May 4, 2020

DELAWARE COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

MONDAY, MAY 4, 2020

6:30 p.m.

ADMINISTRATION BUILDING


MINUTES


Present:  Adam Williams, President; Trent Fox, Vice President; Lance Engle, Secretary; Jacob Case, Member; John Adams, Member; Darin Gullion, Assistant Superintendent; and Reece Mann, Superintendent


  1. CALL TO ORDER


At 6:30 p.m. Board President, Adam Williams, called the meeting to order.


  1. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 


  1. AMEND AGENDA


A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Lance Engle to amend the agenda, as presented.  The motion was approved 5-0 vote.


  1. MINUTES


A motion was made by Lance Engle and seconded by John Adams to accept the minutes of the business meeting held on Monday, April 20, 2020.  The motion was approved 5-0 vote.


  1. FINANCE


  1. A motion was made by Jacob Case and seconded by Trent Fox to accept the list of vouchers, as presented.  The motion was approved 5-0 vote.


  1. Purchases over $7500:


A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Jacob Case to approve the following (items 1-6):


  1. Nearpod EDU $9,000.00

(Digital Citizenship and Literacy Program License)


  1. Edmentum EDU $31,740.40

(Study Island/Reading Eggs/Plato)


  1. IXL Learning Grants $67,099.00

(Math/ELA Subscription)


  1. McGraw Hill TBR $66,200.13

(DMS/DHS World Languages)


  1. Amplify TBR $92,556.00

(DMS ELA)


  1. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt TBR $111,518.05

(DHS ELA)

The motion was approved 5-0 vote.


A motion was made by Lance Engle and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the following (items C-D):


  1. Robert P. Bell Education Grant ($378.84-Amanda Lewis), as presented.  


  1. George and Frances Ball Foundation Grant ($11,000.00-IXL Subscription/COVID-19 Emergency Funding), as presented.  


The motion was approved 5-0 vote.


  1. Dr. Gullion gave a Monthly Finance Review Presentation.


  1. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE FLOOR


Christopher Conley, Delta High School Principal, thanked everyone involved who gave them guidelines on how they could still run the FFA plant sale.  He stated the sale normally runs from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the first Saturday of May and then a few hours the next week to try to get rid of all the plants.  He informed everyone all plants were sold by 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.  He spoke with Mrs. Kunk today and the profit was over $10,000.00 which is more than what they normally do in a regular year.  He stated that speaks volumes for the support our community gives us.  He said there were a lot of people who told them they didn’t need plants, but wanted to get out of the house and help and this was a way to help a good group of people.  He thanked everyone who participated and thanked the administration for letting them have it.  He stated it was a tremendous success for everyone involved.  


Joseph Schmaltz, Albany Elementary Principal, informed everyone they had eLearning packet drop-off on Thursday at the elementary schools.  He stated out of 290 students, they have two students who have not turned in a packet.  He stated that is absolutely amazing and wanted to pass that along.



  1. NEW BUSINESS


  1. Certified Staff


  1. A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the recommendation to employ Robert Witham as a Teacher at Delta Middle School effective for the 2020-21 school year, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.  The motion was approved 5-0 vote.


  1. A motion was made by Lance Engle and seconded by John Adams to approve the recommendation to employ Madeline Holdren as a Teacher at Delta Middle School effective for the 2020-21 school year, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.  The motion was approved four in favor with Trent Fox abstaining.


  1. A motion was made by Jacob Case and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the recommendation to employ Gina Walker as a Teacher at Delta Middle School effective for the 2020-21 school year, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.  The motion was approved 5-0 vote.


  1. A motion was made by Lance Engle and seconded by John Adams to approve the recommendation to employ Adam Lennon as a Teacher at Delta High School effective for the 2020-21 school year, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.  The motion was approved 5-0 vote.


  1. A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Jacob Case to approve the recommendation to employ Roger Spaulding as a Guidance Counselor at Delta High School effective for the 2020-21 school year, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.  The motion was approved 5-0 vote. 


  1. A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Lance Engle to approve the recommendation to employ Jillian Renbarger as a Teacher at Delta High School effective for the 2020-21 school year, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing. The motion was approved 5-0 vote.


  1. Classified Staff


  1. A motion was made by Lance Engle and seconded by Jacob Case to approve the resignation of Tammy Hahn, Secretary at Delta High School, effective April 30, 2020.  The motion was approved 5-0 vote.


  1. A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Jacob Case to approve the recommendation to employ Jacob Gray as a Summer Mowing and Grounds employee effective immediately, pending successful completion of all pre-employment testing.  The motion was approved 5-0 vote.


  1. Extra-Curricular


  1. A motion was made by Lance Engle and seconded by Trent Fox to approve the resignation of James Thompson, Athletic Supervisor at Delta High School, effective at the end of the 2019-20 school year.  The motion was approved 5-0 vote.


  1. Conference Requests/Field Trips


  1. None.


  1. Information and Proposals


  1. Superintendent


  1. A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Lance Engle to approve DMS/DHS Curriculum, as presented.  The motion was approved 5-0 vote.


