Heat. Heat. The meeting is now called to order. Roll call. Mr. Brown. >> All board members are present. >> Thank you. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the
United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. >> I'll now read the Caramel Clay Schools mission statement. Carmel Clay Schools
will provide opportunities for all students to realize their potential in an everchanging world. We will now move on to public comment. Per board bylaws, individuals who have residency within the boundaries of the school corporation and or have children
enrolled in the school corporation will be given first priority to address the board. Participants must be recognized by the presiding officer and must preface their comments with an announcement of their name, group affiliation if applicable.
The duration of each participant's comments should not exceed three minutes in length. Speakers may not yield their time to another speaker. The total amount of time designated for public comment is 30 minutes. Boisterous or univil conduct will not be permitted,
nor will defamatory remarks be tolerated. Comments shall be directed towards the board. No person may address or question individual board members. As a general matter, the school board will not act or respond to questions or comments made during public comment, but
will take them under advisement. Any materials for the board shall be presented to the executive secretary prior to the start of the meeting. When your name is called, please go to the microphone and state your name for the record. Please remember that you have three minutes to speak. We will
have a timer at the podium so you can gauge your time. Uh we have four speakers signed up for public comment this evening. Uh, first up to speak will be Jill Ship and on deck will be Drake Sterling.
Ship, go to the podium, please. You'll have three minutes. Uh, there are three lights on the podium. Uh, I believe one will light up when you get to one minute, one at 30 seconds, and one telling you to wrap up. Dr. Herrera, are
we ready? Okay, Mrs. Ship, the floor is yours. >> Thank you. Um it's a privilege to come. I am coming to um address the possibility of the future referendum. Um I have been in the district for almost 30 years. Um I started in the district
as a parent, as a PTO mom. Um I've also had many roles. One as an instructional assistant, as a teacher, and an administrator. So I've seen the district through many different lenses. and I have a deep and strong um passion for
not only this school district but for the community. I believe so deeply in this community and what we're doing with our children that I felt very called to come and speak about this. Um my husband and I have raised four kids in Caramel.
They've started in kindergarten. They're now all now college graduates and we're in the next phase where now we're having grandchildren and they are also going to be going through Caramel Clay Schools and I can tell you firsthand that this is the strongest that this district has ever been. Um,
and that is speaking from watching it through many different lenses over almost 30 years. The district leadership, the board, not for one second do I doubt the commitment to all of you sitting here. I only wish that we were doing some of these things when my
kids were in school. It's unbelievable and I take so much pride in this community. Um, we have introduced and created some amazing things over the last couple of years um maybe over the last six years because of a referendum
and I don't want those things to change. We rolled out skills for success a few years ago and it was a complete gamecher. We are setting our kids up for the greatest success we could possibly set them up for. And I'm worried that if this referendum isn't added um that
we're going to lose some of those things. Raising children in a community is so much more than reading and writing and arithmetic. It is caring about each other. Our partnership with the Carmel Police Department is un unbelievably life-changing for some of our kids and
our staff. Our teachers are the most skilled teachers that I've seen in 30 years. And that is directly from our curriculum department and what we're teaching them and supporting them in. And I want this to continue for my grandchildren. I believe in it 100%. Um,
we have the best people in the world working in this district. And so I ask that you please consider that and putting that on the ballot. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Ship.
Next up is Drake Sterling and on deck is Randy Wook. >> Good evening board. Drake Sterling, uh, chief of police for Carmel Police Department, also a Caramel parent. I have two kids in the school system. Uh, I wanted to get up in front of you today and share a few thoughts. Also on the
referendum, uh, at the top of the priority list for CCS is to provide a safe environment where students can learn and thrive. I'm proud to say that Dr. and his administration, including Mr. Dave Woodward, do just that. But they aren't alone. The Carmel Police Department SRO program, which is funded
almost entirely through the referendum, is uh one of the most mature and respected programs in the entire country. Our SRO's provide a dedicated safety presence on each CCS campus. But SRO's do much more than respond to incidents. Their presence and their
leadership help prevent problems before they occur. Through daily interaction with students, SRO's can identify concerns early, including bullying, threats, mental health crisis, and potential acts of violence. When I arrived at Carmel, I quickly learned that CCS boasts a powerful adage of a
culture of safety, and the SRO program helps accomplish just that. Students get to know officers as mentors, educators, and trusted adults, not just as law enforcement. Positive uh interactions help build trust between young people and public safety. And so I'm incred
incredibly proud of the Carmel SRO program which was awarded the model agency of the year award in 2023 by the National Association of School Resource Officers. This award required uh years of work to ingrain SRO's into the daily operations of CCS. Our SRO's work
closely with administrators to review safety plans, conduct drills, and improve preparedness. They work handinand with social workers to help deliver fair opportunities for every CCS student. And most importantly, they develop lifelong bonds with students who eventually become adults and pass on
that respect to their children. And so for all the reasons above, I urge the citizens of Carmel to support the CCS referendum. Uh the power of this program helps promise the well-being of our most important asset, our children. Thank you. >> Thank you, Chief Sterling.
Next up will be Randy Wook and on deck Park McMillan. My name is Randy Wook and I'm a 30-year Carmel resident. For the record, I have never voted against a referendum. The 2026 budget projects combined revenue of
$41 million from the operating and safety referendum. The annual cap in the referend referendum proposal is 62 million. That 53% increase is arrived at by assuming flat enrollment along with an implied annual expense growth of
about 5.3%. I believe the flat enrollment and assumption o overstates projected expenses and therefore overstates future property tax needs. In the education fund, enrollment directly drives expenses. It's not
perfectly aligned at any point because among other things, enrollment changes are spread over multiple schools. But over time, expenses should align with enrollment. CCS enrollment peaked in 20120 and has declined by 750 students
over the past six years. Nearly 500 of those students were lost at the elementary level. For perspective, that's about the size of Forestdale Elementary. However, the trend is more concerning because enrollment was boosted by a
one-time increase of nearly 400 students in 2023 and 2024. Removing that anomaly shows a trend of 200 fewer students per year over the last six years. Despite these actual enrollment
declines, CCS administration and the board are projecting flat enrollment for the next eight years based on a new demographic study. That study projected uh no enrollment change last year when in fact enrollment declined by 200
students. A whopping miss right out of the gate. Nonetheless, the administration and board are plowing ahead with a level enrollment assumption. Could it could it ultimately prove correct? Absolutely. But I ask, what has changed in the factors that have been driving the enrollment
declines? Imore expect that removal of the income cap on vouchers could increase enrollment pressures. If enrollment continues to decline, the level enrollment scenario bakes unnecessary expenses into the projection. Those superolous expenses
then require higher tax rates and a higher cap than actually needed. Sensitivity analysis should be performed using multiple enrollment scenarios with corresponding expense adjustments. I'm not suggesting tens of millions in savings after acknowledging the
simultaneous loss of the state per pupil grant in a declining enrollment environment, but there's enough potential savings to justify lower tax rates and cap. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Rook.
