rise for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the unit. Thank you all for coming today. I know it was a switch of time. I want to touch base on that. We're here because tonight we'll be celebrating the Katherine Wolf
Award and many of us board members and our superintendent need to be in attendance of that. So coming here today at 3:30 was important to celebrate our athletes from elementary, junior high, and high school. So thank you all for accommodating our time change. We will do the Alcart promise and that will be
Miss Stacy Davis. >> Every student is known by name, challenged and supported by highly effective staff and in partnership with the community will graduate career college and life ready. Thank you. Most of us know what the invitation to speak protocol is. You have an opportunity to
come up to the front. You state your name, your address, your association with the school district, and then from there you have three minutes to speak. And we love and respect everything that everybody has to say and what is necessary. But we ask that you please be respectful to stating people's names,
talking about personal items, or anything that might not possibly fit something that is inside of our policy or would harm one other's reputation. So, and the invitation to speak protocol. Do we have anybody? All right. Thank you. I'm just going to
go ahead and move on through. And oh, Linda Fine. >> Hi, friend. >> Hi. How are you? >> I'm fantastic. It's good to see you. You, too. >> It's just real quick. My name's Linda Fine. Most of you guys know me. Um, I
just have two real quick things. Um, the first one is, and I know that it's the state, it's not really a whole lot you guys can do, but in the cell phone policy, which doesn't make any sense because it says that I can give them permission to use a PCD on as long as
the PCD is a Elcart schools device, which would never happen. Um, but I teach ACP uh government. So, I teach IU government and um IU requires a second um authentication for those kids to
enroll in class. So, they either have to use the authenticator app or they have to use Duo Mobile in order to do that. Where is that at? It's on your phone. Um and so in the past, the past two years we've had the policy, I have had the ability that an administrator has been able to say, "Yes, you can do this in
your class for this to happen." There's nothing in the cell phone policy that gives an administrator the ability to give me permission in my class to use that so students can enroll for IU. Even some of the kids in IvyTech have the same thing. So, it's not going to be
just me. It's going to be people that are teaching um higher level when they're teaching ACP or uh IVTech. There's going to be an opportunity and not an opportunity, there's going to be a need for students to use their cell phones in order to enroll in those classes. Okay. Uh, my second thing, um,
and part of the reason probably a lot of people might be here is that I believe today is the day that the board is going to be talking about all of the changes they made for reductions and to show the community what kind of money we have saved because the board no longer allows
people to comment during the agenda. Is that going to be waved for today? because some people might have some questions during that presentation um that to wait 2 3 weeks to get that addressed might not really work. So I
just wanted the board to think about that as you move into that portion of the meeting when they're talking about that as to whether or not you're going to wave the ability for the members of the audience to actually comment or have questions about those cost-saving
measures. Thank you. you. Next, we have Bethany Ward. >> Hi, I'm Bethany Ward. Um, I'm a parent of students in Elkart schools. And as a parent, I would like to address
the issue of flexible seating being removed from our children's learning environments. While I can understand the need to remove specific seating options involving fabric for reasons of fire safety or pest control, removing all flexible seating options is an
unreasonable response. I'd like to refer to Maslo's hierarchy of needs because learning does not happen in isolation. Before our children can fully engage in academics, they need an environment that supports their physical, emotional, and
developmental needs. For many students, flexible seating is part of that support. I have children with ADHD um and they benefit from movement while they are learning. Flexible seating provides an appropriate way to meet
those needs in the classroom. When we remove every option for movement and flexibility, we risk sending a message to students whose brains and bodies work differently. That the classroom was designed for one type of learner and one type of learner only, and that they must
adapt or struggle. No child should be made to feel that their learning needs are unwelcome, especially students with exceptional learning needs. And I want to say my 10-year-old daughter very much wanted to be here today. She was not able to be,
but she had some very strong feelings on this. Um, I'm also concerned about the impact this decision has on our teachers who have invested their time, their effort, their creativity, and often their own money into creating classrooms that are welcoming, engaging, and
responsive to student needs. These environments are often the result of years of experience and good professional judgment about what helps our students learn best. A blanket prohibition on flexible seating removes this important tool from teachers and an
important support from students. It assumes that every child learns best in the exact same environment despite overwhelming evidence that students have different learning needs. I urge the administration and school board to reconsider this decision. If there are
legitim legitimate safety concerns, then address those concerns directly, but please do not eliminate an entire category of classroom supports that helps many students feel comfortable, regulated, and ready to learn. Our goal should be classrooms, not be classrooms
that look identical. Our goal should be classrooms where all students have the opportunity to succeed. Thank you. Jeff Miller. Hello. Um,
parent, resident, former employee. Um, for 21 years, uh, you know what? I'm going to call an Audible here. I worked on this for about the last year of listing things that
were issues. Um, this is very personal to me because I love Elcart and it's super frustrating to see what when I say you, I don't mean any individual up here. None of none of what I say about you is personal. When I
