July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Positives, negatives heard by Jay board (03/21/06)
Jay School Board
By By BETH A. CLAYTON-
The Jay School Corporation meeting Monday night was a showcase of Jay Schools’ positives and pitfalls.
Topping the list of positives was, predictably, the Jay County High School boys basketball team, which secured a berth in the state tournament Saturday with a last-second win against Plymouth in overtime.
“I was never so proud to be a part of Jay County,” said board member Jay Halstead, who attended last Saturday’s game. “I stood the entire game.”
Superintendent Barb Downing opened the meeting by praising not only the team but the community for its continued support.
“We will be at the big game on Saturday, and I know there is a state title there for the kids,” she said.
Also on the list of positives was recognition for Jo Willer, director of special education for Jay Schools, and Theresa Linn, early childhood special education intervention advisor.
Jay School Corporation was recognized recently for last year successfully transferring all special needs children from First Steps, a program which offers services to special needs children up to 3-years-old to the public school special education program.
There are 90 special education programs in the state and only 14 have earned this distinction. This is the second year Jay Schools has been recognized.
State law mandates that all children in need of special education begin receiving those services upon their third birthday, regardless of when in the school year it occurs, making matriculating young children into the system a year-round endeavor.
“They work very hard to get those children in to the system,” said Willer of the special education staff. “It is a challenge to ensure the little ones don’t have a gap in care.”
Downing also presented commendations to the winners of the Jay County Optimist Oratorical Contest, and accepted donations to Jay Schools from the United Way of Jay County and the General Shanks Elementary School PTO, totaling nearly $7,000.
First on the list of pitfalls is the gymnasium floor at West Jay Middle School. The board voted to allow nearly $85,000 from the capital projects fund allocated for replacing the floor to be carried over to next year’s budget.
It was originally thought a new wood floor could be placed over the existing rubber floor, but closer inspection revealed that the rubber would have to be removed, effectively doubling the expected total cost of the project.
The work is tentatively scheduled to be done in 2007, after the leaky roof is replaced.
“First things first,” said Downing. “We will have that roof replaced before we put in a new floor.”
Jay Schools business manager Brad DeRome said that money allocated for both the roof and floor project would be submitted for board approval when the 2007 budget is prepared early this summer.
Ron Kreig, coordinator of buildings and grounds for Jay schools said that while the floor is viable for another year, it is one of the last floors of its kind in the area and needs to be replaced.
“It’s surviving,” he said. “Can we go another year? Sure, but I’d really not like to go longer than that.”
DeRome also presented the general fund monitoring report and summary of funds for the month of February.
DeRome said that Jay Schools received roughly $666,000 from the state as part of an early installment of a payment due in September, which allowed the corporation to pay back a general fund bond bank loan of $369,900.
However, DeRome also said that medical claims and prescription expenses for the month were $499,000, which is more than $110,000 more than in February, causing the self-insurance fund to decrease.
Because Jay Schools is self-funded in its insurance plan, large increases in medical expenses come from the reserves.
The self-insurance fund, or medical insurance reserves, decreased for the first time in five years in December 2005.
DeRome said that year-to-date medical claim expenses are already $246,000 more than last year after only two months of 2006, and insurance consultants expect medical inflation this year of at least 13 percent.
Major increases in medical claims and prescriptions expenses this year could force the corporation to take money from the general fund, which has had a surplus for the last three years.
“If it doesn’t turn around, it could put a lot of pressure on us trying to stay in the black,” said DeRome.
Also aware of the pitfalls in Jay schools were several parents, who addressed the board about concerns they have regarding their children’s education.
Most discussion centered on the possible blending of two grade levels in one classroom at General Shanks Elementary School to accommodate surging enrollment numbers in current kindergarten, first and second grade levels.
Four elementary schools in the system have blended classes, though they are in fourth and fifth grade levels.
Kristen Schoenlein and Tammy Lyons wrote a letter to the editor earlier this month addressing the blend and urging parents to come to the meeting and discuss it with the board.
Lyons said she was concerned about what effects this blend might have on already shaky ISTEP results, while Schoenlein voiced concern for what she considers undue stress on the teacher expected to prepare for and teach two grade levels.
“Why did we have four blended classes the same year we finished in the $402,000 in the black?” she asked, referring to last year’s budget surplus.
Dennis and Karen Schweiterman, parents of a junior at Jay County High School, also voiced concern over student accountability, dropping graduation rates and block scheduling.
Several board members have previously expressed a need for a review of block scheduling, and board president Doug Inman said that these concerns would be taken under consideration.
“Unfortunately, there is not going to be a solution everyone likes,” he said of the blended classes.
Board member Bryan Alexander added that a decision would be made this year.
While acknowledging shortcomings within the community, board member Mike Shannon tried to end the meeting on a positive note.