Our final public comment this evening, Park McMillan. All right. Good evening. My name is Park McMillan. I'm a graduate of Carmel High School, class of 2012. And I'm now in my fifth year on the other side of the desk as a social studies teacher and as the
head debate coach at the high school. I care deeply about this community because I was shaped by it directly. I want to speak to a specific and unique group, those who may not have children in Carmel Clay schools and are wondering whether this referendum is worth
supporting. My answer is that wellunded schools benefit the whole community, not just the families inside our buildings for three key reasons. First is property values. This is not an abstract in Carmel. As we've heard, Carmel Clay
Schools has repeatedly passed referenda that affect property taxes. And the current referendum uh alone, not including the operating and safety one, but just the or excuse me, not the safety one, just the operating generates about 24 to 25 million a year for the district. Local officials have said that
weakening the schools will hurt property values. And that fits with the broader research showing that strong school quality is tied directly to home values. with one study from the Forom Institute finding that a one standard deviation increase in school performance can raise
home values by about 4%. In other words, when Carmel Clay schools are strong, that strength is reflected in the value of every home in this community. Second, economic development. Businesses do not choose locations in a
vacuum. They look at schools, workforce readiness, and where their employees actually want to live. Carmel City Council unanimously supported the referendum in 2023 and has already said that our schools are a major asset for attracting businesses and families.
Strong schools are not just an education issue. They are part of what keeps Carmel economically competitive. And third, this is about the future of our community. The students in our schools today are the people who will become
your neighbors, your doctors, civil servants, and local leaders. Better schools help build a stronger workforce and a stronger community over time. Students who receive a quality education in Carmel are significantly more likely
to return here to establish their careers and families and help to build a stronger community long term. That is why funding our schools is not charity. It's not excess. It's not wasteful spending. It's an investment in Carmel's
future. I'm proud to have been educated here and I'm proud to now be one of the people responsible for carrying on this district's tradition of excellence each and every day. And I ask the board to vote in favor of placing the referendum on the ballot. I ask our community to
support this referendum and I thank you for the opportunity to shape this next generation. Thank you. Thank you everyone for your comments this evening. Next on our agenda this evening is consent. Tonight, the consent items
include the personnel report, claims, payroll, approval of gift applications, obsolete equipment, change order for Carmel High School football stadium, change order for Carmel High School Polytech edition, the change order for
Cherry Tree renovation, and the change order for Carmel High School Natitorium renovation and addition. As a reminder, consent in the meeting agenda refers to designated section where routine items are grouped together for efficient consideration and approval in a single motion. Consent typically includes items
that the board must legally address but but which should not take up considerable time. By incorporating into uh into consent agenda, the meeting can streamline the approval process, allowing more time dedicated to critical critical topics and meaningful deliberation. Do I have a motion to
approve all items on the consent agenda? Mr. President, I move to approve items 3.2 through 3.10 on the consent agenda as a group. >> Thank you, Miss Wheeler. Do I have a second? >> Second.
>> Thank you, Mrs. Coke. Any discussion? Mr. Mcichael. >> Thank you. I do have some comments on two of the items. The first being the obsolete equipment. Uh the board received information that naturally was confusing uh out of a mistakenly uh was
submitted but um you saw one uh proposal I believe from the same vendor to uh purchase this equipment that was in the range of $80,000 that you should not have received that um that was an early estimate before there was further you
know I'll say negotiation or discussion it included a number of caveats which is not unusual But we asked ultimately for a proposal that was a kind of a guaranteed price and that is the correct one which was approximately $64,000. So
I wanted to clarify that as to to why you received that and basically it was a mistake. Um secondly, there's a large change order in relative to the stadium project of $357,000. That's significant enough. I want to
make a few comments. first u that includes a $189 portion of that change order uh which is additional work that we're actually funding from the 2026 uh uh funding for that project. So, it's
been, as you know, it's a multi-year project and the we're near the end of it for actually and and um uh which includes primarily paving, but it also includes it will you know the funding includes this work actually um that is
for some additional uh finish work basically primarily on the stadiums or on the visitor side. um so that it would be more consistent with the uh the look of the home site, just cosmetic types of things. And also uh there's a concrete
walk that that we in need to install that um goes from the visitor side to the south what we call the south support building. So that that's included as a change order because the being it's an existing project contractors are already on site and so it was less money for the
school district to add this as to the existing contractors rather than to re typically if it was a separate thing we would just solicit quotes but then contractors have to mobilize and so forth and there's cost associated with bringing you know a contractor to the
site whereas these contractors are already there. So, so that's why we elected to treat this as a change order because basically it cost less money. The second larger chunk was uh about $72,000 for temporary work that was necessary
this past season while the uh the project was under construction. As you you may recall, um there was no press box and so we had to make arrangements to for the events to have a platform for basically was temporary replacement for the press box. things such as that. And
then about 82,000 was unforeseen circumstances in the press box itself as well as some site work. Um, and then some some unforeseen conditions on the grand stands as we were refinishing those. So So that's essentially that
what what consists of that that change order, but more than half of it was was what I first described as as a change order in lie of separate quotes. And so those are the two comments I wanted to make. >> Thank you for the explanation, Mr. Mcichael. Any questions or further
discussion, Mr. Brown? >> Yeah, just a a clarification point. This is within budget. This is a normal item that it would be within the contingency planning of the budget. >> Yes, we never particularly like add change orders, but but we do allow and
have contingency that covers these types of things. until we have sufficient funds. >> Any further discussion? Okay, vote. All in favor of approving the items 3.2 through 3.10 and consent agenda, please signify by saying I.
>> I. >> I. >> Any opposed? No. Motion carries. 5. >> Okay. Next on the agenda is our uh action item, the adoption of the renewal of referendum tax levy resolution. Dr. O strike.
>> Good evening, President Shapiro and members of the board. Carmel Clay Schools has conducted an extensive public review and analysis of the district's long-term financial outlook and referendum needs. The board has held four separate public meetings on the
topic, including special sessions, regular meeting discussions, and a workshop session. Throughout these meetings, the board has received presentations based upon uh district financial analysis and information developed in partnership with policy
analytics, a firm specializing in Indiana school finance and referendum analysis. The district's analysis has identified significant financial challenges resulting from recent legislative changes, including reductions in property tax revenue and
changes impacting future referendum dollars. These changes create a structural financial challenge for Carmel Clay Schools and require long-term planning in order to sustain educational and operational stability.
Carmel Clay Schools, as you all know, has two voter-approved referendums. An operating referendum approved in 20 approved in 2023, and a safety referendum originally approved in 2019. The operating referendum supports the
district's ability to retain teachers and staff, fund academic and support programs, and meet the educational needs of all students. The safety referendum supports safety, health, and well-being, and as you heard this evening, including
school resource officers uh from the Carmel Police Department, safety personnel, and related services and supports. In response to reductions in property tax revenue and in order to provide financial stability to the district, the administration is
recommending the board consider the adoption of a renewal of referendum tax rev uh levy resolution. This resolution would authorize placing an operating referendum question on the November 2026 ballot that would repeal and replace the
district's existing referendums with one operating referendum. If approved by the board, the resolution would allow Carmel Clay Schools voters to determine whether to approve an operating referendum for no more than eight years with a maximum
property tax rate not to exceed. 4274 cents and a maximum levy amount not to exceed 61,981,519. At this time, I'd like to invite Mr. Eric Long, one of our professional partners with ICE Miller to share the
proposed timetable to place a referendum on the November 2026 ballot. Thank you. And I'm going to turn it over to Mr. Long. >> Thank you, Dr. Ori. And good evening to the members of the board administration. Um I am Eric Long with Ice Miller. It's a pleasure to be here this evening to speak with you about the timing and
mechanics on getting an operating referendum ballot question um on a ballot measure. So, working backwards from an election date of November 3rd, um all of the school corporation's legal work is required to be wrapped up by effectively noon on August 1st, which for our practical purposes in this
calendar year is Friday, July 31st. Um at that point, everything moves to the county election board process, which would include proofing ballots, etc. Um so, the first major step in that process is the board's consideration of an operating referendum resolution. Only
upon a majority vote of that um do the additional steps take place which is to confirm with the Hamilton County auditor certain information that's going to go in the ballot question um which have had we've had previous discussions with the county auditor on that measure. Additionally having the overall ballot
language approved by the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance. Um most of the ballot language is actually prescribed by statute. Um however the uh Indiana DLGF does take one pass additional pass at the proposed language by the board that's in the
resolution for proposal this evening um and has a chance to comment back and um allow for some time for back and forth on that. So timing wise, that's the last major step is to with the signed and certified board resolution and with the county auditor's input,
package that information to the Indiana DLGF have their approval and then pass all of that collective information back to the Hamilton County Election Board for their process to actually go on a ballot. I'm happy to entertain any questions you might have about ballot
question, about the process, etc. Thank you, Dr. Orig. Thank you, Mr. Long. Uh, do I have a motion to approve the adoption of the renewal of referendum tax levy resolution? >> I move that we adopt the renewal of the referendum tax levy resolution.