say you, I'm talking about ECS in general. It's super frustrating to see where it's going and what's happening. and decisions being made. The lack of communication, which I can attest to now that I've been somewhere else for a
year, the communication in ECS is awful. And I don't know if that's because there are too many layers playing the telephone game or what. Um, some of the decisions that are made are people ask me all the time like what are they doing in Elkart? And I've stopped
defending it because I don't know how to defend some of it. um hiring people and basically setting them up to fail. Um I'm trying to be as general as possible, but you know there's a there's a budget crisis. I watched the board meeting
where we're spending 95% of our personnel budget and it needs to be at 80%. So decisions like cutting the strength and performance position, I get it. You got to cut. But if you thought Penn was dominant before, just wait for the next 10 years because they have
cracked the code on how to train their athletes and let their coaches just coach their sport. And without that level of commitment to that new facility that was built and going back to the old days of each coach is going to train their team the way that they
know best, which is usually not very good, just being factual. Uh I just don't understand stuff like that. Um, you know, one of the things that's been
pushed in the last couple years was taking employee um, feedback into account, especially when people leave. And I was an employee for 21 years. Nobody asked me anything. I submitted my
letter of resignation and the next communication I had was the next morning when I couldn't get into my email account. So I feel like the people who've been here, the people who've been in it in multiple roles in multiple schools, like those stakeholders are not
solicited enough before decisions are made. Um, not that I'm important cuz I'm not, but I feel like a 21-year employee leaving and it wasn't because of football. I let that narrative run, but that's not why I left. But nobody asked why. And I think that's a huge problem.
Again, I love this place, but it is super frustrating. Dr. Kelly Hennings Tucker. My name is Dr. Kelly Hennings Tucker and I would share my address, but I have protected citizens that live in my address. And I'm here today to talk about exceptional learners once again
because the saddest part as a taxpayer, as a foster parent, as a guardian, as a parent, as an advocate, and as a community member and a former employee is that you have major situations and problems. And though they may be addressed, I can actually applaud Tracy
Hinn and Lindseay Brander before her exit and actually doing an investigation. I spoke last month and they found that nine of the things that I wrote in my complaint were legitimate. errors that happened on your watch. To have foster children with
disabilities be harmed in your care is unacceptable. And then in the investigation and asking why my son doesn't still have speech services, no one could give me an answer other than there was an email from the year before also at Hawthorne that said
the parent declined to meet with us to explain why he wasn't getting those services. But the date of the email, I was in Pakistan. No one called his caseworker. No one called his CASA because, you know, I did my follow-up. And in my absence, his guardian is my sister who's a school
employee. So, it would take pushing four numbers on a a keypad to say, "Hey, we made a decision." That didn't happen either. But I'm here speaking today because I spoke on a Tuesday last month and on Thursday there was an anonymous call from the city of Elcart that said I
was harming one of my foster children. They gave his name, they gave his age, they gave his intellectual disability and only a school employee would have that information because his parents don't even know what his disability is because he was labeled while he was in my care. And to top that off, you have
retaliatory practices. No one owns up to it. And then that same day, there was a call about the child's scrotum and foreskin being looked at by the school nurse who was called down there prior to the DCS call being made. And
I shouldn't be talking about a four-year-old's private parts with somebody on a telephone that were looked at in a classroom and then the principal said it was looked at in the bathroom. You can't even get your story straight. And as a a child from Elcart, born and raised, got an education here. I have a
doctorate in theology and in education. I didn't come back to Elkcart to be an educator because it's unorganized and uncoordinated. And why would you want to continue to invest time and talent into something that appears to be the Titanic?
Ultimately, my 2-year-old is here. We just signed adoption papers on Friday. Why would I send her to PACE even though she qualifies next year if you can't handle my six-year-old or any of my foster children? What are we doing? And when are we going to start to listen to
the parents who are bringing legitimate situations to you and doing what's needed and necessary to make the education process better for children who've already gone through so much trauma. Your education should not be another traumatic experience. When we know better, we're supposed to do
better. And if we say that we're inclusive in education, I shouldn't have been explaining why one of my children that's at Cleveland was said that she shouldn't be allowed to go on a field trip because of her behaviors. She's diagnosed by with a cognitive disability by your school system and her doctor
says she has autism. Clearly, she doesn't transition well, but why are we having conversations about students publicly and in public forms for it to come back to foster parents or to parents? There should be a level of professionalism and a better level of communication and there should be
legitimate answers when parents are calling you to the carpet about why things are happening. And yes, my time is up, but at the end of the day, if you really have a heart for Elkcart, let's do right by students and not just give lip service. Can I take the protocol or is it Yeah.
>> Yeah. I'm going to go ahead. Yeah. Just bring it in here. Okay. Okay. Okay. So, I'm going to do one just quick shout out because normally we take these at the very beginning of the meeting and once the meeting's rolling, we don't take them. So, if there's anybody else because I'm
doing this, please let me know now. But after I call this one, I'm going to go ahead and move forward with the meeting. Okay. So, this is Sarah Beto. >> Hey, thank you. Sorry. >> No, that's okay. Yeah, that's okay.
