School budget looking tough

It won't be long before the Jay School Corporation has to start building its budget for 2010, but at the moment school officials say they're dealing with "phantom revenue numbers."

Because the Indiana General Assembly failed to adopt a state budget and will be going into special session, it will be weeks before the school funding formula is finalized.

"Right now, I can't predict what they'll do in that legislative session," school corporation business manager Brad DeRome told the school board Monday night. "We'll deal with whatever information they send our way."

Superintendent Tim Long told board members six to eight job positions will be eliminated in the year ahead.

"We're not reducing force; we're reducing positions," said Long. "Staffing continues to change." The positions being eliminated are related to retirements or resignations.

One unusual staff change received board approval Monday night as Ted Habegger, athletic director at Jay County High School, and Tom Jerles, principal at Redkey Elementary School, opted to retire and be re-hired.

The move, which is allowed for under state law, requires a 30-day break in service. As a result of the change, the school corporation will save three percent of their salary benefit that would have been paid into the Teachers Retirement Fund for Habegger and Jerles.

Board members gave unanimous approval to renewing medical insurance with Anthem with a 9 percent increase in premiums and renewing dental insurance with Delta Dental.

"It's the best of the worst," board member Mike Masters said of the Anthem insurance proposal.

The board also unanimously approved a bid of $92,239 from Muhlenkamp Building Corporation, Celina, to replace the large walk-in cooler system in the JCHS food service department. The new cooler will replace equipment originally installed in 1975.

Long said eight companies picked up specifications on the project, but Muhlenkamp was the sole bidder. The bid, he said, was "within range" of what had been expected by architects. Funding for the work will come from the school system's rainy day fund, since replacement of the cooler is deemed an emergency.

In other business, the board:

•Heard a report from teacher Doug Tipton on the recent world robotics competition in Dallas which for the first time had JCHS participation. The local team placed 73rd, though it is in its first year. The program has "caught fire" with students, Tipton said. "Our numbers were overwhelming at the middle school," he said, noting that volunteers are needed to help with the program.

•Learned that Long will be making a presentation to the community on his recent educational exchange visit to China at 7 p.m. on June 3 at John Jay Center for Learning. Long is making presentations on the trip to local elementary schools as well.

•Set the following textbook rentals and fees for elementary schools in the 2009-2010 school year: Kindergarten $101, first grade $117, second grade $121, third grade $100, fourth grade $92, and fifth grade $93.

•Commended the JCHS guidance department for achieving RAMP status with the American School Counselor Association.

•Increased school lunch prices by a nickel for the 2009-2010 school year. Reduced price lunches will remain unchanged; those prices are set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Next school year elementary lunches will cost $1.80, middle school lunches $1.90, high school lunches $2.05, student breakfasts $1.25, adult breakfasts $1.55, a la carte milk 35 cents, adult lunches $2.55. Reduced price lunches will be 40 cents and breakfasts 30 cents.

•Set after school tutoring pay rates at $20 per hour and after school detention staff pay rates at $50 for three hours.

•Decided to keep latch key prices unchanged in the 2009-2010 school year. The registration fee is $10, the standard rate is $2.25 per hour, the rate for children in the reduced price lunch program is $2 per hour, and the rate for children in the free lunch program is $1.75 per hour.

•Kept substitute teacher and substitute bus driver pay at $60 per day.

•Approved new student handbooks for elementary, middle school, and high school students.

•Set a new goal of improving ISTEP mastery corporation-wide in the areas of reading comprehension, language conversions, and writing application.

•Hired, in addition to Habegger and Jerles, Dennis Dwiggins as a driver's training teacher, Lisa Wood as a bio-medical teacher, and Lucas Cummings as the JCHS girls' basketball coach and a teacher. Board member Jim Sanders said he voted against the hirings because he was not pleased with the process used in the selection of the new coach.

•Accepted the retirement of JCHS custodian Russell Hartman.

•Approved the transfer of math teacher Kim Haffner from JCHS to East Jay Middle School.

•Accepted the resignation of JCHS custodian Richard French.

•Accepted the extra-curricular resignations of Carrie Byrum as cheerleading coach at Bloomfield, Kristin Millspaugh as JCHS gymnastics coach, and Krista Muhlenkamp as JCHS Y-Teen sponsor.

•Approved Abigail Champ as assistant cheerleading coach at JCHS.

•Approved trips by the FFA poultry and livestock teams to state competition and FFA members to the state convention, both at Purdue, and by the Foreign Language Club to Cedar Point.

•Approved a bus request by the summer swim team.[[In-content Ad]]