CELEBRATING YOUTH ART MONTH

ZCS Superintendent Rebecca Coffman invited Zionsville Community High School (ZCHS) art teacher Brenda Jalaie to highlight Youth Art Month, a district-wide initiative celebrating student creativity and featuring student artwork displayed at local businesses in Zionsville and Whitestown, as well as a statehouse exhibit. Jalaie emphasized how art education impacts problem-solving, emotional intelligence, and student well-being.

Jalaie highlighted ZCS's celebration of students who participated in the Scholastic Art and Writing competition. Several Zionsville Community High School students showcased winning work.

One student earned honorable mention, another silver and another was a gold key winner.

SERVICE LEARNING THROUGH
ZCS DO DAYS

ZCS Middle School Athletic Director Kelly Antcliff reported on the success of the district’s 7th Annual Do Days, which took place March 6-8. More than 50 organizations benefited from student-led service projects, including:

• Environmental cleanups at Lions Park and Whitestown Parks
• A meal-packing event with 130 participants packaging 14,000 meals for the Million Meal Movement
• Fleece blanket donations for the Isaiah House
• Supply collections for local nonprofits, including the Zionsville Food Pantry and Boone County Humane Society

DISTRICT GROWTH AND ENROLLMENT TRENDS

Indiana Business Research Center (IBRC) Demographer Matt Kinghorn has been preparing student enrollment projections for Zionsville Community Schools for more than twenty (20) years. Key findings this year include:

• Projected growth: 880 to 1,105 new students by 2035
• High school enrollment peak: 2,650 students by 2031
• Major growth areas: Trailside and Union Elementary zones
• Declining birth rates contributing to shifts in early grade enrollments

These projections will guide district planning for staffing, classroom resources and facility needs.

KINDERGARTEN ROUND-UP

Kindergarten Round-Up is March 25, just before Spring Break. Children who are five by August 1 are eligible for kindergarten. Spread the word!

LEGISLATIVE WATCH: IMPACT ON SCHOOL FUNDING AND GOVERNANCE

Superintendent Dr. Rebecca Coffman updated the Board on pending state legislation that could significantly impact public education.

• Senate Bill 1
  Aims to provide property tax relief.
• Senate Bill 518
  Proposes directing public school funds to charter schools.
• Senate Bill 287
  Would introduce partisan school board elections in Indiana.

The board and district leaders continue to monitor these bills and others as they engage with policymakers to advocate for ZCS students and staff.

ZIONSVILLE EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION TRANSITION

Zionsville Educators Association (ZEA) Co-President Angela Bourff is passing the leadership torch to Boone Meadow Elementary School Teacher Amanda Rennard.

SEMI-ANNUAL EXTRACURRICULAR ACCOUNTS REPORT

Chief Financial Officer Regina May presented the semi-annual reports to the Board for the district's extracurricular accounts.

BUS PURCHASE REQUEST

The Board approved a request made by Director of Operations Matt Doublestein to purchase eight new school buses as part of the district’s long-term bus replacement plan.  The Board reaffirmed its commitment to a propane-based fleet due to cost efficiency and environmental benefits. Propane has a number of benefits, including cost and decrease in certain environmental pollutants. Doublestein explained the vendor-included 5% tariff allotment in the quote and emphasized the necessity of securing buses before potential April price increases.

APPROVAL OF PROJECT BIDS

The Board also approved bids for renovating the existing main gym locker rooms (originally built in 1997) at Zionsville Community High School, the addition of more locker room areas, and a multi-purpose activity space.  These additions and renovations will help accommodate student enrollment and programmatic growth that has been experienced over the last 30 years and will continue into the future.  As a part of this project, the stand-alone locker room building in the south lot at ZCHS will be demolished to allow for improved access at the activity entrance. Also included in this project are several hallway areas designated for drop ceiling and wall painting updates.  These improvements will be phased over the whole of the project’s duration with expected completion in Fall 2027. 

Several improvements were also approved for Pleasant View Elementary School. These include replacing the sidewalks and curbs around the campus and upgrading the roof drainage systems in the pitched roof sections of the building. These upgrades are scheduled for completion before the school year begins in the Fall.