>> Um, so I am a previous employee with um ECS um in the middle school, Westside Westside Middle School and um we received a email like late in the year for the um makeup days that were going
that were supposed to happen for the snow days that were um presented. um throughout the year and uh we had five business days to make up for these days and um it just really wasn't enough time
like just people before talking about communication being really poor and um so I I I made efforts to get these these hours so that I could um you know get my allotted time. Um, however, everyone
said, uh, sorry, we can't do that. Um, and it's really not a a can't, it's a a wouldn't and a won't. And um so I think I just wanted to speak on behalf of the classified workers about how it's really frustrating to have an entitlement to
these hours of 22 and a half hours in particular and then um just really be kind of stepped on and said that it's it's not possible. We can't help you. And I know it's a we have our small jobs with our small pay, but it um it matters
to us. And um so it's just it's just a frustrating thing for me and I wanted to address that and point out my frustration and um >> take your time. >> Yeah. One of the things about that email that we got was that it was very generic
looking like all of our other emails that we got on the school updates etc. And I know I'm not the only one who missed this email. Um, I actually did see it, but because it was at the end of the school year when things are kind of crazy, if anyone actually works in the
school, they would know it's in it's kind of crazy. Um, so I missed out on on that five business days to check into it. And um, I had 63 unpaid hours because of those honestly mostly bogus
snow days. There were a couple days where I'm like that seems justifiable for sure. Um and all the kids they had their days where they could um you know do their online learning which majority of them seem to not really uh go to anyway. Um and then us classified
workers were just like okay we'll make it up at the end of the year. Cool. Then we had our 5 days notice on that email and didn't come like it just my missed it. And there really were other opportunities where I could have worked at my home school and made up those
hours. Um, it was Yeah. Um, so I I I I don't like how the school system here is is so self-p protection, self-promotion, scarcity mindset, kind of covering your
own butts and not taking into account the umbrella of the whole school, not just the employees. That's very integral but like what you know our students it's all trickle down effect should be you know working in that fashion but it
doesn't it doesn't it's not working whatever is happening here is not working I've only worked I worked at ECS for a year and a half thank you but I'm yeah I >> thank you so much I know thank you appreciate you guys thank
Okay. Um, we're going to go ahead and move to um policy analytics. >> No, >> no, no. >> Key to the city. >> Oh. Oh, sorry. Oh my gosh. I'm sorry. I forgot you for a second, but not really. Key to the city, Mayor Rod, just for a
second. I'm like breathing in everything. Rod, breathing in. >> That's quite all right. All right. I want to first of all say uh thank you to the board for uh your service to the community and and what you do uh obviously um day in day out and at all the meetings that I've attended which
was was some years ago. I also want to um acknowledge uh Donna Missouri. Did I pronounce her name appropriately? >> Yes, you did. >> Would you come up for a second? Are you here? >> Yes. >> All right. Uh I know that you probably don't want to come up, but would you
please come up for a second? Don't worry about it. We have to transition for all the right reasons, right? Okay. So, um this is a this is a an attempt to acknowledge just a small
portion. >> I'll tell you. >> Hi, sweet thing. How are you, Donna? >> This that's that's quite all right. I got >> I didn't think you were this tall. I got I have 4 inch heels on. No, no, not
really. Not really. Well, uh this is an attempt to acknowledge just just a small part of what Donna has offered to the system. Um I give a state of the I give a state of the city every year, but I give a key to the city uh after 25 years of service
for um for city employees uh who have served that long. Um Donna has put in over 40 years with the with Elcart Community Schools and uh it's from my understanding that
uh everyone that retires after 25 is giving an option to either receive a K key to the city or a piece of luggage and I'm only given one key to the city. So everybody else chose a piece of
luggage. That's all right. That's all right. It's it's all right. I say that I say that to say that some people don't like to receive this kind of attention when I give a key to the city and um uh but I think it's worth acknowledging and especially from the city since uh Elcart
Community Schools is a part of the city and so uh this is one place in which I can acknowledge the service that Donna uh has um has performed over the course of her experience here in Alcart. And I wanted to make sure that I do so in the
appropriate way. But I also will reach back and for those who have retired over the last couple of years in which we'll have a uh I'll I'll give a give a shout out to the superintendent to find out who those names are. Even if they didn't
want to be acknowledged, I will send them a key to the city. Uh because that is just for me. You don't have to be acknowledged publicly, but at least you will have it. Put it on your mantel. Put it in your piece of luggage if you'd like to. But you will have it. Uh, and so with
that said, um, as I said, small token of recognition for the 40 years of service to Elkart Community Schools, Donna, Missouri, Missouri, >> Missouri, >> Missouri like like the state. All right. Um, this is an acknowledgement from u my
office uh to you for uh that those years of service. So, thank you so much. >> Thank you very much. Thank you. >> Speech. Speech. No, I'm joking. I'm joking. I'm joking. You have >> I get the luggage, too. You get the
