I want to thank everybody for coming out to the July 28th, 2026 regularly scheduled Elkhart Community Schools Board of Trustees meeting. At this time, if you I'd like to call it to order. And at this time, you can pre- please
rise for the pledge of allegiance. You may be seated. Mr. [clears throat] Weaver, the Elkhart promise. >> The Elkhart promise, every student is known by name, challenged and supported by highly effective staff and in partnership with the community will
graduate career, college ready and life ready. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Weaver. Invitation to speak protocol. In the back of the pamphlet is a little piece of paper that uh put your name, address,
your relationship with the school, give it to Dora. Um when your name is called, you're invited to come to the podium. And we ask that you start by stating your name, your relationship to Elkhart Community Schools. Um statements are limited to 3 minutes.
Uh Uh and uh should be statements should be directed to to the board as a whole, not to individual board members. Um No, this is not the uh opportunity to speak or discuss any charges or
complaints against individual employees. Uh instead, this information should be be provided in writing uh to the board through uh the superintendent. Um It is inappropriate, again, I've said this before, to discuss publicly personnel or student uh issues.
All right. Dora. First, Thomas Bartley. Do you need more time? I can Okay. >> prepared. >> Very good. >> Hi, Chris Thomas Bartley, uh representing, I guess, today I'm representing um
Elkhart Community Schools as a teacher. Um thank you. Um I want to state that I understand the need for frugality. I understand the need for cutting back on programs
uh and in positions. Um some of them are are painful and I understand that. Um but a- as someone who uh runs the home budget and the groceries I understand that sometimes you need to
put extra beans in the taco meat so that it covers more people, right? >> [snorts] >> Rice in the chili so I those for another night. What I'm asking is again, thank you for the financial
updates, but I'd like more clarity. What positions are being eliminated? How many positions have we already eliminated or combined? How much are we saving with that? And are we being strategic
with which positions are being eliminated? Is it oh, they cost a lot cuz they've been here, so we're going to eliminate them, or are we being strategic with the positions and seeing how that works? Um
the people that are left are going to be asked to do more with less. And I think it's important that um the people that are are still here and fighting for our kids in our community
and our school know who's going to be left here with us. And then I did have one more thing um in the packet, and I hope that this is clarified later in the meeting, but in the packet I saw that Munger was was put on the list, so I'm hoping we're going
to get an update on what came of the uh walk-through with the insurance and why Munger is on the list. I understood and understand the need to move to Mary Beck for a year, but the idea I thought again was that we would move back into Munger.
And I understand if after having gone through with ServePro or whoever, right, uh that's not possible, but I'm hoping for some clarity, hopefully later in the meeting. That's all I got today. Thank you. >> Chris.
>> [applause] >> Linda Fine. >> Uh Linda Fine, I am a teacher in the system. Um but today it's more just as a community member um as to why I'm here. So, I have a couple of comments mostly just about the public packet. >> [laughter] >> Okay, I was reading through it and some
things just uh don't seem to be making a whole lot of sense to me. Um in the consent agreement or in the consent items, there is a fundraiser um and it specifically says that the fundraiser is going to go door to door, but per your guidelines, school sponsored fund fund raising activities
should follow certain general guidelines. Activities should discourage door-to-door solicitation. So, kind of having it go say it's going door to door when your own policy says you should discourage that, maybe maybe not the best place.
