The meeting is now called to order. Roll call. Mr. Brown. All board members are present. Uh, please stand for the pledge of allegiance. I will now read the Carmel Clay Schools mission statement. Carmel Clay Schools will provide opportunities for all
students to realize their potential in an everanging world. Uh we would now typically move on to public comment. However, we have no public comment this evening. Uh next on our agenda is consent. Tonight, the consent items
include the personnel report, uh, claims, payroll, approval of gift applications, the change orders for Cherry Tree Elementary renovations, the change orders for the Carmel High School Polytech edition, the minutes from the
January 7th, 2026 executive session, the January uh 14th, 2026 special session, the January 21st, 2026 special session, and the January ruary 28th, 2026 regular
uh session schoolboard meetings. 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 the board must legally address, but which should not take up
considerable time. Um, may I have a motion to approve all items in the consent agenda? I move to approve all items in the consent agenda. >> Thank you, Mrs. Cashion. May I have a second? >> Second.
>> Thank you, Mrs. Coke. Any discussion? >> Okay, seeing none, we will now take a vote. Uh, all in favor of approving the consent agenda items, please signify by saying I. >> I. >> Motion carries. Next on our agenda are the discussion
items. First item up for discussion tonight is the middle school language arts adoption. Dr. Orike. >> Thank you, President Shapiro, and members of the board. Uh, pursuant to Indiana code 30 or 20-32-8.5-2, all Indiana schools must provide reading
instruction rooted in a core program aligned with the science of reading. And this is for students in grades kindergarten K through 8, kindergarten through 8. To meet this mandate, this fall, Carmel Clay Schools convened a selection committee of middle school
teachers and administrators to lead a rigorous research-based adoption process. The team began by studying the science of reading researchbased to define how advanced literacy should be practiced at the middle level. Using
these specific looks, the committee conducted an indepth evaluation of programs from the Indiana Department of Education's high quality instructional materials list, ultimately reaching a consensus based upon each program's
research alignment and its ability to meet the developmental needs of our students. As a result of this process, the committee is recommending Amplify ELA, a comprehensive program that drives student engagement through the study of
complex text and systematic knowledge building units. To complement this core curriculum, we also recommend the adoption of three standalone units, one at each grade level. These units support research-based instructional practices
through the study of three cornerstone texts central to the Carmel Clay School's experience. The Giver in sixth grade, The Outsiders in 7th grade, and Knight in 8th grade. A community preview
was held on January 13th, uh, open to everyone in the public, giving interested community members an opportunity to review materials, ask questions of teachers and administrators who were here that night um, and leave written feedback. Community feedback
overall was very positive. Paired with our elementary adoption of wit and wisdom, the transition to amplify ELA creates a cohesive research to align instructional progression from kindergarten through 8th grade. Both
programs are recognized on the IDOE, the Indiana Department of Education's high quality materials list that we selected from ensuring a rigorous and developmentally appropriate lit literacy experience for all of our students. This
adoption will officially begin in the 2627 school year uh should it be approved after we go through this process starting tonight as a discussion item. And at this time uh we'd be happy to answer any questions that the board may have.
>> Open for questions or discussion from the board. I'll make a comment. Uh the uh I was glad to see the u Knight on there as a non-fiction book that uh from a primary
source, primary author that could accurately um record history and present history from a firsthand perspective. So, and that's a controversial topic. It deals with the Holocaust and I think that it's good to have a an
accurate perspective of that because uh we hear more and more people that don't believe it happened. I was glad to see it on there. A source, like I said, from a primary source.
Other than that, I I like the books. Further comments, Miss Kashian, >> a very basic question, I guess, but just trying to help those of us who've had middle schoolers who have read these books, which are all great because I parallel read with my kids. Um, what is the difference between how those books
were being implemented versus the new Amplify system? I guess what was it that made us choose that? >> Great question. And at this time I also have Miss Anna Royo with us who's one of our directors of curriculum. Um and an was a part of the process throughout. So
I am going to lean on her expertise tonight uh to answer your wonderful question. Thank you. >> Sure. >> Hello. Um one of the things that when we were reviewing Amplify um our committee really felt like it engaged our middle school learners.
you're dealing with lots of different topics, background knowledge building, um engaging topics to a middle schooler, and it moves from kind of lots of different themes. So, currently in our current adoption, we have four novels that we read across the year, um kind of
four big topics. This would provide lots more varied interests for our students in using a program like Amplify. Um but one of the things that was challenging for the committee was also leaving behind beloved texts and novel based text. So while the program does have for
every grade level um as part of the program one fulllength novel and lots of other texts that are almost full length or shorter excerpts or all different types of genres. Um it was a hard thing to let go of the novels for our teachers and knowing how important they are also
to our students. And so in looking at those three texts, um, they're kind of part of the middle school cannon for our students and for our teachers. They've been in Carmel Clay School's curriculum before I can even find evidence of them not being in our curriculum. They've been around forever. Um, but what we did
have at our fingertips was another resource, which is which are these units that would help take the novels that we've taught forever, but also give us some structure to how we teach them. And that was aligned to the practices of science of reading. So currently all of our students get those experiences with
those novels. One challenge is we have three individual buildings and trying to make sure that we have a guaranteed viable curriculum for all of our students even with that novel usage. So the curriculum that this provides for our teachers gives some more guidance
more structure while also being aligned with science of reading and gives us a little bit of a taste of the novels that we also love and our kids love as well. Anybody else? Yeah, Mrs. Kok, >> thank you. I really I always appreciate
how well you explain that how in-depth the process is that you know it's not simply like you're just pulling a curriculum from the website. That's a lot of work goes into it. So, I I really appreciate how you always kind of explain that this it's a lengthy process. Correct. >> Yes, it is. >> Thank you. >> Yes, we actually we did this in a more
accelerate accelerated way. Um, we started actually last spring with our department chairs just really understanding all of the nuances of science of reading as applied to our middle school learners. There's less information for our middle school
teachers on that. So, and they haven't had as much professional development in the science of reading either. So spending time with our department chairs and our um district leader or sorry our building leaders in understanding science of reading and we started vetting pretty much every program that was out there for middle school from the
department chair administrative level just to see what it was that was out there at um at our disposal but also the ideal we didn't have their list ready for us yet last spring. So we did some initial cuts. We waited for that list to come out. um our top programs were also
