July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
School board OKs budget (9/21/05)
By By Jack Ronald-
A $30.7 million Jay Schools budget won approval Monday night, but not before one board member proposed revising the capital projects plan to try to accumulate funds to build a second gymnasium at the high school.
Bryan Alexander, chairing the meeting in the absence of board president Doug Inman, urged the board to consider “pushing off” a number of planned capital projects — ranging from classroom furniture to electrical work at the central office building — in hopes of finding sufficient funds within two or three years to make an auxiliary gym possible.
“I felt this (an auxiliary gym) was a priority,” said Alexander. “That’s the direction I’m coming from.”
His revisions of the capital projects fund would make available about $860,000 by squeezing out or deferring other projects. “Anything that was critical was not touched” in his revision of the plan, he said. “I’ve heard from the public many times, ‘Why can’t you do this (build a second gym) out of your budget?’”
But school corporation business manager Brad DeRome said any revision of the capital projects plan would require a new round of public notice advertising and another public hearing, something which could not be done and still meet today’s state-imposed deadline for budget adoption.
“We really have to get past the budget process,” DeRome said. “I’m not sure we can do much more tonight.” He added that it may be possible for the board to re-visit the capital projects fund later this year after the budget has cleared through state review.
Board reaction to Alexander’s proposal was mixed.
“I’m still in favor of building (a second gymnasium),” said Frank Vormohr. “If there’s a way this can be done ... I’m in favor of looking at it.”
Jay Halstead was skeptical of the idea of deferring some of the projects now slated to be done. “I’m sure that the electrical (system) in the central office needs to be upgraded before 2007,” he said.
Ron Krieg, director of buildings and grounds, said the funds Alexander proposed allotting for roof work at the high school might not be sufficient.
In the end, the capital projects plan and the budget were approved as originally proposed and advertised, passing on a 5-1 vote with Alexander dissenting.
As approved, the budget calls for general fund of $22,852,400, up 2.6 percent from the current year. The debt service fund totals $1,952,305, the pension bond fund totals $555,172, the capital projects fund is $3,000,833, the transportation fund totals $1,667,100, the bus replacement fund totals $432,000 and the special education preschool fund totals $240,000.
Kari Vilamaa of the Fort Wayne architectural firm of Barton Coe Vilamaa walked board members through the latest schematic drawings for the renovation project at Jay County High School.
Vilamaa has been meeting with school faculty and staff, and the firm has come up with an initial proposal for reconfiguring the vocational classroom space within the existing footprint of that part of the building. The plan would move four non-vocational classes which now meet in that part of the building to other space within the high school.
Competing needs for a limited amount of space and a budget cap set by the board have been major factors in the planning so far, Vilamaa said.
“We want to make sure we’re meeting the needs of all the components of the project,” he said. “If I pay attention strictly to the wishes of each person, we’re not going to have a plan.”
Among the changes in the plan so far is the addition of restrooms and changing rooms for vocational students in that section of the building.
Plans for reconstruction of the swimming pool are also taking shape, calling for an eight-lane pool. As outlined Monday, the plan would shift the deep end of the pool and diving area to the south end and would provide seating for spectators along the east side.
Those changes would expand the footprint of the pool area a bit, and board members urged Vilamaa to look at slightly more of an expansion to allow for team seating along the west side of the pool.
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning plans would focus on a quieter, more efficient system. Vilamaa said plans would include a secondary cooling system for areas with large numbers of computers. That way, those rooms could be kept cool even when the rest of the building didn’t need air conditioning.
Alexander urged that similar arrangements be made for the band room, which sees heavy use during hot summer months when the rest of the building is not being used.
Vilamaa will now review the schematics with teachers and administrators to hear their recommended changes. At Alexander’s urging, individual board members will be notified of those meetings and may sit in, so long as a quorum of the board is not present.
Detailed plans for the project will be developed over the next four months. The project will be advertised for bids in January, with contracts expected to be awarded in February and work to begin in March.
Alexander railed against Indiana’s common construction law and its system for establishing pay rates for projects such as the high school renovation.
“This whole process is based on — I don’t want to say it’s based on lies — but it’s based on some very poor data,” he said. “This process is tremendously flawed.”
