July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Working OT for education (11/27/07)
Jay School Board
By By JACK RONALD-
Twenty-one Jay County High School students are working overtime to get their education back on track.
"Every night at Jay County High School the lights are still on from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m.," JCHS principal Jeremy Gulley told the Jay School Board Monday night.
The students - primarily seniors and juniors - are using the Plato Learning Environment, a computerized, Internet-based, self-paced curriculum as part of the school's credit recovery program.
The program offers math, science, social studies, and English classes so that students who have lost credits - either through their own poor decisions or because of circumstance beyond their control - can recover them and still graduate.
Gulley cited one student who dropped out one credit short of graduation last year, who was able to use the credit recovery program and earn a diploma.
"We're just happy to have another tool to help the kids that need it," said Gulley.
"We all have our own vision of what "alternative school' means," said superintendent Tim Long. "This is an alternative concept."
Long reminded board members that dedication of the renovation project at JCHS is set for 7:30 p.m. today in the high school auditorium. Tours of the renovated vocational education section will be provided after the dedication ceremonies.
The $18 million project primarily involved a major upgrade in the school's aging heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system. That HVAC work constituted about half the project. Also included was renovation and expansion of the school's swimming pool.
Long also said board plans are continuing to provide for public access to the pool on certain days and evenings. One possibility would be for the pool to be open to the public from 3 to 5 p.m. on Sundays and from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays. There would be a charge per person.
An announcement will be made at a later date when the public sessions go into effect.
Pool access was part of a broader review of public use of school facilities. A draft of administrative guidelines for public use was presented to the board for further review.
"There's nothing in there that's a big departure from what we've done in the past," said Long.
Board members approved a request by Gulley to seek a waiver from the Indiana Department of Education that would allow the high school to return to the modified block schedule system that was in effect two years ago. The high school changed its schedule to meet state requirements, but school officials have since learned that a waiver is possible.
If the state approves the waiver, the matter would be discussed with the Jay Classroom Teachers Association and would return to the board for final action.
The waiver seeks to return to a schedule with 80-minute periods in blocks 1, 2, 4, and 5 and a 45-minute period in block 3.
"This system that we had before was the best for everything we were trying to achieve," said board member Jay Halstead, who was part of a study committee on scheduling issues in the past.
Board members continued to scratch their heads over the state's requirements for financial goals for the school corporation.
The intent of the state initiative is to increase the percentage of a school system's budget that is spent directly on student instruction. But business manager Brad DeRome explained that it all depends upon how expenses are allocated. By one set of calculations, Jay Schools appear to be above the state average in terms of the percentage going toward instruction; but by another set of calculations, Jay Schools appears to be slightly below the state average.
At issue, board members said, is how employee benefits are allocated.
"Benefits, it seems to me, should be included," said board member Larry Paxson.
"We all want to be better," said board president Bryan Alexander, "but I don't know what we have to do to be better."
DeRome indicated he will try to get more guidance from the state and will bring the issue back to the board at a future meeting.
On a 6-0 vote, with board member Frank Vormohr absent, the board agreed to accept the deed for the Portland Armory, with plans to put it to use for a variety of school functions. The building has been used as the alternative school site since January as well as for gymnastics practices.
The Indiana National Guard, which has given the building to the school corporation, will maintain an office with its own separate entrance.
DeRome indicated some work will need to be done on restrooms to make them compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. He said the long-term goal would be to use the facility as a new central administration building.
In other business, the board:
•Learned 43 staff members representing each of the corporation's schools will take part in Character Counts training from 9 to 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
•Approved the appropriation of up to $50,000 from the Rainy Day Fund to pay for new heating and cooling systems in two classrooms at Bloomfield Elementary School as a pilot project.
•Hired Ted Habegger and Dennis Dwiggins as driver's education teachers; Debra Sutton, Andrea Hodson, and Karen Nichols as part-time tutors; Linda Muhlenkamp and Nancy Sulfridge as instructional assistants; and Adam Faulkner as a fourth grade teacher at Westlawn Elementary School.
•Accepted the resignations of teacher Jessica Rogers, instructional assistant Tamara Barton, and bus driver Lori Bonvillian.
•Approved leaves for custodian Larry Fifer and English teacher Amy Hanna.
•Accepted the extracurricular resignation of Sue Rager as head girls' soccer coach.
•Approved Derek Bailey as volunteer choir assistant, Matthew Peterson as volunteer boys' swim coach, Katie Peterson as volunteer girls' basketball coach, Tyler Rigby as volunteer boys' basketball coach, Marc Bogenschutz as volunteer girls' basketball coach, Ashley Horn as assistant swim coach, Aaron Vaughn as sixth grade boys' basketball coach at East Jay Middle School, Beth Stephen as sixth grade girls' basketball coach at East Jay, Joseph Glassford as volunteer sixth grade boys' basketball coach at West Jay Middle School, James Roberts III as seventh grade boy's basketball coach at West Jay, Donald Friddle as sixth grade girls' basketball coach at West Jay, Ashley Bunch as eighth grade girls' basketball coach at West Jay, Ted Friddle as sixth grade boys' basketball coach at West Jay, Amy McIllwain as seventh grade girls' basketball coach at West Jay, Jan Hunt as cheerleader sponsor at General Shanks Elementary School, and Jack Houck as elementary boys' basketball coach at General Shanks.
•Approved field trips by East Jay seventh graders to Cedar Point, East Jay sixth graders to Chicago, JCHS German students to Chicago, G.O.A.L. classes to Detroit, and ag mechanic fabrication students to Northwestern Ohio University.