on the state's list. So that worked out well. Kind of knew which would would probably make that list. Um and then we really worked with this committee to really get them onboarded into science of reading understanding what the shifts are that we were trying to look for in
these programs. Um and then do deep study on those. And they did a lot of that work with us here at the central office, but then also went back and did that work outside of our committee time. not just with the committee, but they also brought that back to our classroom teachers as well, so everybody was
informed of the progress along the way. >> Thank you. >> Miss Wheeler, >> I just want to give the committee um a thank you for everything they do and also especially for keeping the outsiders. That was one of my all-time
faves as a kid and um my father always uh made me include and I think the giver is is one like Newberry and Cal Dicott award-winning books like I just show him the little labels when I would check out at the library. So I love that you're
doing that and I love that you're listening to the teachers who don't want to lose those books. So thank you so much. >> They were that was very important to them. Thank you so much. I would just add as uh Dr. Ostrike pointed out and in providing the overview that the community has the opportunity to
participate in this process um and show up for those feedback sessions. I didn't do it this time around, but I've done it in the past for other curriculum review and that's it's a great way to sort of get a sense of what might be out there and what might be coming um as as we do this. This is an ongoing process every
year for different subject content that is coming into our schools. So, just encourage people to pay attention and show up and be an active participant in in the curriculum review. So, thank you very much. >> We love to share what we're what we're doing with our communities. So,
>> we we appreciate it. >> Questions that >> Great. Anything else? All right. Great. Thank you. Okay. Uh next uh discussion item we have the second reading of bylaw 0167.3
public attendance and public comment at board meetings. Miss Wheeler and Mrs. Cashin. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Um do you need me to read the whole thing again or you want me to read the whole policy again? >> I think it would likely be helpful um
>> to to >> I'll do whatever you ask. Yes, that would be lovely. Thank you. >> Yeah, Mrs. Nobus, if you could put it up for us, that would be great. Um, >> yeah, I would suggest if you want to read through the suggested
>> revised policy that way we can >> and I'll highlight that we've got four elements. Um, >> I think that would be the best of our time and then for people who are watching or in the audience, they can see what we're talking about. >> Sure. >> Just give one second to Mrs. snow vest
to get it up. So, I'm going to um read the um clean copy because it's a little bit easier to read, but keep the keep the red lined up. Um, so it begins with the board recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of allowing members of the public to
express themselves on school corporation matters. Subject to the reasonable rules and registration process described herein, the board shall allow members of the public who are physically present at a public meeting to provide oral comments before the board takes final action on a topic. And so long as the
subject of the public comment is related to an issue the board has the authority to address, the board may choose to allow public comment during an electronic meeting held during a declared emergency or local disaster. Members of the public are invited to observe and record board meetings.
Except for public comments made as part of a public hearing required by state or federal statute, each individual wishing to speak during the public comment portion of a meeting must be and here's the first change that we recommended what we'll recommend that
we do an amended amendment a motion to amend on was that the person must be in line to register in person with the executive secretary of the board or their designate upon arrival at the meeting at least 10 minutes prior. It was blank before it used to be 15
minutes before the start of the meeting. So those are changes one and two from the original uh policy as introduced. Registration shall include showing a picture ID and completing the registration form with the speaker's name, address, status as a CCS parent or
resident of Carmel, group affiliation if any, and the topic to be addressed. Public comment shall be guided by the following rules. A individuals who have residency within the boundaries of the school corporation and or who have children enrolled in the
school corporation will be given first priority to address the school board. B. Participants must be recognized by the presiding officer and must preface their comments with an announcement of their name, their group affiliation if and their group affiliation if applicable.
C. The presiding official shall set a limit on the duration of each participant's comments to not exceed 3 minutes in length. Speakers may not yield their time to another speaker. D. The total amount of time designated for public comment is 30 minutes. If the 30
minutes are exhausted, but a large number of registered individuals have yet to speak, the board may extend the public comment period. And then here's the uh third and fourth uh recommended amendments. reduce the duration of each participant's comments or make other
adjustments for that meeting to accommodate all registered speakers. E. Boisterous or univil conduct will not be permitted, nor will any defamatory remarks be tolerated. F. Comments shall be directed to the board. No person may address or question individual board
members. G. As a general matter, the school board will not act on or respond to questions or comments made during public comment, but will take them under advisement. H. Any materials for the board shall be presented to the executive secretary prior to the start
of the meeting. I large groups must identify a spokesperson who will speak on behalf of the group. When a public hearing is required by federal or state statute, the above rules apply except for the advanced registration of the speakers. The following must be observed
during board meetings. A. No obstructions are created between the board and the audience. Audience members holding large signs must stand in the back of the room. B. Signs may not contain profanity, lewd, or patently offensive language, threats, or
references to violence, alcohol, drugs, or weapons. C. Signs may not be affixed to school property. D. No interviews are conducted during the board meeting. E. No commentary or disruptions will be permitted from the audience that would distract either the board or other
members of the audience. Nothing in this policy prohibits the board from taking reasonable steps to maintain order in a meeting, including the removal of any person who is willfully disruptive to the meeting. Members of the public may not approach the dis unless invited by
the presiding officer. Persons attending board meetings must adhere to the guidelines set forth in policy 9600. Any members of the audience who is disrupt any member or members of the audience who is disruptive will be given a warning. If the disruptive activity
continues, the audience member will be asked to leave the meeting. A pattern of disruptive behavior at board meetings will be addressed using measures outlined in policy 9600. The presiding officer may a interrupt, warn, or terminate a person's statement if the
statement is too lengthy, a personal attack against a student, employee, or school official, harassing, obscene, or irrelevant. Request any individual to leave the meeting when that person does not observe reasonable decorum. B, request the assistance of law enforcement officers in the removal of a
disorderly person if that person's conduct interferes with the orderly progress of the meeting. and C, call for a recess or adjournment to another time when the lack of public decorum so interferes with the orderly conduct of the meeting as to warrant such action.
