July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Tech center set for move (02/27/07)
Jay School Board
By By JENNIFER TARTER-
More computers are coming to the Jay Schools.
Plans for a new technology center at Jay County High School and a $358,000 award from the Indiana Department of Education to purchase computers for teachers in the corporation were discussed Monday by the Jay School Board.
Corporation officials applied for a $370,000 common school fund loan from the Indiana Department of Education in January and were recently informed that they were granted $358,000.
"We want to get computers on every teacher's desk," Jay Schools business manager Brad DeRome said Monday on the plans for the funds.
The school corporation also received this grant in 2001, DeRome said adding that the funds were used to construct Internet towers at all 10 schools in the corporation.
Board members also discussed plans to move the technology center at the high school.
The new plan approved Monday would move the technology center to the southwest corner of the building near the library and create three additional classrooms for a total of six classroom areas, Jay School Corporation superintendent Tim Long said. The project will be a change order to the current construction plans at the school and is in the confines of the existing construction budget, Long said.
In initial construction plans the technology center would be renovated and remain in the vocational area.
Also Monday, board members approved more than 50 goals that came out of a three-hour work session by parents, members of the community, and school corporation faculty and staff on Feb. 10.
From that session, Long had the goals transformed into a display that covered the entire wall in the board room at the administration office. A sign with the word 'goals' in large, black wood letters was placed above the more than 50 individually framed goals on the wall.
The goals were broken down into sections including curriculum, cafeteria, transportation, school board, facilities, human resources, students and for the entire corporation.
When a goal is achieved a gold sticker will be placed on the frame, Long said.
"I want to think of it as a living wall to see the accomplishments," Long said adding that he plans to update board members monthly on the goals that are being worked on. He also plans to provide the board with a plan of who will be assigned to work on each goal and plans for implementation and prioritization.
Board president Bryan Alexander expressed his interest in removing random drug screening from the list of goals. Board member Jay Halstead told the board that he would at least like to see the idea researched.
The goal of random drug screening was approved along with the other list.
In other business, board members voted to advertise for bids to replace the gym floor and gym roof at West Jay Middle School. Ron Krieg, director of facilities for Jay School Corporation, said Monday that the roof replacement is estimated at $100,000 and a new gym floor will cost an estimated $60,000.
The project is expected to begin in early April with the roof project being completed first. Board members are scheduled to open bids on March 16 at 1 p.m. and award a bid at the board's next meeting on March 19.
Also Monday, board members:
•Voted to appoint Dunkirk resident Derek Rodgers and Portland resident Bruce Hedges as representatives for the school corporation at a common construction wage hearing for the replacement of the gym floor and roof at WJMS. This hearing is required for projects costing more than $175,000 to set wages.
•Approved an updated head lice policy. This policy now says that a student will be sent home from school if active head lice is found on the student. The child's parent or guardian is responsible for providing treatment and properly cleaning their home to avoid re-infestation - according the new policy. If properly treated, the child can return to school the following day after treatment has been administered, board members decided.
•Heard board member Dr. Frank Vormohr speak about updating the corporation's pandemic flu plan. The school corporation's plan will be part of the county's plan which is currently being updated by a variety of local officials.
•Approved the hiring of Judith Massie as special educational instructional assistant at General Shanks, Roger Johns as custodian at Westlawn Elementary, Heather Hedges as special education instructional assistant at JCH, Barbara Laux as secretary at Bloomfield Elementary, Anita Homan as custodian at Bloomfield and Jenny Cornett as a full-time special needs teacher at Redkey Elementary. Adult education teachers John Ferguson, Gary Tarr and Dana McClung received contract adjustments.
•Granted leave requests for Cheryl Guise, Duane Weesner, Sara Davidson and Brandy Chowning.
•Accepted resignations for David Younger and Kelly Hemmelgarn.
•Approved ECA recommendations for Brian McEvoy as head girls' track coach at JCHS, Leslie Bantz as assistant track coach at JCHS, Jeff Hatch as varsity assistant baseball coach at JCHS, Jordan Telman and Sam Racster as volunteer assistant girls' tennis coaches at JCHS, Ryan VanSkyock as assistant track coach at WJMS and Joshua Stultz as boys' head track coach at WJMS. The board also approved Dwane Ford, Angela Louck, Sharon Sheward, Jane Ferguson, Annette Stultz, Alcenia Pursley, Lisa Geesaman, Sherri Finnerty and Matthew D. Weesner as volunteers at Redkey Elementary.