>> Thank you, Mrs. K. Do I have a second? >> I'll second. >> Thank you, Miss Wheeler. Discussion. I mean, someone has to someone has to start. >> Um, I will try to keep it short because I know we've had this conversation during
previous public meetings. Um, and I will say that we have spent a lot of time listening to the community both internal at CES and also our our partners in their neighborhoods that might not as actively be involved in CCS at the moment. And I think what I want everyone
to know is I echo the feelings of the love for our school districts regardless and wanting to see the path forward being the same that the Greyhounds today get that the Greyhounds 10 years from now get as well and remind everyone that we are voting tonight to put a
referendum on a ballot and what levy amount that would be. That does not mean we are voting yes or no on it. We are giving our voters a choice. Um, that's the best version of local control you can possibly have in government. And our
voters have continually voted yes. They voted yes just three years ago and this would repeal that and replace it. Um, as well as essentially renewing the safety referendum. And I I'd also reiterate what we've said in previous meetings. This board has
already worked to reduce that total max levy. You might have seen at one point that it was proposed at a $72 million level. and this board wasn't comfortable putting that extra cushion in there knowing the budgetary crisis that a lot
of our neighbors are having. So, there's already been a $10 million reduction in the max levy that we are currently considering this evening to go onto the ballot. Um reiterating that that is a max levy and what I can promise to you as a board member who now will be able
to serve four more terms, so four more years, so that's great. um is that I promise to work diligently with administration to look at ways forward to better have visibility within the budget. Mr. Brown and I have already had a meeting with Roger to start those
conversations as to how we can bring more transparent, digestible financial information to these board meetings so that if you don't normally read a P&L, you can still understand what the finances are in our district and explore how when we do make decisions on
personnel and buildings, what the financial impact is that to that. previously we might not have always asked those questions and that is a promise that I give to the community. Uh moving forward is that I will be asking those questions as we make new decisions in the future. Um and I know in the last
meeting the administration had an amazing slide that was also shared recently in a community member email regarding we are already working very efficiently with our dollars when we look at comparative districts within our county and the state average. Um CCS
right now currently spends 12% less per students than HSSE and then when you look at our ratings that is not bringing us back. We are still very much at the top of this country's list in performance. So, we have tightened our
belt for sure and I make a promise as a board member that if the community continues to vote yes for our referendum, um that I will be working diligently with other board members and administration to make sure we are only taxing at a rate that is absolutely
necessary moving forward. Understanding our expenses also go up. We've talked about a 40% increase in our special education community. It costs a lot to be able to give our kids what they need, especially when they need a little bit more. Our insurance costs have gone up. I don't know about you
guys, but I just got my new homeowners insurance bill and it is a lot higher than it was previously. So, that is what I would say is that I am leaning towards supporting the current ballot question as it is, knowing that we have the chance every year to set that rate and
ensure that it doesn't go to a max levy amount if needed. But I would like to just say to administration that I would like for us to progress forward with our conversations about how we dig more into the budget and bring it more transparently to these meetings.
>> Thank you, Mrs. Cashion. Miss Wheeler. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Um, I'll try not to be redundant. Uh, Mrs. Cashion addressed many of the comments that I was also going to make. Um,
I want to note that I too went back and forth with what is the best set of numbers for this. Um, and I'm confident that what our administration has put forward um is a very good yet still conservative number. The reason that I
believe that is that a lower qu number quite frankly is the cutting of human beings. It is cutting jobs for people that work for us, our teachers and staff. And it is most importantly, as Mr. Mcichael frequently says, it is cutting services
to children. It is affecting their classrooms directly. It is affecting their ability to grow and to learn and to thrive. And that simply is not an option for me. That isn't a dollar saved
without any impact. We are not making widgets. We are not serving coffee. We are educating children. And it does take money. And I know there was a comment earlier about, you know, whether our data on our future uh enrollment was
correct or not. I believe that the error rate was like plus or minus 1%. I think for data nerds like me, you don't usually get a plus or minus 1% accuracy. But I'll note that even with the loss of some students, and I recognize that that
has happened, the cost to the remaining 99% of students that have remained in our district over the years, those costs have gone up. Those are real costs, just like the costs you've seen in your homes. And as Mrs. Cashion noted, we
have tightened our belt. We are educating children at the lowest per pupil cost of our surrounding communities and not by a little bit by thousands and thousands of dollars a
year. I I think that is important to note. I also think it's important to emphasize that we are putting this to voters and I agree. There's no better home rule. There's no better democracy than letting our community vote on what
kind of funding and what kind of schools we want to have. Frankly, I think the achievements that we've made, particularly this year, as Dr. Orike note, not noted, uh it's been a truly amazing year on all fronts, academics, sports, performing arts, so many of the
things that are so important to our community. and and we've done that I I think very fiscally responsibly. Um and so for this reason um as I've stated for all of these reasons um I'm in support
of of where we stand and I absolutely share Mrs. Cash's commitment as I know many of us do. We we do the best we can with the data that we have at the time that we have it. Um, I I don't have any intention of voting for more than what
we need, but I also will not ever apologize for voting for what I think our children need. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Wheeler. Mr. Brown, >> thank you. Um
it's an interesting situation that we're in with with SEA1 bringing this uh referendum question back up. Uh having a referendum is not new. We've we had to bring a referendum in in 2010 to
offset significant depline declines of what the state could provide. and they're expecting communities like Carmel uh to be able to provide that extra funding. And I don't I don't at all think that we uh based on even numbers that you were just describing
that there's a lot of waste to be found. We're going to be able to go quickly find waste. Um but I do want to say that that our schools are well funded and I I I use that talk about Indiana in general. Um,
when I look at our state taxes, 47% goes to schools. Uh, 42% of a typical residential property owner in Carmel goes to Caramel Clay Schools. So, there's a lot of funding and and I think it's the obligation of the board,
provide oversight of the administration to make sure that we spend uh monies um efficiently and effectively. And we've had conversations over the last year about how we might do that. And uh and I would say being on the board, this is my
fourth year looking going through the budget cycle three times so far is we tend to stay at a very high level pretty much look at the five funding sources and then our budgets pretty much match those funding sources. We don't talk
about any any details below that. And uh as uh Miss Cashion mentioned, we had an initial meeting with uh Mr. Mcichael and Amanda as a his assistant to talk about some of the details. And um I think we
owe as an obligation that you know the voters spoke and elected legislators and a governor to provide amongst other things property tax relief. We've seen uh tremendous growth in our taxes,
property taxes in the last uh five odd years. And even this uh this current year of 2026, it it followed that same course where we started to see some tax relief. Uh but a lot of people are still seeing tax increases and this is on top
of a base that's already been big. So I think we owe us an obligation that you know voters are speaking that they need tax relief and if we're going to go uh continue on a line that stay the course
uh where we do have declining enrollment uh of some amount. Uh we don't know where it's going to go but there's there's pressures other than demographics which our reports have been focused on and demographics aren't the only thing that are causing that. Um there's there's options. Uh the voters
