Mt. Vernon Board of School Trustees

Mrs. Bond shared the following Good News:

1.  Dr. Parker testified in support of HB 1186 which requests school districts to not be financially penalized for seniors who graduate early.

2.  Mr. Mike Raters has been named the Interim Mt. Vernon Middle School Principal.

3.  MVHS Bowling Team won the Indianapolis East Conference Sectional.

4.  MVHS Sierra Pienkowski placed second at the girls' wrestling state finals.

5.  Boys' swimming and diving became the Hoosier Heritage Conference Champions for the first time in school history.

6.  WRTV's coverage of Mt. Vernon students being told to play in the snow and throw snowballs as assignments on the first snow day made national coverage.

Mr. Casey Dodd, Principal, spotlighted Mt. Vernon High School.  He started by talking about the challenges of 2020 and 2021 and how to face them.  Academics wise, he and the staff at MVHS have adapted and overcome, taking what was learned in the spring and making it better and more effective and using that knowledge to plan for the future.   Acknowledging that focusing on academics is important, but so is focusing on taking care of each other.  Teachers write handwritten notes and send home to students recognizing their efforts. The Why Try Program, purchased through a donation from the Mt. Vernon Education Program, works through scenarios and how to handle tough things that come up in life.  Connection activities with students help students stay connected with teachers.  The Virtual Calming Room, spearheaded by the counseling department, is a place students can go when they are overwhelmed and need a little quiet time.  Students can journal, listen to calming music, meditate and do yoga.  Other examples of Taking Care of Each Other includes Secret Santa was held at Christmas, meals, coffee and donuts, and staff favorite things (staff are asked what are their favorite things, the list is shared with other staff and items have been purchased off the list to give to staff).  

Mrs. Elizabeth Goff, Director of the Mini-Marauder Preschool, gave a presentation spotlighting the pre-school.  She began by stating this is the fifth year for the preschool which currently consists of 22 staff members, including 7 lead teachers, and over a hundred students.  Mrs. Goff takes pride in providing high quality, hands-on experiences for students who in turn grow and learn at their own level and pace.  The pre-school has interest led experiences, getting the community involved as well with such activities as fire trucks coming out for students to see and learn about a firefighting career.  Other activities included a recent election where students voted for the first time.  All preschool staff are trained in TBRI (Trust Based Relational Interventions).  Last September, recognized by the State of Indiana for Level 3 Paths to Quality.  Received award dollars for outdoor learning experiences that was used to add a mud kitchen to the playground, using nature and outdoor environment to create an outdoor classroom taking social and emotional skills to a new level.  The pre-school prides itself in cultivating a community.  Other activities going on at the pre-school  include staff appreciation activities, door decorating competition, therapy dog came to visit, STEM experiences and the students made ornaments for the Christmas tree. 

Dr. Parker presented first ready of Policy D175 Board-Staff Communications which develops communication between staff and board members.  This policy was a holdover from the last packet of policy revisions so that new board members could have input.  No action is needed as it the first reading and will be brought back to the February board meeting for further action and adoption.   Dr. Parker anticipates additional policies will need to be adjusted after the next legislative session is held. 

Mrs. Freeman reminded those in attendance that at the December 14, 2020 board meeting, after extensive discussion, no vote was taken and the motion presented by Mr. McCarty was tabled until the January, 2021 board meeting. 

Mrs. Walls made a motion to remove Mr. McCarty's motion made at the December 14, 2020 regular board meeting from the table and continue  the discussion related to Option #2 of building a new elementary school.  Mr. Edwards seconded, and the motion carried 5-0.

Mrs. Freeman began by stating she has talked to many people concerning the different options of whether to building a new elementary school, refurbish the current administration building, etc.   She thanked Mr. Elkins for his help in providing the financial piece and without the benefit of a crystal ball, she feels the board has done their homework and is at a point where they can make another motion on what path to follow and make the best decision with the information they have been given to this point. 

Dr. Parker thanked board members for how considerate and deliberate they have been in making this decision, which has not been an easy one.  He shared an idea with them after talking with Lancer Beeber regarding borrowing an architectural design from another elementary school, a design with everything we are looking at, resulting in a savings of $500,000 in design fees to Mt. Vernon.  He suggested exploring this option.  Also, by doing so, would condense the planning process by months. 

Mrs. Freeman stated she liked the idea of using a plan that had already been developed, with the option of tweeking it if necessary, and saving  money for the corporation. 

Mrs. Walls commended board members for the amount of time they have spent on making this decision, as it has been a long process, and especially new board members Edwards and Gray for all their extra work to get up to speed.  She  thanked Dr. Parker for bringing another option to them and in doing so being good stewards of what we have been gifted in this community and that says alot.

Mr. Edwards stated with this new option, they are now looking at Option #4.  He made a motion to proceed with Option #4 of borrowing a design from someone else, build a new elementary and use the current administration building in whatever way we can to be financially responsible; therefore allowing a path to move forward.   Mrs. Walls seconded the motion.  Mr. May added that the issue he had with renovating the current administration building into an elementary building was the six interior classes and putting students/teachers in interior classrooms all day.  He is supportive of the option to borrow a design and build a new elementary.  Mrs. Freeman stated the problem she had with refurbishing the administration building was all the  unknowns you could encounter with an older building.  Mrs. Walls added the security aspect of a new building was very important for students.  Mr. Gray stated in the end, the idea of borrowing a design allows us to put our students in the newest and most educationally designed facility we can. 

