July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Schools hope to cut insurance costs (11/28/06)
Jay School Board
By By JACK RONALD-
A committee which has been looking at the Jay School Corporation's health insurance costs may be on its way to finding some solutions.
"By the first of the year, we think we're going to have some very good news," said school board member Mike Masters, a member of the committee, which also includes representatives from the Jay Classroom Teachers Association. "Hopefully we can experience some savings."
Under the current self-insured system, the school corporation paid out more than $4.1 million for medical claims and prescriptions through October.
At the current pace, the total will be $4.9 million by the end of the year or about $300,000 higher than in 2005, according to school corporation business manager Brad DeRome.
"I think this is a long-term process," Masters cautioned.
Board president Bryan Alexander noted, "Any changes we make would have to be approved by (the JCTA) and by us."
New superintendent Tim Long told the board at its Monday night meeting he feels he's off to a good start.
He has sent a survey to all school corporation employees in an effort to help establish a set of goals. "That will give us an honest, open look," said Long.
Following the meeting, he noted that he would be seeking input from students and parents, as well, while assessing the school corporation's strengths and its needs.
The board gave unanimous approval to borrowing $1 million from the Indiana Bond Bank to handle cash flow needs in 2007.
DeRome noted that's a significant decrease from the past few years, a reflection of the school system's improving fiscal health. The measure passed 5-0, with board members Doug Inman and Frank Vormohr absent.
In other business, the board:
•Approved, without discussion, the calendar for the 2007-2008 school year. The 2007 school year will start for teachers on Aug. 17 and for students on Aug. 20. Christmas vacation will be Dec. 24 to Jan. 3 in the 2007-2008 year, while spring break will be March 24-28, 2008. The last student day will be May 22, 2008 and the last teacher day May 23. Graduation for the class of 2008 will be on June 1.
•Gave its annual approval to the system's three-year technology plan which had been reviewed at the board's October meeting.
•Granted medical leave requests for Carol Simos at General Shanks Elementary School, Stacy Campbell at Redkey Elementary School, Mary Mumby at Jay County High School, and Judy Newsome at JCHS; maternity leave for Jennifer DeHoff at Bloomfield Elementary School and Melanie Stockton at JCHS; and military leave for Tommy D. Phillips II at West Jay Middle School and Jeremy Gulley at JCHS.
•Approved Roy Adams as head girls tennis coach at JCHS, Greg Garringer as head boys track coach at JCHS, Amy Hawbaker as assistant softball coach at JCHS, Tom Leonhard as assistant boys track coach at JCHS, Loretta Reece as auditorium supervisor at JCHS, Jennifer Snow as assistant gymnastics coach at JCHS, Jack Wood as head softball coach at JCHS, Greg Garringer as head wrestling coach at East Jay Middle School, Marcie Vormohr as swim teach coach at East Jay, Erin Arnold as eighth grade girls basketball coach at West Jay, Matt Claycomb as seventh grade boys basketball coach at West Jay, Adam Homan as volunteer eighth grade girls basketball coach at West Jay, Flint Redwine as seventh grade girls basketball coach at West Jay, Ryan VanSkyock as eighth grade boys basketball coach at West Jay, and Andrea Weekley as sixth grade girls basketball coach at West Jay.
•Hired Naomi Streble as a crossing guard at Pennville Elementary School, Robin Jeffers as a cook at Westlawn Elementary School, and Cathy Mock as a part-time special education assistant at Judge Haynes Elementary School.
•Approved Ellen Louise Gelzleichter, Margie Jetter, Veryln Reynolds, Kristi Betts, Melissa Brown, Linda Shreve, Deborah Fouch, Julie Grant, Joyce Louck, Mary Rees, William Rees, Janis Scott, Sheila Stigleman, and Betty Miller as school volunteers.
•Authorized an emergency teaching permit for Elizabeth Ann Stafford as a half-time mild intervention teacher at Pennville and a half-time English as a second language instructional assistant at Pennville and Bloomfield.
