I was wondering where it went. No, the report Good evening and welcome. We'll now call call to order the April 21st, 2026 meeting of the Muncie School Board. First on our agenda is uh our adoption of our agenda, item 1.2.
I would entertain a motion. So moved. Second. Any discussion? All in favor? I. I. Motion carries. Uh we'll move on to item 2.1, announcements. Uh review of comments to the board. This evening we had um 23
um community constituents come and speak to us tonight. Um all of them were speaking about our new middle school model and we continue to have questions. If there's anyone in our community who has questions about that how that will affect your middle school child next year, please reach out to your middle school principal for more details about how
that will affect their schedule. Our upcoming meetings. Uh next uh work session is May 14th at 5:00 p.m. and our next regular meeting of the school board is Tuesday, May 19th at 7:00 p.m. both here in the district center. We'll move on now to the item 2.2,
superintendent's report. Uh thank you. Nothing this evening. Great. Um anyone watching will notice that this is a shortened agenda. When we have two meetings in a month like this, um we ask we don't make our student representatives come in and spend especially a glorious evening like this
with us. And uh we have fewer announcements and those kinds of things. So, no gifts tonight and and um some of these things are abbreviated just because it's our second meeting of the month. All right, we'll move on to item 3.0, approval of the consent agenda. I would entertain a motion.
So moved. Second. It's been moved and seconded. Any discussion? All in favor? I. I. Motion carries. Next, we'll move on to item 4.1. We will invite Julie Coffee, executive
director of human resources, to come and present ratification of employee contracts for us tonight. What great news, Julie. Good evening. Um so tonight we have two contracts that um need approval. The first one is the paraeducator labor agreement. Um so this
is with SEIU Local 284 representing the paraeducators in the district. Um the membership of Local 284 has voted and ratified the agreement. This is a two-year settlement. Um what we're approving is a 2.5% increase
in year one, a 2.75% increase in year two. Um like our custodial group, the paraeducators also had an off-schedule payment that has now been removed. We've added that to the salary schedule and then applied those um pay increases on top of that. Um we also made some
increases to longevity and increase in the 403b um in the second year of the contract. Um we did some other creative things with this contract, too. Um our paraeducators um have some concerns about safety in the workplace and we've put together a labor management group that's going to
work um through this spring and all of next year to work on safety issues um for paras. We've also added some um student collaboration time, an additional 30 minutes per week for paras that work in our setting three and setting four programs to give them some
additional time to work with teachers, to debrief incidents, um and to do student planning. Um there were also several language items that were clarified and updated. So tonight we're asking for approval for the 2025-2027 paraeducator labor agreement.
Great. Thanks, Julie, for that. Yeah. No, I just thank you, Julie. I know this has been a long process and um appreciate all your efforts and appreciate the efforts on behalf of our um paras and clerical folks, too. Uh we do value them. So, um
if in appropriate, I'll move the move the item. All right. Second. It's been moved and seconded. Any other discussion? All in favor? I. I. Motion carries. Thanks, Julie. And our next one,
the clerical. Um clerical in our district are also represented by SEIU Local 284. They have voted and ratified the agreement. Um so this settlement looks at a 2.8 2.85% increase in year one, a 3.1% increase in year two. Again, that
off-schedule payment was removed, added to the um added onto the schedule, and the increases applied to that. Um and then we also increased longevity and the 403b in year two of the contract. Um no others um substantial changes to this one. The financials were the main piece
of this. Um so tonight we're looking for approval of the 2025-2027 clerical labor agreement. All right. Any questions? All right. So moved. Second. It's been moved and seconded. Any discussion?
