So, I pledge allegiance >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
>> Thank you. Again, good evening, everyone. I want to apologize for the walk that you had to take to get here. Um as you can see, we are beautifying uh VCS just a little bit more, and so our parking lot is one of
those, and so we do apologize. But, do know that we walked, too. Um and I think I'm still sweating from that walk. So, we have made it, and so I want to thank you all for being here. Um the first item on the agenda is public comments um pertaining to agenda items.
Um we have one speaker, uh Mr. Brian Williams. I am going to ask Kay if she can read before he comes up. >> Okay, Brian. We look forward to hearing from you during our public comment. We recognize the value of public comment on
educational issues and school matters. A few reminders. Please come up to the podium to speak to the board. Please keep your statements to 3 minutes or less. Discussions involving personnel, litigation, and student discipline will not be permitted. Thank you.
>> Good evening, board. Hi, I just wanted to Brian Williams, 1308 Gibraltar. I wanted to reiterate what John Sutt said to you last week and what I sent to you in an email, which is about the superintendent's contract. It's excessive.
Excessive in in many aspects of it. Um and I guess the the one that bugs me the most, and it does bug me, is um what Mr. Sutt referred to, I don't want to pay Julie Lauck again. I thought I thought it was a great way of capturing the the the issue and the
sentiment. Um the the buyout clause or the payout clause if the superintendent is fired, a year of salary, 6 months would be more than enough. 3 months would be one I think the I think the contract is
excessive and as you have not approved it yet, I hope that you make some tweaks to it. Thank you. >> Thank you, Brian. We always appreciate your comments. So, thank you so much for sharing tonight. On board, we are moving on to our consent agenda. Um
any discussion there? If not, may I have a motion to approve slate? >> So moved. >> May I ask? Thank you. All in favor, say aye. >> Aye. >> Aye. >> Any opposes? Seeing none, that motion carries.
Um we are now moving on to why we are here and it mainly here, uh the superintendent contract. Um but before um I announce it, I do want to share quite a bit. Uh I tried to shorten it as best as I could. Um but I have also found that this is this community is
really strong on um information and so I hope that this uh does uh support uh any question that you may have had. Uh selecting a superintendent is one of the most important responsibilities of a school board. If I have never heard it
before, I heard it the last few months and I have found that to be true. This decision impacts our students, families, staff, administrators, and broader Valparaiso community. Because of that, we did not enter this process lightly.
What became increasingly concerning was the number of schools that surrounded us in the region who were searching for superintendents. And so we were mindful of that. So, we sought support and we decided to partner with University uh search. It was led by Dr. Terry McDaniel
to assist us with a professional and structured structured superintendent search process. And this research, um I'm sorry, this search provided us candidates that were local, that were in the states, um that were
part of the country way um way way east, and an international candidate. In this process, we sought community input, reviewed applications, considered the needs of our district, and evaluated candidates on leadership experience,
financial knowledge, instructional vision, communication, community engagement, and the ability to lead Valparaiso Community Schools into its next chapter. The board committed to a thoughtful, structured, and thorough search process.
We reviewed several applications carefully. Um we considered qualifications, leadership experience, communication style, financial experience, community engagement, and the ability that we were looking for to make sure that this person um could lead
with excellency, integrity, and vision. I will say to you there were several discussions literally up until the moment um we walked onto the dais um this evening. And so we are really a soundboard in such that we communicate quite often um to make sure that we are
making the best decision for Valparaiso. Through two rounds of reviews and interviews, we looked for a leader who could honor the strengths of Valparaiso Community Schools while also helping us move forward. We asked difficult questions. We listened closely. We
considered not only what each candidate had accomplished, but how they would build trust, support staff, strengthen student outcomes, and partner with this community as we know that that is very important. And so after that process,
the board is prepared to recommend Dr. Brian J. Smith as the next superintendent of Valparaiso Community Schools. Dr. Smith serves as superintendent of the school town of Highland for the past
13 years. His application reflects a strong and steady record of district leadership. He has overseen elementary, middle, and high school operations, led major construction and renovation projects, supported strong financial practices,
and expanded academic STEM, career readiness, dual credit, and vocational opportunities for students. He also brings experience as a former superintendent in North Newton School Corporation and as a middle school principal in Fort Wayne.
