WEBVTT 00:00:00.706 --> 00:00:08.783 - Pledge of Allegiance. Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic 00:00:08.783 --> 00:00:16.337 - from which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you 00:00:16.337 --> 00:00:23.442 - all very much. Please be seated. Please let the record reflect that Brad Cooker, Jamie Darder, 00:00:23.442 --> 00:00:30.398 - Dana Perk, and Meredith Moss are present. This is a special meeting on the RPD school board. 00:00:30.626 --> 00:00:39.833 - We have two agenda items. Are there any visitors here that would like to comment? No? Seeing none, we'll 00:00:39.833 --> 00:00:48.777 - move straight to our first item, which is consideration to improve the 2025-2026 teachers' collective 00:00:48.777 --> 00:00:58.686 - bargaining agreement. Dr. Sanders. Yes, we had, as you know, we had our required public hearing on October 21st. 00:00:59.522 --> 00:01:08.221 - We went through the contract that night and I happened to mention how well I thought the bargaining 00:01:08.221 --> 00:01:17.354 - went and I give a lot of credit to Brandy Abel for that because she did a lot of homework with everybody 00:01:17.354 --> 00:01:24.574 - ahead of time and so it made it a lot easier when we got to the actual bargaining. 00:01:24.738 --> 00:01:34.507 - I have before you the summary of the tentative agreement and for ECA guidelines. Basically what we agreed 00:01:34.507 --> 00:01:43.816 - upon is that we're going to put together a committee. We're going to go through the ECA schedule and 00:01:43.816 --> 00:01:53.032 - then make a decision on any changes that we might need to make and that we'll get all that finished 00:01:53.032 --> 00:01:54.046 - by the end 00:01:54.466 --> 00:02:05.645 - this year by the end of 2025, and so that we could make those changes retroactive to the beginning of 00:02:05.645 --> 00:02:16.824 - the 25-26 school year. The second thing is we have in the contract that for a teacher who takes a day 00:02:16.824 --> 00:02:23.838 - off before a break or right after a break that they are charged 00:02:23.970 --> 00:02:33.616 - two paid leave days for every one that they take off. We added the phrase that if a teacher would lose 00:02:33.616 --> 00:02:43.357 - only one paid leave day for every half day taken off. And that seems very fair and reasonable. And also 00:02:43.357 --> 00:02:48.414 - we put a timeline on making those decisions and we're 00:02:49.282 --> 00:02:55.562 - I don't know if we did. Have we sent out the job form yet to anybody, Jen? I am just waiting for it 00:02:55.562 --> 00:03:02.031 - to be posted on the staff bookmarks. I've put a ticket into tech, and I keep checking it, but it's not 00:03:02.031 --> 00:03:08.562 - there yet. So as soon as that's posted in staff bookmarks, I can send that out along with the new flyer 00:03:08.562 --> 00:03:14.654 - that we have for the nurture and nourish stations for our moms coming back from maternity leave. 00:03:14.754 --> 00:03:24.805 - Yeah. So that will enable us to, we'll get it well within a 10-day period. It'll probably be the same 00:03:24.805 --> 00:03:34.856 - day now. The other thing is we added days to paid parental leave, moved that from five to 10 days. As 00:03:34.856 --> 00:03:44.414 - far as salary goes, we agreed to not make any changes to the base salary for 25, 26 school year. 00:03:45.026 --> 00:03:56.079 - Those teachers who are possessing an early literacy endorsement will receive a $200 base increase. And 00:03:56.079 --> 00:04:07.024 - we also agreed that the teachers will receive a one-time stipend payment in the amount of $2,000. And 00:04:07.024 --> 00:04:14.750 - the last page shows the pay dates for 25-26. I recommend your approval. 00:04:15.714 --> 00:04:23.905 - Any questions? One quick question actually to Dr. Sanders. First of all, thanks to the Teachers Association 00:04:23.905 --> 00:04:31.869 - and administration for getting started a little earlier this year because I know it's a little stressful 00:04:31.869 --> 00:04:39.529 - for this group in here to get it done before Christmas, but when will this be paid before Christmas? 