have asked for parent choice with um school options and and uh quite a number of parents are choosing to not use public schools. And I think that's that's fair uh to do that. And whether we agree or not, it's it's a fact that
we have less funding because of support for vouchers. Um we have less funding because of uh lower employ enrollment. We don't know where that's going to go. Uh, one report says it's going to be flat, but that report was off. Uh, has been off. The last two reports have been
off on that. So, um, I I think the board and the administration owe it to our community that we provide good fiscal oversight. Um, um,
with all that said, reflecting on where are we at now? Well, we've got uh referendums in place and as Dr. Ostrich mentioned, we're looking at coming up with uh repealing those and
replacing them with one referendum. And the challenge we have is that the the progression of decrease in the net asset value of properties in Caramel over the next eight years is such that uh we will
see dramatic pressure on reducing funding. Um and for all the reasons that that you both mentioned is you know Farmville is a great schools district. I I've seen personally improvements that I was looking for in the last few years
and I think that we can continue on that. Um but it's not to say that we we shouldn't do something and but what we're really talking about is a cap a cap on spending and the voters are going to be given a number that we we've put
together working with the administration of where that cap is and the cap's not on total funding. It's just on um about 17% of our total budget when you look at the operating referendum and the safety referendum together. It's actually it's about 16% of our our total spending
budget. So, we're talking about putting a cap on that. Um my preference, as I voted in in prior board meetings on this subject, is that we uh the administration proposed three lines. one is pretty much a stay the course of
spending uh budgeting line and one is some slight reductions and the other is some dramatic reductions. So we've had time to look at that. Uh there was a proposal to take that the administration wants the the upper line. Um and that's
what's on the ballot question that we've we've been looking at here the last few meetings. Uh, as Miss Cashian pointed out, there was a uh a bit of a surprise that that was going to be increased from 62 million from the presentations we had
to 72 million. And I I credit this board with with looking at that saying we're not going to do that. Uh so we have already challenged what the administration submitted that at the peak year which would be somewhere out
six seven eight years that we would be putting a cap on that $10 million less than the administration proposed. So I think that's a proper move. Um things could change. Enrollment could go up. If enrollment goes up, we've got a state
basa grant will will go up with it. property taxes can continue the the track it's been on the last five six years or it could go down and our proposals we've been presented is assuming it goes down and we don't know
if that's going to happen. So there's lots of unknowns. So my desire as I expressed in previous meetings was to not uh pick a levy and a rate that was at the highest level but to bring it down to the second level
which would uh require us that if we needed to spend at the cap that we would have some kind of a a lesser cap which would be about a percent less than a percent of our total budget. I don't think it's a lot to ask for. Um I've
looked at began looking at the operations budget. Um I would certainly if we had to reduce cost would that last place I would look would be on the educational side of our program. Uh I don't see any reason to and I see every reason to support our teachers. I think
our teachers should be getting uh salary increases commensurate with uh at least inflation and we've had pressure the last few years and I don't it's not looking good going forward. Um and I think we need to look at how we fund all that. you know, we've we've we've
swelled our spending to get us in a position where if we don't have additional monies available from the state that it it impacts our ability to provide uh salary adjustments and I don't think that's right. Uh so I think
we need to look at our whole budgeting approach. Uh I don't think we need to have layoffs certainly. Um we see natural attrition uh every May. We just saw it. It's very seasonal event with schools. We see it with Carmel. It's natural that after a school year that a
lot of people decide to move on and uh it's an opportunity to say, well, maybe some of those positions we we don't fill. Um but um my desire and I'd like to see us amend
the uh the ballot question to put us on that second line which would be um scope we have it at 40 42 4274 cents. I I like to see us amend it. I would like
to have a motion to amend it down to 3820 3820 and the max levy uh to bring that down to from 62 million down to 59.3 and that we also have a uh referendum
levy collection in the ballot for 2027 which I thought was quite interesting that that be brought in there to say for our first year out of the fact in our next months when we start talking about budgets that we will plan to cap it. The question says 47.1 million. I say we go
with a second proposal, which is 45.1 million. So, I'd like to make a motion that we we adjust those points. I I fully support having uh the referendum. I fully support having a referendum that addresses the progressive decline that
we anticipate to have in the operating and safety referendums. uh it's it's uh it's not a sustainable plan, but I think there is opportunities for belt tightening. I've done some look at the operations and maybe not. I'd like to see us have a budget committee or some
kind of a process to do that. Um and I think we started that and maybe we can have a little more discussion on that. But I'd like to make a motion that we make those three changes to the existing ballot question. >> Right. All right. I just want to clarify because you made a motion then you said
some other things. So I just want to clarify. You are making a motion to amend the ballot question. >> Can you repeat the specifics? Yeah. Of what you'd like it to be? uh replace a referendum rate that now is in the
ballot question at 04274 to make it 3820 to change the max tax levy rate from 62 million to 59.3 and to change the estimated 2027
referendum levy collection from 47.1 to 45.1 million. Okay. Is there a second? Point of order. Uh, could our parliamentarians speak to how this works when there's already a
pending motion? Yes. Thank you, Mrs. Novas. It was a lot faster than me flipping through my Robert's rules. >> Okay. So, I'll just repeat. Mr. Brown has made a motion to amend the ballot question.
Is there a second? Not hearing one. Your motion to amend has failed. We can continue the discussion. Mr. Brown, may I move on? >> Okay, Mrs. Sko, >> I'll be brief. Um, since we've had I think a lot of the things I wanted to
say have already been said. Um, and I do think um, as Mr. Brown stated, a lot of this goes back to 2010 2011 when the first cuts were made to our schools. Um, and as was noted, we successfully passed a referendum then because our uh the residents knew that that's what we
needed to keep Carmel schools great. Um, and we have continued to pass referendums. Um, I my personal opinion on, you know, this is the legislator the legislators that were elected were indeed elected with
the intent of, you know, by by most voters of wanting to reduce property taxes. I will agree with that and I think most people would agree with that. But what they did and what they said was we want to bring this to the local level. And I actually really love that because I think I think local control is where things really should be. And so
what they were saying is we want to reduce what the state says you has to do, you have to do. So the local entities then can bring it to voters. So we as voters instead of legislators saying what we have to do, we as voters can can vote on on what we want it to
be. Um and I think that's our actual obligation as the board is is we are not making this decision. We are putting it on a ballot for the voters of this district, the voters of Carmel to make the decision. Um I I think I want to reiterate the last thing that I wanted
to say is it is really dangerous for us if um and we already know this if this does not pass and if this is not on the ballot um our safety referendum that we currently have that gives us our amazing SRO's and I know from the um some of the
feedback we've had from the community and our students and our teachers is that safety is still one of the number one topics. So that referendum would be done after 2027 and due to the restrictions that the legislature put on, we cannot run a referendum next year
in 2027. It has to be on general election years. So we would then have a year of no funding for any safety thing. I just think that's a it's a really dangerous slope for us to go on and I think we um this is the year that we have to get this done for our community and for our students.