His background shows a leader who understands instruction, operations, finance, facilities, staffing, and community relationships. Dr. Smith shared in his application that he believes one of Valparaiso Community Schools' greatest strengths is our
commitment to cultivating lifelong learning and community engagement. He spoke to the importance of giving every student the opportunity to reach their highest potential while also recognizing that students need different levels of challenge, support, and opportunity.
That philosophy matters to us. We were encouraged by his emphasis on visibility and accessibility. Dr. Smith described a superintendent as someone who must be present in the life of the schools and the community, attending student events, supporting athletics and
the arts, meeting with families, engaging with local leaders, and building trust through our consistent, authentic interaction. That aligns with what we believe Valparaiso needs in the next season of
leadership. Dr. Smith is all Dr. Smith also brings a strong understanding of school finance. In his application, he emphasized transparent planning, long-term forecasting, sound reserves, collaboration with the board and
administration, and making strategic investments that benefit students and staff for years to come. At a time when public education continues to face financial, academic, and community pressures, that experience
is very important. Another strength Dr. Smith brings to in his commitment to communication. He described communication as intentional, proactive, consistent, and two-way. He believes families, staff, students, the board, and the broader community deserve
clarity, transparency, and opportunities to be heard. Finally, Dr. Smith spoke clearly about building leadership capacity. He believes in developing administrators, setting clear expectations, using data, conducting
walkthroughs, providing feedback, and creating systems that strengthen the entire district. Tonight's choice is not about selecting a person. It is about selecting a leader who we believe can continue the strong
tradition of Valparaiso Community Schools, while helping us prepare for the future. So again, I introduce to you Dr. Brian Smith. For next on the agenda, may I have a motion to accept Dr. Smith as Valparaiso
Community Schools next superintendent. >> So moved. >> May I have a second, please? >> Second. >> Uh all in favor? Say I. >> I. >> Any opposes? Seeing none, motion carries. Congratulations, sir. All right. Next on the agenda.
Sorry, that was a little lengthy, but I couldn't get it all in one space. Next on the agenda, we do not have any other comments on non-agenda. No one signed up for non-agenda items, and so we will move on to board
comments. Um, but you know what? If I may before the board, can I ask Mr. Charles Foster to come up? He is a face that is familiar to this community as we ask for community feedback. So, I want
to thank everyone who did provide any questions or concerns in the link that was presented. We also had Mr. Charles Foster present, so I'll let him share his experience. >> Um, so I just as part of the superintendent search,
one of the things early on before the board even really started the process, I had a few board members reach out to just talk to me since I have experience of working with superintendents from Dr. Benway all the way to Dr. McCall.
And so, I sort of started by just discussions with them either in person or on the phone about important thing, you know, good characteristics that I've seen in superintendents that I've worked with, difficult characteristics, things to watch for, all that kind of stuff.
And in the process of talking to them, also mentioned maybe some good questions to ask and so on. But beyond that, you know, when you ask a question, there's often maybe a good follow-up question. Or when you hear an answer, it might sound good to a layperson, but
somebody who's been in education a long time and worn many hats as parent, student in Valpo schools, teacher kids in Valpo schools, PTA president, and so on. You hear it and it just doesn't ring true. And I said, you might consider
maybe if as you're interviewing some candidates, um have somebody in the room with some experience that can kind of feel for what would be a good follow up or why doesn't this answer ring true or boy that that's a really good answer.
And because I opened my stupid mouth, um I was invited by the board to sit in on the interviews for all of the external candidates. So, I actually sat in on all the first round interviews of the um external candidates.