>> That's only if you're going to get a trip from your husband. Hey, Dave. Back there. >> Donna, congratulations. as as my friend and as somebody who's worked in the district forever. We are very proud of you and you are >> Yeah, it's me, Dave. It's me. Give her
the luggage and the trip. Thanks, Donna. >> Yeah. >> Okay. And I'm going to leave you. Um I will obviously review the meeting a little later, but uh thank you so much for allowing me to just participate for just a second. I really appreciate it. >> Thank you, mayor. And I was just testing to see if you were paying attention. I
wasn't really trying to move on. Just checking to see if you were on it. All right, let's move to policy analytics. Thank you. >> Hello. Um, thank you for having me back again. I'm April Fitterling from policy
analytics and our um our company helps revenue project and um help districts project their cash flows and see what's coming um for the impact. Um I can >> Okay, perfect. Thank you so much. So,
let's just go ahead and get started. So, talking about cash flows, what we're talking about tonight are the education fund and the operation funds. Those are your major funds. Education fund is supported by the state and it's based on your ADM or your student count. Um, and
those counts are two times a year. So, that revenue is set um by a funding formula from the state. Um, and again, it will go up and down as your student count changes. For the operations fund, it's your property taxbased fund. It is typically following the maximum levy
growth quotient at about 4% growth um annually for the certified levy, but also there are impacts to the operations fund with property tax reform. Um we have Senate rolled act one. It's something that we I've been here prior to talk about. Um so these cash flows
incorporate all of those um for um revenue projections and then um for our revenue projections they're about one and a one one and a half% for education fund about 4% for operations and expenditures range from two two to 5% um
annually for our expenditures. So let's dive in and take a look at education fund first. So we have about five years of historical data. You can see that's towards the left of the screen. and then um six years projected out till 2031. We
went to 2031 because that is um how long Senate rolled act one goes. Um and you can see um where the projected cash balance is trending. Um really the main drivers of that is our 1% on average increase in revenue. Um it's being
outpaced by our 5% in expenditures. So you can see um that continues to grow over the next 5 six years um to a deficit of roughly around 71 million if cuts are not made. Um looking at this um
cash flow trajectory um we can see that your ADM has decreased over the past five years um almost 1300 students um from 21 to 2025 um and projecting almost another 500 for next year. We have flatlined that just
to kind of see where we go. It's kind of a something that it's what we do with most districts. If we we aren't sure where we're going to trend, we just kind of flatline to get a baseline to see where we're um projecting. So looking at these um assumptions, we've um looked at
the historical um major expenditures and you can see I've highlighted on there our um top expenditure is wages and benefits and it's about 96% of your overall total expenditures. So um unfortunately to write the ship to have
a cost reduction um the option really is in wages and benefits. Um and looking at this trajectory, um we're talking right now in mid um 2026. So making these uh corrections now
instead of getting into the fall of 2026 will um one help with your um interruption to instruction. Um we do know that in the fall of 2026, you know, students are here, classes are set. So if we start to make the corrections now,
hopefully we can turn that negative deficit in around for 2026. So um and again just um I forgot to mention education fund. Yes, it's funded by the state. Um our expenditures out of the education fund are inclassroom
expenditures only. Teachers, aids, subs, um curriculum materials, um the along items along those lines and supplies that are used in the classroom. So um like again biggest portion are wages and
benefits at 96% of expenditures. So um that's the education fund projections. When we look at the operations fund um it still has a deficit um that's continuing to climb but it's not as severe as the operations fund. Um that
is due largely to the revenue is closer to pacing with expenditures. Revenue is about a 4% um annually increase and expenditures are at about 5%. So operations fund is your transportation,
your custodial, your utilities, um your fuel, your buses. So operations fund is um all of the operational pieces um uh construction and maintenance as well. So, um, looking at this fund, it's a smaller, um, amount of revenue and
expenditures coming out. Um, um, and there's a lot of other, uh, support or operational expenditures inside of it. So, the salary and benefits are only about 59% of your expenditures and operations funds. So, um, just giving you kind of a lay of the land of the
operations fund here. We have built in the Senate enrolled act one um, changes. So that is the um increase in that homestead credit that reduces revenue into the operations fund. Um and then again in 2029 when that property tax
replacement credit goes away that's about a 1.5 million loss in revenue for the district in a certified shares um or that's the local income tax certified shares portion that is received by the district and that goes away in 2029. So those are all built into these
projections here. Um some things that we just talked to districts about what you can do. Education fund obviously needs to have some serious um reductions starting um now to plan for the fall of 2026. Um operations fund needs
reductions but maybe not as large. We're talking more of a couple million instead of multi-million um in education fund. And unfortunately at 96% of expenditures when that's your let's call it the biggest rock of expenditures is wages and benefits. Um yes you only have 4% in