>> Thank you, Miss Wheeler. Open for discussion, comments or questions. Okay. I just wanted to comment on what I think all of us the all of us had touched on
in the last meeting and that was sort of the the length of time that we have for public comment that typically we are going to keep it to 30 minutes or three minutes for each person but um if we need to we can extend that or or or
change timing or things and I like that ability to kind of make that adjustment as we need to. for certain topics. >> Mr. Brown or any anybody else? >> Yeah, I would um first of all, thank you both for your work, continued work on
this to refine it. Um I may have said both of these things uh the last time we met and first reviewed the policy. I appreciate the adjustment of um registering for public comment. Shortening that time to 10 minutes with
the meetings beginning at six o'clock. I know for some people it's tight to get here and so in line and 10 minutes before I think allows some additional flexibility for people who'd like to deliver public comment. Um and as Mrs. Kok said um should um we exhaust that 30
minutes and there be still be people who want to give comment um giving the board uh as a group that flexibility to extend the time adjust the three minutes whatever flexibility we need um per meeting um to make that adjustment I
think is is just prudent um to allow the community to give the feedback that they want to give. Um while most of the time it isn't necessary, we have had meetings in the past where there are a large number of people that show up and we should allow for them to be heard. So um appreciate the work and if there aren't
any other further comments, this will come back to us in a couple of weeks for a vote. So great, great work. Thank you guys. >> Should we go ahead, >> Mr. President? Sorry, question. Um the procedure, should we amend it now, Colleen? Do you know? Or should we wait
till third reading? right now. Okay. Okay. At at the third reading. Thank you. So just procedurally then next meeting we would bring the amended version and
just vote on that. Correct. Okay. >> Right. >> Perfect. >> Thank you for the clarification. >> Thank you, Mrs. Novice. >> Okay. Wonderful. Next uh on the agenda are reports. First report is staff and
student services report. Dr. Herrera. We have a technology uh change at this time. We're getting the policy off the screen and we're getting Dr. Herrera's presentation here pulled up ready to go and I'm excited because she's going to be talking about state interviews
tonight. So Dr. Herrera, take it away. >> All right, President Shapiro, Dr. Euro strike and members of the board. We recently concluded the 2026 state interviews and had the opportunity to engage with our staff to hear about why they stay. Tonight, I'm going to share
um insights from our state interviews, highlight what motivates our staff to stay, and share identified areas where we can continue to improve based on this feedback. This initiative directly supports our strategic goals of investing in our
people and driving HR innovation and engagement. The key initiative is supports is to continue implementing and expanding state interviews to monitor employee satisfaction and improve retention. And then we will measure success through
staff retention and turnover rates along with the feedback from employee engagement collected during these state interviews. So, what are state interviews? Stay interviews are a pro proactive approach designed to increase employee engagement
by having meaningful conversations with staff about what is working well and where we can continue to improve. Rather than waiting for exit interviews because at that time it is it's too late when someone is leaving. This approach allows us to address job satisfaction in real
time, strengthen workplace culture, and enhance staff retention. State interviews offer significant benefits. They provide us with actionable feedback that allow us to make thoughtful datainformed decisions that strengthen engagement and
retention. So the state interview application opened in November. It was open for approximately 3 to four weeks. We had a total of 276 requests from employees across the district to participate. I
used a website to randomize our selection process. So, it was completely random with those that were selected. And I used a website called Wheel of Names where we put all of the names in there and just went through and selected um those that would participate.
The employees selected represented all schools. So all of our buildings were represented from every elementary, every middle school and the high school, every department, educ facilities. We wanted to make sure that we heard from everyone.
We conducted a total of 75 face-to-face interviews that include 99 administrators, 26 classified staff members, and 40 certified staff members. Those not selected for in-person interviews were then invited to complete
a survey featuring the same questions that we asked during the face-to-face interviews. And the results presented today reflect a combined analysis of both the face-to-face interviews and the survey responses. Here are the questions we used during
the state interviews. We intentionally asked the same questions across all employee groups to ensure consistent comparable feedback districtwide. In the next few slides, I'm going to outline themes that we found from the data after we reviewed the face-to-face and the
survey results. So, this collage captures our employ what our employees look forward to each day. The strongest themes were meaningful relationships with students and the camaraderie they share with colleagues. Across the board, staff
really expressed a deep sense of purpose and belonging in their work. You will also see words like challenge, growth, support. Many of our employees felt that there is challenge to their position. There is ability for them to grow and then they felt very supportive um in
their positions. And then I will also note that administration is on here because a lot of people felt like they look forward to come to work because of the support of their administrator as well. The second collage is why people stay.
Staff see us as a top tier employer, value um our competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits like the wellness center and most importantly they believe deeply in our mission. They stay because they know their work makes a meaningful impact on students. You
also see the words like loyalty because many staff express the loyalty they feel to the district and then again administration just with that level of support that they feel they have. When we asked staff um about what aspect
of their job they wish they could change, there were several different things here that kind of came to the top. The first one I will highlight is technology. Um just that we have many teachers asking what does that assistance look like and how we monitor
AI in the classroom. So really looking at how we continue to provide that professional development to them in regards to technology. Um compensation was listed and this was related to our classified staff who expressed interest in higher pay and also looking at
year-round opportunities. PTO listed here is really paid time off. So we heard from our classified staff that they want to see an increase in sick and personal days. And then autonomy and flexibility is really
related to curriculum. So looking at wanting to have some autonomy and flexibility um in some of the curricular pieces when we ask staff what kind of recognition they like to receive. um what matters most to them is they told
us the personal touches. So hearing from students and families, celebrating those light bulb moments or seeing their students succeed. They also value simple authentic gestures like handwritten notes, emails, sticky notes, quiet acknowledgements. Many people were like,
I don't I don't want the in-your-face acknowledgement, but I just want a pat on the back to know I'm doing well. And they like to hear that from their peers and their administrators. If you ever thought about leaving, what prompted it? Um, we had several employees tell us, you know what, this
has really never crossed my mind. I really love working here. But when we analyzed the data from those that did respond, the top three um themes that really came to light were work life balance, compensation, and capacity. In
looking at work life work life balance many express the challenge of balancing the demands of the job with personal responsibilities. So again that work life balance of you know kind of figuring that out when it comes to compensation staff highlighted the
importance of paid breaks and increased wages for hourly employees. And then with capacity really looking at how do we identify um you know our teachers wanted kind of felt the need for a stronger support system in areas of
behavior support accountability structures and classroom management. So really looking at how do we build that capacity within our teachers to help best support our students. So that's that's what I mean by by capacity in that area.