The motion carried 5-0.

Mr. Smedley informed board members that the high school was on the eve of scheduling classes for the 2021-2022 school year and would like the board to consider and approve the changes in the High School Course Guide.  Mr. Dodd added there were not too many changes, just updates to streamline and speed up the process.  The changes included minor changes in descriptions of courses as requested by department heads, schedule change request procedures updated, no courses were removed and the addition of two new courses (Health Sciences I and II and Welding I).  He commended the Counseling Department for their hard work in making these changes.  Mrs. Walls stated she was concerned about making sure that all students, virtual and in-person, were headed on the right path.  Mr. Dodd assured her this was being done. 

Mrs. Walls made a motion to approve the High School Guide for school year 2021-2022.  Mr. Gray seconded, and the motion carried 5-0.

Mr. Elkins presented Resolution 2021-03 Year End Transfer within Funds which is a followup to the resolution passed in December that authorized him to zero out any account lines that ended the year with a negative balance.  The totals are dollars moved within a fund, so these are not new or additional expenses, just shifting dollars around. Mr. Gray made a motion to approve Resolution 2021-03 Year End Transfers Within Funds.  Mr. Edwards seconded, and the motion carried 5-0.

Mr. Elkins presented Resolution 2021-04 Authorizing Additional Encumbrance of 2020 Funds.  In December, the board approved a few purchase orders that we intentionally encumbered.  This resolution is a list of those remaining outstanding purchase orders.  Mrs. Walls made a motion to approve Resolution 2021-04 Authorizing Additional Encumbrance of 2020 Funds.  Mr. May seconded, and the motion carried 5-0.

Mr. Elkins presented Resolution 2021-05 Approval of Fund to Fund Transfers for 2020.  This resolution approves four fund-to-fund transfers.  Mr. May made a motion to approve Resolution 2021-05 Approval of Fund to Fund Transfers for 2020.  Mr. Gray seconded, and the motion carried 5-0.

Mr. Elkins presented Resolution 2021-06 Transfer of Funds from Debt Service and Pension Debt to Operations 2021.  This resolution allows him to annually transfer whatever amount Mt. Vernon qualifies for under the circuit breaker waiver from Debt Service and Pension Debt to Operations.  Mrs. Walls made a motion to approve Resolution 2021-06 Transfer of Funds from Debt Service and Pension Debt to Operations 2021.  Mr. Edwards seconded, and the motion carried 5-0.

Mr. Elkins presented Resolution 2021-07 Transfers to Insurance Reserve Fund.  This resolution will approve the annual total of transfers from education ($300,000) and Operations ($100,000) to the Insurance Reserve Fund for 2021.  Mr. Edwards made a motion to approve Resolution 2021-07 Transfers to Insurance Reserve Fund.  Mr. May seconded, and the motion carried 5-0.

Mr. Elkins presented Resolution 2021-08 Transfer of Funds from Operations to Rainy Day.  This resolution allows him to transfer up to $1,000,000 of cash balance plus the waiver amounts from Operations to Rainy Day.  Mr. Edwards made a motion to approve Resolution 2021-08 Transfer of Funds from Operations to Rainy Day.  Mrs. Walls seconded, and the motion carried 5-0.

Mr. Elkins asked the board to consider and approve the letters of recommendation for Mt. Vernon High School, Mt. Vernon Middle School and Mt. Comfort Elementary roofing bids.  This is part of the stewardship project the board approved in the spring of 2020.  Bids came in well under what we anticipated and the savings will turn into additional work.  

The bids he is asking to be considered and approved are:  a) MVHS- McGuff Roofing for the amount of the Base Bid $1,780,000 and Alternate No. 1 $226,525 for a total of $2,006,525; b) MVMS - McGuff Roofing, Inc. in the amount of the Base Bid $460,580 and Alternate No.1 $56,588 for a total of $517,168; and c)  MCE - R. Adams Roofing, INc. for the amount of the Base Bid $883,000 and Alternate No. 1 $180,000 for a total of $1,063,000.

Mr. May made a motion to accept the letters of recommendation for MVHS, MVMS and MCE roofing bids as presented.  Mr. Gray seconded.  Mrs. Walls asked Mr. Elkins to explain what the Alternate amount means on the bid summary.   He stated they were for extras we may or may not need or be able to afford, but were always included in the bid.   The motion carried 5-0.

Mr. Ekins presented Resolution 2021-09 Authorizing the Use of Gift Cards as Donations.  The State Board of Accounts has relaxed their opinion on the use of gift cards at schools.  This resolution allows us to use gift cards as donations in place of cash/checks options.  The building treasurers will oversee and keep a log of amounts, who cards came from, etc.  Mr. Edwards made a motion to approve Resolution 2021-09 Authorizing the Use of Gift Cards as Donations.  Mr. May seconded, and the motion carried  5-0.

Dr. Parker reminded board members that one of their roles/responsibilities was to appoint a board member to the Fortville-Vernon Township Public Library Board.  He is recommending Mrs. Kittie Masters be appointed to this role.  Mrs. Masters currently is a 6th grade English teacher at Mt. Vernon Middle School and a resident of Fortville.  She has spent many years as a patron in the library and has watched it change and adapt over the years.  Mrs. Walls made a motion to approve the appointment of Mrs. Kittie Masters to the Fortville-Vernon Township Public Library Board.  Mr. Gray seconded, and the motion carried 5-0.