00:04:39.529 --> 00:04:44.990 - I've been asked that by a few people. Yes, we are going to take care of 00:04:45.378 --> 00:04:52.195 - a stipend for principals and support staff. We're going to ask the board to approve that at the November 00:04:52.195 --> 00:04:58.688 - board meeting. So I would say we would pay out all these stipends at one time, which would be after 00:04:58.688 --> 00:05:05.765 - Thanksgiving, early December. Okay. And what fund will this come out of? This will come out of our education 00:05:05.765 --> 00:05:09.726 - fund? We have enough in there to support this, correct? Yes. 00:05:12.802 --> 00:05:23.089 - So what is the early literacy endorsement? So teachers are now required to take, basically do additional 00:05:23.089 --> 00:05:33.082 - professional development and to, I don't remember how many hours they have to do. It's 80 hours total 00:05:33.082 --> 00:05:41.214 - and all of our teachers who have gone through OG training, so all of our K through 00:05:41.634 --> 00:05:50.642 - Most of our fourth grade teachers all have received OG training, which is 25 hours. There's an additional 00:05:50.642 --> 00:05:59.395 - component of that that's 55 more hours. The state does allow teachers, since they've made it a license 00:05:59.395 --> 00:06:07.893 - requirement for anybody who's teaching literacy, or anybody really who's teaching in a K6 building, 00:06:07.893 --> 00:06:10.782 - or in our case, K5, that they now 00:06:10.946 --> 00:06:18.532 - have a free program, free meaning it's at no cost to the teacher, but it's still a time commitment. 00:06:18.532 --> 00:06:26.193 - It's 80 hours. The state also has tried to help soften that blow a little bit by providing a stipend 00:06:26.193 --> 00:06:34.083 - to teachers for completing their 80 hours. That stipend is $1,500, and they're offering it again, which 00:06:34.083 --> 00:06:36.510 - is great. So teachers can go to 00:06:37.506 --> 00:06:44.265 - the DOE website, sign up for the Keys to Literacy training. There's also a shortened Keys to Literacy 00:06:44.265 --> 00:06:51.090 - training that's not 80 hours that complements what they've already done through our training here with 00:06:51.090 --> 00:06:58.313 - OG and there's modules, science of reading modules. So there are different ways to get there, but ultimately 00:06:58.313 --> 00:07:02.686 - short answer is 80 hours of professional development. Anybody who 00:07:03.330 --> 00:07:09.081 - is graduating from college now will graduate and have that training already under their belt. So the 00:07:09.081 --> 00:07:14.319 - endorsement that they would go back and take this praxis exam for, it's already included in 00:07:14.319 --> 00:07:20.013 - their undergraduate work. Where the state is having us fill in that gap is anybody who's outside of 00:07:20.013 --> 00:07:22.974 - that window. So anybody who's a practicing teacher. 00:07:23.266 --> 00:07:29.502 - And they gave us some leeway there. So we do have until 2027. So some of our teachers went ahead and 00:07:29.502 --> 00:07:35.738 - applied for their license early. So 24, 25. We even have some that are going to sneak it in in 2026. 00:07:35.738 --> 00:07:42.036 - Because if they go ahead and get it now, it gives them another 5 to 10 years down the road before the 00:07:42.036 --> 00:07:44.382 - literacy endorsement has to be added. 00:07:44.514 --> 00:07:50.511 - We're not worried about that as a district because they have the minimum training that we're requiring, 00:07:50.511 --> 00:07:56.450 - which is Orton-Gillingham, which we pay for as a district and we send them to during the day or we pay 00:07:56.450 --> 00:08:02.447 - them a stipend for any type of out-of-school hours. So we will see more and more teachers who will fall 00:08:02.447 --> 00:08:08.559 - under this literacy endorsement as they're taking that Praxis test and getting it added to their license. 