other items that's not going to get you um to about 15 million. So um unfortunately that's where you need to start. Um and starting now for the fall of 2026 a deep evaluation of class sizes, programming, true FTEES. Um, and
just to mention that the transfer from ED to ops that supports expenditures that the state had us move over when they created the funds. Um, even if you didn't do that transfer, we still have a negative cash balance in 2028. So, those are some things um, just to take into
account. Um, and we just wanted to give um, one last comparative slide here. Um, we do a lot of comparative data for districts. It's a lot of um, historical and saying where have you been and then where do you compare to others. This one slide here is a salary and benefits expenditure per student. Um, and we call
it by object because salaries and benefits are in part of a long general ledger code that is um, created by the state board of accounts and every school district uses it. So you pull this general ledger co code and that's where you get your um, total amounts. Um, you
can see for the certified salaries um, Elcart is definitely the largest. We have three districts that are um close districts near here and then we have two districts that are similar ADM or student count districts. So you can see
of them all um and compared to the state average Elcart Community Schools is is one of the highest um one of the kind of main drivers outside of the salaries and um benefits is the um additional compensation. So you can see those are
larger than any other district on the comparative slide. So just giving you that as a piece of um information as you take it into account. Um and we will be working with the district as cost reductions are planned. We will run those models in the cash flows and have updated for you as they as they go
along. So any questions for me this evening? >> I just want to make a comment. Um when I was looking at this slide and I went back and I pulled um the enrollment numbers for the schools that are listed on that and and I want to highlight a
couple of them. Southbend has 2600 more students than Elcart has. Um Penn has um about 950 more than we have. So, you know, we're kind of in the middle there. So when you when you can compare that to see that that where we fall with our
expenses and stuff, it it's it's pretty straightforward that um we have to make changes um in order to get us back in balance. Um I look at Hammond who is right now almost exactly where we are from an enrollment standpoint and to see
where they are. And so that kind of gives us um context of of where we should be falling um with some of these numbers to help. And so it it's a situation we find ourselves in. Um and
it's important that we are um doing what we need to do to get us back in line. And they're not easy decisions. They're not welcome decisions. Um but we have no choice. Um and so I just wanted people to understand the comparison um with
regards to enrollment um of these various schools as well for context. Thank you. >> Thank you. Anything else? >> Okay. Thank you guys. Thank you members of the board, Mrs. Ree, community members. I'm grateful for the opportunity to share the highlights
in the area of academics, arts, and athletics. For academics, um, Purean sixth grade student Marcelus Simmons recently met with Elcart Mayor Rod Robertson, asking thoughtful questions about the CI civic leadership and the role of mayor. His curiosity, engagement
may even lead to a future mayor of the day opportunity. Also in academics, over the past several weeks, Elcart Community Schools has celebrated student milestones across the district, including kindergarten and fifth grade graduations, graduation walks, and commencement ceremonies,
recognizing achievements at every level. In the area of arts, 10 Elkart High School students were selected to perform at the Indiana All-Star Marching Band and Indie 500 Festival Parade. The students joined more than 200 musicians from over 60 high schools across
Indiana, proudly representing Elcart High School in one of the state's premier marching band events. Cleveland Elementary celebrated the 10th anniversary of its annual fine arts arts performance honoring students as artists, musicians, dancers, and
performers. The event featured student artwork, interactive activities, and arts focused learning experience that highlighted creativity and artistic expression throughout the school. In the area of athletics, elementary schools across the district participated
in our unified champions game day, bringing students together through inclusive activities that promoted teamwork, friendship, and fun. The event was supported by numerous volunteers from across the district, student organizations, and community partners, including the local fire department and
police departments. Also in athletics, the third annual rising lions celebration brought together eighth grade athletes from Westside, North Side, and Pieran to celebrate their transition to Elcart High School athletics. The event recognized student athletes for their
dedication and achievements while welcoming them to the next chapter of their athletic journey. And please join us on June 11th for the class of 2026 commencement. And thank you for celebrating the excellence of Elcart with us. As I close
out my presentation, I'm proud to introduce the new athletic director for Elkart High School, Mr. Josh Flesher. Please join me in welcoming him to the podium. Afternoon. Um, Vice President Mullins, school board, Superintendent Ree, thank
you for having me. I was asked about an hour ago to speak, so it's going to be really, really good. So, I just want to introduce myself real quickly um about I guess personally my wife and I. We have five children. Um we have one daughter who just graduated from high school and uh she'll be spending a year get a
little emotional talking about because she's leaving the country. She's gonna go to do mission work in the Dominican Republic. I'm proud of her, but we're going to miss her. Then we we're bringing four children with us to uh Elcart Community Schools. We'll have a senior, a 10th grader, and then two middle schoolers. So, we're excited. Um we're very very excited to be here.