•Approved field trips by JCHS German classes to Chicago, JCHS student council members to Clarksville High School, and JCHS agriculture mechanization students to Northwestern College in Lima, Ohio.
•Granted a bus request by the Jay Community Center on Dec. 22.
•Approved an emergency housing request from Miller's Merry Manor in Dunkirk which would allow the use of facilities at West Jay if a fire or other disaster struck.
•Appointed Cathi Godfrey to the Indiana Cooperative Library Services Authority board.
•Accepted early literacy intervention grants from the Indiana Department of Education totaling $3,500 for local elementary schools.
•Accepted a gift of three computers from MainSource Bank to General Shanks Elementary.[[In-content Ad]]Forty-seven minutes a day can make a difference.
That's the time necessary for teacher teaming at the middle school level, a commitment that principals told the Jay School Board Monday is helping bring test scores up, reduce discipline problems, and improve student attitudes.
"You can see we've had gradual progress," West Jay Middle School principal Michael Crull told the board.
"Teachers working on teams can design instruction and activities which relate across subject areas and are more meaningful to students. Student work loads can be coordinated to make sure major tests, projects and homework are spread out evenly."
"It provides an opportunity for long range and short term planning as well as a time to meet, as a unit, with students and parents," said East Jay Middle School principal M. Lee Newman.
See Team page 5
Continued from page 1
"Since teaming, there has been increased communication between home and school," he added.
Teaming has been in place at East Jay for several years at the seventh and eighth grade levels. It was expanded to the sixth grade level three years ago. It's been in place at all three grades at West Jay for four years.
Both principals said they believe teaming is particularly important at the middle school level.
Superintendent Tim Long agreed. "That's a tough age," he said.
"You have to take into consideration the challenges middle school level students have," said Crull. "I think it's important, that 47 minutes that we have. It's a valuable time."
Both Newman and Crull said one unique problem facing middle schools is a lack of student accountability. Elementary students are subject to being retained if they perform badly, and high school students who flunk a subject must re-take the class.
Newman said that since the end of mandatory summer school, students who perform badly in the classroom face no real penalties.
"In the past, we've asked to retain certain individuals," said Crull, "and we've been told, 'No.'"
"By the first of the year, we think we're going to have some very good news," said school board member Mike Masters, a member of the committee, which also includes representatives from the Jay Classroom Teachers Association. "Hopefully we can experience some savings."
Under the current self-insured system, the school corporation paid out more than $4.1 million for medical claims and prescriptions through October.
At the current pace, the total will be $4.9 million by the end of the year or about $300,000 higher than in 2005, according to school corporation business manager Brad DeRome.
"I think this is a long-term process," Masters cautioned.
Board president Bryan Alexander noted, "Any changes we make would have to be approved by (the JCTA) and by us."
New superintendent Tim Long told the board at its Monday night meeting he feels he's off to a good start.
He has sent a survey to all school corporation employees in an effort to help establish a set of goals. "That will give us an honest, open look," said Long.
Following the meeting, he noted that he would be seeking input from students and parents, as well, while assessing the school corporation's strengths and its needs.
The board gave unanimous approval to borrowing $1 million from the Indiana Bond Bank to handle cash flow needs in 2007.
DeRome noted that's a significant decrease from the past few years, a reflection of the school system's improving fiscal health. The measure passed 5-0, with board members Doug Inman and Frank Vormohr absent.
In other business, the board:
•Approved, without discussion, the calendar for the 2007-2008 school year. The 2007 school year will start for teachers on Aug. 17 and for students on Aug. 20. Christmas vacation will be Dec. 24 to Jan. 3 in the 2007-2008 year, while spring break will be March 24-28, 2008. The last student day will be May 22, 2008 and the last teacher day May 23. Graduation for the class of 2008 will be on June 1.
•Gave its annual approval to the system's three-year technology plan which had been reviewed at the board's October meeting.
•Granted medical leave requests for Carol Simos at General Shanks Elementary School, Stacy Campbell at Redkey Elementary School, Mary Mumby at Jay County High School, and Judy Newsome at JCHS; maternity leave for Jennifer DeHoff at Bloomfield Elementary School and Melanie Stockton at JCHS; and military leave for Tommy D. Phillips II at West Jay Middle School and Jeremy Gulley at JCHS.
