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

SAMS playground a hit (10/13/04)

Board tries out new equipment

By By Jennifer [email protected]

GENEVA — The new playground equipment at the middle school here got the thumbs up from board members Tuesday — after some of them tried it out.

School board members Tony Mellencamp and Arlene Amstutz liked the seesaw. But none of them were brave enough to hang upside down on the jungle gym which is a popular activity for the students, South Adams Middle School principal Scott Litwiller said.

“(The playground) is very popular ... more age-appropriate and more fitness-oriented,” Litwiller said about the new equipment and climbing wall.

The board briefly visited the updated playground during Tuesday’s meeting.

The $13,000 playground renovation was completed before school started in August. Of that amount, $2,000 was donated by the middle school Parent Teacher Organization, approximately $3,000 came from FCC (Adams) in Berne and the remaining $8,000 came from the school’s capital projects fund.

Also Tuesday, South Adams Schools superintendent Connie Bailey reported the board received permission to sell bonds from the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance in Indianapolis.

The school corporation has until Dec. 31 to have the bonds issued by the state.

The $855,000 approved bond amount will be paid back in eight years with an estimated $230,894 in interest.

The school has about $3 million in unfunded liability for retirement and severance payments. The bond money will be used for the buyout and set aside funds for future unfunded obligations.

To complete the buyout program by the December deadline, the South Adams Classroom Teachers Association and the school board will have to reach and approve an agreement on use of bond funds by Nov. 15.

In other business, Bailey reported that student enrollment in the school is down.

The official enrollment for the 2004-05 school year is 1,412 students. This number is down 13 students from the official count of 1,425 students for the 2003-04 school year.

The number of migrant students in the corporation is also down, Bailey reported. The number dropped to 41 students from 53 last school year.

She added that this enrollment decrease will reduce the amount of funds the corporation receives from the Indiana Department of Education. She could not estimate the total amount of the decrease.

Also Tuesday, board members:

•Voted to allow corporation officials to advertise for bids to purchase a bus. The corporation plans to purchase one new bus this year.

•Approved the resignation of South Adams High School janitor Brandon Albertson and middle school assistant football coach Greg Reynolds.

•Approved the appointment of Eric Moser as middle school assistant football coach; Steve Huffman to the textbook adoption committee; Sheri Litwiller as a Title One instructional assistant; and Kathy Bauman as a Title One teacher.

•Approved two trips for SAHS FFA members.

Five students will travel to Evansville to compete in the state soil judging competing on Oct. 22 and 23, and 14 students will attend the National FFA Convention in Louisville, Ky. from Oct. 27 to 30.

•Heard Scott Litwiller report on the pen pal club at the middle school.

Fifth grade teacher Dawn Smith and club members have been corresponding with a class in Uganda in Africa.[[In-content Ad]]
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