when we look at um how can I make your job experience better? I I think when we were in our interviews, I think um some people were kind of taken aback like, "Wow, you're really asking me this question like I've never really thought about this before." Um there were four
main themes that kind of rose to the top, but again, we did have many people that were, you know, just shared with us. They really didn't have anything to share in this area. Um, but one of the things that did come to light were retention rewards. So, we heard from staff, um, you know, over and over
again, what about retention rewards? I've been here for 10 years or 15 years or 20 years. What type of compensation or paid time off can I get um, in regards to why I stay? We heard from our classified staff um, again, the increase
in their paid time off. When it comes to support, there was a theme that came out in the data of streamlining meetings with a clear purpose. So, this would be at the building level. And then, um, we had staff that would like to see more clerical support to assist with meeting
timelines for those mandatory reports that they have to complete. And then district-wide communication. We had staff um request to see legislative updates and then also communication just showcasing the success of what we are
doing across the district. So being able to see that during the time that we were conducting state interviews um we did all of these during the month of January even though we also had a few snow days in there as well. Um I had the opportunity to go on
WHJ and in the no with Dr. and we had the opportunity to interview Liz Theal who um is a fifth grade teacher at Carmel Elementary and she has been with us since 1995. We thought it was really important for us to be able to conduct a state
interview live on air to really be able to bring awareness to the audience and also just kind of put out there what we're doing right now and the reason why we're doing it and that we value feedback from our employees. So really being able to put that out there to the community.
So overall um staff highlighted several positives starting with our benefits. So looking at the wellness center, the fitness club, educare. So all of those things that they just really enjoy as a benefit of um their employment. They
also brought up supportive and effective leadership. So as a reason for why they stay, why they feel supportive. um supportive work environment, really that teaming approach, working with colleagues, and just that sense of community within their buildings. Um
they highlighted the high level of resources we're able to provide our students and our staff as well. Um and just again making it just a well balanced um place that they feel supported and that they work. Um when we look at areas for growth um those
included communication. So looking at district-wide communication we provide but also transparency with decisionmaking and then when it comes to support looking at how we provide support. So kind of reviewing the supports we provide students and staff
in the classroom. And then again with technology looking out at the rollout of new initiatives. So what does that professional development look like or what are our teachers requesting in in um for example the AI? So just looking at how we can continue to support them
in that way. So we have analyzed the data and identified themes from this data and we continue to celebrate the successes that we have. Overall these are so positive. um even though this is voluntary and and our employees are signing up to speak
with us, they feel value, they feel heard and they feel seen. And I think that's really important because when we sit down and we're going out to the buildings to meet with them and and talk to them and let them know that we want to hear what they have to say, they find a lot of value in that. And so it is
just a very positive experience even when they're telling us feedback of you know I wish things could could go this way or that way and just they find value in that just being heard. Um from here I will be sharing the findings with leadership that's both district
leadership and building leaders and then I will follow up with individual buildings and departments and with that we have time for questions. Someone like to kick us off? >> Sure. >> Thanks, Miss Wheeler. >> May I kick us off? >> You sure can.
>> Thanks, Dr. Herrera. And um God bless Mrs. Theal for being willing to do hers on the radio. >> She had to be vulnerable. Yes. >> You know what, and that is exactly the right word for that. I would be feel very vulnerable with that. So, thank you to you and everyone that participated in
that process. I find this feedback in invaluable um as a board member and um really hope and look forward to hearing how various um building level administrators in the district can tie
back to hey we heard this feedback and therefore we changed this or we made this decision or when we were negotiating our next union contract we asked if this could you know and I don't know how that all is going to end up but if we didn't have that this information we wouldn't be able to leverage it in
that way. So um really see its value both as for what you said which is just being heard is huge for many many people and then just having that data that you can then refer back to is wonderful. So I appreciate your efforts very much. >> Thank you. And I do want to add one more
thing. Um we actually one adjustment we made because last year was our first year and this was our second year going into this. We actually had eight people. So there was the exact team and um Sarah Inskeep and then myself all participated. Um and so we thought it
was important for the exact team to really be able to go out into the buildings and hear this feedback as well. So we had a um more comprehensive approach to we had more people out in the buildings and supporting the state interview initiative. So we were able to
actually conduct more state interviews this year than we did last year um and gather more feedback. But we also had other people out in those buildings hearing the feedback and I think that's very valuable. So I also want to say thank you to the team for going out and
helping with this initiative. >> Okay. >> Uh shout out to Miss Theel. She uh and the uh Carmel Elementary Tigers, but uh she was my son's one of my uh older son's teachers. She's pretty awesome. So I can see why she volunteered. She's a
big Caramel fan. Um, I just wanted to say thank you to this was this was a really just a lot of interesting data. I think it's I'm going to sit on a little bit of it for a while. I like that you put in this presentation all of the different feedback, both kind of like the positive feedback and then also
things that that the district can work on because I think that's really important to see all of that um and for the board to see that. Thank you. >> Thank you. Okay, >> thank you. And I think it's important to have a communication channel with
employees and you know listening for improvement opportunities too is always I think an important thing. How can we get better? So I think it's good. It's a good process. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Uh just two things I jotted down. Just
one is curiosity. the um visuals you used on the questions, were those word bubbles? So, were the were they the larger words were more prominent or were you were they just done by >> I I think it's kind of randomized. Okay. >> So, I would come up with top 10 words,
put them in there, and then they just kind of randomized it. >> So, I know sometimes when you do an actual word bubble, right, the most prominent answer is the largest. So, I didn't know if that was the case here. um as part of your ongoing analysis, I know this just wrapped up. Are you planning to do some compare and contrast
from last year to this year and see what that looks like? >> Yeah, I think that's really important. Um you know, I already started with just looking at numbers, looking at how many people chose to participate and you know, how many we were able to do more state interviews this year, but next I'm going to dig into the comparisons of the
different questions and see what kind of feedback we're getting. >> Great. I mean, I think it's a hugely it's incredibly valuable information. Um, I think it's great the district is willing to do this both not just to hear the positive, but obviously the constructive feedback is is just as
important, if not more so. Um, but it's also only useful if we're willing to do something about it. Right. Right. We can collect the data, but if we're not willing to take action on it, >> it's just a bunch of data. And so the ability then to look at last year's, see what the responses were, what are the responses the same this year? have has
the needle moved in one direction or the other and then again it's still newish but what does that trend line start to look like? So it it's great work. I love that we're doing it. So thank you and the team for for doing it and look forward to seeing how it continues to evolve. >> Thank you.
