission to attend the Indiana UNITE Meeting to be held on April 10, 2025 at Noblesville Schools Community Center in Noblesville, IN.
     4. Lance Brand, Noah Henry, and Lindsey Thompson request permission to attend the Indiana CTO Clinic and TLE Cohort Meeting to be held from May 1, 2025 through May 2, 2025 at Noblesville Embassy Suites in Noblesville, IN.
     5. Haley Cross, Jill Selvey, April Lear, and Felicia Morris request permission to attend the IDOE Meal Pattern and OvS Training to be held on February 27, 2025 at the Noblesville Schools Education Center in Noblesville, IN.
     6. Darin Gullion requests permission to attend TitleCon 2025 to be held from April 15, 2025 through April 17, 2025 at the Embassy Suites in Plainfield, IN.

5. Use of Facilities
   1. Nicholas Pipito, Delta Little League, requests permission to use the Albany and Royerton baseball diamonds from February 2025 through December 2025 to hold baseball leagues and practices, as presented.
   2. Nicholas Pipito, Delta Little League, requests permission to use the Delta High School auxiliary gym on March 1, 2025 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to hold player assessments and drills, as presented.

The motion was approved 4-0 vote.

AGENDA

9. FINANCE

1. Purchases over $5000:

A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Lance Engle to approve the following (items 1-6):

1. Dell FS $8,568.96 (cafeteria devices)
2. Network Solutions OP $12,500.00 (cyber security audit)
3. ClassLink OP $31,217.40 (annual license)
4. People Driven Technology OP $39,711.02 (Cisco Subscriptions)
5. Educational Furniture OP $11,169.88 (Preschool furniture)
6. Lancaster Schert FS $7,315.67 (AES refrigerator)

The motion was approved 4-0 vote.

2. A motion was made by Dave Grasso and seconded by Lance Engle to approve the request to cancel outstanding checks, as presented. The motion was approved 4-0 vote.

100. Dr. Gullion, Assistant Superintendent, gave a Monthly Finance Review.

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10. NEW BUSINESS

1. Certified Staff

1. None.

2. Classified Staff

1. None.

100. Information and Proposals

1. Superintendent

1. A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Lance Engle to approve the unpaid suspension of non-certified personnel, as presented. The motion was approved 4-0 vote. A motion was made by Dave Grasso and seconded by Lance Engle to approve the termination of Connie Shannon, Food Service Cook at Delta Middle School, effective February 14, 2025. The motion was approved 4-0 vote.
2. A motion was made by Lance Engle and seconded by Dave Grasso to approve the DHS Swim Trip, as presented. The motion was approved 4-0 vote.
3. A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Dave Grasso to approve the DHS Wrestling Trips, as presented. The motion was approved 4-0 vote
4. A motion was made by Lance Engle and seconded by Dave Grasso to approve the Baker Tilly Contract, as presented. The motion was approved 4-0 vote.
5. Superintendent Kile informed the Board about the following fundraisers:
   1. Tyler Harris, DHS Special Ed, requests permission to sell specialty sodas every Friday at Delta High School, as presented. Proceeds go towards DHS Special Education classes.
   2. Elana Camp, DHS Choir, requests permission to sell pretzel bites, Otis Spunkmeyer cookies, and butter braids from March 3, 2025 through March 17, 2025, as presented. Proceeds go towards the Choir ECA account.
   3. Caitlyn Grim, DHS Softball, requests permission to hold a SnapRaise Fundraiser from March 11, 2025 through March 28, 2025, as presented. Proceeds go towards Boosters.
   4. Caitlyn Grim, DHS Softball, requests permission to collect sponsorships from March 11, 2025 through March 31, 2025, as presented. Proceeds go towards Boosters.

1. Assistant Superintendent

1. Donations:

1. None.

11. LETTERS/NOTES

12. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS

Lance Engle – Mr. Engle thanked Ms. Wilder for her updates on Eaton Elementary. He commented with IREAD coming up; it is an exciting and tough time, but he thinks our kids are ready and knows our teachers are ready as well. He informed everyone some middle and high school students participated in a solo ensemble for band and choir. He stated several received gold statuses for their performances and congratulated them. He stated it’s not an easy thing to go in by yourself and perform in front of people you’ve never met and several did well. He congratulated the girls’ basketball team on being Regional Champs and stated that was an exciting day. He congratulated Coach Benning and the players for the hard work they have put in and stated they were rewarded with the first Regional Championship in school history. He gave a shout-out to our community for showing up for them. He commented they packed the house, were loud, and it was a great night all around. He congratulated all the wrestlers who participated in semi-state. He congratulated Coach LeCount and the wrestlers for showing up and putting up the big semi-state championship for our school.

Dave Grasso – Dr. Grasso concurred with his fellow board member. He gave a shout-out to the swimmers for going to state finals. He stated there is a lot to be thankful for, a lot of accomplishments throughout our district, and it’s very impressive all around.

John Adams – Mr. Adams concurred with his fellow board members. He commented our AD Mr. Clark is one busy guy. He gave a shout-out to him and stated Mr. Clark is all over the place and is doing it with a big smile on his face because the Eagles are having some great success. Mr. Adams believes a lot of that starts at the top in the athletic department and getting the right people in place, getting kids fired up to play, and be a part of it. He’s proud of the girls’ basketball team and what they’ve accomplished. He hates to miss their game on Saturday, but he will be down at state wrestling finals. He stated he will be watching his phone hoping for a big win. He commented nothing would make him prouder on Saturday night if he gets to hand out the Mental Attitude Award to a Delta Eagle. He thinks there’s a great chance that could happen and that would be awesome. He commented he was also trying to keep caught up with the swimmers over the weekend as that was going on. He stated it is a tremendous effort by all the kids and coaches that things are going well and he wants them all to finish strong. He said it seems like a month or so ago they were talking about IREAD and here it is. He gave a shout-out to the elementary folks and all they go through to get ready for that; he greatly appreciates it. He knows that bar is high, but he’s not worried and believes in our process and what they do to get there. He welcomed all new employees and thanked all who have left. He stated DelCom is a great place to be. He thanked Mr. Stebbins and his crew for getting things ready for our 2-hour delay. He stated there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes a lot of folks don’t know about, but the people do it with a smile on their face and are here to serve kids and that’s what means the most to this Board.

Valerie Alexander– Ms. Alexander congratulated all the sports teams on all their hard work and is looking forward to more good results this weekend. She commented the 2nd and 3rd grade teachers will do great for IREAD.

13. FUTURE MEETINGS

A regular meeting for the Board of School Trustees is scheduled for Monday, March 3, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. at the Administration Building.

14. ADJOURNMENT

A motion was made by Dave Grasso and seconded by Lance Engle and Board President, Valerie Alexander, adjourned the meeting at 7:19 p.m.

February 18, 2025

VALERIE ALEXANDER
JACOB CASE
JOHN ADAMS
DAVE GRASSO
LANCE ENGLE