Board approves personnel actions, handbooks and starts budget process; authorizes virtual-school contract negotiations

At the July 15 meeting, the Beech Grove City Schools board approved a slate of personnel recommendations, adopted handbooks for administrators, classified staff and transportation, and authorized the administration to advertise the 2026 budget. The board also authorized proposed amendments to an educational products and services agreement with K12 Virtual and gave the district school counsel authority to negotiate terms.

Motions taken during the meeting included approval of submitted personnel recommendations; approval of 2025–26 extracurricular activity (ECA) positions; approval of the 2025–26 administrators, classified, transportation and student handbooks; and authorization to advertise the 2026 budget and proceed with administrative contract renewals. The board also voted to authorize proposed amendments to the educational products and services agreement with K12 Virtual and to authorize school counsel Michelle Cooper to negotiate the contract based on those amendments. Those motions were presented as routine business and passed without recorded opposition.

Nut graf: The approvals allow the district to proceed into the new school year with updated personnel rosters and policy handbooks, start the formal budget-adoption timeline and continue negotiations on a proposed virtual‑education arrangement. Advertising the budget begins a statutorily prescribed process that culminates in a public hearing and later adoption.

Personnel and operations reports Mister Garmin, who presented personnel and operations updates, asked the board to approve the submitted personnel report for July and to consider the revised handbooks. He reported recent hires and near-complete onboarding for positions that had been open when the agenda was prepared, including a business‑office hire at the high school, a special‑education teacher at Central, a fifth‑grade paraprofessional at Hornet Park, a first‑grade teacher at Hornet Park and a media center specialist. He said two bus drivers and a bus monitor were in the final stages of onboarding.

"Last year, our net profit year to date was $112,141. We are at $336,000 plus," Garmin said, crediting the food service team for tighter spending and menu changes that boosted margins. He said the district expects continued improvement after closing campus dining and moving more service to the high school.

Garmin also reported facilities work in progress: roof replacements (middle school complete; high school underway), an almost‑completed boiler and domestic hot water project at the middle school and parking‑lot deterioration that the district is patching while bids for resurfacing remain high. He said the transportation department received a new 78‑passenger bus ordered a year earlier and expects a special‑needs bus in August.

Budget and timeline Superintendent Dr. Hammock told the board the Department of Local Government Finance filings (AVs) are expected around Aug. 1. He outlined the timeline the administration will follow: a budget hearing at the September board meeting, budget adoption in October and subsequent paperwork (Form 1782 or similar) later in the year.

Virtual‑school agreement The board authorized proposed amendments to the educational products and services agreement with K12 Virtual and empowered school counsel Michelle Cooper to negotiate terms. The administration said the amendments as proposed may be further negotiated by counsel.

Ending: The board completed routine minutes and claims approvals and approved fundraising requests. No items were tabled; follow-up actions include continued contract negotiations for the virtual‑education agreement and the statutorily required budget‑hearing schedule for September and adoption in October.