•Granted field trip requests for advanced art students and students in upper level of foreign languages to travel to the Art Institute in Chicago, IL on April 10 and band and choir members to travel to King's Island in Cincinnati, Ohio on May 24.
•Voted to allow members of the Boys and Girls clubs at the Jay Community Center to use a school bus to travel to Fort Wayne on March 30.[[In-content Ad]]Three minutes wasn't long enough for a dissatisfied parent.
Portland resident Elizabeth Nesbitt was allowed the allotted three minutes to speak to Jay School Board members at Monday's meeting.
She began by telling board members she has filed complaints at the state and federal levels with the Office of Civil Rights in Chicago, the Indiana Civil Rights Commission and the Indiana Department of Education.
She then said that two General Shanks Elementary School administrators took her son to their home while she wasn't there - an action she felt was wrong and a possible problem for the school corporation.
Nesbitt also told board members that she has spoken with East Jay Middle School principal Lee Newman several times urging school officials to have her daughter, who has been diagnosed with a learning disability, be declared eligible for a tutor who would come to the Nesbitt home.
See Protest page 6
Continued from page 1
She also told board members that the school corporation's attendance officer came to her home several times even though she said she had completed the correct paper work for the absences of her children.
After more than three minutes, Jay School Board president Bryan Alexander stopped Nesbitt and urged her to put the remainder of her concerns into writing for the board and thanked her for coming.
Before she sat down Nesbitt turned toward the large audience of parents and mostly high school students and encouraged them to visit her website and blog at www.jaycountyeducation.org and www.jaycountyeducationblogspot.com.
On these sites Nesbitt has posted several blogs outlining her concerns. She calls the site a resource for Jay County parents, teachers, students and friends to share ideas, concerns, accolades or information.
At the end of the meeting, just as Alexander was about to adjourn Nesbitt walked to the front of the room and continued to speak to the board requesting more information about the guidelines for being placed on the agenda to be allowed to speak at the board's March meeting.
"I think the school board should serve the taxpayer," Nesbitt said, continuing to talk about her issues over the protests of the board members.
After several comments back and forth by Nesbitt and board members, the meeting was adjourned with Nesbitt still talking.
"Is the school board just going to walk away? ... I am very sad for my son and the students that were here tonight," Nesbitt said as board members got up from the board room table.
"Does any board member want to speak further with me?" she asked before leaving the already adjourned meeting without talking to board members further.
Plans for a new technology center at Jay County High School and a $358,000 award from the Indiana Department of Education to purchase computers for teachers in the corporation were discussed Monday by the Jay School Board.
Corporation officials applied for a $370,000 common school fund loan from the Indiana Department of Education in January and were recently informed that they were granted $358,000.
"We want to get computers on every teacher's desk," Jay Schools business manager Brad DeRome said Monday on the plans for the funds.
The school corporation also received this grant in 2001, DeRome said adding that the funds were used to construct Internet towers at all 10 schools in the corporation.
Board members also discussed plans to move the technology center at the high school.
The new plan approved Monday would move the technology center to the southwest corner of the building near the library and create three additional classrooms for a total of six classroom areas, Jay School Corporation superintendent Tim Long said. The project will be a change order to the current construction plans at the school and is in the confines of the existing construction budget, Long said.
In initial construction plans the technology center would be renovated and remain in the vocational area.
Also Monday, board members approved more than 50 goals that came out of a three-hour work session by parents, members of the community, and school corporation faculty and staff on Feb. 10.
From that session, Long had the goals transformed into a display that covered the entire wall in the board room at the administration office. A sign with the word 'goals' in large, black wood letters was placed above the more than 50 individually framed goals on the wall.
The goals were broken down into sections including curriculum, cafeteria, transportation, school board, facilities, human resources, students and for the entire corporation.
When a goal is achieved a gold sticker will be placed on the frame, Long said.
"I want to think of it as a living wall to see the accomplishments," Long said adding that he plans to update board members monthly on the goals that are being worked on. He also plans to provide the board with a plan of who will be assigned to work on each goal and plans for implementation and prioritization.
Board president Bryan Alexander expressed his interest in removing random drug screening from the list of goals. Board member Jay Halstead told the board that he would at least like to see the idea researched.
The goal of random drug screening was approved along with the other list.
In other business, board members voted to advertise for bids to replace the gym floor and gym roof at West Jay Middle School. Ron Krieg, director of facilities for Jay School Corporation, said Monday that the roof replacement is estimated at $100,000 and a new gym floor will cost an estimated $60,000.