Also, in the resolution to notify the IDOE about vacant buildings, I am confused by paragraphs five and six because they reference that you're going to talk about the three years of maintenance on these buildings, and it reference paragraph one, which is the
buildings we're using. And I would have assumed, and maybe I am wrong, that you would actually want to be referencing paragraph three, which are the buildings that you're actually planning on putting up for sale. Uh the same goes with uh paragraph six. It also reference it says in the buildings in
paragraph one, and that's talking about upkeep on maintenance and things like that. But again, I think and and again, I maybe I'm reading it wrong, that it should also say paragraph three, not paragraph one. Um in the student and the student parent guide, mostly because you guys are asking to waive second reading. Under on
page 17, under the textbook uh section, it says that there is a fee chart, but it says add a link to the fee chart. Do we have a fee chart? I don't know. Um also, on page 18 under assessments, the ILEARN biology, ILEARN government and
citizenship citizenship test requirements are missing from the assessments. Um and on page 19, there is no links to the interventions and suspensions part. There are links to everything else on the bottom of that page except for that one. Um, [gasps] my last little bit, I will concur, um,
with Ms. Bartley. Um, in the financial update, for those of us that have experienced the cuts and consequences of such, it would be easier to accept the reductions if what we knew was happening. You put it on the financial page, it says staff reductions. What have you reduced?
How much have you really saved? We deserve to know dollars, not just concepts. Um, how much has been reduced like at the high school? We went from five principals to two assistant principals and two deans. Where is that? How much is that saving us? And why can't we see that? I know that because I come to meetings, but
does the community know that that's what we did? When we just say staff reductions? Also, uh, our high ability administrator has resigned. Um, for the years that I knew her, worked K-12. And now, in today's in today's board meeting, you are going to be approving two
coordinators for her job. One K uh, early, uh, early learning to elementary and the second one high to middle school. So, is that a savings? How much? I would just like to know. Um, cuz I am going into this year expecting to not receive a raise again,
but I would like to see true dollar amounts to show what measures have truly been put in place. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Julie Tarkowski. >> Good evening. I'm Julie Tarkowski. I'm standing here as a teacher at Elkhart High School. Um, talking about schools of study a
little bit, I ran into three former students at grad parties, um, the last couple months and they were talking about we were talking about schools of study. Two of them are in got a admit into the Kelly School of Business and they said absolutely had everything
to do with being part of the Business and International Relations School of Study. They said that that made them really stand out and that was a big part of the conversation in their interview. And then another student who goes to LSU an HPA student, former HPA student, she was talking about school of study and
how she's down there and she's talking to um classmates and teachers maybe, I don't know, and just how everybody thought that that was a really neat thing. They hadn't heard of that. Um so I know we're making some arrangements with admin in our school of study and I
don't know what the complete future plan of that is, but I do want to say that it's something unique kind of, I believe, to our area. I know more kind of um more schools are kind of offering that, but it is pretty unique overall and it's
a great asset and something amazing to talk about that Elkhart Community Schools has. And with that, even though it's not completely what we imagined it would be when it was drawn up, there has to be some global classes. It's not
homogeneous, but it is enough that it creates a sense of smaller community among the students, among the staff. It's great to be able to talk with other staff members about students we share. Um so it's not just math teachers
talking about content, it's math, science, social studies near each other talking about students that we share. Uh so that's one of the um many pluses to having a school of study. Uh students, at least at ETI, they walk
in the door, they see the principal, they see the teachers and familiar faces over and over. So when it was originally a sea of over a thousand students, it's now like much smaller and it's just a really nice sense of community and I hope that we,
um, don't lose that completely. >> Thank you, Julia. >> [applause] >> Susan Lawson. >> Hi. Susan Lawson, I live in Goshen, Indiana, but I'm here tonight in support of my friends and what they're going through in the school system.
I have tried to figure out and understand what words can people use to describe the pain of a parent who suffers from suffers when their children are bullied and what they need, what the family needs, what the kids need.
What do we do? What can we say? What words do we use? It's trying to describe trauma, a pain that if you haven't experienced, you don't know. But how do you get across to people the urgency, you know?
I heard pain earlier tonight from a parent. And I underst You know, I was like, "Do people not care? Do people not care?" Why aren't people making a having a movement? I ran for state rep last this year.