We're not here yet. I'm here I'm here currently obviously, but we're not here yet. We're in the process of moving. Um just a little bit about me. I I graduated high school from Northridge High School. I actually started my academic career at Pinewood Elementary back in the early 80s. And so I had a good experience there. Walked to school,
lived in East Lake. And uh after high school, I attended Miami of Ohio where I just spent one year there. And then I ended up graduating from Goan College. Uh my professional journey started at Fairfield Junior High. We have any Falcons in the room? No. Okay, that's
pretty normal. And then I went I I coached at Northridge. I coached at Penn High School. I most recently uh coached at Angola High School. I was very fortunate enough to work with state champions uh all conference just some awesome uh student athletes. And I spent
six years as the head cross country, excuse me, the head track and field coach at Try University. Uh that was an awesome experience working at the collegiic level. um was able to coach national champions and it was just a great experience um for myself and and for our family. I forgot to say my where
I live. I'm sorry. Should I say my address? Are we past that? >> Okay, >> you better hold off on that for a minute. >> That's true. >> Well, it's in Angola. You're welcome to come by. >> And I just I just want to reiterate how excited we are to be here and I'm excited to start this new chapter of my
professional life. And uh so far, everyone I've met has been amazing. The facilities are amazing. The coaches that I've met, um, student athletes that I've seen perform over the last couple years or actually since I've been involved in athletics for 29 years, I've seen a lot of, um, Elcart athletes and I've always
been impressed and I know I'm excited to be on their same team. >> Thank you. Good. You're welcome. >> Are there any questions you have for me? I'll take questions. >> I had an hour to prepare. I'm ready. >> That's all right. We got to get to Katherine Wolf award. So, we're going to move this along. You'll get acclimated
to that athletic There you go. All right. You're welcome. >> All right. Thank you. Okay. So, we're going to move on to our consent items. Do I have a motion? >> Moved. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Okay. We have a motion to second. Any
discussion? That would be me. So, we're going to move into $19,100 is what our community donated to us. And we're going to go right on through these. Our marine biology trip is benefiting from $1,250 from three donations, which are Chubby Trout, Waste
Connection, and Heart City Automotive. So, thank you to that. Um, our our Elcart High School athletic department received a donation for $500 from Genesis products to be used for water, snacks, etc. for our players. Um, we
were able to receive a anonymous $1,000 donation to be used in support of a transition award for one senior going to a four-year college or university in the fall of 2026. So, that is amazing. Thank you. Trinity Lutheran local church and school donated $1,000 for notebooks,
backpacks, personal hygiene clothing, and other items that are a necessity. Our volleyball, let's back up. Our our staff breakfast received $2,600 in donation. one from Horus man for 2500, one from West Point Financial Group for
100 to assist in taking care of our staff breakfast. Volleyball received um $1,000 from Its Tops and Heart City, Welch Packaging and uh let me see if they did anything else. Oh, nope. They donated to Westside
Middle School for their National History Day $250. Our Elcart Area Career Center received a total of $11,500. one donation from Kessington Machine Products of steel aluminum materials needed for the CNC machining program and
then another donation once again of medical supplies to be used in our medical programming. So at $19,100 our community pulled through for us again and we thank you completely. And then on to quickly retirements. We had a retirement of Thomas Miller from our bus
transportation department of 21 years and we want to thank Victor Stanner at the ETI custodian for 10 years of wonderful service. Then jumping ahead at 115 years. We have multiple retirements. One is uh Tamara Smittenorf at Cleveland
fifth grade 26 years of service. If you've never met Grace Chevik she's amazing. She's been at the Elcart Academy 30 years of service. I've been able to be at graduations or walk through the school or see her in action, but mostly hear from her students about the amazing ways that she impacted their
lives. So, Grace, we will miss you, but we are thankful for 30 years. Angela Alam at our Alcart High School special education. 27 beautiful years of service in our special education department. And last but not least, Matt Wanssky. 32
years of service, a grandpa, a fine man, somebody that's going to retire and have an amazing time hanging out with friends, side jobs, whatever it is that he's going to do. But to have the privilege of watching him as a principal, move through my children with him at Central. Uh hearing him sing at
graduations, if you've never heard that, it's amazing. But we thank you, Matt Wbansski. You are a wonderful man, a wonderful colleague, a wonderful mentor to many, and we hope very much from Elkart Community Schools that you enjoy a fine retirement. So, on that note, I
um h >> Oh, yeah. Okay. Hold on. I've got a note, you guys. Here's a note. Is there anybody that would like to have any conversation whatsoever about any agenda or line items that are here? >> No, it's just >> Oh, all right. So again, Greg or Maggie.
No, Maggie. Greg, you're off. Okay. >> I got really excited about my retirements. That was a very wellprepared speech. So, here we go onto this item. >> Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone. Uh, Vice President Mullins, members of the board. Madame uh superintendent, I would
like to take this opportunity to provide an update on the substitute teacher expenditures and the absence trends for the 2526 school year. I believe there might be a report in front of you that you can reference and I would like to also highlight a couple of key points
from that report. Through May 23rd of 2026, the district has expended approximately $1.95 million on substitute teacher coverage. Uh during the month of May alone, substitute teacher expenditures total
just over 255,000 with the vast majority of the costs incurred with our district uh substitute teachers and supplemental support from EDO staff. From May 1st through May 29th, the
district filled, 1444 substitute assignments across certified and support staff positions. Our overall fill rate, our average fill rate uh for that period was 57%.
meaning that nearly half of all the absences required an alternative coverage solution such as an internal staff coverage, reassignments of personnel, and other building level adjustments. When reviewing the reasons for
substitute usage in the month of May, um most of it illness was accounted for approximately 38% of all absences while vacancies and long-term assignments uh that also accounted for another 38%.