ASCENSION ST. VINCENT PARTNERSHIP RENEWAL

Recommendation for a Five-Year Extension

Dr. Coffman recognized Janelle Horn and Jill Mercer from Ascension St. Vincent, who have been longstanding partners in providing essential health and wellness services to Zionsville Community Schools. The ZCS partnership with Ascension St. Vincent began in July 2009, focusing on school-based health services, athletic training and school nursing. Over the years, the agreement has evolved, with adjustments in 2019 and 2022, to align with the district’s needs. The current contracts are set to expire in June 2025.

Following extensive discussions, data analysis and consultation with benefit advisors, the leadership team recommended a five-year extension of the partnership. This recommendation includes several key components:

1. Primary Corporate Sponsorship
   Ascension St. Vincent remains the district's primary healthcare sponsor, a deeply-appreciated partnership.
2. Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
   Continuing to provide critical support for all employees and eligible family members, including 24/7 crisis support and professional resources. The EAP contract includes a nominal increase of $0.04 per employee per month, marking the first price adjustment since the partnership's inception.
3. Employee Health Clinic
   Ascension St. Vincent will continue to staff and manage the ZCS employee health clinic, which remains a vital resource for ZCS employees. In 2024, nearly 83% of eligible employees utilized the clinic. There were 4,099 total visits and 1,417 unique patient visits recorded. More than 3,400 prescriptions were filled. Services include pharmacist consultations, dietician support, medical examinations, behavioral health services and counseling. Essential health screenings (mammograms, skin cancer, flu shots, vaccines) are provided. The new contract includes additional physician hours to expand clinic operations and meet growing demand.
4. School Nursing Services
   Ascension St. Vincent continues to provide school nursing services across our nine locations, with a mix of EMT, HCA, and BSN professionals. These services are critical in addressing the diverse healthcare needs of our students.
5. Athletic Training & Strength Coaching
   The partnership supports a strength coach at Zionsville Community High School and provides athletic training for secondary schools, ensuring compliance with safety standards such as concussion protocols, heat-related illness prevention and injury recovery programs.
6. Student Mental Health Supports
   Initiated last year, this program remains a key focus, with no cost increase anticipated in this contract renewal.

ZCS appreciates the ongoing collaboration with Ascension St. Vincent and their commitment to supporting the health and well-being of employees and students.

FIRST READING OF THE STUDENT HANDBOOKS

Overview of the Review Process

Program Director of Student Services Maggie Ioannacci led the review process. She expressed appreciation to the administrators, parents, teachers who contributed valuable feedback throughout this process.

District-Level Updates

In reviewing the district-wide sections, input from district leaders and board counsel (Church, Church, Hittle & Antrim) were considered. The most notable change this year is in the new attendance section, developed in collaboration with Assistant Superintendent Devereaux and building leaders. Given the importance of attendance practices, the team determined it was necessary to consolidate and clarify the information in the district handbook.

Elementary School Handbook Updates

Trailside Elementary School Principal Jen Raycroft and Pleasant View Elementary School Assistant Principal Jodi Morrow led the elementary handbook revision process. Their team, consisting of parents, teachers, counselors, administrators and classified staff from all six elementary schools, carefully reviewed feedback. The process resulted in updates ranging from minor formatting refinements to broader scope content revisions.

Key elementary changes include:

• Attendance Section
  Updated to align with district-wide revisions.
• I-READ and Retention Policy Updates
  Clarified state-required actions.

Middle School Handbook Updates

Assistant Principals Craig Callahan (Zionsville Middle School) and Ramsey West (Zionsville West Middle School) facilitated a middle school working group composed of parents, teachers, students, counselors and a student representative.

Key middle school updates:

• Attendance Section
  Updated to align with district-wide revisions.
• Traffic Flow for Morning Clubs at Zionsville West
  Adjustments for improved clarity.
• Language and Formatting Adjustments
  Minor refinements for consistency.

High School Handbook Updates

ZCHS Assistant Principals Maureen Borto and Matt Walter convened a working group consisting of students, teachers, parents and administrators to review potential changes to the high school handbook.

The meeting resulted in updates to several key areas, such as:

• The definition of academic dishonesty
• Practices on students making up work during suspensions
• Graduation requirements
• Weighted grades
• Auditing and schedule changes
• Arrival and departure times
• Expectations for students
• Protocols regarding extracurricular and co-curricular organizations
• Athletic guidelines to align with the use of Final Forms
• Additional updates from the IHSAA

In addition to content changes, the team also made grammatical and formatting revisions for clarity.

Additionally, one minor update was noted for review under the section on Wireless Communication and Application Devices. The team recommended updating the language to reflect current technology.

This was a first reading of the handbooks.