Uh got to help ask questions, but more importantly got to hear answers, got to do follow up questions that I think were very um you know, hopefully kind of on target and were were able to get at a lot of things that maybe people that aren't as,
you know, familiar with education um or you know, to get to the bottom of how, you know, are these realistic goals? Are these good answers? Are these positive qualities? All those things, you know, so that we don't maybe
mistakenly take a nice shiny answer for a good answer. And so, um I actually moved a vacation and agreed to sit in on the first round of the board interviews. I hope my input was helpful um and my feedback was also helpful. I also went
in with the understanding of I have no, you know, final say so in this. I'm just going to give my I hate to say expert cuz that sounds >> [laughter] >> over the top, but you know, give based on my experience as 50 years in Valpo
schools as a student and a teacher, being a leader, being a parent, you know, having lots of hats, you know, so trying to represent many of the stakeholder parties all at once and give the best input possible. So, I appreciate
the board taking my putting my foot in my mouth and giving me the opportunity to to be a part of this process and I hope that I was helpful in my role as just, you know,
institutional knowledge and generational experience. >> Yeah. We thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity. I appreciate it. >> Thank you. We were grateful to have your input. We were able to take those questions that you presented for those external candidates and making sure that we knew how to present
those even for those the remaining candidates in the same light that you presented them for. Gave us a visual for that. Also want to thank the president of UTA, Mr. Todd, for also being present and ask
another shining guiding light that we needed. We knew that community support was very important and so we made sure that we received that feedback. So, I want to thank you all for that. As we move forward, I am now going to allow the board to share anything that
they would like to share. >> Yeah, I guess I can start. Um you know, again, Harley, thank you so much for sitting in just cuz, you know, as a parent of a school district students, you know, and and being a proponent for
public education, you don't necessarily always have that insight, you know, to what the teachers need or what the teachers want or what's actually going on within inside the school. So, it was really valuable to have you there and, you know, ask those questions and provide that feedback.
Also want to thank the public who took time to fill out the survey and provide feedback on what they would like to see in the next superintendent. Um we kind of used those as guiding principles, right? So that as we were doing interviews, you
know, understanding how each candidate kind of matched that profile of the reoccurring themes um with the feedback. Um personally, you know, when we were interviewing, some of the things that I I really latched onto about Dr. Smith was
his undergraduate is in public finance. I think that's something everyone in Valparaiso is always very conscientious of is I think in one of my conversations with someone, they actually even said, "Just make sure they don't spend all our money." And I was like, "Fair enough." So
you know, I don't I don't want that either, right? So you know, just a really strong understanding of public finance and that's kind of how he started, you know, his undergraduate and you know, understanding how his leadership journey began.
I don't want to steal his thunder, but you know, he kind of shared how he was a a reluctant leader, right? You know, and and he was developed into you know, a principal and then into a superintendent. And one of the things that I really really appreciated is when
we checked references, I almost felt guilty because the board members, the the union president. I don't know what I was about to say BTA, but I was like, "It's not BTA. I don't know what they're called there." The union president, they were were so sad about him leaving.
That I did. I felt bad. I was like, "Okay, great for us." But like, you know, like you know, you hate to take someone like that from another district. Um but I am. I'm excited. I know with changes sometimes come uncertainty, but one of the other things that I really
appreciated about Dr. Smith was that he he didn't come to interview saying, "Hey, this is my grand plan for Valpo. We're going to do this, this, and this. He really talked about listening and learning and becoming part of our community and understanding what it means to be We are Valpo
um before making any priorities. Um and so I really, really appreciated that because, you know, we want the expertise, but we want to make sure that someone understands the culture and the experience and what it means to be a Viking. So, Dr. Smith, I'm very excited
and very appreciative of to have you on board. >> Okay, I'll go next and I think you'll probably find common themes in our comments as well as public comments, but um when I'm looking for a person, whether it's for superintendent or any other
position or even a friend, I look first for integrity. That's very important for me to look for integrity. Um as we did survey first I surveyed myself internally and then we talked as a board. We looked at
the public comments, the survey that was out there. We did I said it's extremely important that the teachers have input. I thought it was very important that we had Charlie Foster and Todd Wyland um to give us because they have an overview of the whole district. I kind of followed
Charlie and then I raised my kids here, so I was a parent, I was a community member, I taught in the district for 20 years. I retired and here I am and my husband was the superintendent of schools here as well. So, I I sort of saw from a lot of
different perspectives, but in all of those communications, the same things kept coming up. People said, "We want somebody who's visible, who's going to be out there. We want support for our teachers and staff. We want fiscal responsibility and but
budgeting and funding challenges that we're seeing right now with Senate Bill 1. And every single one of us in this room, including you in Highland, are seeing the ramifications of that. We want strong communication skills. That's what's come back over and over from our
