July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.

Update on finance for Jay Schools

Jay School Board

By JACK RONALD
Publisher emeritus

The financial picture for Jay Schools is a little clearer, but school officials think it will be January before they have a handle on what to expect from state funding.

School corporation business manager Brad DeRome told school board members Monday that the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance has given tentative approval to the corporation's 2010 budget.

"They cut our overall budget about half a million dollars," said DeRome.

He expects the budget to be approved at $35.5 million, and expects property tax rates for schools to be $1.22 per $100 assessed valuation.

That's a slight increase from a tax rate of $1.18 in the current year.

"The circuit-breaker impact for us is next to nothing," DeRome said. He had expected that rule, which limits property taxes to a percentage of a property's assessed value, to cost the school system about $30,000. Instead, it had an impact of about $3,000.

DeRome noted the mix of properties in Jay County is significantly different from metropolitan areas.

Superintendent Tim Long said he expects to know more about state revenue streams in January.

"We're sure looking ahead because we're going to protect the school corporation," Long said. "Right now, public education is still holding on."

Two bright spots were noted financially. Medical claims and expenses are running about $400,000 below the 2008 level, and the Jay County High School robotics team has received a grant of $6,000 to build a large robot for competition.

Three Jay robotics teams have qualified for world competition. "We've got serious students doing serious work," Long said.

In other business the board unanimously:

•Approved a calendar for the 2010-2011 school year. The calendar calls for classes to begin Aug. 16 and end May 23. Christmas vacation would be Dec. 23 to Jan. 3. Spring break would be the week of March 21-25.

•Authorized assistant superintendent Wood Barwick to apply for funds as part of the state's Race to the Top grant application for federal stimulus dollars.

•Heard a report from Long about his recent trip to China as the guest of the Chinese government, working on educational exchanges. "I look for our relationships to grow," Long said.

•Approved the retirement of Mary Ann Rigby as an instructional assistant at General Shanks Elementary School.

•Approved the extracurricular assignment of Laura McCollum as sixth grade girls' basketball coach at West Jay Middle School.

•Authorized leaves for teachers Mark King and Andrew Mishler and bus driver Jim Vermillion.

•Approved a field trip to Cedar Point by seventh graders at East Jay Middle School.

•Approved policy revisions on mandatory curriculum, the annual performance report, the Family and Medical Leave Act, cancellation of a teaching contract, video surveillance, Internet use, information management, student records, and database security to come into compliance with changes in state and federal law.

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