>> Thank you, Mrs. Sk. um the risk of also repeating a couple of things, but I also um take a little bit of liberty because I wasn't at the last meeting. So, and I apologize for that. And I also want to respond to a
couple of things that that were said. Um one thing I think is important part of the the rationale I believe for combining these taking the opportunity to combine the referendums is to reduce referendum fatigue. Let's also be
mindful of that because what we were in a cycle of doing is every four years asking the community to vote on some type of referendum. Operating safety, operating safety. Uh and by potentially having this repeal and replace, we're
not only putting them together, but then we're not asking the voters to consider another referendum for eight years. Um, as others have said, I understand the predicament that we are all in. We all live in Carmel. We are all
experiencing similar things. Um, you know, Mr. Brown and I over the last several days have had a number of conversations um around this topic as as a number of us have had. And I I do think there's a lot of important
conversation to have around budget. Um, and as Mr. Brown has pointed out this referendum, these referenda represent a piece of the budget. And so I I think it's important to be mindful of that and
also separate those two items so we can discuss how we ensure we are supporting the operations and safety of our school district and ensure that we are being good stewards of the community's tax dollars throughout the budgetary
process. And I have made a commitment verbally uh and in email and I will say it here tonight that tonight happens and I am all about making sure we start this conversation because we need to start digging into the next budget cycle. What
is that going to look like? Because it needs to look different than it has before for any number of reasons. Not only is the climate different, but we have an obligation because we've all sat here and said it for the last couple of months as we've had these discussions that we have a commitment to our
community that we have to look at every opportunity to ensure that we are managing expenses in a different way than we have before. But the bottom line is we sat in a meeting, I don't know which of the four public meetings it was, where examples were shared with us
as to what it could look like if we were put in a position where we had to cut a million dollars. That was the example. I can't imagine if we had to do that times three or times four or times five. And that's what's been troublesome to
me. And so I understand the financial constraint uh and predicament that we sit in when it comes to looking at a higher rate.
But all we're doing right now is saying, are we prepared to ask the voters of our community to let them make this decision? And have others have said, this is the best example of local control that exists. um let's allow the voters to make that decision
because they have since 2010 they have said this is important to us. It's the reason I moved to this community. It's the reason many people have and that's that's part of the reason the investment is made. It's the reason Carmel is the place that it is. So I believe we need
to do it. And just because we do it doesn't mean we need to take it. But what I'm not comfortable doing because we don't know what the future looks like for this current board, for the next board, or the board six or eight years from now. I'm not
comfortable hamstringing anybody with a lower levy because we don't know what the future's going to bring. Maybe we'll be fortunate and the legislature is going to make a different decision. Maybe we'll be fortunate and the dem the demographer will be wrong
and the numbers will go up. Maybe we'll be fortunate and everything that policy analytics said will be true and our property taxes everywhere will go down and the levy won't matter because we're all going to our property taxes will go down and the schools will have what they need. We don't completely know. But we
need to have the ability to make the right choice to ensure that our teachers get the compensation that they need, our kids are safe and our SRO are in the buildings, our mental health support is there. Things that we have today are there tomorrow.
Quickly, I would just add two other things. I tried to do a little bit of looking at some of our neighbors and where their rates are. We have a neighbor that's setting a max rate at 57 cents. Just putting that out there. Um
there was also a comment made about our states doing a good job funding public schools or funding schools. The counterpoint I would make is when 90% of students in the state of Indiana attend public schools, maybe 90% of the
funding should go to public schools. And that's not the way it is today. So, um, that was just my little bit of commentary that I felt like I needed to add. >> Are there any other Yes, Mrs. Cashion. >> Um, to add additional commentary, I I am
with Mr. Brown when we talk a lot about having that keener eye on the budgets. However, when we do look holistically at our budgets and we talk about reducing other areas but wanting to secure our teachers in even minimal raises, right?
It's been said over and over again that a 1% raise is going to equal a million dollars. So, even taking down this max levy by a couple million dollars removes the conversation in the future for teacher raises. And when we have a
massive teacher shortage in this state, um, and quite honestly the best teachers in the country, I'm not comfortable lowering that ceiling as John said in regards to handcuffing us in the future.
Now, I do think we need as a board to explore other opportunities. Maybe it is debt service and maybe we have to look at that in the future because it is a component of the taxes that we do. So if we had to go up one, maybe we can go down another. But to the conversation
earlier, this is solely about the referendum. And based on the research that we did during this process, I do not think there is a sizable difference in voter sentiment sentiment regarding a $3 million difference in a max levy over
the course of eight years. And that's really where this comes down to is how do we put this in front of the community at a level that the board and administration feels keeps us on the right trajectory but in a conservative manner that the voters would support. Um
so I just wanted to put that out there. Additionally, the one comment about our voters voting for leadership that essentially campaigned on lowering our taxes regardless of which end of the political spectrum any of us sit on. Carmel
actually voted for the candidate that campaigned on public education, not the one who campaigned on lowering our taxes. Um, so I just think again that shows where the community is supporting
our public education and our funding. Um, so I just wanted to share that as well. >> Thank you, Mrs. Cash. Anything new or different to add? >> Yeah, I'd like to add a couple points, too.
Um, talking about candidates, um, I followed the candidates of the last election and there was talk about doing zerobased budgeting and that was a serious thing that that person campaigned on and I'm not seeing support for that from that person at this point. So, a lot of things are said when people
are running and um, just thought I'd add that in there. As far as costs go, we I know a million dollars gets us percent raise. Um, just want to point out our operations cost, our administrative cost, buses and those
kind of things is is $56 million. So that that's something I think we really need to take a look at if there's some opportunities there. Maybe not to reduce, but to to do something to hold hold costs. It's just something that I'm hearing a commitment. We'll we'll get
involved in that. Um, and I want to remind that we're talking about the voters are being asked to vote on this. That's a great thing. I love local control, but we're just talking about a cap. Um, the real decisions are
what does the board what does the administration present for a budget every year and what does the board uh vote on. So, that's where the real final control is uh is at the board level. So, uh we need to hold ourselves accountable for that.
And then lastly, as far as uh the referendum passing, you know, I'm in personally in a situation where u I voted for past referendums and and I fully believe that we need to put something to the voters and the voters
should support it and trust the board to be fiscally responsible those over the next eight years as we set the individual annual rates. Um, my concern is, you know, I I made a motion to reduce the rate by what I
thought was a nominal amount, less point8% of the total budget, and I think we could find that. And u, if we can't find it, then we can't find it. Uh, I'd like to see it. I'm a I'm a detailed numbers person, and I'm encouraged that
we're going to do that. Um, I'm concerned that if if I don't support this referendum, if I vote no, in other words, what message do I send to the public, to the other voters? A lot of I would say
most people don't do studies of the budget like like some do and they're they can be very easily confused and misled. Uh I don't want to have an action that I do cause
uh a disaster u in our funding for the schools and and it's a shame that that there's not a way for the public to vote for this rate or that rate. Um it's just not that way. If this does not pass, as
Mrs. K pointed out uh we lose over $8 million of which 40% of that or so funds the SRO's. So that would be a huge impact. Uh our operating referendum rate would stay at 19 cents. Correct me if I'm not saying this right. Stay at 19
cents and that is uh considerably less than than what we would need to stay the course with where SA1 has put us. So I fully support uh uh operating referendum
to counter the the severe reductions uh caused by SEA1. Um and I am very mindful that I do not want to send a message to the public that uh they need to vote against this.