My community didn't show up. Some of them did, but the same people moved from one area to the next area, but the majority of the people didn't show up. Why? I thought, "Geez, these people not care?" And then I, you know, I understand. I'm told people are overwhelmed, they have a lot
going on, they have to manage their own lives, and I understand that. But what's it going to take for people to understand you have to make a change, that you have to do something to help these parents. You have to do something to help these children who come in here and feel like if I come, I'm going to die because I'm in so much pain, because
I'm bullied. I talked about bullying in my my, um, when I would tell people my forum, or what what do I stand for. But that wasn't enough for people to come out and say, "You know what? I'm going to fight for the kids. You're right. This is important. I watch all these people show up and I'm so impressed. It's like, man, this is
awesome. But that one parent who feels unsupported, or you don't follow up with what they ask from you, >> [snorts] >> um it's traumatizing. What words can we use? I thought if I yelled loud enough, if I said the F-word enough, if I said
something enough, you could get people's attention to to do something. It's not about caring. I understand everyone here cares. >> [sighs and snorts] >> So, trying to be a person who's not reactive, but someone who can use words
to say what has to happen for this person I know and their child to not feel like they're wanting to die rather than go to school, because it happens all the time.
All the time. So, I'm going to take the last 24 seconds, if you don't mind, in silence of those kids who are going to start school. They're scared to death to come >> [clears throat] >> because they're afraid you're not going to help them because you haven't done enough.
Cuz I don't know any other words to say, and I don't think the parents do, either. So, hopefully you guys will keep trying. >> Andrea Hardy. >> Good evening. My name is Andrea Hardy. I am a graduate of Elkhart Community Schools. I'm a parent of Elkhart
Community Schools. I am here today as both parent and parent advocate. I want to thank the board for finally issuing a substantive response to my policy 9130 complaint. After a long process marked by delays and repeated difficulty obtaining
meaningful administrative engagement, I appreciate that the board has now formally acknowledged the concerns that I have raised and outlined actions addressing each of these three remedies I requested. Over the past 2 years, I have spent a great deal of time documenting concerns
regarding student record continuity, accountability, and support systems within our district. Those conversations have not always been easy, and we have not always agreed. After reading the board's determination under policy 9130, I wanted to publicly acknowledge that I appreciate the time
and care that it went to review into reviewing my complaint, validating the critical intake compliance issues raised under Indiana Code 20-33-2-10, and ordering a 90-day comprehensive audit of the district student record intake practices.
While there is still work ahead in the FERPA process and in implementing the the actions outlined in your determination, I recognize that the board acknowledged several concerns and directed meaningful administrative action. I have placed on record my offer to meet
collaboratively with district leadership during this 90-day window. The framework I am proposing was specifically engineered to solve cross-system intake gaps, eliminate institutional memory loss, and track instructional time loss without adding software costs or staffing burdens.
I recognize the board's written decision to review student record intake procedures, move disputed record concerns into the policy 8330 process, and strengthen oversight of IEP and MTSS data tracking. Those are important steps,
and I am grateful that the concerns were not simply dismissed. At the same time, I understand that a written plan is only the beginning of accountability, not the end of it. The true measure will be whether these commitments are implemented consistently, transparently, and in a way that produces meaningful change for
students and families. Following through with these actions has the potential to benefit many students and families beyond my own. My goal has never been conflict for its own sake. Tonight, I came here to acknowledge this response as a meaningful first step and to express my hope that the board will continue to
follow through on the actions it has now put in writing. I'm going to take the last 30 seconds and I would really like to let you hear that my child, my 7-year-old, is one of those children
who is afraid of coming to school, who is unhappy, and who doesn't know if he even belongs here. And he is seven. Thank you. >> Gabriela Madrigal. >> Good evening, board. My name is Gabriela
Madrigal and I am a parent of um Alta Community Schools. >> [gasps] >> Um I would like to address the phone policy and while I know it's not your policy that you guys um came up with and you know, it is the state mandate.
