July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.

Intervention program gets OK (08/08/06)

Jay School Board

By By JAMES BROSHER-

Local students will participate in a pilot program aimed at helping younger students falling behind in education.

Members of the Jay School Board voted to approve a Early Intervention Services program Monday evening after hearing a presentation by Jo Willer, director of special education for the Jay School Corporation.

"It that allows us to intervene with children who are not special education, but general education students who are showing difficulties in being successful in academics," Willer said during a brief presentation to the board Monday.

The program will be conducted at General Shanks, Westlawn and Redkey in kindergarten and grades 1, 2 and 3. Students in those grades at those three elementary schools have had the highest rate of referrals in the school corporation.

For the program, the corporation will employ a half-time teacher whose salary will be funded through a federal grant.

If a child is referred to the program, parents will be contacted and involved in the process.

Also Monday, superintendent Barbara Downing updated board members on the progress of renovations at JCHS, and reminded parents and students that there will be no air conditioning at the high school until at least next year.

"There will be circulating air with the new system, but with no cooling element," Downing said.

"We are planning to begin school on time. If the heat is unbearable, there are other avenues that we can move towards," such as early dismissals, Downing said.

ISTEP/GQE testing may be moved to other gymnasiums in the school corporation if heat becomes unbearable during a heat wave, Downing told board members.

She said that contractors expect the pool to open Oct. 1.

Downing reported that construction crews are working weekends in an attempt to get as much done as possible before the beginning of the school year.

Some vocational, special education and English classrooms have been moved due to construction and more classrooms will be conducted in former open areas, Downing said.

In other business Monday, board members Bryan Alexander, Dr. Frank Vormohr, Jay Halstead, Mike Masters and Mike Shannon:

•Granted medical leaves to Richard French, Bobbi Jellison, Jennifer DeHoff, Chandra Dawson, Judy Wellman and Amy Hanna.

•Accepted the retirements of Robert Lyons, vocational agriculture teacher at JCHS; and Sheila Takats, English teacher at JCHS.

•Approved the resignation of Sarona Fullenkamp, secretary at East Elementary; Steven Abbett, English teacher at East Jay Middle School; and Kimberly Niekamp, Math teacher at West Jay Middle School.

•Hired four new teachers and promoted one assistant from part time to full time. Teachers hired were Carissa Goldsworthy, U.S. History, East Jay Middle School; Tessa Thobe, English-Reading, East Jay Middle School; Gwen Bergman, math, JCHS; and Emmitt Bales, English and theatre, JCHS. Cindy Fullenkamp was promoted from a part-time to full-time position as a teaching assistant.

•Accepted extra-curricular resignations from Amy Hanna, student council sponsor, West Jay Middle School; and Lisa Mann, student council sponsor, West Jay Middle School.

•Approved the following coaching positions: Amy Dillon, assistant volleyball, JCHS; Kristi Caldwell, assistant volleyball, JCHS; Josh Gibson, assistant football, JCHS; Robert Minch, assistant football, JCHS; Ryan Fritze, freshman football, JCHS; and Stephen Zielinski, assistant boy's soccer, JCHS.

•Approved a field trip request by the JCHS Marching Band to travel to Washington D.C. April 12-17, 2007.

•Approved the 2006-2007 special education fees.

•Voted to approve a Title V Innovative Programs Grant and a Title IV Safe and Drug Free Schools Grant.[[In-content Ad]]The Jay School Corporation School Board voted Monday to give permission to advertise a budget of more than $30 million and an increased tax-rate for 2007.

The advertised tax rate will be $2.14 per $100 of assessed valuation, but Brad DeRome, business manager/treasurer for the corporation, told board members Monday that he expects the actual tax rate to come down from that figure after review by state officials.

DeRome reported that the assessed value for the county dropped $100 million to $650 million, similar to last year when the assessed value also dropped the same amount.

The corporation tends to overestimate because they are not allowed to raise tax rates once the rate is advertised, said DeRome.

The advertised tax rate for 2006 was $2.04, but the actual tax rate for this year came in at $1.41.

The budget itself will increase from an actual $29.7 million in 2006 to an advertised $31.3 million for 2007.

The biggest changes in the budget include a $500,000 increase in the general fund for benefits and health insurance, along with an $800,000 increase in the debt service fund toward the $18 million JCHS renovation.

DeRome also reported that the corporation will advertise a balanced general fund, which is increasing from $22.9 million to $23.4 million.

The general fund reflects the recently ratified teacher contract with no increase in pay for this year and seven additional teachers. The majority of the general fund pays for salaries and benefits of teachers, administrators and support staff.

Nearly $17 million of the general fund will come from state funding and $5.8 million will be collected from property, excise and FIT taxes.

Board members did not ask any questions following the presentation and gave permission to advertise the budget with a 6-0 vote. Board member Doug Inman was not present.

A hearing on the budget will be held on Monday, Aug. 28 where the public will be allowed to speak or make comments about the budget. The budget is expected to be adopted at the Monday, Sept. 18 board meeting. Indiana mandates that all schools adopt a budget by Sept. 20.
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