He argued that pay rates established using figures from the AFL-CIO will add $1 million to $1.5 million to the final pricetag for the project. “It’s wrong,” he said.
Superintendent Barbara Downing told the board unofficial attendance figures from Friday’s state count date showed Jay Schools with 3,871 students, up slightly from 3,867. When adjusted for half-day kindergarten students, that gives Jay Schools an average daily attendance of 3,737.5, compared with 3,727.5 last year.
Board members unanimously approved a mentoring program — Kids Hope — presented by Gary Maitlen. The program, launched in 1993 in Michigan, is faith-based but involves no proselytizing or evangelical contact. Instead, it pairs trained volunteers with elementary school students to act as mentors.
“I have looked at a lot of different mentoring programs,” said Maitlen. “And this seems to be a really good one.” Three local churches have indicated an interest in participating.
“It doesn’t cost the schools anything,” Maitlen added.
Downing said she had been in contact with superintendents in Marion and Terre Haute, where Kids Hope has met with significant success.
The board was also unanimous in accepting four grants. A grant of $6,064 was approved by the state to provide stipends to teachers who enhance their learning on several computer software programs. A grant of $195,579 in federal Title II funds was received, primarily to help with class size reduction. A grant of $13,305 from Title V funds was received to help with the cost of gifted and talented teacher salaries.
And a grant of $5,029 was received from The Portland Foundation for the Jay County FFA to develop a therapeutic sensory garden for students with disabilities at JCHS. That grant came from the John F. Wible Memorial Fund, which was established for the education of sensory-impaired children.
In other business, the board:
•Accepted the resignations of high school food service employee Kris Cook and high school instructional assistant Margie Addington.
•Approved medical and military leaves for Nancy Hummer, Sandy Colquhoun, Sara Davidson, Karen Guingrich, Chris Krieg, Tommy D. Phillips and Jeremy Gulley.
•Hired Jana Franks, Lisa Holcomb and Norma Smitley as food service workers; Tamara Solether, Tricia Lowe and Jane Martin as instructional assistants; and Ken Haines as Redkey Elementary School custodian.
•Approved Shannon Sweeny as JCHS Thespian Club sponsor and drama and musical director, Jan Rittenhouse as music, swing choir and choir director at JCHS, Lara Miller as JCHS assistant gymnastics coach, Ed Geesaman as freshman girls’ basketball coach, James Myers II as JCHS varsity wrestling coach, Carla Johnson as assistant cross country coach at East Jay Middle School, Fred Medler as sixth grade volleyball coach at EJMS, Dennis Chenoweth as eighth grade football coach at EJMS, Shane Mann as assistant eighth grade football coach at EJMS, Lori Sims as pep club and yearbook sponsor at EJMS, Colina Anderson as Just Say No Club sponsor at EJMS, Jennifer Schwieterman as volunteer volleyball coach at EJMS, Randall Davis as athletic director at West Jay Middle School, Amy Hanna as seventh grade team leader at WJMS, Andrea Current as volunteer volleyball coach at WJMS, Tony Overton as fifth grade boys’ basketball coach at East Elementary School, Jan Hunt as cheer sponsor at General Shanks Elementary School, Jill Ford as fifth grade girls’ basketball coach at Pennville Elementary School, Tricia Lowe as yearbook sponsor at Redkey, Shawna Davis as cheer sponsor at Redkey, Donald Friddle as boys’ basketball coach at Redkey, Cathy Franks as student council sponsor at Redkey, and Sherry Minnick as school volunteer at Westlawn Elementary School.
However, Alexander complained to Downing that some of the coaching spots were filled without the involvement of the high school’s head coaches in those sports. The board directed Downing to make sure that consultation happens in the future.
•Approved field trip requests by the JCHS German class students to go to Dayton International Airport in October and November and to Chicago on Nov. 1.
•Heard a report on the success of the Reading Recovery program, particularly in the extended kindergarten program.
•Approved as long-term volunteers several members of the Portland Rotary Club who have been reading each week to children in local elementary schools.
