July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Support shown for Eads
Jay School Board
General Shanks Elementary School principal Michael Eads will remain on administrative leave despite heartfelt expressions of support from friends, family, and school patrons Monday night.
The Jay School Board formalized placing Eads on leave as part of its consent agenda, which was approved on a 6-0 vote, with board member Michael Masters absent.
Eads, a teacher and administrator in Jay Schools for 32 years, was placed on leave earlier this month pending an investigation by Portland police and Child Protective Services into an allegation of battery of students.
"Board policy is we don't comment on personnel matters," board president Bryan Alexander told more than a dozen people who showed up on Eads' behalf. "The process is being followed."
"He is a good man," Melina Petschke told the board. "He's always been positive. I'd like to see him back behind his desk as soon as possible." She was one of nine people, including Eads's pastor, sister, and uncle, who spoke on his behalf.
"I have never seen Mike Eads show any kind of bad conduct toward his students," said Tim Koons.
"I've never seen him lose his cool with anybody," said Jeffrey Lewis.
School corporation business manager Brad DeRome told the board Monday that continued efforts at cutting costs are making progress in the face of reductions in state funding for public education.
"I feel confident that we are well on our way to achieving a 'balanced' budget in 2010 even with these $1 million cuts in revenues from the state," DeRome said. "We have a lot more reductions that are going to happen."
Many of those cuts are coming in the form of reduced staffing through attrition.
Superintendent Tim Long said he expects 8 to 12 teaching positions to be eliminated in the next school year through retirements.
"We are consistently cutting any time we can cut," said Long.
DeRome said he now has a handle on what the impact of the "circuit breaker" property tax caps will be on tax collections this year.
"It's basically the equivalent of a 1.8 percent reduction of our expected tax levy," he told the board. "This is the first year we've seen that impact of the caps. Obviously this is the way it's going to be in Indiana."
The "circuit breaker" tax caps will have no impact on the general fund, which is now supported by state tax revenues. But the debt service fund will see a reduction of $61,336, the pension debt service fund will see a reduction of $17,345, the capital projects fund will see a reduction of $54,905, the transportation fund will see a reduction of $34,705, and the bus replacement fund will see a reduction of $8,031.
Board members gave 6-0 approval to DeRome to launch a federally-funded summer lunch program this year at four elementary school sites.
From June 21 to July 30, free lunches will be provided between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to all school age children. Adults are not eligible for the free lunch, but may purchase the lunch for $3.25.
The lunches will largely be prepared at Jay County High School's kitchens and will be served at Redkey Elementary School, Westlawn Elementary School, Pennville Elementary School, and Judge Haynes Elementary School.
Board members heard an update on international efforts involving exchanges between Jay Schools and counterparts in China. Four Jay educators visited schools in China this spring, and a group of Chinese teachers and students will be in Jay County in June.
Long said a Chinese teacher will be coming for the 2010-2011 school year at West Jay Middle School to teach Chinese language and culture. The local cost will be about half the cost of a first-year teacher's salary, Long said, with the balance being covered by the Hanban, a Chinese cultural agency, and the College Board.
"We're going to get a quality teacher," West Jay principal Mike Crull said. "I think it's going to be a great opportunity for us."
Long also said plans are taking shape for a major expansion of college-level courses being offered at JCHS this fall, with advance placement and college credit courses offered on-line.
"Ball State offers a full array of classes, across the spectrum," Long said.
The program is expected to be of particular interest to juniors and seniors interested in reducing their college expense by taking classes via the high school at a lower tuition rate.
Long also said he is weighing a change in fog delay policy in an effort to lose fewer school days to bad weather. The proposal, which will be brought back to the board at a future date for action, would allow for a three-hour fog delay and a one-hour extension to the school day.
"We probably could have salvaged a few of those (lost) days" if that policy had been in place this year, Long said. "That's something I will bring back to you."
In other business, the board:
•Accepted the resignations of Tim Millspaugh as assistant varsity football coach and Tom Ferguson as assistant football coach at JCHS.
•Approved leasing five new copying machines from Office Concepts, Fort Wayne, which had provided the low quote. DeRome said the new lease is expected to save the school corporation nearly $43,000 over its five-year term.
•Learned that Area 18 Vocational District, which includes Jay, Adams, Wells, and Huntington county high schools, is ranked number one in the state. JCHS has 63 percent of the vocational students in the district, assistant superintendent Wood Barwick said.
•Accepted the donation of two soccer goals from the General Shanks PTO.
•Chose not to renew contracts for Joella Rinker at Westlawn Elementary School and Becky Billington, Jackie Price, Rhonda Short, Pamela Straley, Phyllis Thornburg, and Abby Champ at JCHS.
•Accepted the retirement of Robert Renner Jr. from the JCHS food service.
•Approved leaves of absence for Wanda Imel at East Elementary School, Janet Dues at East Elementary, Beth Dues at East Elementary, Rinada Davis at the bus garage, Kelly Brandenburg at Redkey, Erica Powell at the bus garage, and Bill Bussear at JCHS.
•Approved extra-curricular assignments for Aaron Hoevel as volunteer girls' tennis coach at JCHS and Josh Stultz and Jason Rice as volunteer track coaches at West Jay.
•Authorized field trips by the General Shanks fifth grade to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio; the West Jay band and choir to King's Island; the West Jay archery team to the national tournament in Louisville, Ky.; the JCHS archery team to the national tournament in Louisville, Ky.; the JCHS FFA to the state convention at Purdue University; and the JCHS foreign language clubs to Cedar Point.
•Approved a bus request by the Jay Community Center.
