Cuts likely at SA

BERNE — No vote was taken, but Scott Litwiller gave his school board an idea of what cuts might need to be made for the 2014-15 school year.
The South Adams Schools superintendent told the school board during its meeting Tuesday that he plans to recommend cutting one or more teaching positions. The school system learned in February that it would need to cut more than $90,000 from its second-semester general fund budget this year and then make permanent cuts for next school year because of a decline in state funding based on enrollment.
Also Tuesday, the board approved summer school programs and gave their support to the idea of creating a manufacturing academy. Members thanked and complimented the South Adams staff after spending the day at the schools as part of a board work session.
Administrators have been looking for ways to cut costs since learning in February that because of a drop in enrollment of 76 students between the August and February count dates it would lose $91,810 in state funding for the second semester this year. South Adams’ enrollment fluctuates because of migrant students, but its drop included 32 non-migrant students.
Litwiller told the board his plan for 2014-15 will likely include cutting a third grade teaching position as well as the Family and Consumer Science program.
Eliminating a third grade teacher would result in a classroom size of about 22 students. The fourth and fifth grades project at 25 and 24 students per class respectively.
Cutting the Family and Consumer Science program would mean not replacing retiring teacher Deb Hosier, who also taught business.
“We may know a little bit more in another month, and maybe next month I will have a recommendation,” said Litwiller. “We want to try to settle this as soon as we can but yet remain flexible so we can meet the needs of our enrollment numbers and meet the needs of our students.”
The board approved the summer school programs, which for the elementary and middle schools will include IREAD summer sessions for third graders who did not pass the test, Jump Start Remediation for students entering first and ninth grades and Wilson Reader for third through eighth graders with learning disabilities. High school programs will include Algebra I Remediation and credit recovery, credit recovery and credit advancement, summer band and supervised agriculture experience.
There will also be a fall extension for migrant students in grades kindergarten through 12.
Board members Arlene Amstutz, Ray Gill, John Mann, John Buckingham and Landon Patterson also gave their support to the possibility of creating a manufacturing academy in conjunction with Area 18, an education cooperative serving Adams, Wells, Jay, Blackford and Huntington counties. Litwiller has been working on an Innovative Career and Technology Education Grant application with other area officials seeking $400,000 to $500,000 that could be used for equipment, salary, curriculum or training.
Litwiller thanked the board members for their visit during the school day, and they responded that they enjoyed their time. They said it was a good learning experience, especially in the area of technology.
“I learned a great deal,” said Gill. “It’s always a joy to go in the classrooms. … It was a rewarding experience today.”
“It was a great day,” added Mann. “We have a wonderful staff — very creative, very compassionate, very committed.”
In other business, the board, absent Julie Mansfield and Amy Orr:
•Reviewed the athletic report that showed 49 percent of South Adams High School students participated in at least one sport during the school year.
•Approved the student handbook for 2014-15 with changes that included a definition of “habitually truant” as someone who has at least 10 absences from school, a requirement that students earn a 75 percent or better to receive credit in a pass/fail class and new discipline guidelines that give administrators more freedom to use discretion.
•Was reminded by Litwiller that the next month will include ISTEP, CoreLink, End of Course Assessment, Advanced Placement and ACCUPLACER testing. CoreLink is in its first year and is being considered as a replacement for ISTEP.
•Approved donating approximately 80 laptop computers, which were designated as surplus equipment, to Dots in Blue Water. The initiative focuses on relief projects in Haiti.
•Accepted donations of $100 to the “Sparky Starfire” lunch program, which benefits students who are not eligible for free lunches but are still in need of assistance; $300 from M&M Market to the baseball program to help purchase bullpen tarps; $500 each from Hoosier Pattern and Community Harvest Food Bank to the middle school science club.
•Approved field trips for the auto service technology team to the Ford/AAA state competition in Indianapolis, middle school students to Washington, D.C., Dots in Blue Water to Haiti, the high school music departments to Chicago, the U.S. History class to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton and the senior class to Cedar Point.
•OK’d a request to allow Berne Chamber of Commerce to use the school’s property at U.S. 27 and Ind. 18, where the former elementary school building previously stood, for a circus on Monday, June 2.
•Approved several personal items, including: family medical leave for fifth grade teacher Betsy Minnich from approximately Aug. 11 through Nov. 6; the resignation of swim coach Janelle Gresla, the retirements of seventh grade language arts teacher Sheri Cook and first grade teacher Sharon Wheeler; and the hiring of Caleb Armenta as an assistant baseball coach.
•Heard from Litwiller that South Adams has received its $20,600 from the 2014 Secured School Safety Grant. The grant will pay half of the school resource officer’s salary for the second semester as well as equipment for the fire notification system, a key card reader for the agriculture shop, numbering entrances and a safety fence around the auto shop.[[In-content Ad]]