  1. A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Trent Fox to approve Option #2 (Hold Harmless) for Teacher Evaluations-  2019-20 Summative Evaluations, as presented.  The motion was approved 5-0 vote.


  1. Mr. Mann informed the Board about the following fundraisers:


  1. None.


  1. Assistant Superintendent


  1. Use of Facilities:


    1. None.


  1. A motion was made by Jacob Case and seconded by Lance Engle to approve Enrollment Capacities and Priority Date for Transfer Applications (June 3rd), as presented. The motion was approved     5-0 vote.



  1. LETTERS/NOTES



  1. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS

Jacob Case – Mr. Case thanked everyone for being on here.  He stated once again we are stuck doing a Google Hangout Meeting instead of being in person.  He thanked everyone who attended the plant sale and stated it sounds like it was a success.  He thanked all the food service employees for pushing out a lot of meals and stated it’s great our community can get meals for their kids.  He thanked all the staff who helped get the learning software in place and the George and Frances Ball Foundation for their grant.


John Adams – Mr. Adams thanked everyone for joining the virtual meeting.  He stated he never thought he’d say he misses seeing everyone in person, but it’s about time to get back and have some conversations face to face and hopes we can do that in the not too distant future.  He mentioned it’s Teacher Appreciation Week.  He informed everyone he had a conversation with a constituent who stated they now have a new appreciation for teachers after they’ve been home with their kids and helping with work.  He stated as much as he hates what we’ve gone through, this may be one of the best things that’s happened for education in quite some time.  He stated for a lot of folks at home to realize what happens in education during the day, being around kids, keeping their attention, and getting them to work.  He stated not that he wished this pandemic on anyone, but there may be good results that come from this for education in Indiana.  He’s heard a lot of praise for teachers and administrators for all the things that go on in a school during the day, while parents are at work or home and he thinks there will be good things coming down the road.  He stated we purchase textbooks every year and gave a shout-out to Mr. Kile and his committee for going through all that information because he knows it is time consuming.  He stated the Grants, plant sale, food service, and everything Mr. Case mentioned; DelCom is going above and beyond to do all the things they can to help in the times we are in.  Mr. Adams is very appreciative to be able to sit on this Board with the kind of school corporation we are and seeing all these people come to the front and help out and make this a bearable situation as we move on.

Lance Engle – Mr. Engle concurred with his fellow board members.  He congratulated everyone on the huge success with the plant sale.  He stated to make that happen and have such a success during a time like this says a lot about the students, teachers, parents, and people who put that on.  He welcomed all new teachers and looks forward to meeting them all in person.  He stated he hopes they find a home here as a teacher and from all the comments he’s seen, it looks like we’ve found good ones.  He congratulated Albany on their eLearning packet pick-up and drop-off.  He stated the choir and band numbers skyrocketing is a real testament to Ms. Camp and Mr. Enos and the time and commitment they put into their craft.  He appreciates that and stated it’s awesome to see how the music department blossoms and hopes it continues to grow.  He congratulated Brady Hunt on his commitment to Ball State.  He stated he’s sure Ball State is thrilled and he knows Brady is thrilled.  

Trent Fox – Mr. Fox thanked everyone for joining us.  He gave a shout-out to all new hires and is looking forward to all the different things they can do.  He hopes they can make it to a meeting when we are live and in person so they can meet face to face.  He stated he was able to see the Royerton video and it was nice to see all their faces and names because sometimes you hear a name, but don’t recognize them in person.  He stated it was nice to see that and put a name with a face.  He stated the choir and band numbers are awesome and he’s excited to see those numbers continue to grow.  He’s excited for the way the middle school project seems to be coming along.  He stated it’s nice to see pictures of the updates and hopes it is moving along rapidly since we’re not in school and they can get in there and get some of that stuff done.  He stated he’s looking forward to some good bids coming up on the new project.  He hopes all the kids finish strong this week and get everything turned in so we can complete a year and be successful at eLearning because that’s what we’re hoping for.

Adam Williams – Mr. Williams concurred with his fellow board members. He highlighted Teacher Appreciation Week and stated it has a whole new meaning this year.  He stated everyone has stepped up and he can’t say enough to show his appreciation.  He stated this last week, please encourage all to finish strong and to the seniors, his heart goes out to them and their families.  He stated they’ve been dealing with a situation that’s been forced on them and he appreciates the administration for working hard and diligently to work out something to make it as good as what they can with the situation we’ve been dealt with.  He stated to let them know they are not forgotten, they are on all of their minds daily, and he appreciates all they have done for Delta.


  1. FUTURE MEETINGS


  1. A regular meeting for the Board of School Trustees is scheduled for Monday, May 18, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. at the Administration Building.



  1. ADJOURNMENT

A motion was made by Trent Fox and seconded by Jacob Case and Board President, Adam Williams, adjourned the meeting at 7:17 p.m.


May 4, 2020



ADAM WILLIAMS                                   __________________________


TRENT FOX                                                      __________________________


LANCE ENGLE                                               ___________________________


JACOB CASE                                                   ___________________________


JOHN ADAMS         ___________________________