Um I did speak with administrative administration last year, um specifically the principals in my daughter's school, >> [sighs] >> um asking what your plan was for parents to communicate with their children while
they're in class and um they didn't know. Of course, we still have to come up with a plan. But, I suggest that we parents have access to be able to send a message to our kids or kids to send us an SOS through maybe um
talking points, I don't know, Parent Square, somehow. You know? Um and the reason that I ask this, it's not just, you know, for us to be able to communicate like I'm picking you up or hey, you know, mom's not going to be home, you have the key, whatever, you know?
Um it comes more to safety of our children. I um have kind of become an advocate for Spanish-speaking parents as well. And I have gotten to know several of your principals. Um so, one of the instances where this would
have been a great um tool to have is when a child went to the um front office and said, "Hey, I need to call my mom." Um and they said, "No, go back to class." He said, "It's kind of an emergency." "No, go back to class." So, this child went back to class,
was getting on the bus, and got jumped. Defending himself, he broke the other child's nose. This would have been prevented if the child would have been able to call the parent. Parent would have been involved. So, I ask that you please consider
something for us parents to be able to talk to our children. I My child was left without eating last week of school one day because I dropped off the food and she was never told to come get it. So, she's allergic to a lot of things, so she's not able to just go to the
cafeteria and grab something. So, we know we knew that we were not able to um send a lunch with her because she was going to She can't carry a book bag and so her anxiety told her I can't take anything. So, she did great in school. She got high honor roll, National Junior
Honor Society, first chair in band. Um student of the month several times in the year. So, I thought why not treat her right? You know, she's my child. She's done everything she can. So, I went above and beyond to provide her her lunch. I also want to thank you guys for um
updating the student handbook, and I hope you don't just take it out and put it back on like you did last year. Um and I want to be able to send my kid to Al Cuart Community Schools and not have that fear that something wrong is going to happen and that she has a she has the ability to communicate with me and I
with her as well. Thank you. >> Thank you. Rachel Van Austin >> Hello. My name is Rachel, and I'm a parent in the district. Today, nearly 1 month after the board's original deadline, >> [sighs] >> I received its response this morning
to the formal complaint I presented on May 12th to this board. The response does not resolve my complaint. Instead, it contains serious factual errors, disregards evidence already in the district's possession, and leaves my son's
immediate educational, mental health, and safety needs unaddressed. The determination falsely states that the FERPA review process was never initiated. >> [sighs] >> For nearly 4 years, ECS administrators, board members, and former counsel were
included in communications concerning my formal FERPA request. In May 2024, a third-party investigation was initiated per my request, and it did not conclude until after I presented to this board on May 12th, and I received the report the
next day on May 13th. It was understood that through communications with counsel that the evidence and findings from that investigation would be incorporated into the broader review of my son's educational records under the FERPA request hearing. The determination also identifies the
wrong school for my son. If the board cannot correctly identify my son's school or acknowledge a completed 2-year process as part of a FERPA hearing request, how can this community trust that it thoroughly reviewed the evidence? Counsel states that district reviews the
alleged bullying that Counsel states that the district's review of the alleged bullying has concluded. It has not. The investigator report contains factual inaccuracies, contradictions, omissions,
and findings that can be disproven by emails, records, and other evidence. It also demonstrates how years of reported bullying and harassment are still being minimized, improperly documented, and omitted from my son's records by this district as we speak.
This is in no way concluded. And it's quite humorous that the board thinks it has. What if I told y'all I only gave you half the evidence to see what you would do? Because I did. And y'all had enough to do the right thing, and yet you sit here playing
games with my son's life. I have requested a meeting since September with my superintendent that has been refused. During this last meeting when you tried to take my voice, you told me to schedule a meeting that I've been trying to schedule since
February. Excuse me, not September. February is when I emailed for this meeting. No response. I am a mother that has only been left to communicate with district counsel since February. Not administration, not this board. I have requested a meeting for my son's
plan of care, which he will start 10th grade in 12 days, and you have not given me a meeting knowing that my son's mental health and safety is at risk if he comes through these doors without those protections, and still you refuse to give me a meeting.
