The Franklin County School Board met Monday, December 9th for their last meeting of the 2024 first semester. All board members were in attendance and the room was packed wall to wall with attendees. Kicking off the meeting were four celebrations.

     Superintendent Dustin Gehring took the podium to first address two Board of Education celebrations. President Francis Brumback and board member Rick Gill will be leaving the school board and Gehring took a few minutes to highlight each member with their time served, how they have served the board and our schools, and their service has left a huge impact on the community.

     Rick Gill served as a board member for 12 years. He also worked with law enforcement to educate kids on drinking and driving, helped coordinate buses on SR-1 and SR-101, and he has helped direct school traffic. While serving on the board, Rick Gill has offered deep insight, factual discussions, and intelligence on projects, trips, student and staff concerns, and educational benefits.

     Rick states that while he will miss the board and his time with them, he knows there's more out there for him and he would like to move forwards. Gehring expresses his thanks to Rick for everything he has done, before gifting him a custom shirt and plaque.

     Gehring next addressed Francis Brumback. Brumback has served on the board for 16 years, and as the president for the past three years. Brumback has held Franklin County's education closely and for years, put in time and hard work to prioritize the needs of the students and staff. Gehring states that numerous times in the past 16 years, Brumback would drop everything and assist the staff with any needs, would be there to answer questions and never failed to stand behind our education system in order for FC students to benefit from our schools.

     Brumback has been an integral part of the board with his questions, his thoughts on policies and school safety, inclusion and diversity, student and staff awards, and offering resolutions to conflicts to help move any high-importance topics forward. Brumback has also been very communicative with the public and their concerns, always offering assistance and working with the board to reach conclusions together.

     Gill and Brumback spent years putting the community first, working together with their fellow board members, and building personal relationships that will be greatly missed as 2025 begins. Gehring wished them the best, expressed how grateful he himself has been to have worked with them, and the public attendees were also in agreement as a round of applause was given for both

     Next up in celebrations were Support Staff of the Month, awarded to Nurse Amber Cooper, and Educator of the Month, awarded to Special Education/Spanish Teacher Lindsay Adams. Both were given a customized decorative glass, a certificate, and their nomination forms.

     The last part of celebrations is an award that Gehring has recently introduced. These are highlighting Fall and Winter athletes who have gone above and beyond for their team. Eric Ebrams of FCMS took the podium to award six junior high students for football and volleyball who have improved on the team, who have scored and helped push their teams’ forwards in competitions and shown the utmost dedication to their team. All six were given a certificate and received a personal "congratulations" from the board.

     Dustin Riley took the podium next to highlight his FCHS athletes. As there was a basketball game Monday evening, several students couldn't be in attendance, but he highlighted seven students who play football, volleyball, and soccer. They also received a certificate and personal "congratulations" from the board.

     Lastly Michelle South, FCHS Principal, highlighted FCHS students who are members of the marching band and color guard. Five students were awarded, and South further stated that she had been a drum major in school, her daughter had been a drum major, and that music and the band has always held a special place in her heart.

     With awards wrapped up, Gehring allowed the awarded students and staff to get photos taken solo and with their families before dismissing them if they chose to leave.

The board approved the consent agenda items.

Discussing personnel new hires, the board approved three new hires to the FCCSC staff.

With personnel extracurriculars (ECA), 12 staff were approved at FCMS and 18 were approved at FCHS.

FCMS is asking for a grant of $1000 towards a new printer/copier. Gehring also listed off several businesses who have donated various sums of money and thanked them for their donations. These were approved.

     The financial reports were approved by the board following a brief discussion on fund placement, the TIF, and incoming increases of interest for the month of December.

There were no statements from the employees. April Ison took the podium to address Francis Brumback and express her thanks on behalf of Laurel School District for all he has done for them over the years and how grateful they are to have worked alongside him. She presented him with a card and custom and Blue Wildcat tumbler.

There was no New Business/Other to be discussed.

For the Superintendent's Report, Gehring took a moment to again thank all fall athletes and coaches for their hardwork, dedication, resilience, and efforts. He added that they put in their all to show their talent and teamwork, and how far they are willing to rise.

     He also states that he is putting together a Winter Weather team. He and a select few staff will be getting up early to make runs and check the safety of roads in order to know whether or not school should be delayed/cancelled, or if the day can resume as normal.

     He reminds the public that there is a mandatory 180 days of school to be complete so being careful about missing days to weather is important. E-learning days on top of snow days go so far as soon, those make-up days do add on at the end of the year.

     Gehring also gave one last thanks to Gill and Brumback for all they have done, and how he will miss them. He thanked them for the many talks they have had and how welcoming they were when he first joined.

     There were no new legislative updates from Kevin Kaiser.

     Lastly, board member Beth Foster asked about the policy regarding highlighting honor students in the newspaper. Previously, students had been honored along with their GPA, however this changed due to privacy. Brumback said he would look into it and see about getting these students honored again for their hard work and academic standing.

With no further agenda items, the board adjourned. The next meeting will be held on January 13, 2025.