>> I just wanted to add that I was excited because several of the uh constructive feedback items tie directly into our strategic plan. So when we talk about compensation and PTO, one of our strategic plan um goals is to provide a
comprehensive uh compensation review for our classified staff and so we have that planned in the future. So that was one item that tied in directly very nicely with this. So that was good to hear that. >> Thank you again, Dr. Herrera.
Next on the agenda is our monthly financial update, Mr. Mcichael and we're also making a technology change at this time. >> While we do that, I just want to give a special recognition to a couple people in the audience tonight. Uh, Miss Shade
Watson, assistant principal at Carmel High School is here. She's working on her PhD and uh, she part of her um, program. She asked to attend a board meeting. So, I recently met with uh, Miss Watson and we talked about she
interviewed me and is uh, has a lot of assignments for work and we're going to take good care of her and make sure she's ready to go and get that doctorate. And additionally, I want to recognize uh, Mr. Weston Hansen uh who is in the audience. He's also a he's a teacher at Carmel High School uh but
he's working on his EDS uh and he's doing an internship at this time with Mr. David Woodward. So, thank you both uh for furthering your education and we're really happy that you're here tonight. So, thank you. We're ready. Okay. So u the financial update is
directly addresses one of our strategic goals which is budget transparity transparency and stewardship um with regard to the uh operations and resource management. It's directly linked to budget reports and alignment strategic goals and and referendum
transparency and also the the monthly up financial updating. Um it's also the key initiative is to continue to uphold strong financial responsibility and transparent operations uh which we believe will does result in maintaining
the public's trust. So with that I'll start with the education fund the operating fund and the rainy day fund and and um just go straight to the ending cash balance and so you can see the comparison. We're down about 1.2 million um as compared to a year ago.
this time. And and that's sometimes that's not reflective of of what's going on, but in this case it is because sometimes from one year to the next you can have, you know, your expenditures don't align perfectly. But in this fund with 96% these funds in total with 96%
of it salary and benefits that's paid very regularly every two weeks, it is somewhat comparable. And so you've heard before earlier when we um in the fall when we're presenting budgets and so forth that we are with everything that's going on with financing for a variety of
reasons um we are u experiencing a bit of a deficit. It's um uh we fully intend to manage that as we move forward but this is reflecting that. Uh we're not actually um down as much right now as we projected, which isn't surprising
because we're not going to we're going to be very conservative in projecting. We don't want to tell you it's going to be down this much and then it' be down twice that much, which means it's typical that we would we would believe that the the odds are we'll be a little better off than than what we're
forecasting as opposed to worse off than what we're forecast. And so indeed so far we are, but it's early um in the in the calendar year and the fiscal years, but we're only halfway through the fiscal year. So um moving to the
operations fund, we're in in better shape here. And you can see that um we're trending in a positive direction and um so we're actually up in this fund uh compared to the last year by $1.7 million. And that that's not surprising
as well. We anticipated that for there's a variety of reasons why. Um but that will be helpful uh as we're you know facing u reduced funding I'll say not and and what otherwise would be loss of funding compared to what we have been
receiving in our operations fund. Um we're all have heard about Senate Bill One and so forth and so we're seeing that we will see that impact and um so the fact that we're uh starting in a in a positive position in this fund will
help that to some extent. It won't solve the problem but but it's it's certainly better than the other direction. So u so that's that's good. But our rainy day fund there's you can see there's not much to talk about that that's an accumulation of of cash reserves um that there's very little activity and you can
see to the this year to year to date there's been no activity. So u that that's a part of what we would consider you know in a common terms our savings account if you will. Um and so um but it's all helpful in terms of of
our overall financial picture in our safety referendum. Again, um it's much smaller as you can see about, you know, an $8 million fund. Um but we are um comparatively speaking in good shape in terms of we're we're at this time of the
year we're about $400,000 cash balance whereas a year ago this time we were negative $400,000. So, um, now we expect that to go down as always in in the funds that are supported by property tax because we're spending the money every month, but we don't receive the revenue
except for twice a essentially twice a year as people pay their taxes. So, um, leave with that. I'll stop and see if you have any questions. Questions, comments?
Just a question. And um uh I know we'll be taking a look somewhere next month maybe on the budgets and your projections and and uh maybe you could talk a little bit more about uh when that might be coming up. >> Are you referring to the referendum discussion or just >> No, no, no. I'm just saying the uh
overall we're uh with the SEA1 going in that we the enrollment down a bit that we'll we're going to have a budget challenge and you're going to take some actions and give us some thoughts on how what you might do to get us back on track.