Y'all better make it happen. Soon. >> Thank you, Rachel. All right. That concludes public comment. Next on the agenda, uh the consent items. Do I have a motion?
Do I have a >> Board member. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. Okay. >> Second. I have a motion, and I have a second. Okay, we're on the consent agenda. Uh do I have any discussions? >> Sure. >> Um Mr. Horseman, we'd like to thank you
for your $750 donation towards our staff um and our coffee bar uh throughout the school year for 2026-2027. And at 52 years, we celebrate some fantastic retirements, and we want to say thank you to Tim Mott, 13 years of
technical support for um our ESS support specialist uh Jeffrey Van Leu at Pierre Moran Science, 12 years of serving our children with science. Brian Nutter at Pierre Moran Language Arts, and our sweet Shirley Elliott after 17 years of service
instead of our school district. We say thank you so very much for everything that you have done for our school district and our students and how you've gone far and above to take care of of all of our babies as they've grown into young men and young women. So, 52 years of celebration and saying goodbye to the
wonderful employees. Thank you so very much. >> Thank you, Mrs. Owens. Do I have any other uh discussion or comments regarding the consent agenda? >> Yes, I'd like to make a motion to um put in the sixth-grade ethos
contract. So, we can approve that portion of >> Into the Into the consent agenda? >> Into the consent agenda, so we can approve that portion. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> I have a second. Any discussion regarding adding the ethos sixth-grade
uh contract into uh the contracts and amending the consent agenda? Seeing or hearing none, all in favor? >> Aye. >> Opposed? All right. It will be now being included into the contracts in the consent agenda. >> Thank you. >> Do I have any further discussions
regarding the the amended uh consent agenda? Hearing Seeing or hearing none, all in favor? >> Aye. >> Opposed? Motion passes. Thank you, Ann. Thank you, Kelly. Old business, seeing none, we'll move on
to new business. Mr. Anderson, new course proposals. >> Good evening, President Scott, members of the board. This is Reese. Administration presents the following proposed new course offerings for the 2026-27 school year for board review.
Explore in engineering technology AB. When you see AB, that's just first semester, second semester. Family consumer science, exploring business and information technology AB, exploring agriculture and business AB, exploring health sciences A and B, and
forestry and wild management AB. >> Thank you. Do we have any uh questions for Mr. Anderson regarding the new course proposals? You've answered my AB question, so that's the one I had. So, thank you for doing that. >> No others? Thank you.
Uh next under new business, we have board policy 2370.05 virtual education programs. Is Is this thing inaugural? Is this for inaugural since I wasn't here at the last meeting? Is this the first time? Now, so this this is your inaugural uh
>> Okay. >> Doug Thorn moment. >> That's right. Um you have before you board policy 2370, which is regarding virtual education program um that has been proposed for adoption. We are requesting that you also waive the
requirement for a second reading on that board policy so that this can be in place for the upcoming 27 or 26-27 school year. >> It's Conrad. Um do I have a motion for virtual education program and waving a second reading?
>> Motion. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Do we have any questions or concerns regarding uh this policy? Seeing or hearing none, all in favor? >> I. >> I. >> Opposed? Motion passes unanimously. Thank you.