•Heard Downing report that she has scheduled her “superintendent listens” visits to all Jay Schools. Those involve informal meetings with staff and a full day of visiting classrooms at each school.[[In-content Ad]]
Bryan Alexander, chairing the meeting in the absence of board president Doug Inman, urged the board to consider “pushing off” a number of planned capital projects — ranging from classroom furniture to electrical work at the central office building — in hopes of finding sufficient funds within two or three years to make an auxiliary gym possible.
“I felt this (an auxiliary gym) was a priority,” said Alexander. “That’s the direction I’m coming from.”
His revisions of the capital projects fund would make available about $860,000 by squeezing out or deferring other projects. “Anything that was critical was not touched” in his revision of the plan, he said. “I’ve heard from the public many times, ‘Why can’t you do this (build a second gym) out of your budget?’”
But school corporation business manager Brad DeRome said any revision of the capital projects plan would require a new round of public notice advertising and another public hearing, something which could not be done and still meet today’s state-imposed deadline for budget adoption.
“We really have to get past the budget process,” DeRome said. “I’m not sure we can do much more tonight.” He added that it may be possible for the board to re-visit the capital projects fund later this year after the budget has cleared through state review.
Board reaction to Alexander’s proposal was mixed.
“I’m still in favor of building (a second gymnasium),” said Frank Vormohr. “If there’s a way this can be done ... I’m in favor of looking at it.”
Jay Halstead was skeptical of the idea of deferring some of the projects now slated to be done. “I’m sure that the electrical (system) in the central office needs to be upgraded before 2007,” he said.
Ron Krieg, director of buildings and grounds, said the funds Alexander proposed allotting for roof work at the high school might not be sufficient.
In the end, the capital projects plan and the budget were approved as originally proposed and advertised, passing on a 5-1 vote with Alexander dissenting.
As approved, the budget calls for general fund of $22,852,400, up 2.6 percent from the current year. The debt service fund totals $1,952,305, the pension bond fund totals $555,172, the capital projects fund is $3,000,833, the transportation fund totals $1,667,100, the bus replacement fund totals $432,000 and the special education preschool fund totals $240,000.
Kari Vilamaa of the Fort Wayne architectural firm of Barton Coe Vilamaa walked board members through the latest schematic drawings for the renovation project at Jay County High School.
Vilamaa has been meeting with school faculty and staff, and the firm has come up with an initial proposal for reconfiguring the vocational classroom space within the existing footprint of that part of the building. The plan would move four non-vocational classes which now meet in that part of the building to other space within the high school.
Competing needs for a limited amount of space and a budget cap set by the board have been major factors in the planning so far, Vilamaa said.
“We want to make sure we’re meeting the needs of all the components of the project,” he said. “If I pay attention strictly to the wishes of each person, we’re not going to have a plan.”
Among the changes in the plan so far is the addition of restrooms and changing rooms for vocational students in that section of the building.
Plans for reconstruction of the swimming pool are also taking shape, calling for an eight-lane pool. As outlined Monday, the plan would shift the deep end of the pool and diving area to the south end and would provide seating for spectators along the east side.
Those changes would expand the footprint of the pool area a bit, and board members urged Vilamaa to look at slightly more of an expansion to allow for team seating along the west side of the pool.
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning plans would focus on a quieter, more efficient system. Vilamaa said plans would include a secondary cooling system for areas with large numbers of computers. That way, those rooms could be kept cool even when the rest of the building didn’t need air conditioning.
Alexander urged that similar arrangements be made for the band room, which sees heavy use during hot summer months when the rest of the building is not being used.
Vilamaa will now review the schematics with teachers and administrators to hear their recommended changes. At Alexander’s urging, individual board members will be notified of those meetings and may sit in, so long as a quorum of the board is not present.
Detailed plans for the project will be developed over the next four months. The project will be advertised for bids in January, with contracts expected to be awarded in February and work to begin in March.
Alexander railed against Indiana’s common construction law and its system for establishing pay rates for projects such as the high school renovation.
“This whole process is based on — I don’t want to say it’s based on lies — but it’s based on some very poor data,” he said. “This process is tremendously flawed.”