All in favor? I. I. Motion carries. Thanks, Julie. We we recognize all the work in working with all of our labor um groups and so appreciate it. So appreciate um the conversations that you've had with them around not only their compensation, but around um
them retaining our staff and continuing to make sure that they feel safe and valued as well. Thank you. Thank you, actually. Great. Now we will move on to item 4.2, fiscal year 2025-2026 quarterly budget report and amendments. And we welcome Paula Steel, director of finance,
tonight. Hello. This presentation's going to cover the fiscal year 25-26 quarterly budget reports as of March 31st, 2026 and the proposed budget amendments. I'm here to provide an update on the district's financial standing at the end
of the third quarter and to request approval for necessary budget amendments. As of March 31st, the district has received 149 million in total revenues across all funds, which is approximately 64% of the budget. The district expenditures across all
funds stands at 167 million or 68% of the revised budget. The general fund has received 126 million and has spent 137.2 million. Salaries and benefits remain the largest
expenditures at a combined total of 99 million. State revenue provides the largest portion of funding at 89.3 million, followed by local revenues at 32. 2 million. We are proposing the following budget amendments for this
period to re- align with the new information program needs. Increase in the general fund revenues 5.26 million for the energy savings program, which is purchasing the LED lights, and 5.38 million for state aids
levy and federal programs. These adjustments reflect higher than anticipated state receipts and a conservative initial budgeting approach. Increasing um nutrition services and community education revenue 734,000
and 732,000 res- respectively. And also increasing capital and debt service revenue 524,000 in state program funding. For expenditures, we're proposing increasing general fund expenses by 109,000,
nutrition services by 710,000, and capital by combined community education and capital by a combined 135,000. In summary, the district's third quarter performance is consistent with our projections. And these amendments ensure
our budget accurately reflects our current funding and operational needs. It is a recommendation of administration that school board approve the 25-26 budget amendments as presented. And I'll now turn the floor back the floor back over to the chair for consideration.
Great. Lots of numbers. [laughter] So, um you talked about the the $5 million for the LED lights. So, we received those funds in advance and then that allows us to to make all the changes. Correct.
And to remind the public, that's because um we can no longer buy LED lights and uh we need to you know, trade out all these great light fixtures as well as new lighting. So, that's a major change there. And then it sounds to me like the other big changes that we continually
just are conservative in our budgeting and so without knowing what kind of a increase we'd get from the state legislature, we always budget on the low end and so that's why we're coming out with a better than expected updated at this point in time. Correct? Correct.
And for the public, I do think that you did a nice job. So, the clean lighting act is really about the fluorescent bulbs. So, as you look at these numbers, people might go my that's that's a lot, but we've it's already encumbered money. Right? So, so that we're
booking the revenue now since the amendment, right? We want to make sure that we're making that adjustment prior to getting to the end of the year and the audit. But but that money is already being spent across the district as we do the lighting project. We talked about you you mentioned the
conservative. We we originally adopted a a budget at 2% for example at the state. We got more than that when the legislature came back because the inflationary factor. We were very cautious about whether money was going to come our way both state and federal.
There's also some increase or uptick for some of the donations we saw over metro surge, right? So, I mean there's a lot of factors that that talk about the revenue that we now have to book, but there associated expenditures. So, as that money came, some much of it is
being spent or already has been spent. So, we're just making sure that we're keeping this updated so when we get to the end and we get to the audit, those numbers are aligned. So, thank you Paula. I know this takes a lot of time for you and your team getting all that worked out, but in the
long run makes a huge huge difference. Very proud of the financial status of this district over a number of years. Appreciate it. Thank you. Much so. Thank you. Thanks, Paula. Thank you. So, it is recommended that we
approve the 2025-2026 budget amendments as presented. So, I did So moved. Second. It's been moved and seconded. Any other discussion? Hearing none, all in favor? I. Motion carries. Thank you, Paula.
Great. Next, we're going to invite Julie Coffee back to present our district operational plan goal on onboarding and staff support tonight. So, a strong onboarding process is essential if we want to recruit, hire, and retain high-quality employees. When
onboarding is engaging and well-structured, it sets a tone for long-term success and job satisfaction. Our goal is simple, to enhance onboarding and provide stronger, more consistent support so employees feel confident, supported, and able to do their best work. First, we've started by gathering
feedback. We created a survey for employees hired within the last 2 years. We're currently analyzing the results to identify trends and better understand what's working and where improvements are needed. We're also continuing to collect input across buildings to get a full picture of onboarding practices.
Second, we piloted a teacher mentoring program at Pike Lake Kindergarten Center this year. Seven mentors supported nine new teachers. They met regularly and provided guidance throughout the school year. We've also worked with the district and our Muncie Education Association staff
to evaluate the program and we're refining it with the goal of expanding it district-wide in the 2026-2027 school year. Third, we've developed an exit interview process. When employees leave, it's important we understand why. We've created a tool to gather feedback, which will be sent to
all employees who resign or retire. They'll also have the option for an in-person interview. This information will help us identify patterns and improve retention moving forward. We've also identified a major opportunity, improving how and when we deliver information to new hires.
