Dues picked to lead at Bloomfield

New principals were approved Monday for Bloomfield and Judge Haynes elementary schools, but not before Judge Haynes parents expressed objections to the hiring process.
Jay County High School social studies teacher Ben Dues will succeed retiring principal Dan Hoffman at Bloomfield, while East Jay Middle School teacher Erica Tomano will take the reins at Judge Haynes when Trent Paxson moves to his new role as teacher evaluation coordinator for elementary and middle schools.
Though Judge Haynes parents expressed no objections to Tomano, they noted that a committee of Bloomfield area parents and faculty members was involved and that no comparable committee from Judge Haynes had been formed.
“Our concerns are completely different from Bloomfield’s,” parent Isabel Minnich told the Jay School Board. “It’s a very different atmosphere.” She noted that Judge Haynes draws nearly all its students from within the city limits, has a higher percentage of students on free or reduced lunches, and has more students coming from single-parent homes.
“Why didn’t we have that opportunity to get a committee together?” she asked. “It’s very hard for us to take as parents that we didn’t have the same opportunity.”
Superintendent Tim Long responded that administrative vacancies have been filled in a number of ways, sometimes with parental input and other times by moving staff members internally. “We’ve done it several different ways,” said Long.
Board president Greg Wellman, who was involved in the Bloomfield selection, urged Judge Haynes parents to “Give Erica a chance.”
“There will be other opportunities to be administrators in the county,” Wellman said.
Wellman and board members Ron Laux and Beth Krieg said the process should be reviewed in the future.
“I can kind of see where they’re coming from,” said Krieg.
“It should be the same process every time,” said Judge Haynes parent Brian DeVoss.
In other action, the board:
•Agreed to stay with Anthem and Delta Dental for the school corporation’s health and dental/vision insurance for the coming year. There will be a 5 percent increase in the cost of medical insurance for both the corporation and teachers, but that increase will not be passed on to support staff. There is no increase in the dental and vision coverage.
•Approved a memorandum of understanding with support staff that includes an across the board pay increase of 30 cents per hour.
•Approved elementary textbook rentals and fees for the 2012-2013 school year.
Fees for kindergarten will be $102, first grade $115, second grade $103, third grade $124, fourth grade $117, and fifth grade $118. Fees for kindergarten and second grade are $1 higher next year. All others are unchanged.
•Approved a 10 cent increase in the cost of school lunches next year. Elementary lunches will be $2, middle school $2.25, high school, $2.25, student breakfasts $1.45, adult breakfast $1.75, a la carte milk 35 cents, and adult lunch $2.75. There is no change in the reduced price breakfast and lunch. Those stay at 40 cents for lunch and 30 cents for breakfast.
•Hired Jenny Outcalt as a secretary at Redkey Elementary School, Jing Li as a Chinese teacher at the middle schools and high school, Ryan VanSkyock, Dru Mercer, and Giles Laux as teachers not yet assigned to specific schools, Jessica Walls as a lifeskills teacher at Westlawn Elementary School, Katie Broering as an English teacher at East Jay, Irene Taylor as secretary at West Jay Middle School, and Josh Gibson as an at-risk teacher at Pennville Elementary School. The hirings came on a 6-1 vote with board member Jim Sanders dissenting because of his objection to the school corporation’s China initiative.
•Approved a leave of absence for Redkey elementary teacher Kelly Brandenburg.
•Heard Jay County Commissioner Jim Zimmerman praise West Jay student Noah Kenneth Claycomb, who is working to raise funds to attend a national leadership conference on medicine.
•Approved a $5 per semester increase in pre-school fees.
•Kept pay for substitute teachers, substitute bus drivers, after school tutors, and credit recovery teachers unchanged for next year.
•Accepted the extra-curricular resignations of West Jay athletic director James Myers, Lucinda Wolverton as seventh grade team leader at West Jay, Ruth Zicht as cheerleading coach at East Elementary School, and Terri Lee as yearbook sponsor at Judge Haynes.
•Kept latch-key program prices unchanged for next year.
•Approved the appointment of Donna Haggenjos to the Jay County Public Library board.
•Approved extra-curricular assignments for Jessica Walls for intramurals at Westlawn, Anita Clott as yearbook sponsor at Judge Haynes, Gay Jobe as cheerleading coach at East, James Myers as seventh grade team leader at West Jay, Amy Grady as a band and guard staff member at JCHS, Joe Blankenbaker as volunteer girls’ tennis coach at JCHS, and Jenny Stout as JV and freshman cheerleader coach at JCHS.
•Approved field trips by the eighth grade to Washington, D.C., foreign language clubs to Cedar Point, and the JCHS Thespians to drama camp.
•Approved student handbook changes as recommended by assistant superintendent Wood Barwick and school board attorney Phil Frantz to comply with state changes.
•Approved the Indianapolis law firm of Lewis and Kappes as legal counsel advising during contract negotiations at a fee of $200 per hour.[[In-content Ad]]