He argued that pay rates established using figures from the AFL-CIO will add $1 million to $1.5 million to the final pricetag for the project. “It’s wrong,” he said.
Superintendent Barbara Downing told the board unofficial attendance figures from Friday’s state count date showed Jay Schools with 3,871 students, up slightly from 3,867. When adjusted for half-day kindergarten students, that gives Jay Schools an average daily attendance of 3,737.5, compared with 3,727.5 last year.
Board members unanimously approved a mentoring program — Kids Hope — presented by Gary Maitlen. The program, launched in 1993 in Michigan, is faith-based but involves no proselytizing or evangelical contact. Instead, it pairs trained volunteers with elementary school students to act as mentors.
“I have looked at a lot of different mentoring programs,” said Maitlen. “And this seems to be a really good one.” Three local churches have indicated an interest in participating.
“It doesn’t cost the schools anything,” Maitlen added.
Downing said she had been in contact with superintendents in Marion and Terre Haute, where Kids Hope has met with significant success.
The board was also unanimous in accepting four grants. A grant of $6,064 was approved by the state to provide stipends to teachers who enhance their learning on several computer software programs. A grant of $195,579 in federal Title II funds was received, primarily to help with class size reduction. A grant of $13,305 from Title V funds was received to help with the cost of gifted and talented teacher salaries.
And a grant of $5,029 was received from The Portland Foundation for the Jay County FFA to develop a therapeutic sensory garden for students with disabilities at JCHS. That grant came from the John F. Wible Memorial Fund, which was established for the education of sensory-impaired children.
In other business, the board:
•Accepted the resignations of high school food service employee Kris Cook and high school instructional assistant Margie Addington.
•Approved medical and military leaves for Nancy Hummer, Sandy Colquhoun, Sara Davidson, Karen Guingrich, Chris Krieg, Tommy D. Phillips and Jeremy Gulley.
•Hired Jana Franks, Lisa Holcomb and Norma Smitley as food service workers; Tamara Solether, Tricia Lowe and Jane Martin as instructional assistants; and Ken Haines as Redkey Elementary School custodian.
•Approved Shannon Sweeny as JCHS Thespian Club sponsor and drama and musical director, Jan Rittenhouse as music, swing choir and choir director at JCHS, Lara Miller as JCHS assistant gymnastics coach, Ed Geesaman as freshman girls’ basketball coach, James Myers II as JCHS varsity wrestling coach, Carla Johnson as assistant cross country coach at East Jay Middle School, Fred Medler as sixth grade volleyball coach at EJMS, Dennis Chenoweth as eighth grade football coach at EJMS, Shane Mann as assistant eighth grade football coach at EJMS, Lori Sims as pep club and yearbook sponsor at EJMS, Colina Anderson as Just Say No Club sponsor at EJMS, Jennifer Schwieterman as volunteer volleyball coach at EJMS, Randall Davis as athletic director at West Jay Middle School, Amy Hanna as seventh grade team leader at WJMS, Andrea Current as volunteer volleyball coach at WJMS, Tony Overton as fifth grade boys’ basketball coach at East Elementary School, Jan Hunt as cheer sponsor at General Shanks Elementary School, Jill Ford as fifth grade girls’ basketball coach at Pennville Elementary School, Tricia Lowe as yearbook sponsor at Redkey, Shawna Davis as cheer sponsor at Redkey, Donald Friddle as boys’ basketball coach at Redkey, Cathy Franks as student council sponsor at Redkey, and Sherry Minnick as school volunteer at Westlawn Elementary School.
However, Alexander complained to Downing that some of the coaching spots were filled without the involvement of the high school’s head coaches in those sports. The board directed Downing to make sure that consultation happens in the future.
•Approved field trip requests by the JCHS German class students to go to Dayton International Airport in October and November and to Chicago on Nov. 1.
•Heard a report on the success of the Reading Recovery program, particularly in the extended kindergarten program.
•Approved as long-term volunteers several members of the Portland Rotary Club who have been reading each week to children in local elementary schools.
•Heard Downing report that she has scheduled her “superintendent listens” visits to all Jay Schools. Those involve informal meetings with staff and a full day of visiting classrooms at each school.[[In-content Ad]]
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