To address this, we're planning to implement an online onboarding platform. This will give employees early access to important tools, resources, and information even before their first day and provide a central place where they can return to anytime. This platform will streamline the
onboarding process and make it more consistent across the district. But beyond convenient, it offers several key benefits. It helps new employees become productive faster by providing clear learning paths and early access to resources. It ensures consistency so every employee
receives the same essential information and training. It improves engagement through interactive content and regular check-ins. It saves time and reduces administrative work by automating tasks like paperwork and training tracking. It also strengthens compliance with
secure document storage and automated tracking. And finally, it allows us to monitor progress and continuously improve the onboarding experience through real-time data and feedback. Looking ahead, there are several important next steps. We're working on filling the recruitment and retention specialist position. This
role is critical in managing onboarding and overseeing processes like the exit interviews. Second, we'll continue refining the mentoring program. A final meeting with mentors at Pike Lake is scheduled for May and we're gathering feedback from those individuals that they received the mentoring.
We'll also develop a process for for selecting mentors across the district with the goal of a full rollout in 2026-2027. Finally, we're working with the technology department to select an online onboarding platform. We're currently evaluating options
including Neo, Cipher Works, and Frontline. Our goal is to select a platform and begin development soon with an initial version ready by the end of summer. And then during the 2026-2027 school year, we'll continue building it out with role-specific training modules and
aim to have it fully functional by the end of that school year. In summary, we're taking a thoughtful, system-wide approach to improving onboarding and staff support. By strengthening these systems, we're investing in our employees and ultimately improving retention, performance, and overall job
satisfaction. We discussed this at a work session, but I'm happy to entertain any questions that you might have regarding this top goal. Any questions from the board? No, just a comment. It's been a lot of work and we really appreciate this. This is something that we needed to improve
on and it looks like we're taking all the steps in the right direction. So, we I really appreciate the staff's good work. So, thank you. Ditto. We hear all the time from our community members, our parents, and our students that teachers and you know, the
staff that they see in the buildings are what continues to keep them in Muncie schools, what they really appreciate about Muncie schools. So, making that a process that works to retain those staff members just benefits all of us. Benefits our staff members as well as our district and our
our family members and community. So, appreciate that work. Yep. Thank you, Julie. Great. Well, again, since this is a mid-month meeting, we may not Do we have an update on AMSD legislative day? Yeah, actually we had we actually did have a meeting. So, that was good.
We met with uh representatives Bianca Vernig and Wayne Johnson from the uh education committees of the house. We discussed a lot of different issues and right now at the legislature, it's kind of that fun time where they pass very
large bills with a lot of things in and then they go and negotiate it with the other house. We've spent a lot of time at AMSD working with the Senate Senator Kunesh and uh they passed a omnibus bill, which is a large bill with a lot of stuff in and some will stay in and
some will stay out, but we're excited that there may be an extension of the comp and sir compensatory hold harmless revenue. We through some different means and things like that, we lose some comp revenue with the school lunch program and we
really truly need to be held harmless there. In the bill also is a $44 per pupil allowance for public schools for school safety, which is important uh and does a lot of different things.
Makes utility service costs allowable under operating capital revenue. There's just a lot of little things that we tweak and fix with long-term maintenance funds, things like that. And so, we're excited that the bill looks uh
fairly fairly strong. And so, we're hoping to have a good year, but we've had good revenue forecast, but last revenue forecast was pretty flat. So, there is not a lot of money sitting out there, but we do based on previous law get a automatic bump up uh
with our state revenue. So, that is excellent. So, just a lot of time with AMSD down at the capital. Chris was there for AMSD legislative day. I believe that was last Friday, wasn't it? And so, we are you know, active and involved down there
and we really appreciate the meetings and being heard by the legislators. So, thank you. Great. Thanks, Jim. We appreciate your work and and Chris, you advocating as well at the legislature. And and thank all our colleagues across the metro area as well for their participation in AMSD
day at the capital. Shauna is not here tonight and I don't believe she had a Metro 916 meeting since our last meeting. So, we'll move on to item 6.2 school board member reports. I've got a few items.