The project is expected to begin in early April with the roof project being completed first. Board members are scheduled to open bids on March 16 at 1 p.m. and award a bid at the board's next meeting on March 19.
Also Monday, board members:
•Voted to appoint Dunkirk resident Derek Rodgers and Portland resident Bruce Hedges as representatives for the school corporation at a common construction wage hearing for the replacement of the gym floor and roof at WJMS. This hearing is required for projects costing more than $175,000 to set wages.
•Approved an updated head lice policy. This policy now says that a student will be sent home from school if active head lice is found on the student. The child's parent or guardian is responsible for providing treatment and properly cleaning their home to avoid re-infestation - according the new policy. If properly treated, the child can return to school the following day after treatment has been administered, board members decided.
•Heard board member Dr. Frank Vormohr speak about updating the corporation's pandemic flu plan. The school corporation's plan will be part of the county's plan which is currently being updated by a variety of local officials.
•Approved the hiring of Judith Massie as special educational instructional assistant at General Shanks, Roger Johns as custodian at Westlawn Elementary, Heather Hedges as special education instructional assistant at JCH, Barbara Laux as secretary at Bloomfield Elementary, Anita Homan as custodian at Bloomfield and Jenny Cornett as a full-time special needs teacher at Redkey Elementary. Adult education teachers John Ferguson, Gary Tarr and Dana McClung received contract adjustments.
•Granted leave requests for Cheryl Guise, Duane Weesner, Sara Davidson and Brandy Chowning.
•Accepted resignations for David Younger and Kelly Hemmelgarn.
•Approved ECA recommendations for Brian McEvoy as head girls' track coach at JCHS, Leslie Bantz as assistant track coach at JCHS, Jeff Hatch as varsity assistant baseball coach at JCHS, Jordan Telman and Sam Racster as volunteer assistant girls' tennis coaches at JCHS, Ryan VanSkyock as assistant track coach at WJMS and Joshua Stultz as boys' head track coach at WJMS. The board also approved Dwane Ford, Angela Louck, Sharon Sheward, Jane Ferguson, Annette Stultz, Alcenia Pursley, Lisa Geesaman, Sherri Finnerty and Matthew D. Weesner as volunteers at Redkey Elementary.
•Granted field trip requests for advanced art students and students in upper level of foreign languages to travel to the Art Institute in Chicago, IL on April 10 and band and choir members to travel to King's Island in Cincinnati, Ohio on May 24.
•Voted to allow members of the Boys and Girls clubs at the Jay Community Center to use a school bus to travel to Fort Wayne on March 30.[[In-content Ad]]Three minutes wasn't long enough for a dissatisfied parent.
Portland resident Elizabeth Nesbitt was allowed the allotted three minutes to speak to Jay School Board members at Monday's meeting.
She began by telling board members she has filed complaints at the state and federal levels with the Office of Civil Rights in Chicago, the Indiana Civil Rights Commission and the Indiana Department of Education.
She then said that two General Shanks Elementary School administrators took her son to their home while she wasn't there - an action she felt was wrong and a possible problem for the school corporation.
Nesbitt also told board members that she has spoken with East Jay Middle School principal Lee Newman several times urging school officials to have her daughter, who has been diagnosed with a learning disability, be declared eligible for a tutor who would come to the Nesbitt home.
See Protest page 6
Continued from page 1
She also told board members that the school corporation's attendance officer came to her home several times even though she said she had completed the correct paper work for the absences of her children.
After more than three minutes, Jay School Board president Bryan Alexander stopped Nesbitt and urged her to put the remainder of her concerns into writing for the board and thanked her for coming.
Before she sat down Nesbitt turned toward the large audience of parents and mostly high school students and encouraged them to visit her website and blog at www.jaycountyeducation.org and www.jaycountyeducationblogspot.com.
On these sites Nesbitt has posted several blogs outlining her concerns. She calls the site a resource for Jay County parents, teachers, students and friends to share ideas, concerns, accolades or information.
At the end of the meeting, just as Alexander was about to adjourn Nesbitt walked to the front of the room and continued to speak to the board requesting more information about the guidelines for being placed on the agenda to be allowed to speak at the board's March meeting.
"I think the school board should serve the taxpayer," Nesbitt said, continuing to talk about her issues over the protests of the board members.
After several comments back and forth by Nesbitt and board members, the meeting was adjourned with Nesbitt still talking.
"Is the school board just going to walk away? ... I am very sad for my son and the students that were here tonight," Nesbitt said as board members got up from the board room table.
"Does any board member want to speak further with me?" she asked before leaving the already adjourned meeting without talking to board members further.
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