>> Yeah, I'm not anticipating um in the near future giving a presentation where we're reacting in the sense of you know I'll just say what we're going to cut or recommend a cut. I don't intend to do that. Um, what I do plan on doing is and we've been doing is we're assessing the
impact of of the current legislation and the current status of funding and that will u be incorporated into our conversations as we talk about referendums. We know that our safety referendum um we will either have to have it renewed or uh because it expires
in 27 and with again with the newest legislation we either have to renew it in 26 or we be without it in 27. So I'm sure we won't plan to do that. Uh so that will that will we will be having conversations as you know relative to
our referendum and of course in that conversation will be a will no doubt be a reflection of the current state of affairs relative to revenue and Senate Bill one and the state funding and that whole piece. So in that sense it'll be incorporated into that larger
conversation which we don't have a specific schedule yet but we're we're just met on that today again and and so it will be in the certainly in the in the early spring that that we'll begin to have conversation including with the
board as we move along toward toward the election toward the November election. So, so you think we can pretty well manage through because I I think I recall there's a projected to be a $2.9 million challenge this year. >> Well, it's it in the budget
presentation, it would come out that by the end of 26, end of 26, not the beginning. Um, with the numbers that we presented, it it resulted in about a $2 million deficit. So to answer your
question, we can manage a two, you know, we have that's why we have reserves so that um you know we don't immediately, you know, go over the cliff if something unexpected happens or if new legislation is passed. So that's that's a good example of why we have cash balance and
we'd like to increase it actually uh from where it's at now. Um, so we can manage the 2 million and u but that was based on you may not remember but in the budget presentation not because I'm trying to predetermine
what the board might do but that presentation in with the assumptions that were made that there would be no raises for 26 27 not 20 not currently but the next round of you know fiscal year no increases
period including insurance. Now, the reality is is our insurance will go up. You can bet on it. It's, you know, insurance trend right now has been trending near double digits. So, the likelihood that we won't need to raise premium is slim to that. So, if if we
actually if that was the outcome, you will hear from employees who say, "My insurance went up x amount." And you've heard it in the med media recently in, you know, others places. Um, and so again, I want to emphasize I'm not
assuming that's going to happen. I'm just saying the two million assumed that if we had, which is also why we gave a one one-year contract this year, which for us is is not typical. We've typically given two. Um, but the message was we need to talk more before we go
into year two. uh because if we just move ahead uh what has been kind of normal or typical that two million will soon turn into many million several million more than that and so those are the kind of discussions that we'll be discussing and because something will
have to give we'll either have to have more money or less staff uh or spend less and um and like at home um except we know that what we're spending is supporting an educational program and So that leads to conversation about what do
you want to what do you want to give up and um I don't know about you but I don't want to give up anything because I think we're doing a great job of educating children. I think our community has told us that. So those but those are the kind of dis and but not
everybody would agree with me. So those are the kind of discussions difficult discussions that we'll have going forward. The same as as we talk about people want salary increases. We we have lots of money. So I never would tell you that we can't give a 20% raise. We just
can't give it to as many people or we have to take it away from somebody to give it to somebody else. So it's the the concept is easy but doing it is extremely difficult. Um and we all we all have opinions on you know what you
would cut if if you know who decides. And so that's a very um challenging and difficult process and it takes quite a bit of time uh because everybody does want to be heard and and um and just the process itself. So I
don't know what the future will bring in terms of going down those various paths but but something will give uh have to give here be in re really in reaction to um the state legislature um essentially reducing revenue to
schools. >> Thank you cash. I think on that point it's kind of new for all of us right like for you to even say it's new definitely it's very new for all of us as well and there are gonna most likely have to be some really tough conversations so I think I would just like to make the ask that we have them
often and just sooner than later um instead of just coming with a proposal for what you guys feel it should be but having more of those we can do this or we can do that and having the the community input for that will be vital because I think the community's heard a
lot about SEA1 and they've heard a lot about how it's going to hit, you know, their real estate taxes and that it's going to hit our schools, but I don't think any of us really know how bad that could be. So, being very open, transparent, and talking about it in very digestible portions would be very
appreciated. >> Thanks, Roger. I I echo what uh Mrs. Cashion said and also um would be interested to know and this is like a longer term thing not something I need an answer to right now but um I had
heard I think it was from ISTA but I'm not going to cite them as a source because I'm not 100% sure that if we went back and looked at 2014 when they first started restructuring how schools get paid essentially that that cut if we
had kept going as we had always traditionally been funded that that cut was 45 to 50% of our revenues. I have no idea if that's true or not, but given I'd be interested to know if things had gone the way they'd always gone, what is
the true revenue gap, not just from SEA1, but from all the ways our legislature has changed our funding? I think that's important to know particularly because we'll get questions as we always do and this is a valid question from our
community of what have you done to tighten your belt and I think we've done lots to tighten our belt and it does get to a point where if your home um income is cut by 45 or 50% you know I can only
go to Aldi's and cut off Netflix and do so many things before it's just it becomes unmanageable. So I my ask is that I better understand and the board better understand what is the total deficit from everything that's been done
in the last 10 or 15 years versus just sea1 which is just a part of a larger scheme in my opinion to strangle public schools. >> You're absolutely right. That's just one of the larger most recent negative
events from a funding standpoint. And so and it started about 2010 uh when when the legislature elected to begin funding schools 100% with state revenue still all tax dollars by the way. Um it's just property or it's sales tax and income
tax. Um and from that point the that the year after that is when we had our first referendum. um um because that immediately uh caused a millions of dollars of less funding and
the following six years we received um less per pupil dollars percentages less dollars per pupil for the for the next six years as compared to the the year prior to that change. Thus, we became a
referendum state. And fortunately for Carmel and our community, they supported giving us additional revenue to to offset the the uh inadequate funding. Really inadequate to maintain the services that were
delivered. And um sometimes tightening a belt is just code for what are you wasting money on. um what we really do is decide um whether you know you still have to get to less spending and and when you know the vast majority of the
spending is is should as you could imagine is for educators to teach children um there's only you know supply budgets aren't going to do it travel budgets aren't going to do it and so when you're talking about millions of dollars so I won't get into all that but that's the kind of information that we
will and have already to some extent but we will present that um I was thinking of a little bit different way in terms of of the more recent things, but you're you're absolutely correct. There's been in first that there was that change and and
um and we've had supplemental funding ever since then, as you know, and it's increased, you know, from the original um um for for reasons that uh because more money was kind of taken out of the pot and and not given to traditional
public schools. And now um more recently um that happened in a significant way again and I'll use the the universal vouchers as an example. So so so that that that's part of the information
but as you said it's a longer conversation. Um but it might be striking to people um you know where we were versus where we're at in terms of that overall fund. Thanks. I appreciate it.