The Bell Air carnival is on May 2nd from 10:00 to 1:00. We'll have a bounce house, DJ, games, food truck, photo booth, and I'll be volunteering for that. Um The bounce house are outside the building. In in the bouncy, yes. My wife and I are going to Almost Maine,
which is a romantic comedy play put on by Irondale High School. It's this Thursday at 7:00. Adults $11, students $9, and seniors $8. And then if you guys are hungry tonight, there's a fundraiser at Devani's. 20% of all sales
as long as you mention Edgewood parents and teachers, the EPAT. So, you got a little time. That's what I have. Thank you. Great. Other members? I would like to say for Valentine Hills, 26 staff members
participated in Chalkboard Capers. So, that's amazing. Yeah, it was and it was fantastic. I was I was supposed to go, but my daughter decided to take friends instead. So, I watched it on 9 North. [laughter]
But it was on 9 North, so I got it. Well, and that's great to know people can watch it on 9 North. For those in our community who don't know, Chalkboard Capers is a variety show put on by teachers and some retired teachers from across our district to raise money for student scholarships, which is just
great. They've given a lot of money to our students over the years. So, appreciate all of their work. Some of them you know, not being too embarrassed to get up there on stage and and acting a little crazy just for the benefit of our students and our especially our elementary students love
to see their teachers and their staff members they recognize up on stage. So, it's a great event. I was able to attend on Wednesday night. So, I know Almost Maine is showing like you said Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday night, maybe a Sunday matinee. And then the following weekend Mounds View High School is doing Mamma Mia for
their spring musical. And that's also Thursday Thursday through Saturday. Poor dancing lady. Yeah, Andre's already feeling it. I know a lot of schools have their carnivals this time of year. So, thanks for bringing that up. I know Island Lake's coming up and Pinewood's too. So, if you if you want
to go visit some of our elementary schools and share in some of the sugar treats and all the games. And I yeah, I I I would like to just say I don't know if we can do plugs like this or not, but our PTAs are dynamic. Our parent
involvement in in all of our schools is just is top-notch and I think is you know, people are dealing with decisions that we make or sometimes decisions we don't make. It really is the the those parent voices in that
parent activism in those PTAs that really add the grease [clears throat] to the to the gears of what we do here at the at the school board. So, So, if you're out there, please join a PTA. You'll be in
in great leagues with great colleagues. What one thing just two things I think are really interesting is that Island Lake had their culture night and it was a an amazing success and Pinewood took that same model and had their first
annual I I guess can't be first or can't be anyway. But but they modeled their program after that and had over 200 parents and and children engaged in sharing their culture around a meal and
it was just absolutely fabulous how those PTAs really infuse our values or demonstrate our values throughout the district. So, thanks. And I add on to that, you know, I visited the Turtle Lake PTA.
We had nice discussions about summer programs, the music program, lighting and clean energy, outdoor classrooms. It was just a really great discussion and they've got a lot of great activities for kids and thanking everybody too with the Chalkboard Capers our teachers have
provided 621 scholarships for decades to our students. So, thanks to them and um you know, parent volunteers in the community today this week is school volunteer week believe it or not and there's a week every week for something
in school, but school volunteer week. But just thank all the parents in the community members that help us out and make things possible. I'm so pleased people are invested in our public schools with their time because it means a lot to the community. So, thank you.
And I know one upcoming thing and I'm I'm not positive on the date, but I feel like it's the first week of May is our district wide staff appreciation week. So, watch for that. Typically our district staff has shared messages in in all of the school email
updates as well as on social media of ways that people can tap in and and show their appreciation for the staff in their schools. So, we echo that as well and just encourage everyone else to to thank and appreciate them all the staff in all of our schools. Any other updates?
I mean, I feel like I've said ditto quite a bit tonight, [laughter] but I also got to go to attend Pinewood PTA and as it is volunteer week, it just incredible to see all the
parents who are actively engaged. There are there are some districts around where the community expects the staff to do you know, 100% of the work or or 90% of the work and and it
takes a village and so it of course that that number is not it's not statistical. Okay, [laughter] but you know, we just it takes a village and so we appreciate all of our parents who lean in and give up their time and
and their energy not just to their own children, but but all the kids because each child in this district matters and so you know, it's always the highlight of my week or month when I get to go to the
Pinewood PTA and get get all kinds of questions and you know, be able to sit in the tiny little seats, you know, that are made for for elementary students and you know, watch and and listen to to
people who are passionate and sometimes in our in our in our favor and and happy with some of the things that that are going on and sometimes have have really incredible feedback as well. It's all important and so it's great to
see people so engaged. So, thank you. Is there anything else to to come before the board tonight? If not, we're adjourned. Okay.