community. And one thing that I really liked about your interview was talking about your communication director and the procedures that you had some very unique and different communication policies and projects. I even watched you on YouTube
a few times doing things. So, um And I agree with Ashley. We did call the Highland board. We called the Highland Teachers Association. So, we wanted to see if their answers matched up with our teachers association. I got the same report. Like, I wish I had something
really terrible to tell you so you wouldn't take him. He said, "But I really only have good things." And so, uh one of the other things, you know, that of course was very important to us to know what your background was there. But also important
to me is that with the Indiana choice vouchers right now, that's another challenge that we are facing. And I think feel that you'll be a strong public school advocate, which is going to be so important in this day-to-day educational landscape. I also
think from as we mentioned Senate Bill 1, the cell phone policy, all of the things that are coming down, that legislative connections are important. I'm going to let you explain, but you have lots of legislative connections um downstate as well. And you'll work with
our legislative liaison as well. So, that's Ashley. So, you know, I feel that you'll keep us apprised of the things that the information we need to make good decisions cuz some of those are really tough. So, those were my reasons. So, I say welcome to >> And I don't think we mentioned that, and
I know we've got some communications that will be coming out um after today's meeting, but Brian, or sorry, Dr. Smith has served as um the in Northwest Indiana District 1. I might have added some extra words in
there. Uh Superintendent of the year. He did He did receive We're We're mixing up all your references. >> I'd rather let him say it. >> Yes, but he had served as the legislative superintendent legislative representative for 8 years for District 1. So,
amongst other accomplishments, but that was another kind of draw to again Brian. Dr. Smith, sorry. >> [laughter] >> I'll keep my comments brief, but Dr. Smith just would like to welcome you to
Valparaiso Community Schools and just wish you the best and I just hope that your orientation transition is a smooth one and just please know that including myself and the board, we'd like to do whatever we can to
to make it successful transition and we look forward to working with you. Thank you. >> I mean, we are all on the same team here. When the process started, we knew that this is going to be a large undertaking. We wanted to make sure we got this right.
There's only you know, probably one opportunity you have as a board member to select a new superintendent. We hope that this is the only time we'll ever have to do that. And it was important to me I have getting the district My wife works in
the district. I know how important having the right people up top is for making sure that the district functions well, to make sure that students are getting what they need because the people that deliver it to them are getting what they need. And part of this process for me was
checking all these references, but I know that it's easy to I mean, you're No one's going to give references that are not going to say good things. So, trying to find and who we need to talk to to get that on the ground experience of what was he like to work for? What was he like to work with?
Um reaching out to people that have worked with him and universally what came back was he's been wonderful. Um I hope that carries through. I'm I'm kind of counting on that. >> [laughter] >> No pressure.
>> But we have we have an opportunity here. A lot of the things that that we hear from the public follow the same sort of patterns of we need to work on communication. Okay, I agree. Um there's confusion about what the board is supposed to
communicate and what the district is supposed to communicate and I think that having someone that has a lot of experience doing this, he's been a superintendent for 17 years. You're not going to find a whole lot of people that have that level of experience. Um I know there were concerns about the finances of the contract. One of the
reasons for the contract being what it is, it's not actually that much different from Dr. McCall's current contract. Um Dr. McCall's current contract is from 2020, but if you read through it, there's updates. He's received raises consistent with what was
given to the teaching staff. It's tied together. It's the same thing. Um but you know, you kind of get an idea for what our superintendents in the area commanding in terms of a contract.
We don't want to lose out on a great opportunity by trying to save $10,000 a year and having somebody else someone that doesn't have that experience. Having the right person in place is important. Um
I think that he understands that. I think that throughout this process it became very clear to me that communication was something that he excels at. Talking to the people that he works with. Talking to the people that had no reason to talk to a superintendent
but did get a chance to talk to him and that he was responsive. And that's important. I think that is what this this community is looking for. I I think that that's what we're getting. I'm very excited about it. You know, my household is very closely interwoven
with the school district as well. Um I wouldn't lightly make this choice if I didn't really believe that we have an outstanding candidate here. I'm really looking forward to working with you. And I will relinquish the floor here. I'm always
conscious of how long I'm talking. But thank you all very much for coming. Hopefully you will extend the same welcome to Brian as we go through this process. >> As Ashley is you know, I do want to thank everyone who is in the room. Quite a bit of your leadership is is here in
the space. And so we're going to allow Dr. Smith an opportunity to share. But we do have a little something to start with. But I also want to prep the community that there's a transition plan that we've worked on. We had assignments that we've completed. A press release is already
set to go out. Literally we've been working extremely hard. Press release going to the community, teachers. I mean it we are exhausted. But we are here. And so we've done a lot of work. And so I do want to thank the board for that.