•Approved Roy Adams as head girls tennis coach at JCHS, Greg Garringer as head boys track coach at JCHS, Amy Hawbaker as assistant softball coach at JCHS, Tom Leonhard as assistant boys track coach at JCHS, Loretta Reece as auditorium supervisor at JCHS, Jennifer Snow as assistant gymnastics coach at JCHS, Jack Wood as head softball coach at JCHS, Greg Garringer as head wrestling coach at East Jay Middle School, Marcie Vormohr as swim teach coach at East Jay, Erin Arnold as eighth grade girls basketball coach at West Jay, Matt Claycomb as seventh grade boys basketball coach at West Jay, Adam Homan as volunteer eighth grade girls basketball coach at West Jay, Flint Redwine as seventh grade girls basketball coach at West Jay, Ryan VanSkyock as eighth grade boys basketball coach at West Jay, and Andrea Weekley as sixth grade girls basketball coach at West Jay.
•Hired Naomi Streble as a crossing guard at Pennville Elementary School, Robin Jeffers as a cook at Westlawn Elementary School, and Cathy Mock as a part-time special education assistant at Judge Haynes Elementary School.
•Approved Ellen Louise Gelzleichter, Margie Jetter, Veryln Reynolds, Kristi Betts, Melissa Brown, Linda Shreve, Deborah Fouch, Julie Grant, Joyce Louck, Mary Rees, William Rees, Janis Scott, Sheila Stigleman, and Betty Miller as school volunteers.
•Authorized an emergency teaching permit for Elizabeth Ann Stafford as a half-time mild intervention teacher at Pennville and a half-time English as a second language instructional assistant at Pennville and Bloomfield.
•Approved field trips by JCHS German classes to Chicago, JCHS student council members to Clarksville High School, and JCHS agriculture mechanization students to Northwestern College in Lima, Ohio.
•Granted a bus request by the Jay Community Center on Dec. 22.
•Approved an emergency housing request from Miller's Merry Manor in Dunkirk which would allow the use of facilities at West Jay if a fire or other disaster struck.
•Appointed Cathi Godfrey to the Indiana Cooperative Library Services Authority board.
•Accepted early literacy intervention grants from the Indiana Department of Education totaling $3,500 for local elementary schools.
•Accepted a gift of three computers from MainSource Bank to General Shanks Elementary.[[In-content Ad]]Forty-seven minutes a day can make a difference.
That's the time necessary for teacher teaming at the middle school level, a commitment that principals told the Jay School Board Monday is helping bring test scores up, reduce discipline problems, and improve student attitudes.
"You can see we've had gradual progress," West Jay Middle School principal Michael Crull told the board.
"Teachers working on teams can design instruction and activities which relate across subject areas and are more meaningful to students. Student work loads can be coordinated to make sure major tests, projects and homework are spread out evenly."
"It provides an opportunity for long range and short term planning as well as a time to meet, as a unit, with students and parents," said East Jay Middle School principal M. Lee Newman.
See Team page 5
Continued from page 1
"Since teaming, there has been increased communication between home and school," he added.
Teaming has been in place at East Jay for several years at the seventh and eighth grade levels. It was expanded to the sixth grade level three years ago. It's been in place at all three grades at West Jay for four years.
Both principals said they believe teaming is particularly important at the middle school level.
Superintendent Tim Long agreed. "That's a tough age," he said.
"You have to take into consideration the challenges middle school level students have," said Crull. "I think it's important, that 47 minutes that we have. It's a valuable time."
Both Newman and Crull said one unique problem facing middle schools is a lack of student accountability. Elementary students are subject to being retained if they perform badly, and high school students who flunk a subject must re-take the class.
Newman said that since the end of mandatory summer school, students who perform badly in the classroom face no real penalties.
"In the past, we've asked to retain certain individuals," said Crull, "and we've been told, 'No.'"
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