Um they should vote for whatever it is we're going to put out, which that's pretty clear what we're going to put out. I will vote yes on it. Um but um I will hold the board accountable and the administration that we're fiscally
responsible and yes if we're spending less per student than other districts and uh we've got a good record of uh administrative to overhead costs. That doesn't mean that there isn't room for
uh some some adjustments. So just want to make that those statements for for the vote. >> I appreciate that, Mr. Brown. I um last thing I would say before I call the
question is I I would hope that what you've seen from your colleagues on the board in the last year, several months certainly, is that we've we've done some things a little bit differently. uh and that we will continue to ask questions uh and push
and challenge uh administration u and it will be different because we want to ask those questions because that's our job uh you know not that we don't trust but our our job is to represent the community uh and ensure that we are
being fiduciary the fiduciary oversight that is expected. So, um, I guess that's my what my way of saying is you have our word. Um, so if there's no further discussion, we will now take a vote. Uh, all those in favor of approving the adoption of the renewal of the tax
referendum le tax levy resolution, please signify by saying I. >> I. >> I. >> Motion carries 50. Next on the agenda is our action item, the adoption of policy 4210, wireless
and electronic devices. Dr. Herrera. All right. Thank you, President Shapiro, Dr. Orike, and members of the board. On June 10th, I brought board policy 4210 before you for discussion. This proposed policy is in response to SEA78, which
prohibits students from using personal wireless communication devices during the school day and requires that such devices be powered off, stored away, and inaccessible to students throughout the instructional day. I am bringing this back to you and asking that you approve
policy 4210. Thank you, Dr. Herrera. Do I have a motion to approve the adoption of policy 4210, wireless anal electronic devices? >> I move that we approve it. >> Thank you, Mr. Brown. Is there uh is
there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Mrs. Cashion. Any discussion? >> I just wanted to know I didn't receive any um comments at I don't think the administration did. I don't think Mrs. Cashion did. I don't think anybody did.
Um so I think this law just reflects what the bill um requires all school districts in the state to do and um appreciate the efforts of the administration and Dr. Herrera specifically on that. Thank you. >> Thanks Mrs. Wheeler. Can are we still
waiting on some guidance from DOE on this? >> Yes, we are. Um we are waiting on guidance and in the meantime we are putting together an FAQ and working on our communication that will indeed go out to families prior to the start of school. >> Okay. Great.
Anything else? Great. All those in favor of approving the adoption of policy 4210 wireless and electronic devices, please signify by saying I. >> I. I. >> I. >> Motion carries 5. Next on our agenda is the action item
temporary easement and a management and use agreement permitting veterans greenway to go through ODM Woods. Mr. Mcichael, >> thank you. At the last meeting, u the board's aware that the director of the parks department requested access to Odum Woods in order to construct the
Veterans Greenway. um these two documents uh specifically the management use agreement rather than an easement agreement will uh it specifies that CCS will still retain ownership of the property in the in the event that it
should ever be needed for school purposes. So I thought that was important and um and we would recommend then that the board approve this temporary easement and then also the management use agreement. Thank you, Mr. Mcichael. Do I have a
motion to approve the temporary easement and a management and use agreement permitting Veterans Greenway to go through ODM Woods? >> I move to I move to approve the management and use agreement and the temporary easement
with Caramel Clay Parks Department. >> Thank you, Miss Wheeler. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Any discussion? I'll just I'll just briefly say yes, I am the board's uh pointing to the parks board or park board and I've been able
to see the plans for this as you um did at the last board meeting. I'm really excited about this. Currently, Carmel Middle School uses Odin Woods um for some class related projects. Um if you haven't been there, it's a really it has a really nice um it's where I believe the first College Wood Elementary was.
Correct? Yes. So, College Wood Elementary was there. the playground is still there and there is a public gardens there now. And then there's a woods, there's paths in the woods that um can be used by anyone really. Um but this is going to be a really nice project that's going to lead to um the
new veterans park. Uh and I just think it's a really good it's great for our veterans to recognize them, but also for our students to continue that learning process. So I think this is a great addition. And again, we're we're not giving the land. We're just um kind of giving that right to use for the
property. will still retain ownership. >> Thanks for that, Mrs. Kok. And we've got a long-standing great partnership with the parks department and so it's great to continue to further that engagement. So, it's great to see. All right. Uh, all in favor of approving the temporary
easement and management use agreement, please signify by saying I. >> I. Motion carries. Five to zero. Apologize for Siri on my watch who's like likes everything we're talking about tonight. Uh, next on our agenda is
appointments. At tonight's meeting, the board will appoint the Indiana School Boards Association delegate uh, and Indiana School Boards Association legislative liaison effective July 1st uh, 2026 to June 30th, 2027. Dr. Orike.
>> Good evening once again, President Shapiro and members of the board. Each year it is necessary for the board to appoint a board member to serve as an Indiana school boards association delegate and legislative liaison. At this meeting, the board will appoint a
representative to serve uh a term from July 1st to July 30th. The Caramel Clay uh Board of School Trustees recommends Miss Christina Wheeler serve as the Carmel Clay Schools Indiana School Boards Associate Association delegate
and Indiana School Boards Association legislative liaison from July 1, 2026 through June 30th, 2027. It is recommended that the board appoint Miss Christina Wheeler as the Indiana School Boards Association delegate and the
Indiana School Boards Association legislative liaison from that term. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Orike. May I have a motion, please, to appoint Miss Christina Wheeler as the Indiana School Board Association delegate and Indiana School Board Association legislative
liaison from July 1st, 2026 through June 30th, 2027. Mr. President, I move that we appoint Miss Christina Wheeler as the Indiana School Boards Association delegate and Indiana School Boards Association legislative liaison.
>> Thank you. Mrs. Coke, may I have a second? >> I second. >> Any discussion? >> Thank you for the nomination and I'd be happy to serve if the board approves. >> Thank you, Mrs. Wheeler. There's no further discussion. We'll now take a
vote. All in favor of appointing Mrs. Wheeler as the Indiana School Boards Association delegate and Indiana School Boards Association legislative liaison. Please signify by saying I. >> I. >> Motion carries. 5. Next on our agenda is the report section
of our meeting. First report is our monthly financial update. Mrs. Kushar. >> Thank you, President Shapiro. Uh tonight I'm pleased to present the May 2026 financial results and also some budget updates which I think you all will be excited to hear. So, good timing on
that. Um, the end of this month really marks the end of our fiscal year. Um, so that means that we will start working with Baker Tilly to create our gap based financial statements in preparation for our audit. It also triggers lots of reports to the Department of Education
to help with that transparency that we talked about earlier. Um, I'm going to start with the budget update and really what the budget calendar looks like. Um, so this is our budget calendar and our proposed calendar for this year. And I've
included what our typical schedule looks like, but I've also included the last possible date um for the DLGF. And my hope is to really kind of help everyone understand how we need to approach the budget this year given the complication
of the referendum and that vote happening in November, given the constraints of the GLGF and the process that we have to follow. And so, as you can see, um, what we typically do versus even if we tried to push it back as far as possible, there is not a way that the
board could wait to see what happens with the referendum to then adopt a budget and still do it within the time frame um, that they would allow us to do it. Um, so given that, we are we are thinking that we will go with our typical schedule um, as we as we work
through the budget. Um we have since our last meeting done a lot of outreach uh to our adviserss to the DLGF um really saying you know is there anything that we need to think about differently um giving the given the referendum this year and they really
pointed us back to the guidance that they always give uh the DGF certifies budgets and tax levies. They certify things or they lower them. If you don't ask they will not give you something and so they never increase. So even if we um
the referendum is accessible in November. If we do not ask for that rate, we will not collect those dollars in 2027. Um they don't have an official memo about that, but we did find, you know, just guidance um from trainees that they have provided uh that really
kind of outlined that that general rule of how the DLGF works applies debt you might issue. It applies with referendums. It applies in all cases that they certify or they lower. But if you don't ask, they would never give you
a tax rate or a tax levy. Uh they would never increase that. So I think that helps give us some clarity on as we're creating the 2027 budget and we're looking at the referendum funds, uh we will want to
assume that the referendum does pass as we hope that it will. And then if it does not pass the DLGF, they will make those adjustments and they make them on the income and on the expense side. Any questions? I think I followed that, Mrs. Kushar.