•Approved new math textbooks as recommended by study committees.[[In-content Ad]]
The Jay School Board formalized placing Eads on leave as part of its consent agenda, which was approved on a 6-0 vote, with board member Michael Masters absent.
Eads, a teacher and administrator in Jay Schools for 32 years, was placed on leave earlier this month pending an investigation by Portland police and Child Protective Services into an allegation of battery of students.
"Board policy is we don't comment on personnel matters," board president Bryan Alexander told more than a dozen people who showed up on Eads' behalf. "The process is being followed."
"He is a good man," Melina Petschke told the board. "He's always been positive. I'd like to see him back behind his desk as soon as possible." She was one of nine people, including Eads's pastor, sister, and uncle, who spoke on his behalf.
"I have never seen Mike Eads show any kind of bad conduct toward his students," said Tim Koons.
"I've never seen him lose his cool with anybody," said Jeffrey Lewis.
School corporation business manager Brad DeRome told the board Monday that continued efforts at cutting costs are making progress in the face of reductions in state funding for public education.
"I feel confident that we are well on our way to achieving a 'balanced' budget in 2010 even with these $1 million cuts in revenues from the state," DeRome said. "We have a lot more reductions that are going to happen."
Many of those cuts are coming in the form of reduced staffing through attrition.
Superintendent Tim Long said he expects 8 to 12 teaching positions to be eliminated in the next school year through retirements.
"We are consistently cutting any time we can cut," said Long.
DeRome said he now has a handle on what the impact of the "circuit breaker" property tax caps will be on tax collections this year.
"It's basically the equivalent of a 1.8 percent reduction of our expected tax levy," he told the board. "This is the first year we've seen that impact of the caps. Obviously this is the way it's going to be in Indiana."
The "circuit breaker" tax caps will have no impact on the general fund, which is now supported by state tax revenues. But the debt service fund will see a reduction of $61,336, the pension debt service fund will see a reduction of $17,345, the capital projects fund will see a reduction of $54,905, the transportation fund will see a reduction of $34,705, and the bus replacement fund will see a reduction of $8,031.
Board members gave 6-0 approval to DeRome to launch a federally-funded summer lunch program this year at four elementary school sites.
From June 21 to July 30, free lunches will be provided between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to all school age children. Adults are not eligible for the free lunch, but may purchase the lunch for $3.25.
The lunches will largely be prepared at Jay County High School's kitchens and will be served at Redkey Elementary School, Westlawn Elementary School, Pennville Elementary School, and Judge Haynes Elementary School.
Board members heard an update on international efforts involving exchanges between Jay Schools and counterparts in China. Four Jay educators visited schools in China this spring, and a group of Chinese teachers and students will be in Jay County in June.
Long said a Chinese teacher will be coming for the 2010-2011 school year at West Jay Middle School to teach Chinese language and culture. The local cost will be about half the cost of a first-year teacher's salary, Long said, with the balance being covered by the Hanban, a Chinese cultural agency, and the College Board.
"We're going to get a quality teacher," West Jay principal Mike Crull said. "I think it's going to be a great opportunity for us."
Long also said plans are taking shape for a major expansion of college-level courses being offered at JCHS this fall, with advance placement and college credit courses offered on-line.
"Ball State offers a full array of classes, across the spectrum," Long said.
The program is expected to be of particular interest to juniors and seniors interested in reducing their college expense by taking classes via the high school at a lower tuition rate.
Long also said he is weighing a change in fog delay policy in an effort to lose fewer school days to bad weather. The proposal, which will be brought back to the board at a future date for action, would allow for a three-hour fog delay and a one-hour extension to the school day.
"We probably could have salvaged a few of those (lost) days" if that policy had been in place this year, Long said. "That's something I will bring back to you."
In other business, the board:
•Accepted the resignations of Tim Millspaugh as assistant varsity football coach and Tom Ferguson as assistant football coach at JCHS.
•Approved leasing five new copying machines from Office Concepts, Fort Wayne, which had provided the low quote. DeRome said the new lease is expected to save the school corporation nearly $43,000 over its five-year term.
•Learned that Area 18 Vocational District, which includes Jay, Adams, Wells, and Huntington county high schools, is ranked number one in the state. JCHS has 63 percent of the vocational students in the district, assistant superintendent Wood Barwick said.
•Accepted the donation of two soccer goals from the General Shanks PTO.
•Chose not to renew contracts for Joella Rinker at Westlawn Elementary School and Becky Billington, Jackie Price, Rhonda Short, Pamela Straley, Phyllis Thornburg, and Abby Champ at JCHS.
•Accepted the retirement of Robert Renner Jr. from the JCHS food service.
•Approved leaves of absence for Wanda Imel at East Elementary School, Janet Dues at East Elementary, Beth Dues at East Elementary, Rinada Davis at the bus garage, Kelly Brandenburg at Redkey, Erica Powell at the bus garage, and Bill Bussear at JCHS.
•Approved extra-curricular assignments for Aaron Hoevel as volunteer girls' tennis coach at JCHS and Josh Stultz and Jason Rice as volunteer track coaches at West Jay.
•Authorized field trips by the General Shanks fifth grade to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio; the West Jay band and choir to King's Island; the West Jay archery team to the national tournament in Louisville, Ky.; the JCHS archery team to the national tournament in Louisville, Ky.; the JCHS FFA to the state convention at Purdue University; and the JCHS foreign language clubs to Cedar Point.
•Approved a bus request by the Jay Community Center.
•Approved new math textbooks as recommended by study committees.[[In-content Ad]]
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