Next, we have a school school building closure uh resolution. >> You have before you a resolution which has outlined the basis for adoption of the declaring that Bretsel Bretsel
Elementary, Hawthorne Early Learning Learning Center, Monger Elementary School, and Oslo Elementary School will be closed for instructional purposes, and it authorizes the administration to take action to provide notice to Department of Education under
um Indiana Code 20-26-7.1-4 and any other necessary actions that need to happen with regard to these changes. And we are recommending that this be approved by the board. >> Uh thank you. Um do First, do I have a
uh motion from the board for the school closure or school building closure resolution? >> Motion. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Motion, I have a second. Uh any discussion from the board or the superintendent regarding uh
the building closure resolution? >> Yes, I would like to take a moment if that's okay. Um I want to address the Monger um issue. I know that several of you are wanting to know um why that change was made. Um it was a difficult decision for myself and the board as we
looked at what came back through and you are correct, whoever said it, Servpro. Um the analysis that was done um that the damage was very extensive um and it's one that caused us um to know that we're going to have to put a lot of
um money back into the building to get it up to um repair. Someone asked me about the insurance cost and would that cover it all? And unfortunately, we found out that it won't because some of the damage after they started to undo walls and things like that and flooring
that we had prior damage that has brought been brought to the surface as well. Um so um the board and um I have had been been under discussion with that and felt strongly that we're at the point where um we need to um have Monger
be the one that we close. >> Thank you. Do I have any other questions or discussion from the board regarding this uh resolution? >> I just wanted um address um I think it was um Linda that um highlighted a couple things um
in the in the Right. Um and I think that um I just saw those. We need to correct those. There's a couple one that was paragraph seven, I think you mentioned. I know that one was corrected. >> Paragraph five and six still say reference to paragraph one above.
>> Okay, so we need so we need to um have corrections to paragraph five and six where it's where it says listed in paragraph one should actually say listed in paragraph three, I believe. Three. Um for those two items. Um so, if on the uh
as we approve this, I want to make sure that the final sign-off um has those those corrections made. And thank you for catching those cuz I caught a couple other ones, but didn't catch those. >> Yeah, um I have uh some comments um
one of the ways you know that you're over the target is uh you know, when your uh political officers who are elected at the state level will start giving you phone calls. Um I've had uh several of those uh in the last week. Um so, I decided to dig into
this a little bit and it uh comes down to uh the United States Supreme Court addressed the relationship between the states and the municipalities in Hunter versus the city of Pittsburgh in 1907. And they stated that municipal corporations are political subdivisions.
We are a political subdivision created by the state of the state and we are a creature of the state as convenient agencies for exercising such governmental powers as the state may entrust to us. For the purpose of executing these
powers properly and efficiently, they usually are given the power to acquire, hold, and manage personal and real property, which is a school. Uh the number, nature, of the powers conferred upon these corporations and territory over which they shall be exercised rest in the absolute
discretion of the state. The state therefore, at its pleasure, may modify or withdraw such or all powers, may take without compensation, that's key, hold itself or vest in other agencies, expand or
contract the territorial area, unite the whole or in part with another municipality, i.e. they could say, uh "You're going to merge with another school corporation." Uh and or repeal the charter and destroy the corporation. So, uh where I come on this is that um
uh taking without compensation. I feel, you know, property rights in this uh country have been well established over many years, but it doesn't apply to a public corporation. All right? Uh what gives me tremendous heartburn is the fact that uh we have ability to Oslo school
corporation, which is 86,000 square feet uh uh Elkhart County tax structures uh value it at uh 7.9 million dollars. And we withhold and we still hold a 10 million dollar mortgage uh if I'm correct. That is correct.
>> I will have to get back to you, but I believe that's correct. >> I heard it was 10 million dollar mortgage. So, uh on your on your ledger, you know, you have a uh 8 million dollar asset with a 10 million dollar mortgage on it. And so, okay, hey, well, we're just going to give away the 8 million dollars, but guess what? You still got
to hold on to the 10 million dollar mortgage. Uh that doesn't seem quite right to me. All right? And there's nothing that will ever make that right to me, but the law says what the law says. Uh I just wanted to bring that to everybody's attention. Um
I've um you know, tried to peel this onion as far as I possibly could and it's, you know, it it doesn't smell any better at the core than it did at the outside and then my eyes are star- still burning over it. Uh I wish there was another option as such.
Um but uh uh I, you know, I just think that um you know, uh the books don't balance. Okay? And one of the things that I look at is I, you know, when you add up 2 + 2
and it equals 4. Well, in this case, 2 + 2 = 3. All right? Or 2 + 2 = 5. All right? And so, therefore, you can tell uh you use mathematics to keep everybody honest.