>> Thanks for the information, Mr. McMicha. I I think this is a good and very complex conversation. Um, and I I appreciate the board's feedback and would agree that I think it's important as we approach developing and we've
we've said this I think before um but I think it bears repeating as we approach the next budget cycle um that we consider looking at it and going through the process a little bit differently because of how complex it is. Yes. um and and you know taking it in smaller
bite-sized pieces both for our understanding and betterment um but also for the communities and allowing them the opportunity to really understand um how difficult this will be um but also to give them the in-depth understanding of what really goes into building the
process um because of all these factors and and I I think Miss Wheeler brought up an excellent point to to to maybe for the first time in a long time ensure that it's put into the proper context and that historical
context is is super important um as we build the budget to really understand what started in 2010 and what's happened over the last 16 years in terms of funding and and how that shift has occurred um has impacted every public school in the state. Um, and as you just
pointed out a moment ago, the last couple years in particular, some other changes have drastically changed what it looks like. So, more to come. So, yes, >> thank you, Mr. McMichael. >> Thank you. >> Uh, next on our agenda is our legislative update. Mrs. Kok,
>> thank you. I was sort of working here to see as things were changing, even as we even as we got here this evening, things were being voted on. Uh last Tuesday, February 17th, uh President Shapiro and I attended the Indiana School Board Association um state house day downtown.
And so we got a lot of valuable information on the education related legislation. And this year it was interesting. This is a short year for those of you just to kind of educate the public. So the the legislature has a short session that is a non-budget
session. That is this year. Next year will be the budget session. So, it's a longer session from January to April. You know, typically this session ends supposed to end tomorrow, Friday. Nothing's scheduled Friday yet, but um there's things scheduled for tomorrow. So, they they are supposed to end by
Friday unless they extend it. But for a short session, uh of the 753 bills initially filed, 35 were um are active and um have at least as of last week had something to do with education. So, they have been busy downtown. Um, the ones I
wanted to highlight, um, uh, one this just passed, uh, this evening while we were here, uh, is Senate Bill 76, uh, titled Immigration Matters that did pass, um, and, um, I believe we'll be, um, commenting on that in the future.
You know, we do already have policies regarding um, when, um, different outside entities want to have access to our school buildings. Um, that was something that we did last year. And so we we kind of already have that in place, that information in place. Um
this just goes into a little more detail um on um actions that can be taken um by the uh Indiana Attorney General. Um another uh bill to kind of still be on the lookout is Senate Bill 78, and that is um what Senator Rottz calls his cell
phone restriction. Um, so last year they passed a um a cell phone restriction ban. He doesn't like to call it a ban. He call likes to call it a restriction. He said last year it was passed and there just had to be some means to store it. This is more of a belltobell
restriction. Um again, I won't call it a ban is just a restriction. There are there are um clauses in there for um people who need to use their wireless devices. students um with um needs like who have type 1
diabetes that need to be monitored um other or other medical needs that they use a wireless device, a phone or a tablet for, they can still have those. Um but um this one as of right now um is they today a motion to concur was filed
but it was not voted on. So basically this started in the Senate, passed the Senate, passed the House and is back into the Senate and the Senate just has to agree with the amendments that were passed in the House. um an amendment that was uh that did not pass this week
that was filed um by um someone friendly with schools was attempting to change the the kind of the wording in it u right now as it stands is just for public and charter schools. Um the amendment intended to change it to all eligible schools to
include private schools. That amendment did not pass. So, as it stands, Senate Bill 78 only applies to public and charter schools, which charter schools are public schools. Uh, another one um is Senate Bill 199. Um, I was kind of trying to find
information on this one while I was sitting here. Um, this is one where um it has a lot of it's a various education matters. So, there's a lot of different things in here. again, Senator Ross, and it's in his big part of this was looking at um u the effects of
social media on minors and restricting, you know, um making the the social media companies limit what they can show to minors. But with regards to K to2, um there's some information in there or there's a part of it that talks about um looking at the
metrics of civic engagement. Um so our schools both um K to2 and then higher education having to make sure that there's components of civic engagement. Uh Senate Bill 200 is another one that they just it's public school matters. Again today a motion to concur was
filed. So again it has not been voted on. It has not passed but it's back to the Senate and they agreed um they're looking to to agree with all the amendments. Um this one one of the big things that would affect us that would or have anything to do with us is that
um organizations such as Boy Scouts or things that want to come into the schools um they they we have to allow organizations to come in and give a presentation. Uh House Bill 1004 is another various education matters. This is by um by
Representative Benning. He is this is his second or third year I think of doing deregulation. So the, you know, Hill Motion, like the book for um public school regulation is really thick. And so he is he's attempting to do a little bit of some deregulation little by
little every year. Um it is currently in committee and will be heard tomorrow at 10:30. Um, one of the points, um, as a parent of a child with a heart, um, this complication is they are take
wanting to take out the requirement for AEDs in schools. Um, the next one I wanted to talk about was House Bill 1242. Um, this one, um, is what they like to title an efficiency study. So this is
requiring the Indiana Department of Education by 121 of this year to have a report on school, they call it school corporations and charter schools. So us and charter schools, all public schools um and looking at
kind of student data, academic performance data is what that is looking at. That is all of the ones I had. So that is my report. I will try to keep the board u updated and we will have anything that is passed at the next meeting I will be able I will able to
report on. >> Thank you Mrs. Kok. Any questions from anyone? Great. Thank you. Next on our agenda is the superintendent report. Dr. Orike. >> Thank you President Shapiro. Tonight, I
am proud to share several celebrations that uh reflect the incredible breath of excellence across Carmel Clay Schools. From athletics to academics to student leadership to achievement, our staff and students continue to set the standard
not only in Indiana but in the nation. And you're going to hear examples of that this evening. This report could easily be an hour long tonight uh because the success and the honors and the achievements of our students and our staff keep rolling in by the moment. If