So, in the event that the referendum didn't pass, DLGF I assume would just lower the rate to what it would be without the referendum. Is that correct? Yes. >> So they would take the lowering action of those two. Okay. >> And they would lower the corresponding
expenses um to ensure their job is to make sure that local government does not run out of cash, right? So they would lower expenses to >> Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. Um so budget season is officially
kicking off. Um and so um we we too are um want to partner with you and kind of have more open dialogue about budget planning. And so uh in that vein, just giving you guys some updates um on what that first step looks like. Um and
really this year is we have the referendum complication, but there's just a lot going on. Um so thought we would talk through that. um what's coming up, what will we know? Uh on the income side of things, uh we will get
our certified net assessed value from the county auditors on August 1st. Um and so this uh last year, just to kind of ground you guys in some data, uh last year it increased 3.3% and then if you
included tip, it increased 4.1%. Right now we're we're predicting a decrease. um given all the changes. So, we have the new deductions that are taking place. There's changes with uh personal property, which is going to be really a one-time pull of uh equipment
out of AV. And so, there's a lot happening. Um we'll see right around August 1st what that looks like for Caramel. Um but we are projecting that that will decrease this year since all of the conversation about referendum. Uh the other information that we will get
soon is the MLGQ. Uh so that is what governs the operations fund. Uh it is the six-year average for uh non-farm personal income. So that has been capped for a couple of years. It is not capped this year. And so that is new and
different uh for us this year and that could help offset some of the other things that are happening. Um we have a formula for this year. Um it is 1.5% increase per pupil. Not not very good especially when you
look at the expense side. Um that turf is going up by 1% and that is a required contribution. Um so there's that on the income side. Uh and we don't have a formula for 2728. So that will be our educated guess as we think about what
revenue will look like. Uh for that half of 2021. Enrollment numbers are a huge factor. And then of course there's the license excise tax which we have talked about a little bit. We've gone full circle on that. Um it used to be proportionally
allocated to funds. The legislators said you can now choose where it gets allocated. The board of accounts said no. All along it should have been going to the operations. So that's where it is now. Um, so that is a couple million dollars that will actually no longer go
to a referendum. Um, so that is more moving moving parts to think about next year. So we're expecting a lot of different pieces of information that will help us understand the income side of next year over the next few months. Um, and then we're
beginning to gather information about expenses. Um, what we know for sure is that for that requirement is changing 1%. Um, retirement fund increasing contribution. Um we're working on our liability
insurance renewals, our health insurance renewals. So those those costs um that are big pieces of our budget. What does that look like for next year and we are certainly looking at it with an eye for efficiency um and how can we negotiate those and make changes to make sure that
we are continuing to look to cost efficiency. So, those are the budget updates. So, I'll switch over to um our results for May 2026. And there's just a couple of things that I want to highlight. Um
>> Amanda, can I ask a question? Um >> knowing that we were just talking about budget planning and knowing all the conversation that we just had regarding the referendum, um and that was the ask Mr. Brown and I kind of had out to you guys when we met with you is what are
some of those ideas for us to have budget planning more proactively and more deeper into topics not necessarily having to wait till August when you get an auditor number. Um what are you guys envisioning because I think Mr. Brown
and I certainly would love to be able to kick off those meetings with you to dive a bit deeper um to be better educated as a board with all of those moving pieces. >> Yeah, I think we should look at the September 9th um that date and probably
work backwards from there. That's when we typically do our our presentation to the board. Um and so we're working towards that date is kind of working on all those pieces. So if we look as that is when we would bring kind of the final proposal to the board, we can work
backwards from there and set up some time to meet. We can do board meetings or >> we're ready to go uh anytime this summer. Um and so Mr. Mcichael and Mrs. Kushar would be happy to schedule meetings in the very near future to kick
off that process with you both as we continue to look at a lot of what Mrs. Kushar presented tonight. conversations and then followup. So, I know we we had one initial meeting already, but um they're ready and prepared to get that
conversation moving as soon as possible. >> And that is very much the process over the next few months. We continue to get information in and that builds up until we kind of get to that final point where we say this is the best information we have about what's going to happen next year to build that budget proposal.
>> Can I ask one other budget related question? um on the couple slides ahead. So the reason there's no formula for 2728 is that because the state hasn't set that yet because it's a budget year. Is that correct? >> Yes, that's correct. >> Okay. Just wanted to make sure my
thinking was correct on that. So because it's a budget year downtown for the state, we don't have those figures yet as to what they're going to say the first student member is. So we won't know that till April, >> right? >> Because it's a budget year. >> Thank you. Mr. President.
>> Yes, Miss Wheeler. >> I just wanted to make a comment. I know we hadn't really talked about how the form of those meetings would go. I would just um ask that we have some offline discussions of as a board about, you know, do we want to do it in a workshop
fashion like we did the referendum discussion? Do we want to come in an hour early before certain meetings? It's like I don't know that just two people being part of that conversation is the best way to do that. And I'm sure I
would be very interested as would others in that conversation. So I just I didn't want to not comment and think have people think I wasn't interested. >> I I appreciate that. Um I will take that under advisement and look for
a future communication so we can figure out what that can look like. All right. >> Um, >> sorry, Miss Cusher. >> Uh, when we look at May results, there's just a few things I want to highlight and they are mostly timing and we're on track uh for expenses and income
generally. Uh, the biggest thing to notice is that our balances uh look stronger as compared to this time last year. And that's because our first uh our first deposit of property taxes,
that's a timing issue. So, we get in May and we get one in June and there's no rhyme or reason. I'm sure there is a rhyme or reason but we don't know what it is as to the split of what we get in May and what we get in June. So you can see uh for example in the operations fund last year in May we got 5 million
uh this year in May we got 11 million and so June will be much less than it was last year. So it will all even out at the end of the year but that timing really makes things look uh better as compared to last time this year. And so that carries across any fund that gets
property taxes. Uh the only other thing I'll note similarly on the safety referendum um there are we look I think on the expense side particularly the purchase services um we get a very big bill twice a year
and that is in uh June and December and so that's why some of those uh particularly the purchase services uh looks so low as compared to that budget but we We expect that to >> happy to answer any questions on the May
result. >> Yeah. Uh thanks for the report. I appreciate the the depth on what's going on in anticipation of the operating referendum asking affect things. I I have a question related to that was the projection for that we've been talking
about for 2027 that's on the ballot question that talks about um the 32 cent rate and the levy of 47 million um were the the do we have those projections of that you showed on can we back up the
screen a little bit yeah there you go you know Under the income, you have some uh information that's going to affect the income. Were those assumptions known when you were making the the projections on what we have in
the the ballot question for 2000 over 2027. >> Let me try that again. >> Okay. Um when you came up with the numbers the rate the 32 cent and the 47.1 million on the ballot question that
was based on some assumptions of what's going to be happening likely with the state basic income grant and all that that you now have been able to present here. Did did you already know that when you came up with the the other operating referendum rates or >> um so we did those are based off what
policy analytics projected for net assessed value um for the referendum rate that we were that we're looking at for next year. Um the state formula we knew the 1.5 that it's going to be from 26 27 but we of course don't know beyond
that. So those were all >> so so you already knew those factors >> just the 1.5 and then we had AV projections for policy. >> Okay. All right. Good. Um in a question on enrollment as I understand it that uh they really look at the October