Okay? I feel this is way less than honest, you know, but it is what the state uh forces us to do. So, um thank you very much for listening to me. I appreciate it. Thank you. >> You went over your 3 minutes, Doug.
>> [laughter] >> Just kidding. Um >> I'm I was actually using some of yours, by the way, so you know that. >> Okay, I'll make mine short. Uh anytime you close a school building, it's a traumatic experience for the community, the staff, and the students. And the
other schools on the list had a opportunity to let it settle in, to um help the kids and the the teachers transition, to have a farewell with the community, and Munger didn't get that opportunity to do that. And that is um
unfortunate because the principal, April Walker, does a fabulous job. It's one of the highest performing elementary schools in the district. And unforeseen the water damage, they probably still would be open. But, our
number one concern as a district is the safety of our schools. And with the amount of water damage, where it got all down the walls, all in the carpets, all in the fixtures, all in the equipment, there is no way we could have brought that, even if we had
the money, up to a space where we can guarantee it wouldn't be mold growing somewhere that we couldn't see, or the kids who have asthma or other breathing issues, that it would be 100% safe for our students. So, although the timing was bad because we they didn't get their
time to say goodbye and to celebrate their school, we did what was right for the safety of our kids. We wouldn't want to put money into that building, have our kids go back, and then in 5 years find out there was significant issues and now all the kids are sick. So, I
want to say sorry to Monger for not giving you the time, but I want to say we put the safety of our kids first. And that's what we're always supposed to do. >> Well well said. >> Well said. >> Thank you, Daisy, for those statements.
Very well said. I won't say anything in addition to that cuz you hit every piece of it. >> Thankfully, like you said, April Walker is a phenomenal leader, and her staff supports her completely. And wherever they are, whatever building it is, we know that our Monger students are going
to continue to thrive because of the leadership and the staff that surrounds her. So, thank you, Daisy. Yeah. >> Monica, do we have need to make a an amended motion contingent on the the the changes uh >> I think that the one has
You can make them change the motion to be subject to the changes mentioned during the discussion. >> [clears throat] >> I motion to accept the resolution um um with the adjustments made to paragraph
five and six um regarding to uh the um referencing um paragraph number three. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> I have a second. Any discussion regarding the amended motion? Seeing or hearing none,
I just I don't I don't want to make it. Um All in favor? >> I. >> I. >> Opposed? Motion passes. All right. Um moving on. Employee Handbook Amendments Resolution.
>> Yes, Board. You have before you a resolution that amends um multiple handbooks that you have um and what it does across all of these handbooks is to uh suspend the career increment pay. It also freezes the
current rates of pay um pending further board review and then also directs the administration to um begin to do that very heavy lift of reviewing the board policies and employee handbooks and to
bring um kind of put all all these things make them parallel. >> Thank you. Do I have a motion for the Employee Handbook Amendments Resolution? >> Motion. >> I have a motion. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> I have a second. Do I have any
uh discussion or questions regarding this resolution? Seeing or hearing none, all in favor? >> Aye. >> Aye. >> Opposed? Motion passes unanimously. Thank you. Student Parent Guide.
>> You have before you the uh Student Parent Guide um and the administration is recommending approval of this for the 2026-2027 school year and requests any kind of additional readings of this guide. Um it establishes your district-wide expectations, procedures, and
information for families and students for the upcoming school year. >> Thank you. Do I have a motion uh to accept the Student Parent Guide as presented and to waive second reading? >> I'll move. >> Do I have a second?
>> Second. >> I have a motion. I have a second. Do I have any questions or concerns regarding uh the Student Parent Guide for 2026 2026-2027 school year? Seeing or hearing none, all in favor? >> Aye. >> Opposed?
Motion passes unanimously, thank you. Thank you, Ms. Conrad. Job well done. On your inaugural night. Uh Superintendent Reese, sale of iPads. >> Yes, uh the administration seeks authorization on behalf of DJ Rhodes to
sell surplus iPads in bulk as the devices have reached the end of their useful life cycle and we like to get some money back on those. >> Thank you. Do I have a motion uh to accept the uh proposed sale of iPads? Do I have a second? >> Second.
