October 12, 2020 at 7:30 PM - Regular Board of Education Meeting

Discussion:  Notice of the meeting was given in advance by publication to the public and to all members of the Board of Education. Availability of the agenda was communicated in advance. The Open Meetings Act is here and available for review. 

7:32 p.m.

Discussion:  The transportation committee met to discuss the replacement of bus security cameras and to review fleet vehicles. The bus cameras are outdated; committee will be looking into replacement cameras.

The athletic cooperative committee provided the following statement: 
In August, the board of education received comments and questions from the public during a meeting that requested us to consider adding boys baseball as an offered sport at Boone Central. As a result of that request, the Athletic Cooperative Committee agreed to look into the requirements of adding another sport and what impact, both positive or negative, that it may have on our District as a whole. We had many questions as a committee and we wanted to ensure that we did our due diligence when considering this issue. We requested that Mr. Perone contact other schools with existing programs and gather as much information as possible. We also requested information from within our own District regarding the possible addition of a new program. On September 28^th the Committee met to review the data that had been compiled and to formally discuss the possible addition of boys baseball as an offered sport at Boone Central. We discussed many issues that would surround the addition of a new program. Some of the questions we asked and some of the issues that we discussed include the following:

• Would we Coop with an existing program - Twin River, or would we rather start our own program?
• What would the financial impact be of starting our own program or a Coop? What would be required regarding equipment, coaches, travel, uniforms, etc.
• If baseball were added what would transportation look like regarding daily practice and competition travel? Many games would likely be beyond an hour of travel time and would occur multiple times per week. What impact would that have on the student athlete?
• What concerns would we have of mixing the cultures of Twin River and Boone Central - what would the future direction of the program look like regarding location, coaching philosophies, traditions, and future Coops with other schools which are being actively sought now by Twin River.
• How would a new Coop affect our current relationship with Newman Grove? We are strong partners and have come far together.
• What is the climate within our own district, both inside and outside of the school, regarding the possibility of adding baseball?
• What opportunities do kids in our district currently have to participate in organized baseball and what impact would a school baseball program have on summer Legion baseball as well as other school programs currently offered, including sports, academics, and extracurricular clubs. 
• Title IX would require us to add an additional girl’s sport if boys baseball were added. All of these same questions would have to be considered for the addition of another girl’s sport if baseball was added.
• Would the addition of two new sports programs be beneficial to the majority of the district or would they benefit just a few, what is the likelihood of success, and are those programs sustainable when considering the number of students that we have?

These are not the only items discussed but are some of the highlights of the meeting discussion. The documents reviewed during our meeting as well as a summary of our conversation were forwarded to the other board members for review. Based on the information that we reviewed and the discussion during our meeting, it is the Athletic Cooperative Committee’s recommendation to the full board that we do not add boys baseball as an offered sport at Boone Central at this time.  
 

Discussion:  Superintendent Hardwick noted that the District was looking into phone service providers. A proposal from Clearfly is being considered. This change would require the purchase ($1,388) of an IP fire panel communicator. Monthly costs savings of approximately $150/month, increasing to $520/month after all phone lines are moved to Albion campus in July 2021. 

Discussion:  Mr. Theis reported a 93% attendance rate at fall Parent Teacher Conferences. 

Discussion:  Mr. Curry reported attendance rates for fall Parent Teacher Conferences for Middle School grades:  80% for 6th, 66% for 7th, and 50% for 8th. 

Discussion:  Mr. Kravig reported a 37% attendance rate at fall Parent Teacher Conferences. 

Discussion:  Mr. Perone updated the board on fall athletics. 

Discussion:  The Middle School Addition A141 Design Build Agreement was amended to reflect 7.5% retainage fee rather than 10% retainage fee. 

Discussion:  Monday, November 9th @ 7:30 p.m. - Boone Central High School Art Room

Discussion:  Meeting adjourned at 8:12 p.m.