enrollment numbers uh to set the the rate uh for the basic income but October is not going to be here for a while. So we we're going to use some enrollments now. How does that work? where do we use like May enrollment numbers and then if October comes in different there's an
adjustment made >> yes so you want to take that rather >> I'll take a stab at that um so we the official counts in midepptember and that as you suggested that that's the one that drives the funding from the state and so
>> September >> September rather than October but so that that drives the funding from on a per pupil basis normally then you add that up as total revenue from the state and um so
um number one. Secondly, remind the board and the public that our our budget is required to be on a calendar year basis, but the majority of our funding from the state, all of the money funding from the state, which is the majority of funding, is on a fiscy year basis. And
so as was explained um we build a budget with funding for from two different um years fiscal years from the state. And this year um as was noted the second half we have no idea what the funding is
going to be because every two years they adopt a new the state adopts a new formula which drives then you see how much money you're going to get on a per pupil. and I still don't so we don't have that or the enrollment u in in the second year we'll know what the formula
says per pupil but we we always are you know waiting on the enrollment in terms of really knowing what we're going to receive so so that's the way that works and I think secondly with I understood your question maybe to be if for example the state came through
with huge amounts of increase that we didn't expect then would we need less referendum because the whole discussion about referendum is subsidy of the state's funding and and that you know I'd like to think that might happen um
because then uh you know we'd just be in a much better position to you know be able to fund fund the program that we have. >> That actually wasn't where I was coming from but I appreciate that answer. Okay. >> It's just a technical question on enrollment numbers is that so September
is where they lock it in. Yes. >> But when we're doing our budget, we're we're using our current enrollment number. So what happens if the number enrollment number goes up or goes down by the time we've submitted budgets? >> Yeah. We're not necessarily we're not typically using the current. We we make
our best most current estimate or forecast as to what it will be in September, but obviously we're getting a lot closer. So, for example, we watch the enrollment and and all year during the summer right up to the time that we have to make a decision on staffing and
all all those kind of things. And so, so along with the demographic study, but the demographic study was projected, you know, a year or two depending on how old it is. Um, so we're we're looking at that, but we're also looking at the most current information um, based on, for example, how many kindergarten kids have
been enrolled this year as compared to last year at this same time. That that is like in July and we watch that all the way up. So, so, uh, typically the budget's not going to be the current enrollment, although it will be our best
estimate at that time and then we but it won't be till September that we know what it actually is. We'll have a pretty good idea because we start counting as soon as school starts, but the official count is in the midepptember. Thank you. >> Yeah. Can I just a comment on the the
reports? Uh I I have learned to not try to worry about the revenue portion of those because of what you said earlier and and it's it's pretty predictable at the end. Um, and I I noticed that we get an opportunity to do an an appropriation
near the end of the year that helps get more money for more budget revenue money for us. But I was encouraged with the expenditure lines on both the education, the operations that were pretty much on tracking on budget. Is that would you
agree that we're >> Yeah, I mean sometimes our our forecasting and and is closer than other times, but I want to make it clear that when we do an additional appropriations, it it it's simply appropriating money
that we ended up receiving. And so um typically it for example if if uh enrollment grows and we didn't project that then we might need we'll get we will receive more money because we have more students and then likewise we likely hired more teachers to teach the
additional students. Thus we need additional appropriation to it. It it but it doesn't mean that uh an additional it doesn't mean that we end up with net additional revenue to where it's you know not committed or whatever. It's more a matter of of
reflecting the most current number in in November of the year, budget year, um realizing that the number that was there was done almost 18 months ago. And so it's quite possible those numbers are uh
will the estimates will change when you're a month or two from the end of the year as compared what they what you estimated 18 months prior. >> Thanks. Any other questions?
Thank you, Mrs. Kushar. Our next report is the superintendent's report. Dr. Orike, >> thank you, President Shapiro. And I just want to say thank you and how much I appreciate the board's engagement and discussion and thoughtfulness throughout the entire process leading up uh to
tonight's referendum vote. Um there's been a lot of deliberation, dialogue, numerous questions, engagement, and I just want to say thank you very much uh for all you have done u to get us to tonight and to this point as well as uh
Mrs. Kushar, Mr. Mcichael, um our professional partners, Mr. Long with ICE Miller Policy Analytics and everyone uh who works very hard to uh get you everything that you need so that you can make an informed decision. So, thank you very much. I do, as we close out
tonight's meeting, I do want to take a moment to recognize and thank Mr. Hal Espie uh for his many years of service to Carmel Clay Schools. Hal has served as our videographer uh for Carmel Clay Schools Board of Trustees meetings. He
has taken great care of our district, our board, and our community by ensuring that our meetings are recorded and accessible. Uh much of Hal's work has happened behind the scenes. uh but it has been incredibly important to our operations and to our commitment to
transparency in our community. And so as we transition this work inhouse moving forward, uh we want to express our sincere appreciation to Hal for his dedication, professionalism, and service to Carmel Clay Schools. Hal, if you can step out so we could show you our
appreciation real quick and give us a a quick wave. I know he he'll be coming in behind the screen there. Here we go. Hal, thank you very much. Yeah, it's been my pleasure to have
a a little bit of a connection to Carmel Clay Schools after my teaching career. So, um I think you all do a marvelous job and uh this is a great community and school corporation. I'm wish you all the best. >> Thank you, HAL.
I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO recognize our Carmel High School marching band students, staff, and directors. Believe it or not, our marching band is already preparing for the Caramel Fourth of July parade coming up, and they're uh taking a look at preparing for their new
marching band season. And so to show my appreciation for their hard work uh and dedication and countless hours that they spend on Monday night, I had the opportunity to attend uh some of their rehearsal and I brought them all popsicles. All 300 plus of our marching
band students at the end of their rehearsal. I brought them some popsicles to show my appreciation and they work extremely hard and so it was a fun night and uh watching them and their talent and their commitment. And then this year
they'll be representing not only Carmel Clay Schools but the entire city of Caramel by marching in this coming Rose Bowl parade. So we wish them the best. Uh if you see any uh advertisements or social media, I know they're fundraising
right now so we can get to all uh 300 students to the Roseb Parade. They have a car wash on Saturday. Um I think the time's probably like 8:00 a.m. to noon or something around there. Um, but uh you don't need a ticket in advance. You can go right there, support the marching
band as they are preparing to head to the Roseb parade this year. So, we're very proud of them. And then finally, as we look ahead to the Carmel Fourth of July parade, uh please be on the lookout for our Caramel Clay Schools teachers of the year who will be uh joining myself
and others in the district in the parade. Um I was a part of it last year and the community coming out and uh showing their appreciation um and the great comments we get from the community is so nice and especially
uh towards our teachers. It's just fantastic. So we are grateful for the many people here in Carmel. Uh it is a special place from those working behind the scenes like Hal uh to our students representing us with excellence and to our teachers who inspire our students
every day. That concludes tonight's superintendence report. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Orike. Just a few announcements. Uh July 2nd and 3rd, all Caramel Clay Schools offices and schools will be closed for the July 4th holiday.
July 22nd will be our July school board regular session. Believe it or not, August 7th, 10th, and 11th will be teacher contract days. Wednesday, August 12th, students first day of school. And August 12th will be
our schoolboard workshop session. May I please have a motion to adjurnn. >> I move to adjourn. >> Thank you, Mrs. Cashion. May I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Miss Wheeler. Meeting is adjourned at 7:33.