00:08:08.559 --> 00:08:11.038 - I think at this point in time we only have 00:08:12.290 --> 00:08:18.579 - three or four, something like that, who this would affect. I think that we'll start seeing over the 00:08:18.579 --> 00:08:24.994 - next, well, by 2027, we're going to start seeing those coming in, definitely on a more regular basis. 00:08:24.994 --> 00:08:31.283 - So we'll see what that does. But this is a state requirement now. This is in state law that we have 00:08:31.283 --> 00:08:37.950 - to add this to the base. It's not a stipend that we give to teachers each year. So as they're getting it, 00:08:38.146 --> 00:08:48.303 - That's why that's being added in there and as part of the contract. Thank you. I do appreciate the hard 00:08:48.303 --> 00:08:58.069 - work and administration and our teachers to come up with this. I will say is just my position. I am 00:08:58.069 --> 00:09:08.030 - not a fan of stipends and not moving the grid. I understand it. I understand we've got some financial 00:09:08.322 --> 00:09:17.849 - challenges that are coming down the road, so I understand it, but I don't particularly care for it. 00:09:17.849 --> 00:09:27.661 - And I think we all agree with that. This is an opportunity for us to really put our school corporation 00:09:27.661 --> 00:09:37.950 - in a better position financially next fall to increase the base and get back to what our usual practice is. 00:09:38.146 --> 00:09:48.510 - considered a one-time effort to get us into a position where we can do exactly what you're saying. It's 00:09:48.510 --> 00:09:58.475 - one of those things that next year they'll be starting off with the same pay that they started with 00:09:58.475 --> 00:10:07.742 - this year, and if they get a $1,500 raise, they're still losing $500 from the previous year. 00:10:07.938 --> 00:10:16.876 - So stipends can cause issues, so I just wanted to say my concern with that. Is there any other discussion? 00:10:16.876 --> 00:10:25.230 - I did have a couple more, Dr. Sanders. One was, do you have the total amount that's coming out, the 00:10:25.230 --> 00:10:33.082 - grand total that's coming from the education for these stipends, the total dollar amount? No, 00:10:33.082 --> 00:10:37.342 - because we are, we would like to combine that with 00:10:37.570 --> 00:10:45.135 - That's the work we want to do. We're working on today as far as considering stipends for administrators 00:10:45.135 --> 00:10:52.627 - and support staff. And so when that's all done, I'll give you a full grand total. Okay, I want to make 00:10:52.627 --> 00:11:00.047 - sure the teachers understand as I know there's been discussions about there's no. Not every teacher's 00:11:00.047 --> 00:11:05.502 - eligible for a tag grant this year, so that's $500 off the table, correct? 00:11:05.634 --> 00:11:12.004 - So that's not every that 25% of teachers will get it this year. And that's and we're still working on 00:11:12.004 --> 00:11:18.561 - a plan for that. I just want to make sure that that's and we've been put in that position by legislature 00:11:18.561 --> 00:11:24.806 - that we have to make these decisions. And I just hope that we're making good conversations back and 00:11:24.806 --> 00:11:31.113 - forth because that's going to be hanging out there the rest of the school year. So and that also has 00:11:31.113 --> 00:11:32.862 - an effect as Mr. Kerr said. 00:11:33.762 --> 00:11:40.874 - what we do financially is what the legislature is kind of dictating what we're going to be doing too. 00:11:40.874 --> 00:11:47.986 - So I do have some concerns about next year, but we have to see what the legislature, if they make any 00:11:47.986 --> 00:11:55.098 - changes or not. We are, I think, better shaped because we have increased enrollment. We are in better 00:11:55.098 --> 00:12:02.071 - shape than most school corporations in the state of Indiana. And because of the increase in housing 00:12:02.071 --> 00:12:03.326 - in our community, 00:12:04.290 --> 00:12:13.374 - And we do have a projection based on a demographic study of increased enrollment. So that will certainly 00:12:13.374 --> 00:12:22.198 - help our financial situation. And as we've said many, many times over the years that we've made tough 00:12:22.198 --> 00:12:31.195 - decisions in trying to do business better. And that was really the catalyst to going with the stipends. 