•Approved two bus requests by the Jay Community Center.[[In-content Ad]]
"Every night at Jay County High School the lights are still on from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m.," JCHS principal Jeremy Gulley told the Jay School Board Monday night.
The students - primarily seniors and juniors - are using the Plato Learning Environment, a computerized, Internet-based, self-paced curriculum as part of the school's credit recovery program.
The program offers math, science, social studies, and English classes so that students who have lost credits - either through their own poor decisions or because of circumstance beyond their control - can recover them and still graduate.
Gulley cited one student who dropped out one credit short of graduation last year, who was able to use the credit recovery program and earn a diploma.
"We're just happy to have another tool to help the kids that need it," said Gulley.
"We all have our own vision of what "alternative school' means," said superintendent Tim Long. "This is an alternative concept."
Long reminded board members that dedication of the renovation project at JCHS is set for 7:30 p.m. today in the high school auditorium. Tours of the renovated vocational education section will be provided after the dedication ceremonies.
The $18 million project primarily involved a major upgrade in the school's aging heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system. That HVAC work constituted about half the project. Also included was renovation and expansion of the school's swimming pool.
Long also said board plans are continuing to provide for public access to the pool on certain days and evenings. One possibility would be for the pool to be open to the public from 3 to 5 p.m. on Sundays and from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays. There would be a charge per person.
An announcement will be made at a later date when the public sessions go into effect.
Pool access was part of a broader review of public use of school facilities. A draft of administrative guidelines for public use was presented to the board for further review.
"There's nothing in there that's a big departure from what we've done in the past," said Long.
Board members approved a request by Gulley to seek a waiver from the Indiana Department of Education that would allow the high school to return to the modified block schedule system that was in effect two years ago. The high school changed its schedule to meet state requirements, but school officials have since learned that a waiver is possible.
If the state approves the waiver, the matter would be discussed with the Jay Classroom Teachers Association and would return to the board for final action.
The waiver seeks to return to a schedule with 80-minute periods in blocks 1, 2, 4, and 5 and a 45-minute period in block 3.
"This system that we had before was the best for everything we were trying to achieve," said board member Jay Halstead, who was part of a study committee on scheduling issues in the past.
Board members continued to scratch their heads over the state's requirements for financial goals for the school corporation.
The intent of the state initiative is to increase the percentage of a school system's budget that is spent directly on student instruction. But business manager Brad DeRome explained that it all depends upon how expenses are allocated. By one set of calculations, Jay Schools appear to be above the state average in terms of the percentage going toward instruction; but by another set of calculations, Jay Schools appears to be slightly below the state average.
At issue, board members said, is how employee benefits are allocated.
"Benefits, it seems to me, should be included," said board member Larry Paxson.
"We all want to be better," said board president Bryan Alexander, "but I don't know what we have to do to be better."
DeRome indicated he will try to get more guidance from the state and will bring the issue back to the board at a future meeting.
On a 6-0 vote, with board member Frank Vormohr absent, the board agreed to accept the deed for the Portland Armory, with plans to put it to use for a variety of school functions. The building has been used as the alternative school site since January as well as for gymnastics practices.
The Indiana National Guard, which has given the building to the school corporation, will maintain an office with its own separate entrance.
DeRome indicated some work will need to be done on restrooms to make them compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. He said the long-term goal would be to use the facility as a new central administration building.
In other business, the board:
•Learned 43 staff members representing each of the corporation's schools will take part in Character Counts training from 9 to 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
•Approved the appropriation of up to $50,000 from the Rainy Day Fund to pay for new heating and cooling systems in two classrooms at Bloomfield Elementary School as a pilot project.
•Hired Ted Habegger and Dennis Dwiggins as driver's education teachers; Debra Sutton, Andrea Hodson, and Karen Nichols as part-time tutors; Linda Muhlenkamp and Nancy Sulfridge as instructional assistants; and Adam Faulkner as a fourth grade teacher at Westlawn Elementary School.
•Accepted the resignations of teacher Jessica Rogers, instructional assistant Tamara Barton, and bus driver Lori Bonvillian.
•Approved leaves for custodian Larry Fifer and English teacher Amy Hanna.
•Accepted the extracurricular resignation of Sue Rager as head girls' soccer coach.
•Approved Derek Bailey as volunteer choir assistant, Matthew Peterson as volunteer boys' swim coach, Katie Peterson as volunteer girls' basketball coach, Tyler Rigby as volunteer boys' basketball coach, Marc Bogenschutz as volunteer girls' basketball coach, Ashley Horn as assistant swim coach, Aaron Vaughn as sixth grade boys' basketball coach at East Jay Middle School, Beth Stephen as sixth grade girls' basketball coach at East Jay, Joseph Glassford as volunteer sixth grade boys' basketball coach at West Jay Middle School, James Roberts III as seventh grade boy's basketball coach at West Jay, Donald Friddle as sixth grade girls' basketball coach at West Jay, Ashley Bunch as eighth grade girls' basketball coach at West Jay, Ted Friddle as sixth grade boys' basketball coach at West Jay, Amy McIllwain as seventh grade girls' basketball coach at West Jay, Jan Hunt as cheerleader sponsor at General Shanks Elementary School, and Jack Houck as elementary boys' basketball coach at General Shanks.
•Approved field trips by East Jay seventh graders to Cedar Point, East Jay sixth graders to Chicago, JCHS German students to Chicago, G.O.A.L. classes to Detroit, and ag mechanic fabrication students to Northwestern Ohio University.
•Approved two bus requests by the Jay Community Center.[[In-content Ad]]
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