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Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation board meeting, Aug 10, 2026

1 h 10 min

Phones in school ▶ 54:17

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Board authorizes planning for Penn High School orchestra and choir trips abroad in 2028 24:15

  • The board voted 6 to 0 on separate motions to authorize planning for a Penn High School Orchestra trip to Europe in the summer of 2028 and a Penn High School Choir trip to Ireland in the spring of 2028. 24:07
  • The board voted 6 to 0 to award four capital improvement projects with a combined expenditure of $752,816. 49:47
  • The board voted 6 to 0 to adopt revised bylaw 0100 and replacement policy 5136 on personal communication devices. 55:37
  • The board held a public hearing on the 2027 budgets, and no one from the audience addressed the items. 1:03:02
Item by item (11)
  1. Opening and agenda 13:00
    • Chris Riley moved to amend the consent agenda to remove the Likewise Memorandum of Agreement. 13:54
    • The board then voted on adoption of the amended agenda and on the minutes from the July 20th meeting. 14:21
    • The amendment was approved unanimously, and the amended agenda and the minutes each passed 6 to 0. 14:10
  2. Consent agenda and retirements 14:51
    • A district staff member recommended approval of the amended consent agenda and read retirements from the personnel report for certified and classified staff. 15:00
    • Chris Riley thanked the retiring employees on behalf of the board. 16:09
    • The consent agenda passed 6 to 0. 16:09
  3. Orchestra trip to Europe 16:09
    • A presenter described a proposed orchestra trip to Austria and Germany on June 19th through the 26th in 2028, with 2 performances in Europe. 17:11
    • The presenter said the planning far in advance was meant to give students time to earn and save money through fundraisers and other means. 17:11
    • Chris Riley said the item would return to the board for final approval once trip details are finalized. 24:42
    • The motion to authorize planning and preparation for the trip passed 6 to 0. 24:05
  4. Choir trip to Ireland 24:42
    • A presenter proposed a choir trip to Ireland from March 29th to April 6th, 2028, including performances in 3 historical churches. 25:33
    • The presenter said the cost was expected to be about $5,900 or less, with fundraising, payment plans, scholarships and financial assistance offered. 25:33
    • A staff member said a June trip was considered but the group aims for a cultural exchange with a school or university group that would not be possible then. 31:18
    • The motion to authorize planning and preparation for the trip passed 6 to 0. 32:45
  5. Math summit report 33:18
    • Presenters said the summit, the district's sixth academic summit, focused on the new Carnegie Learning K-12 math resource after 5 years of literacy summits. 34:40
    • A presenter said approximately 62 participants attended, with every grade level from K through 12 represented. 37:25
    • A presenter said 52 participants responded to a feedback survey and rated day 1 presentations 4.8 out of 5. 42:29
  6. Capital improvement project bids 49:26
    • A staff member requested approval for 4 capital projects totaling $752,816, including restroom and handrail work at Grissom Middle School and concessions, track and field and wrestling room work at Penn High School. 49:47
    • A speaker asked whether the district receives discounts for awarding multiple projects to one contractor. 52:42
    • The staff member said the district does not receive discounts for that but gets competitive bids. 53:08
    • The motion to award the projects to the listed vendors passed 6 to 0. 53:32
  7. Personal communication device bylaw and policy 53:55
    • The board's attorney said revised bylaw 0100 updates the definition of a personal communication device to include smartwatches and smart glasses. 54:17
    • The attorney said replacement policy 5136 requires the devices to be powered off and stored during the school day. 54:17
    • The motion to adopt bylaw 0100 and policy 5136 passed 6 to 0. 55:37
  8. First reading of policy revisions 55:53
    • A district staff member said 9 revised policies and 1 policy rescission were scheduled for a first reading. 56:11
    • The board's attorney said revisions require all coaches, paid or volunteer, to complete continuing education courses every 2 years and be rostered with the IHSSAA. 57:56
    • Chris Riley said the board will take action on the policies at the September 14th, 2026 board meeting. 1:00:56
  9. Public hearing on 2027 budgets 1:00:56
    • A speaker said the board would be asked to approve the budget, capital projects plan and bus replacement plan on September 14th. 1:01:41
    • The speaker said the budget approval sets a legal ceiling, not a spending plan. 1:01:41
    • Chris Riley opened and closed the hearing after no one in the audience asked to address the items. 1:03:02
  10. Board reports and requests 1:03:02
    • No one asked to address the board during the hearing of visitors. 1:03:02
    • Asked about staffing for the coming school year, a staff member said the district is virtually completely staffed. 1:04:03
    • Gary Fox thanked a staff member for a new format for the financials and thanked the technology department for its work preparing for the school year. 1:05:19
  11. Announcements and adjournment 1:09:10
    • Chris Riley announced the next regular meeting for Monday, September 14th, 2026 at 6 PM at the ESC. 1:09:10
    • The motion to adjourn carried unanimously, and the meeting adjourned at 7 PM. 1:09:47

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

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Video: posted by the district as “Penn-Harris-Madison Board Meeting 8-10-2026”