Personal business accounted for nearly 15% of substitute coverage. These figures continue to demonstrate that a significant portion of our substitute expenditures is tied not only to employee absences but also to ongoing staffing vacancies and long-term
coverage needs. The report also includes information regarding teacher overloads. During the 2526 school year, the district expended approximately 105,765 in overload compensation.
18 teachers accepted overload assignments in high need areas including science, American sign language, family and consumer sciences, math, college and career, special education, social studies for some of those contents. These overload assignments allowed the
district to maintain instructional services in the areas uh where it staffing needs. So, in reviewing the absence patterns from March through May, Fridays continue to have the highest number of absences, accounting for nearly 25% of absences,
followed by Thursdays and Mondays. Illnesses remained the most frequently reported reason for absences, followed by personal, business, administrative leave, and professional development. Overall, this report highlights the continued challenges in securing
substitute coverage, addressing staffing vacancies and maintaining instructional continuity for students. We will continue to monitor absence trends, field rates, and associated costs as we prepare for the 2627 school year.
Any questions that I may help answer? >> Thank you. >> Thanks, Maggie. Thank you. Okay. All right. Ready to move ahead? >> Yeah. I wanted to ask if there's anything. Okay. So, um we'll go ahead
and get board approval. So, all in favor? >> I >> Okay. All right. Here we go. Let's go on. >> That's what the consent agenda, >> huh? What was that? >> Yeah, that was the consent. Yeah, we already did a motion. We already did a second. Now, we're approving after discussion. Thank you. Old business. On
to old business. And we will go to Greg and contracts. >> Good afternoon, Madam Vice President, board members, Mrs. Reese. Uh, I am pinching for Mr. Thorne today, but the administration is presenting six contracts for final consideration as is
listed in the agenda item. Mr. Thorne has provided you with some written uh thoughts and recommendations with regard to the each of these contracts. And with the assistance of the requesting requesting administrator, I'd be happy to answer any additional questions that you have.
>> I need a motion. >> Motion. >> Second. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Okay. Go ahead, Greg. Board policies. >> Thank you. The administration presents uh proposed revisions to the board following board policies that are once again listed in the agenda item for
final consideration this afternoon. These were first brought to the board for initial consideration on May 12th. And once again, I am happy to attempt to answer any questions that you may have. >> Okay. Need a motion. >> Move. >> Second. >> Second.
>> All right. All in favor? >> I. >> Okay. New business. All right. You ready? All right. This is actually a very exciting new program.
>> Good late afternoon. Thank you board and superintendent Reese for the opportunity to present new course proposals. The administration presents the following proposed new course offerings for the 2027 and 2028 school year for board
review. principles of HVAC, HVAC fundamentals which is concentrator A, HVAC services concentrator B, and HVAC capstone. I'm here to answer any questions as needed.
>> So, what takes place in an HVAC capstone? >> Well, uh, with any of our capstones, we're looking for opportunities for internships. So, work-based learning is what we're going to be looking for. So any opportunities that we have to get kids out and doing real world
experiences. >> I'll just say I'm excited to see this. I got a twin brother who does this and I tell you when you can get a student who is the commodity for the service because they because they are the one doing the work. I think it's I think it's phenomenal. So I'm excited to see this.
>> We're very excited as well. >> Yeah. Thank you for giving another opportunity for our children to find something that meets their needs, you know, that they have an opportunity and flourish by growing a business. So, thank you very much. All right, any other questions? Okay, fantastic. We're
going to move ahead. Thank you so much. >> Ready? >> But it's not a motion. It's just a presentation. >> So, the next agenda item is a temporary re relocation of Monger Elementary School staff and students. Um, so staff
and families, as we prepare for the upcoming 2627 school year, we wanted to share an important update regarding a facilities challenge with Monger Elementary and our plan to ensure a smooth, safe start for all of our students and staff. As many of you know,
Monger Elementary suffered a severe waterline break this past spring, which required a temporary relocation to finish the school year. So, thank you, Bristol, for accommodating that need. Facilities and restoration experts have been working diligently to assess the property. Their findings indicate that
the water damage is extensive and the necessary remediation and repairs will take costly time and significantly longer than initially anticipated. Because our absolute priority is ensuring a safe, stable, and high quality learning environment, Monger Elementary students and staff will
temporarily begin the 2627 school year at the former Mary Beck Elementary building. This temporary relocation exclusively affects families and staff enrolled at Monger for the upcoming school year. And when I say temporarily, I mean for
the entire school year. The entire Monger community, including teachers, support staff, administrators, and specialized programming will move to all together to the Mary Beck location to ensure that their school culture, familiar faces, and daily routines
remain entirely intact. Over the summer, transportation routes and logistics to support the temporary location will be communicated directly to the Monger families. Meanwhile, our facilities team will continue to manage the restoration project at Monger, and
we will provide updates as they are available. But we do want to extend our deepest gratitude to our facilities crew, the administrators, and the entire staff who are working incredibly hard behind the scenes to execute this transition. We
also want to thank our entire Elcart community for your ongoing flexibility, understanding, and support as we work together to take to care of our students and staff for the 2627 school year. We do look forward to welcoming all of our students back for a successful 2627
school year on August 13, 2026. >> Thank you very much. Um, so >> board, I do want to let you know this notification will go out also electronically to all of our staff and families. >> Any uh I have a motion. >> Do I have a second?