00:12:31.195 --> 00:12:33.790 - And we do value our teachers. 00:12:34.786 --> 00:12:42.774 - Absolutely. From the bottom of our hearts, we value our teachers. And I tell my daughter all the time 00:12:42.774 --> 00:12:50.684 - who is a teacher that it's much harder today to be a teacher than it was when I was teaching. And so 00:12:50.684 --> 00:12:59.142 - we need to make sure that we continue to make good financial decisions so we can take care of our teachers. 00:12:59.142 --> 00:13:01.022 - Any further discussion? 00:13:02.722 --> 00:13:13.474 - All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Our next item is the agreement with Lancer 00:13:13.474 --> 00:13:24.333 - Associates. Yes. So with our last set of construction projects, I think we've all been happy with the 00:13:24.333 --> 00:13:31.998 - work that Lancer Associates, the architect, has provided us with a very 00:13:32.258 --> 00:13:41.385 - beautiful looking, very well appreciated early childhood center. The field house is almost done, and 00:13:41.385 --> 00:13:50.693 - they really help us to stay on top of things. And so as we're thinking about the next set of projects, 00:13:50.693 --> 00:14:00.092 - we would like to continue that partnership with Lancer. The agreement that you have, that you were able 00:14:00.092 --> 00:14:01.086 - to review, 00:14:01.218 --> 00:14:11.735 - have for you is on phase one, which is replacing the roofs at all of our schools except for the Childhood 00:14:11.735 --> 00:14:21.856 - Center. So it includes Edgewood High School, Edgewood Junior High School, the intermediate school and 00:14:21.856 --> 00:14:30.686 - the primary school as part of this project will receive a new roof and also HVAC work at 00:14:30.914 --> 00:14:41.175 - Edgewood High School and Edgewood Junior High School. And so we're paying Lancer for the services of 00:14:41.175 --> 00:14:51.334 - design, the design and making sure that all the legal steps are taken in order to make sure that we 00:14:51.334 --> 00:14:58.750 - get these projects designed appropriately out for bid and make sure that 00:14:59.138 --> 00:15:14.767 - The projects are done according to the specs. And so this contract is for $580,600. And once again, 00:15:14.767 --> 00:15:27.582 - this is only for the work on the roof and HVAC projects. Motion. I move approval. 00:15:29.538 --> 00:15:38.375 - Discussion. I just I just want to add Mr. correct I did talk to the Lancer today after talking with 00:15:38.375 --> 00:15:47.566 - Dr. Sanders and on page four of the agreement they creative engineering is subcontracted there is their 00:15:47.566 --> 00:15:56.492 - use as consultants by Lancer but they're all part of that lump sum we're paying to it's not an extra 00:15:56.492 --> 00:15:58.878 - charge which is my concern 00:16:00.354 --> 00:16:08.708 - So they did, they did address that. And I know that creative engineering's helped us with some of our 00:16:08.708 --> 00:16:17.061 - HVAC problems over the last year or so at the Boys and Girls Club. Do you have a ballpark of the HVAC 00:16:17.061 --> 00:16:25.251 - and the ROOF projects? I'm just curious, you know, percent-wise, how it's compared with the overall 00:16:25.251 --> 00:16:29.182 - project. Well, that, we would have an estimate, 00:16:30.658 --> 00:16:41.899 - which I don't have in front of me right now, but. I think it's like a two and a half million. To the 00:16:41.899 --> 00:16:53.696 - to combine rate 0.2 million, the roof, the roofs and age rock 8.2 million combined. Any other discussion? 00:16:53.696 --> 00:16:59.038 - Very good. All those in favor say aye. Opposed? 00:16:59.778 --> 00:17:08.933 - Motion carries. With that, is there any board member or administration who would like to give a closing 00:17:08.933 --> 00:17:13.246 - comment? Seeing none, this meeting is adjourned.