Lutton to retire for second time

Bob Lutton will retire as athletic director at Jay County High School when his current contract ends in 2013.
It won’t be his first retirement.
Lutton, 58, who served a previous stint as AD and assistant principal at JCHS from 1993 to 1995, retired as assistant principal at Wes-Del High School in 2010 before rejoining Jay Schools.
“He’s been a pro for this school district,” superintendent Tim Long said Monday night as the board accepted Lutton’s retirement resignation. “I’m sad to see him go.”
“This school corporation has been fantastic to me,” Lutton said this morning. His retirement plans are uncertain, but he’s looking at options outside of the field of education, he said.
Lutton’s resignation topped a brief agenda for the Jay School Board’s public session sandwiched between two executive sessions.
The board first met in executive session to complete Long’s job performance review, then met again in executive session at 7:30 p.m. to discuss collective bargaining with the Jay Classroom Teachers Association.
Long told the board Monday he had met last week with Tony Bennett, superintendent of public instruction, and that the school corporation’s A-F rating is not yet ready for release.
The Indiana Department of Education has been in the process of revising the ratings and is expected to make them public within the next few weeks.
Assistant superintendent Wood Barwick said training continues as Jay Schools implements the RISE teacher evaluation system.
“I think we’re making a lot of progress,” said Barwick. “I think we’re where we need to be.”
Long noted that enrollment is down about 108 students this year, reflecting similar enrollment declines throughout east central Indiana. Because enrollment is linked to the level of state funding, the decline may put pressure on the budget.
“Looking ahead, we feel we’ve got some adjustments we can make,” said Long, noting that several more teacher retirements are expected by the end of this school year.
Uncertainty over health insurance claims and building repairs led the board to approve an additional appropriation of $400,000 from the general fund and $25,000 from the rainy day fund.
Business manager Brad DeRome noted the action is intended to give him spending flexibility at year-end if the corporation has to dip into its cash reserves.
The additional appropriation was approved on a 6-0 vote with board member Ron Laux absent.
Also approved on a 6-0 vote were claims that included a $3,483 bill from Burkhart Advertising for five billboards around the county that boast of the success of Jay Schools in ISTEP testing.
Board member Mike Masters and Long expressed their enthusiasm for the billboard campaign. “I think it was a good idea,” said Long.
In other business, the board:
•Heard Barwick say about 91 students are now taking dual credit courses at JCHS that allow them to earn college credits from Ball State University, Ivy Tech, and Purdue University.
•Hired Jennifer Hummel as a preschool instructional assistant and Kelly Moser as an instructional assistant.
•Approved the retirement of JCHS business teacher Kim Sharp-Rose at the end of the school year.
•Authorized leaves of absence for technology instructional assistant Michelle Keever and instructional assistant Susan Brown.
•Accepted the extra-curricular resignation of Rodney Craig as seventh grade girls’ basketball coach at West Jay Middle School.
•Approved extracurricular assignments for Ryan VanSkyock working with intramurals at JCHS, Larry Stultz as eighth grade boys basketball coach at West Jay, Josh Selvey as sixth grade boys basketball coach at West Jay, Scott Clamme as volunteer assistant boys basketball coach at JCHS, Abby Loy as volunteer girls soccer coach at JCHS, and Jeremy Wasson as sixth grade boys’ basketball coach at West Jay.
•Approved field trips by JCHS agriculture students, cheerleaders, German students, and the girls basketball team and East Jay Middle School eighth graders.
•Approved bus requests by The Rock and the Jay Community Center Boys and Girls Clubs.[[In-content Ad]]