>> Okay. Any discussion from any of you? Okay. All in favor? >> I >> I Okay, Greg, you're back on. >> Thank you. The administration pres presents proposed revisions to board policy 5136, personal communication
devices for initial consideration. As the agenda item reflects, uh originally there was a request for the board to uh wave its standard rules and hold second reading and take a vote on this agenda item uh or on this proposed policy this
evening as well. I will say taking note of the comment that was raised earlier in the public comment uh portion of the meeting I found that to be a valid concern. So my advice to the board would be either to let this policy proceed through the ordinary course of business absent any objection by the
superintendent so that it would be on second reading at your uh subsequent meeting. You would have the option to approve it with the understanding that that uh particular concern would be addressed and potentially come to you as a revision. But I would agree that the
um waving of the normal order of business and conducting second reading doesn't make as much sense in light of that concern. Once again, that was valid that was raised. So, absent any objection from the superintendent, I would recommend that we just conduct first reading this evening and move uh
into second reading at your next meeting. >> Greg, I do have a question on that. Since it is changing the alignment of what we have on the agenda, do I need to put that into a removal with the motion or do we just go ahead and have it just go to a later date on the meeting? So,
do I need to remove that? Okay. I just want to make sure that I'm clear. I'm making sure. >> Um, since the superintendent hasn't objected, I think that you can take my recommendation and simply move to second reading and approval at the next board meeting. >> Okay. Fantastic. I just want to make
sure we were clear on that prior to moving forward since it was on the >> Thank you. >> Okay. All right. Go ahead with your board policy. >> Thank you. The administration also presents proposed revisions to board policy uh 5410 promotion replacement and
retention for initial consideration. Um in essence, this policy addresses the retention and remediation process for students who are unable to pass the test after three tries. That also would um then proceed to uh
second reading and board action at your next board meeting. And then last but not least, the administration presents proposed revisions to administrative guideline 5410, the retention of students in grades K8 for initial review. This would be a companion piece to the policy
language that was referenced in the prior agenda item. And I am happy to answer any questions that you may have about that. All right. Thank you so much and thank you to everyone. Um we'll move towards um from the superintendent. >> Well, good afternoon. I believe it's
still that. Um I just have a couple of highlights. I want to recognize Tati Tanisha Hunt and I hope I um pronounced her name correctly. Um she was a claim driver um for her hard work in loc help helping to locate a student who had got on the wrong bus on the way home. Um
this is about a couple weeks ago, but she went above and beyond to be sure that the student was located. She was actually found the student um and brought him back to the bus garage and we were able to successfully reunite him with the parents. Um but again, she this
was beyond her actual hours that she was working with us and she went on her own to help us find that child and so I do want to recognize her for that. So thank you Tanisha. I'd like to also recognize Kyle Wurick um director of orchestras and K to2 music coordinator for being named the
section 4 recipient of the NFHS outstanding music educator award. So we congratulate you Kyle on this well-deserved recognition and thank you for the tremendous impact you have made on our students, school and community. In closing um I just want to have
everybody keep this in mind. Our students are the heart of this district and it is our responsibility to support them by keeping Elcart Community Schools on a strong foundation. To ensure our longtime fiscal stability, I will continue to partner with policy
analytics and others to conduct an ongoing review of our staffing levels, our organizational structures, our class sizes and programs. and I will devote to bring you regular recommendations to the board and to share with the community
based on these findings. Also, over the past weeks, five of our buildings, Bristol Elementary, Woodland Elementary, Oslo Elementary, Mary Beck Elementary, and the Hawthorne Early Learning Center opened their doors to families and neighbors for the final
time. These open houses were incredibly incredibly moving, filled with shared stories, deep memories, and a powerful celebration of the community built within those walls. We extend our deepest gratitude to those families, the staff, and communities of these
buildings. Thank you for showing up to honor these chapters, and thank you for your incredible dedication in preparing your children for their next school environments. And finally, we want to thank our incoming schools for their vital partnership, warmth, and collaboration and making this major
transition possible. Without all this and our team effort, this would not be possible for the 2627 school year. So, thank you. Anything from the board? >> Nothing. >> Nothing for me. >> All right. Well, so here we are. It is
officially 4:30 and this meeting is adjourned.