The agenda for the August 2023 board meeting can be found at this link.

Patrons' Comments (none)

Consent Agenda

Action Items

• Textbook and Resource Adoption for use beginning in 2023-2024  - Textbook for the new Finance and Investment course at CPHS, “Fundamentals of Investing.”
• School Safety Specialists Candidates for 2023-2024 – approval for the 23-24 list of school safety specialists that will receive training.
• Policy Revision for Public Comment at Board Meetings – There was no vote on this action item, but the board held discussion about potential revisions to the policy. A new version of the policy will be presented at next month’s meeting for consideration.
• Col. Wheeler Concession and Bulldog Park Locker Room Bid Package #2 - Fire Sprinkler System – an update to the bid package from last month that adds sprinkler systems for the new building at Bulldog Park.
• Eisenhower, Jerry Ross, Lake Street, MacArthur and Solon Robinson Playground – approval for the design and construction of new elementary playgrounds (Timothy Ball and Winfield already approved or complete). You can read more about the playground designs at this link.

Information/Recognition Items

• Construction Projects Update – Dr. Terrill and Dion Katsouros of Skillman Corporation gave the board an update on construction timelines and progress. You can view the full report for the month at www.cps.k12.in.us/capital.
• Director of Grants/Assessments – Mr. Hardman gave an overview of our certified staff evaluation plan. This plan is reviewed by the state every year.
• Director of Elementary Education – Thank you to our staff and teachers who have started the year off great.
• Director of Secondary Education – Thank you to admin, staff, and families for their hard work with a successful start to the school year. Middle school open house events were great, and high school is coming up soon. Thank you to our ELL team who created and supported a summer enrichment program for 35 students.
• Director of Exceptional Education – Thank you to everyone who has helped make transitions to new schools for our students easier. Many staff came to the buildings early and helped families settle in to their new spaces. Thank you Shaun Dunn and Holly Hume, secretaries in the EE department. There were more than 30 new paraprofessionals hired on this month’s personnel agenda.
• Assistant Superintendent - Thank you to everyone who launched a successful school year. Thank you to Dave Coulson and Jim Poling who organize all of the EMA and officers who handle traffic around our buildings. Thanks to everyone who attended the football game on Friday and support the Leukemia awareness event.
• Chief Human Resources Officer – Thank you to everyone for the team effort to make sure we are fully staffed. We are currently doing well with staffing. We are always in need of food service help and additional paraprofessionals. We are transporting more students this year after the redistricting, but are fully staffed with bus drivers. Marty Freeman has done a lot of work making cultural changes in transportation.
• Chief Financial Officer – Mr. Ruess gave an update on the collective bargaining report. During the 22-23 school year, our teaching staff had a combined 5,890 years of experience. Our average teacher salary was just under $68,000 for the 21-22 school year. In 22-23, the average was just above $71,000. The average teacher salary in Indiana is $56,000 – all Crown Point teachers make above state average. Thank you to the board for the commitment to funding teacher salaries so we maintain competitive pay.
• Director of Communication - Thanks to City of CP for hosting us at National Night Out. We will host a tour night for our community at Taft Middle School on September 21 from 4-6 pm. Thank you to Dion and Johnny from Skillman for their help in preparing for the Taft ribbon cutting event.
• Superintendent of Schools
  • Dr. Terrill gave an update on the letters that were sent to individuals regarding the network breach and addresses. You can read the statement at this link.
  • Recognized Denise Jansen for all of the work she has contributed to CPEA. She is passing the torch to the next group of leaders.
  • Dr. Terrill shared a print publication that replaces our State of the Schools event for this year since we did not have a location to host everyone this summer.

Other Business of the Board of School Trustees

• Mr. Angel reminded school board members about the fall conference at ISBA in September. This moves the school board meeting for the month to September 18, 2023.

Board Statements of Appreciation and Recognition

• Mr. Vassar – Thank you to our bus drivers and our mechanics for all of their hard work.
• Ms. Bazin – Thank you to Skillman; the buildings are looking great. Thank you to our teachers for their work as they began a new year with both redistricting and construction. Thanks to everyone who helped families make the transition to new buildings and putting in extra effort to welcome students on their first day.
• Mr. Babjak – Thank you to Mr. Ruess for his update this evening about teacher salaries. Thank you to Dr. Terrill for helping move that forward as a priority.
• Mr. Angel – Thank you to everyone who helped with the Taft ribbon cutting event. Also the welcome back morning for staff was a great event. Thank you to everyone who helped the school year start so well.