VANDERBURGH COUNTY ARREST WARRANTS
EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT
FOOTNOTE: Â EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
 Vanderburgh County Board of CommissionersÂ
May 23, 2022Â
3:00 pm, Room 301, Civic Center ComplexÂ
1. Call to OrderÂ
2. AttendanceÂ
3. Pledge of AllegianceÂ
Drainage Board Immediately FollowingÂ
9. RezoningÂ
Petitioner: Adam AkinÂ
Address: 200 S. Peerless RoadÂ
Request: Change from R-1 to R-2Â
Petitioner: University Shopping Center, Inc.Â
Address: 4595 University DriveÂ
Request: Change from C-2 to M-1 with Amended UDCÂ
Petitioner: Reisinger Investments, LLCÂ
Addresses: 4805 Detroy Rd, 4001 Big Cynthiana Rd, & 5101 New Harmony RdÂ
Request: Change from Ag/C-4 & C4 with UDC to M-1 with an Amended UDCÂ
10. Public CommentÂ
11. AdjournmentÂ
PART TWOÂ Â Â
GAIN’s Future: EVSC & Ten Adams Working TogetherÂ
By Ann M. Ennis
MAY 23, 2023
(During the April 10 EVSC School Board meeting trustees voted to sign a contract with Ten Adams, a local, marketing and advertising firm, for website design. The EVSC will spend $250,000 from ESSER funding (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds) for the project supporting its trademarked GAIN framework)
The $250,000 Ten Adams EVSC contract and scope of work came about because EVSC leadership felt that existing online GAIN (Growth in Academics through Innovation and Neuroeducation) materials and messaging on the EVSC website are inadequate. The expanded partnership with Ten Adams will ensure the GAIN site becomes easily accessible and convenient for EVSC staff, according to EVSC Superintendent Dr. David Smith. Â
The Ten Adam’s website notes that the agency is “100% Hospital and Health-system focused.â€Â It lists Core Capabilities as “services (that) are designed to help hospitals and health systems elevate their brand in the marketplace and be the catalyst that drives transformational revenue growth.†This leader in healthcare revenue growth and branding is a unanimous choice for EVSC trustees to assist with GAIN website improvements.
Because of previous work by Ten Adams with GAIN, Dr. Smith said there was no bid process or publicly documented evaluation of the vendor for this agreement.
Per the Indiana State Board of Accounts Schools & Township, school districts purchasing services are excepted from Indiana state code requiring competitive bids for services. If there are no goods or materials, and the contract is service only, then school districts are free to not seek bids and to simply follow their local purchasing policies. (note IC 5-22-6-1 and IC 5-22-6-2)Â EVSC Purchasing Policy 6320 indicates a vetting process for purchases of materials and goods above $150,000. Services — such as website, online portals, and messaging — are not clearly referenced for procedure and vetting in this purchasing policy.
This is not the first major neuroeducation contract for EVSC. One example, retired EVSC teacher (2022) Laura Ballard noted, is the EVSC contracts with Mass Insight, a research company that has provided data and brain science guidance, through multiple large contracts. Mass Insight has had EVSC contracts since 2012. “Are we going to start doing the same for GAIN to Ten Adams?†she asked.
The amount being paid to Ten Adams seems to be open to interpretation. The Scope of Work quotes from $160,000 to $180,000, but the Aril 10 vote was to expend $250,000 —Â a $70,000 difference.Â
In the end, the goal of EVSC and a major reason for the project remains improving curriculum maps, as per the April 13 Trustees meeting and other discussions. Currently, many feel that EVSC’s official curriculum maps are cumbersome and largely resourced school-by-school. Curriculum maps are lesson plans written by a single source, in this case EVSC curriculum administrators in partnership with classroom educators. They are online and help access education support materials in the absence of textbooks. Online resources are rapidly replacing textbooks in many K-12 education systems throughout the nation.Â
This website, among other things, will certainly improve EVSC curriculum maps.Â
Ballard said that in her tenure with EVSC, she found that “GAIN is not at all a waste of time,†but there remains a common opinion for many that it is just another acronym. “There is data that comes from GAIN that is useful, but it is up to the teacher to filter through and implement it,†she said. “And oftentimes GAIN feels like another program being thrown at teachers.
Documents discussed in this series are viewable through https://go.boarddocs.com/in/evsc/Board.nsf/Public
Select “Meetings†on the upper right graybar; then under “Featured†on left select “2023â€; select “April 10, 2023â€; “View Agendaâ€; at Agenda Item 5.06 select the Attachment Icon. This will provide the two .pdf documents.
The City-County Observer posted this article without bias or editing.
Youth First, Inc. Receives $20,000 from the New York Life Foundation
Grant to Provide Training to Support Bereaved Youth
MAY 23, 2023
Youth First, Inc., a leading nonprofit that transforms and strengthens the lives of young people and their families by providing Master’s level social workers in area schools and prevention programs for youth and families, received today a $20,000 Grief Reach Grant from the New York Life Foundation.
This support provides training that will strengthen Youth First’s capacity to assist children who experience the death of a loved one. Youth First serves at least 1,400 bereaved children a year through school-based social work services and programs.
“Due to the increased need to effectively provide bereavement services to a recovering pandemic society, we decided to dedicate this cycle of our Grief Reach Grants to capacity building,†said Maria Collins, vice president, of New York Life Foundation. “The Grief Reach grants will help nonprofits to focus on overall organizational sustainability while meeting the challenges of increased demand for bereavement support.â€
“We are so grateful for this grant because it will increase our team’s ability to care for kids with greater skill and compassion,†said Parri O. Black, Youth First’s President & CEO. “Grieving students who receive effective support are more likely to make healthy decisions, re-engage at school, and focus on hopeful futures.â€
The New York Life Foundation created the Grief Reach program to increase capacity and access to grief support by investing in local resources and services. Over 400 Grief Reach grants totaling nearly $14 million have been awarded since the program’s inception in 2011. The New York Life Foundation has been one of the leading funders of the childhood bereavement field, investing more than $70 million to date in support of grieving children and their families.
Youth First embeds prevention programs and 83 skilled mental health professionals in 117 school buildings across 13 Indiana counties, where they become specialized mentors for students and prevention coaches for parents and teachers. Youth First Social Workers build caring relationships, foster readiness for positive change, and boost resiliency along with other valuable life skills.
Research shows that building these protective factors in young people reduces risk factors and is essential to preventing addiction, violence, suicide, and similar tragic outcomes. The organization’s positive work and strategies are driving growth, with more schools seeking Youth First’s help to address the growing need for mental health support for students.
About Youth First, Inc.:
Youth First’s mission is to strengthen youth and families through evidence-based programs that promote mental health, prevent substance misuse, and maximize student success. Youth First partners with 117 schools across 13 Indiana counties to provide prevention programs and 83 Master’s level social workers who assess needs, develop and implement prevention plans, and connect students and their families to vital resources. Youth First also offers community programs involving parents and caregivers to strengthen families. For more information about Youth First, please visitityouthfirstinc.org.
About the New York Life Foundation:
Inspired by New York Life’s tradition of service and humanity, the New York Life Foundation has, since its founding in 1979, provided over $415 million in charitable contributions to national and local nonprofit organizations. The Foundation supports programs that benefit young people, particularly in the areas of educational enhancement, childhood bereavement, and social justice. The Foundation also encourages and facilitates the community involvement of employees and agents of New York Life through its Volunteers for Good and Grief-Sensitive Schools programs. To learn more, please visit www.newyorklifefoundation.org.
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