you don't follow our Facebook page, please make sure you sign up to follow. But there are a lot of positive outcomes that are coming along and recognizing our students. And I'm going to share a few of those with you tonight. The first one is I'm thrilled to announce that Carmel High School has been named the
number one athletic program in the nation according to Max Prep's Cup Dynasty rankings. Since 2018, Carmel has established itself as the most dominant high school athletic program in the
country. The Max Preps Cup formula awards points for state championships, state runnerup, um, and national rankings. Speaking of national rankings, our boys soccer team was number one in the nation uh this fall, which is outstanding. Um and the scoring is
thoughtfully weighed based upon factors such as state size and school size and uh division size, number of participating schools and so on. And so to rise to the very top of this rigorous formula um speaks volumes about the
consistency, the depth and the culture of excellence within our athletic program. Um, this recognition belongs to our student athletes, our coaches, our trainers, our families and supporters who invest countless hours uh
representing the Greyhound tradition with pride and integrity. I would also like to extend a special thank you to our athletic director, Mr. Jim Insky, our assistant athletic director, Mr. Jeff Hester. They are two of the best in the business and their leadership
continues to elevate Carmel High School to the national stage. So, go Hounds on that one. Um, and excellence in Carmel. It's not just limited to the playing field. Congratulations to our 48, let me say that again. 48 National Merit
finalists in the class of 2026. These students advanced through the highly competitive National Merit Scholarship Program. earning distinction based upon exceptional PSAT uh performance, academic achievement, leadership, and meaningful contributions
to their school and their community. Advancing from semi- finalist to finalist places these students among an elite group nationwide and opens the door to prestigious scholarship opportunities, which I know their parents appreciate. So this milestone is
a testament to the strength of our academic programs and the culture of excellence that defines Carmel Clay Schools. We congratulate these remarkable students, their parents, their teachers uh and all all who make an incredible uh mark on our student
experience and we look forward to the impact that our students will continue. Moving on, we're also proud to announce that just today, just today, 23 seniors from Carmel High School have been named
candidates for the two 2026 US Presidential Scholarship Program. This year, the Indiana Department of Education identified 119 students statewide, meaning Carmel High School students represent nearly 20% of the US
presidential presidential scholars in the state of Indiana. A staggering achievement that certainly reinforces the district's standing as a premier institution on the national stage. And so just to give you a little background on the US Presidential Scholarship
Program, it was established in 1964 to recognize and honor some of our nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors. And as the Department of Education selects one male and one female from each state each year. So let
me give you a little bit of context on Carmel High School. So Carmel High School maintains an unprecedented record of success within this elite program as well. The school has produced at least one state scholar every year since 2021.
That is unfathomable to me. Um, and notably in 2023, Carmel High School had both US presidential scholars, which only a select handfuls of schools across the entire United States can claim that.
So, these 23 candidates now join a prestigious legacy of our Carmel uh honores. And so the selection process continues now with our 23 out of the 119. Just think about that. 119 students and then one gets selected, one male,
one female, and then Carmel High School's had one since 2021. That is just incredible. And so the uh selection process moves on. Finalist will be announced in the coming months with the two state winners uh designated in May. So congratulations again. celebrate
their dedication to academic excellence and also leadership. And so I have a lot of different student groups and clubs we could recognize, but I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna uh talk tonight about our mock trial team. I think Miss Wheeler would appreciate that. And so our Caramel High
School mock trial team uh program continues to excel. Um, and so they took first place at districts. And then in the regional competition, all three of our teams are now advancing to state. And so only eight teams from the region
advanced and three of them were from Carmel High School. And so students have been preparing their cases uh and have delivered outstanding performances before members of the Hamilton County Judiciary Judiciary at the courthouse
during the district competition. Um, mock trial is a rigorous competition. Teams must be prepared to argue either the defense or the plaintiff depending on the draw that they get. And so it demands deep legal analysis, poise,
collaboration, and fantastic public speaking skills. We're incredibly proud of their commitment, their confidence, and composure that our mock trial students demonstrate in the courtroom, and their hard work continues to elevate Carmel on the regional and state stage.
So, we wish them the best of luck as they move on to the state competition. And so, for our bell ringer tonight, it's going to go to one of our middle school students. And so on Tuesday, February 17th, in Bloomington, Creekide
student Ryan Ram was honored with the Yes I Can award from the Council for Exceptional Children. And this prestigious award recognizes students with exceptionalities who demonstrate outstanding achievement in academics,
the art, the arts, leadership, self- advocacy, technology, or transition planning. So Ryan was nominated by his special education teacher, Mr. Leeski, and his student teacher from Butler, Miss Ponce. And because of this
recognition, Ryan will now represent Indiana at the National Yes I Can award, which will be announced later this year. So Ryan's achievement reflects the power of perseverance, advocacy, and belief in students limitless potential. We are
incredibly proud of him and grateful to the educators who walk alongside our students every day. And so, as I reflect on all of these recognitions, and I could go on for a while tonight, but I'm going to recognize these. Here's here's what stands out to me. We're number one
in the nation in high school athletics at Carmel High School. 48 National Merit finalist. I meant to say semif finalist. 23 US presidential scholars. We're producing district and regional champion
mock trial teams and perhaps state champion mock trial teams. And we are celebrating excellence through statewide and national recognition. This is what it means to provide a comprehensive uh opportunities for our students um
where they get to live out their commitment for excellence across academics, the arts. Didn't even mention show choir. I love show choir by the way. The arts, athletics, leadership, and service. Thank you to our students, our families, and our community for continuing to make Carmela Carmel Clay
Schools a place where together we achieve. Thank you very much. >> Thank you, Dr. Orike. Just a few announcements about upcoming uh events and meetings. March 11th will be our next schoolboard workshop session
and our March regular session will be held on uh Wednesday, March 25th. For those of you who like to plan ahead, spring break is April 6th through the 10th and our April 15th schoolboard workshop session will be held at Clay Middle School.
Uh that is all we have tonight. May I have a motion to adjurnn? >> I move to adjourn the meeting. >> Thank you, Mrs. Coke. May I have a second? >> I second. Thank you, Mrs. Cashion. Meeting is adjourned.