Gilman school could see canines learning alongside kids

The Gilman School District may soon host canine students as well as children.

Hay Creek Kennel of Gilman presented at the school board meeting on Monday, Oct. 21. Owner Sonny Piekarz, along with his team which included his wife and coowner, Shannon Piekarz, informed the board that Hay Creek Kennel has been licensed to breed and develop preapproved Vapor Wake candidate dogs. Currently, most dogs you see in airports and other transportation hubs are trained to detect odors on people and bags; however, there is a large need for dogs that can do more. HCK’s Vapor Wake candidate dogs can discern the vapor wake that a moving object leaves behind, which a typically trained bomb or weapon detection dog is unable to do.

Piekarz stated that HCK is the only private sector entity currently training dogs in Vapor Wake in the United States with the remainder coming from government, law enforcement, or military facilities, all with a high rate of failure.

“What we miss in our training format is people, big groups of people,” said Piekarz. He proposed bringing the dogs into the school for the benefit of the training program as well as the students. “Rather than just using the school, my vision is to more even partner with the school,” he continued.

HCK will not bring weapons into the school to train the dogs. “Everything that these guys are doing right now is hunting a rubber ball,” said Piekarz. He continued that the most any member of the HCK team would bring was a thimble of gun powder.

Board member Phillip Grunseth asked Piekarz if the children were supposed to interact with the dogs, to which Piekarz replied that some dogs will need more interaction while others will need less. HCK will have staff on hand to help direct the kids. Piekarz reported envisioning involving the kids in training when possible, such as asking a child to carry a rubber ball through the lunch line to stimulate a dog being trained.

Clerk Lauren Zach inquired about safety, stating that some kids might take the invitation to interact with the dogs by getting in the animals’ faces. Piekarz assured the board that HCK dogs were already above and beyond the Canine Good Citizen certification endorsed by the American Kennel Club. “There’s nothing that’s going to be aggressive,” he said. Piekarz assured the board that the worst thing that could happen was an accident on the school floor.

The board unanimously approved partnering with HCK.

In other business, the school board also:

• Voted to approve the 2024 tax levy now that state aid calculations have been finalized on Oct. 15. Taxpayers will see an increase of 73 cents instead of the 65 cents that was presented at the annual meeting, which Superintendent Walter Leipart states is still lower than anticipated when the referendum was discussed two years ago.

• Reported that the Design Gilman event appeared to be an overall success. A full report will be available in the next few weeks with another return event possibly occurring on Nov. 15. The community discussed topics such as painting a mural on the side of the laundromat, developing a multi-vendor storefront, seeking a deli or an additional diner as well as possible hotel accommodations, creating a bike trail, and looking at additional manufacturing in the industrial park. Childcare opportunities were also discussed. There may be an alumni committee formed to support these ideas.

• Discussed looking into a potential industry partner to assist students with getting their CDL’s and to train new bus drivers. There is a current partnership in place, but it isn’t working to the school’s advantage. “I’m just going to say it wasn’t a good fit and we’re going to look for something else,” said Leipart.

• Heard report from Principal Phil Tallman that Homecoming was a success. He also stated that the cell phone policy is going well and they’ve only had to confiscate a couple of phones so far this year. The Fire Department came recently to educate the kids and let them observe the equipment. Tallman also passed out a survey for the staff to complete evaluating his role as the principal, which was overall positive.

• Approved the financial report.

• Voted to enhance the speakers in the high school gym at the proposed price of $7,545.

• Voted to approve the 2024-2025 district annual budget.

• Reported that summer school attendance was positive, bringing in 119 students which counts as four full time enrollments and contributes to the revenue limit. Leipart added that the summer school program provides an opportunity to gain experience for those looking to go into teaching. This summer, four aspiring educators from Gilman participated in summer school and five certified teachers, also Gilman graduates, participated as well.

• Reported that while the physical count of students is 285, the actual pupil count is 322 as the figures include open enrollments (both in and out), and the district is only allowed to account for a fraction of 4K students and summer school enrollments. The numbers also include Amish students though they do not actually attend classes in Gilman.

• -Discussed the DPI Nondiscrimination Self-Evaluation Report which is done every five years. This is reviewed to ensure that the students are being served appropriately. The committee has recommended that the school post the names of nondiscrimination compliance officers and write up a policy on nondiscrimination.

• Completed a first reading on policy update volume 33.2 which discusses whether or not to allow school board members to participate in closed sessions virtually. There was concern from multiple board members regarding privacy. Board members can attend regular meetings virtually. The board voted that closed sessions must be attended in person.

• Voted to bid on a 20’ by 300’ parcel of land neighboring the school which was listed by the county and auctioned early this week. The hope was that one of the residents living next to the parcel would bid on it as the school is on good terms with the neighboring properties; however, if a third party decides to bid, the school would step in and bid up to an amount discussed in closed session. The minimum starting bid is $1,500.

• Held a closed session, the purpose of which to discuss current coaching evaluations, update on previous administrative and professional staff personnel matters, and provide information related to a student discipline matter. During the closed session, the board also discussed a price limit for bidding on the previously mentioned parcel. No action was taken once open session reconvened.