“We have some negatives in this county, and we are working on them,” said Shannon. “But there are so many positives.”[[In-content Ad]]
Topping the list of positives was, predictably, the Jay County High School boys basketball team, which secured a berth in the state tournament Saturday with a last-second win against Plymouth in overtime.
“I was never so proud to be a part of Jay County,” said board member Jay Halstead, who attended last Saturday’s game. “I stood the entire game.”
Superintendent Barb Downing opened the meeting by praising not only the team but the community for its continued support.
“We will be at the big game on Saturday, and I know there is a state title there for the kids,” she said.
Also on the list of positives was recognition for Jo Willer, director of special education for Jay Schools, and Theresa Linn, early childhood special education intervention advisor.
Jay School Corporation was recognized recently for last year successfully transferring all special needs children from First Steps, a program which offers services to special needs children up to 3-years-old to the public school special education program.
There are 90 special education programs in the state and only 14 have earned this distinction. This is the second year Jay Schools has been recognized.
State law mandates that all children in need of special education begin receiving those services upon their third birthday, regardless of when in the school year it occurs, making matriculating young children into the system a year-round endeavor.
“They work very hard to get those children in to the system,” said Willer of the special education staff. “It is a challenge to ensure the little ones don’t have a gap in care.”
Downing also presented commendations to the winners of the Jay County Optimist Oratorical Contest, and accepted donations to Jay Schools from the United Way of Jay County and the General Shanks Elementary School PTO, totaling nearly $7,000.
First on the list of pitfalls is the gymnasium floor at West Jay Middle School. The board voted to allow nearly $85,000 from the capital projects fund allocated for replacing the floor to be carried over to next year’s budget.
It was originally thought a new wood floor could be placed over the existing rubber floor, but closer inspection revealed that the rubber would have to be removed, effectively doubling the expected total cost of the project.
The work is tentatively scheduled to be done in 2007, after the leaky roof is replaced.
“First things first,” said Downing. “We will have that roof replaced before we put in a new floor.”
Jay Schools business manager Brad DeRome said that money allocated for both the roof and floor project would be submitted for board approval when the 2007 budget is prepared early this summer.
Ron Kreig, coordinator of buildings and grounds for Jay schools said that while the floor is viable for another year, it is one of the last floors of its kind in the area and needs to be replaced.
“It’s surviving,” he said. “Can we go another year? Sure, but I’d really not like to go longer than that.”
DeRome also presented the general fund monitoring report and summary of funds for the month of February.
DeRome said that Jay Schools received roughly $666,000 from the state as part of an early installment of a payment due in September, which allowed the corporation to pay back a general fund bond bank loan of $369,900.
However, DeRome also said that medical claims and prescription expenses for the month were $499,000, which is more than $110,000 more than in February, causing the self-insurance fund to decrease.
Because Jay Schools is self-funded in its insurance plan, large increases in medical expenses come from the reserves.
The self-insurance fund, or medical insurance reserves, decreased for the first time in five years in December 2005.
DeRome said that year-to-date medical claim expenses are already $246,000 more than last year after only two months of 2006, and insurance consultants expect medical inflation this year of at least 13 percent.
Major increases in medical claims and prescriptions expenses this year could force the corporation to take money from the general fund, which has had a surplus for the last three years.
“If it doesn’t turn around, it could put a lot of pressure on us trying to stay in the black,” said DeRome.
Also aware of the pitfalls in Jay schools were several parents, who addressed the board about concerns they have regarding their children’s education.
Most discussion centered on the possible blending of two grade levels in one classroom at General Shanks Elementary School to accommodate surging enrollment numbers in current kindergarten, first and second grade levels.
Four elementary schools in the system have blended classes, though they are in fourth and fifth grade levels.
Kristen Schoenlein and Tammy Lyons wrote a letter to the editor earlier this month addressing the blend and urging parents to come to the meeting and discuss it with the board.
Lyons said she was concerned about what effects this blend might have on already shaky ISTEP results, while Schoenlein voiced concern for what she considers undue stress on the teacher expected to prepare for and teach two grade levels.
“Why did we have four blended classes the same year we finished in the $402,000 in the black?” she asked, referring to last year’s budget surplus.
Dennis and Karen Schweiterman, parents of a junior at Jay County High School, also voiced concern over student accountability, dropping graduation rates and block scheduling.
Several board members have previously expressed a need for a review of block scheduling, and board president Doug Inman said that these concerns would be taken under consideration.
“Unfortunately, there is not going to be a solution everyone likes,” he said of the blended classes.
Board member Bryan Alexander added that a decision would be made this year.
While acknowledging shortcomings within the community, board member Mike Shannon tried to end the meeting on a positive note.
“We have some negatives in this county, and we are working on them,” said Shannon. “But there are so many positives.”[[In-content Ad]]
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