>> I have a motion, I have a second. Do I uh have any questions or concerns from the board regarding the sale? Seeing or hearing none, all in favor? >> Aye. >> Opposed? Motion passes, thank you. All right, the next two items
uh on uh the agenda are the financial report and the insurance report. Unfortunately, uh Mrs. Ross had a family emergency and will not was not be able to attend uh tonight's meeting and we did not have enough time to get uh anybody to uh uh
sit in to deliver those reports, so they will be um will we put them on the website? >> Yes. >> So, these reports will be on the website and then we'll catch them up uh at our next board meeting at that time. >> Thank you. She apologizes for that, but she needed to get to the emergency.
>> All right. Uh prayers uh out to her and her family. All right. With that, uh Superintendent Reese, the uh floor is yours. >> Thank you. Um I'm going to talk about a little bit about the athletic side. Um
I'm pleased to recognize two familiar faces joining our athletic leadership team. Cassie Sapeda has been named assistant athletic director at Elkhart High School, and Shawn McAlister has been named assistant athletic director to elementary and middle school athletics.
Both Cassie and Shawn bring valuable experience, a strong commitment to students, and a passion for developing our athletic programs. Shawn's leadership will be especially important with the pause that we have of elementary athletics for the 2026-2027 school year.
Um she will play a big part in working towards a sustainable elementary program while continuing to provide opportunities for our youngest athletes through community partnerships and feeder programs. We look forward to share more updates as this work continues and are excited for the positive impact that both Cassie and
Shawn will have on our students, coaches, and community. So, we welcome them both to those new roles. Um tonight I did want to talk about a little bit. Um the board did approve a resolution to close several school buildings, including Monger Elementary. We do recognize the significance of this
decision and the impact it has on our families, staff, and community. These buildings hold decades of memories and represent important chapters in the history of Elkhart Community Schools. The decision regarding Monger Elementary follows a thorough structural and assessment that identified extensive
repair needs that are not feasible to address. And to prioritize, like um Miss Davis has said over there, the safety and long-term stability of our school community, Monger Elementary will permanently close and operations will relocate to the
former Mary Beck Elementary building. We do understand and recognize the emotions surrounding this transition and do want our families, staff, and community to know this decision was not made lightly, but was made with the safety and security of our students and staff. We are grateful for the resilience,
patience, and continued commitment of our staff, families, and facilities teams as we move forward with what is best for our students. The next thing I want to address is a parent concerns that we've been hearing about. We've heard from parents regarding concerns over communication gaps and
delayed responses from the district. First and foremost, we want you to know that we do hear you. Every concern brought to us deserves a thoughtful, timely, and appropriate response. I'm putting together a clear, structured process to track, review, and address every concern that comes through our doors.
We are committed to bettering our accountability and consistent follow-through. We will be sharing more about our next steps at the next board meeting, so stay tuned. Now, the last thing I want to address is unfortunately it's back to school time. I'm sorry, it's around the corner.
As we close tonight's meeting, I'd like to remind our community that the first day of school is right there, Thursday, August the 13th. A few quick reminders for our families. Register now. We have about 891 student families um that have not registered. So, please go
to our website and register tonight or tomorrow morning. Transportation must be requested during registration process and before the end of this week to secure busing. So, please get on and register if you need the busing. Also, school supplies and open houses.
Supply lists are live on our website and all school open houses will take place on Tuesday, August 11th. Parent Square, please make sure to download the Parent Square app so you don't miss any critical updates from your school. Detailed links and information are available on our district website and
social media pages. And we do look forward to an incredible school year ahead. So, thank you everyone and see you on August 13th. >> Thank you, Superintendent Reese. Uh anything from the board this evening?
Nobody? Okay. At this time, I will uh call this meeting adjourned. Thank you. >> Mhm.