So that transition plan is set. We already have one He He talked about town halls during his interview. And so he said town halls. We said we we will match him. And so we have quite a few sessions set up so that the community can be him.
But I do thank you all for being here. And realizing the importance of this setting. And so I'll let Ashley give our one of >> One thing I forgot to mention too is one of the things I I really
liked almost even loved when Dr. Smith came in is uh We always open saying hey share a little bit about yourself. And he said, you know, talked a lot about his wife and how they met and that she was teacher and he made the little quip that uh you
know, so I got to make sure I teach my or treat my teachers good cuz otherwise I'll hear about it at home. So >> [laughter] >> Um but I'm very excited to have Sally with us too and uh the board thought of different ways, you know, how do we we
transition from um Trojan to Viking. So uh we have a little not formal ceremony to uh welcome you guys into the family. So if you would like to open that. >> Thank you. >> Yes. And uh >> As long as it's not a Robbie Hummel
Trojan. >> [laughter] >> But uh we got you the fan chain. The best >> [laughter] >> Oh, you're going to wear it right now? That's even great. All right, it looks like you're ready to to hit the podium. We want to hear from
you, Dr. Smith. >> Absolutely. >> Yes. Yeah. >> Um first, thank you for all being here. I look forward to meeting all of you and working with all of you. Uh So I I do do appreciate it. It's kind of interesting. I I joked with um a couple of board members the other
morning that you know, everything happens for a reason, but it's my first real school district that I worked at. Um I had a job at Lane Middle School and they were the Vikings. Which now all these years later, I'm almost you know, I'm I'm a Viking now
again and I hope I end as a Viking. Um one of the the cool things though, a Viking almost kept me from moving on in my career. Um your your local hero, Bryce Drew, I shared this with with the board. My second year of teaching, I was an eighth grade social
studies teacher and Bryce Drew was um in the tournament, the famous shot against Mississippi for VU. And I had the kids quietly working on assignments so I could keep watching the game. And I said, "Shh, be quiet. You can't say anything. I don't want to get you in trouble." And
he hit the last shot, and one of the kids put his hands up and ran out the hallway screaming to the top of his >> [laughter] >> I'm going to get fired. I'm going to So, Bryce Drew almost got me fired, but I here I am today. So, um Yeah, I appreciate the the Valpo
traditions. I do have a couple of prepared statements that I just quickly wanted to read cuz I didn't want to miss anything tonight. I am truly humbled and honored to be chosen as the next superintendent of the Valparaiso Community School District. Valparaiso has an outstanding reputation, not only as an exceptional
school, but also for its strong, supportive community. It's a privilege to join a district with such a rich tradition of excellence. One thing you'll quickly learn about me is that I'm a passionate advocate for children. Our students are our greatest assets, and I've been incredibly impressed by
the unwavering commitment um of the staff, the parents, and the community to helping every child succeed. I also believe deeply in shared leadership. We all have something to contribute, and best decisions are made when we listen to one another, learn
from each other, and work together towards a common purpose. I bring a unique perspective to my role. As mentioned, my wife Sally, who is here tonight, has been an elementary teacher for more than 30 years, teacher of the year in two of the three districts that we've lived in, um spending most of her career teaching
second and third grade. Through her, I have the privilege of seeing firsthand the dedication, care, and countless hours teachers invest in their students every day. Sally and I are proud parents of two daughters, Emily and Olivia, both graduates of outstanding public schools.
Their education provided the foundation for successful careers they enjoy today, and it only strengthen my belief in the life-changing impact of public education. I can't wait to roll up my sleeves and get to work. My goal is to build upon many great things already happening in
Valparaiso while continuing to explore new opportunities that will benefit our students. Over the coming months, I look forward to meeting with many of you as many of you as I can and most importantly listening. I want to learn what makes Valpo special. Uh understand its strengths and identify
opportunities for continued growth. Finally, I sincerely thank the Board of Trustees for their confidence and trust in me. I am grateful for this incredible opportunity and I look forward to serving students, staff, families, and
community of Valparaiso. I always end in my speeches for 13 years. This is going to be really hard. I always said go Trojans. Uh go Vikings. >> Go Vikings. Very well said. We'll let you go with go Vikings for now, but soon that will turn over to we are Valpo.
We'll let you have that. That is it. Any other anything else? All right. Uh if I may have a motion to adjourn. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Second. >> All in favor.