Board Business: June 30, 2020

This blog post is intended to keep you up to date on the happenings of the Board of School Trustees of the Community School Corporation of Southern Hancock County’s meetings. Please read below for a recap of the board’s meeting on Monday, June 30, 2020.

Tuesday’s meeting was held in compliance with all established guidelines and protocols related to COVID-19. Social distancing measures were in effect for all attendees of the meeting.

The meeting began with a public hearing regarding a potential amendment to the Lease between the School Corporation and the New Palestine Multi-School Building Corporation, which is a holding corporation responsible for the renovation project at New Palestine High School. The board held a previous hearing in 2019 to approve the bond sales related to the renovation project. Due to a misprint regarding a date on the original agreement, a hearing for an amendment must be held and a new agreement must be approved by the board.

Four donations were approved at Tuesday’s meeting. $7,500 from the Southern Hancock Education Foundation was approved to go towards professional development at all six CSCSHC schools. $200 from Dorothy Miano was approved to be applied to lunch money debts at NPHS. $500 was donated from Katie Arthur to go towards intervention materials at BWE. Finally, Brandon and Jennifer Wilson donated $500 for the NPHS renovation project.

Changes to three district policies received their second reading and were approved.  In many cases, policies are updated to comply with changes in the Indiana code. Policy 3131 – Reduction in Force (RIF) in Certificated Staff, Policy 4162 – Drug and Alcohol Testing of CDL License Holders and Other Employees Who Perform Safety-Sensitive Functions, and Policy 5200 – Attendance were all heard for the second time and approved at Tuesday ’s meeting.

A contact extension for Superintendent Dr. Lisa Lantrip was approved. A public hearing regarding this contract extension was held at the board’s meeting on June 15.

A resolution approving the previously mentioned lease amendment between the school and the holding corporation was voted on and approved.

The board’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 13, 2020 at the CSCSHC Administration Office.

Board Business: June 2020

This blog post is intended to keep you up to date on the happenings of the Board of School Trustees of the Community School Corporation of Southern Hancock County’s meetings. Please read below for a recap of the board’s two meetings on June 15, 2020.

The board held Monday’s meeting in compliance with all COVID-19 guidelines established by Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Appropriate social distancing measures were taken and fewer than 250 total people were in attendance.

Monday’s regular meeting began with a public hearing on the superintendent’s contract. This public hearing is required by Indiana law. Monday’s hearing was held regarding a five year extension to the contract between the Board of School Trustees and Superintendent Dr. Lisa Lantrip. The board will vote on this contract at their next meeting on June 30. Information about the contract is available on the district’s Legal Notices page.

Three new administrative appointments were approved. Katy Eastes was named the new Director of Student Services. Eastes will replace Dr. Marcia Piercy, who is retiring at the end of June. Kayleigh Fosnow has been promoted from Assistant Principal to Principal at NPE. Nik Giant, a Kindergarten teacher at NPE, has been named to replace Mrs. Fosnow as the Assistant Principal at NPE.

A new contract with Aramark as the district’s food service provider was approved. A one year contract with Aramark is approved each summer. Aramark will continue as the district’s food service vendor for 2020-21.

A number of special education contracts were renewed at Monday’s meeting. Contracts with Northwestern Shelby Schools for deaf and hard of hearing services, with Mt. Vernon for alternative placement services, with First Steps for early childhood programming, with Curtis & Livers Consulting for assisting with creation and management of a number of state reporting requirements, and with Margo Strodtman as a Blind and Low-Vision Consultant.

Three policies were heard on a first reading at Monday’s meeting. In many cases, policies are updated to comply with changes in the Indiana code. Policy 3131 – Reduction in Force (RIF) in Certificated Staff, Policy 4162 – Drug and Alcohol Testing of CDL License Holders and Other Employees Who Perform Safety-Sensitive Functions, and Policy 5200 – Attendance were all heard at Monday’s meeting. The policies will have a second reading at the board’s next meeting before being voted on for adoption.

Director of Instructional Services Miles Hercamp presented a second reading of the district’s Student Handbook. The handbook is updated each year based on a number of changes in district policy or guidelines. The handbook was approved after the second reading and will be available on the district website later this week.

At the conclusion of Monday’s regular meeting, a special session was held for the board to receive a status update on the district’s 2020-21 reentry task force. As you have likely read in our weekly email updates, the task force is beginning to make final decisions about what 2020-21 will look like. District officials will meet with the Hancock County Health Department later this week to discuss the blueprint for reopening. The district plans to submit the blueprint plan to the community on July 1.

The board’s next meeting is June 30, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. at the CSCSHC Corporation Office.