JSC faces more cuts

The belt-tightening is far from over.
New revisions in the state funding formula will result in an estimated $412,000 less for Jay Schools in the year ahead, school corporation business manager Brad DeRome told the school board Monday.
And state basic grant revenue could shrink even more.
“That’s not a real solid number,” DeRome said. “The biggest wild card right now is where the enrollment comes in.”
School board members have been grappling with spending cuts for the past several years in the face of declining enrollment, which has a direct and sometimes sudden impact on the level of state funding.
“They can cut our revenue so quickly,” said DeRome.
In the past, the state has allowed school corporations about a year to adjust to enrollment changes. But in recent years, the impact on funding is much more immediate.
That uncertainty has the board attempting to maximize its flexibility.
Without public comment or discussion, the board has allowed administrative contracts to expire. Those administrators — primarily school principals — are now working on a status quo basis with no changes in pay or benefits. That status quo situation will stand for one year as required by state law.
Superintendent Tim Long is in the final year of a multi-year contract which expires next summer.
On Monday, the board approved one-year contracts for two employees not covered by the state’s status quo requirement: Redkey Elementary School acting principal Julie Gregg, who is working under a teacher’s contract with an addendum, and Jay County High School football coach Tim Millspaugh. The one-year contracts for Gregg and Millspaugh are at their current pay and benefit levels.
By allowing the administrators’ contracts to expire, the board gives itself some flexibility if it proves necessary to eliminate or merge administrative positions in the year ahead.
DeRome noted that Jay Schools should have 500 employees at the start of the school year, down from 545 as recently as May of 2014.
“We can’t cut fast enough,” said Long. “We’re going to continue to reduce staff where we can.”
Board president Mike Masters commended the cuts but noted that with further drops in enrollment the savings are “evaporating.”
Long and DeRome expressed particular concern about the impact on enrollment when the class of 2016 graduates from JCHS. That class has a significantly higher enrollment number than most, and it’s likely that enrollment could drop by as much as 60 students at the start of the 2016-17 school year. With state funding of about $7,000 per student, that would translate into another $420,000 drop in available revenues.
Some school corporations are advertising via billboards and direct mail in an attempt to attract new students. Residents of the Bryant area have received mailings from South Adams Schools, for example.
But, Long noted because Jay County is surrounded by rural counties facing similar challenges, there is a limit to how successful an advertising campaign might be.
“Your best advertising is always going to be your performance,” he said.
Jeremy Gulley, director of teacher effectiveness, presented the board with the annual teacher evaluation report.
“We are tracking with the state averages,” said Gulley.
Sixty-four percent of Jay Schools teachers were rated as effective, 35 percent as highly effective and 1 percent was listed as needing improvement.
In other business:
•DeRome presented a summary of the 2016 capital projects plan in advance of next month’s budget sessions. The total proposed capital projects fund budget has been in the $3.2 million to $3.4 million range for the past several years.
“We have included enough appropriations to handle the necessary emergency items such as roof repairs, plumbing and equipment replacements,” DeRome said.
•The board authorized DeRome and Long to retain a real estate broker or auctioneer if no acceptable bids are received for the former Beacon Drive-In property by Aug. 12. No bids have yet been received on the land, which is just south of JCHS.
•Long reported that there were 30 cases of bullying in Jay Schools during the past school year. He noted that instances of bullying tend to peak between fifth grade and ninth grade.
•Long noted that the school corporation is continuing to work with The Portland Foundation, John Jay Center for Learning and the United Way to promote 529 savings plans for local students. A grant from Lilly Endowment will pay for billboards promoting 529 plans locally.
•DeRome and Long told the board there was no significant damage to school property during recent flooding thanks to the efforts of Jay Schools employees and volunteers.
•The administrators’ 401 (a) retirement plan language was approved as revised to come into compliance with changes in Internal Revenue Service regulations.
•Textbook rental charges and class fees were approved for JCHS and both middle schools.
•A dual-credit high school business textbook was approved.
•The board approved the hiring of Jill Miller as a school psychologist, Stephanie Schmaltz as an art teacher at East Elementary School and Bloomfield Elementary School, Morgan Meadows as an instructional assistant at JCHS, Heather Mattingly as an instructional assistant at Judge Haynes Elementary School, Josh Selvey as a part-time instructional assistant at Westlawn Elementary School, Autumn Foy as an instructional assistant at JCHS, Nicole Lawhead as an instructional assistant at General Shanks Elementary School, Samantha Bickel as special education secretary, Lauren Hawranek as a special education teacher at Westlawn, Glenda Masterson as a school bus aide, Lori Campbell, Darold Eason, Yvonne Thomas, Nicole Stiles and Paul VanCise as bus drivers, Dennis Dwiggins and Ted Habegger as driver education instructors, Garrett Krieg as credit recovery teacher, Rachel Doll as a special education resource teacher at West Jay Middle School, Brittney Watson as a special education teacher at General Shanks, Andrea Milthaler as kitchen manager at West Jay, Mary Miller as a part-time cook at East Jay Middle School, Lindsey Peterson as a speech language pathologist at General Shanks and Tammy Lyons as a sixth grade social studies teacher at East Jay.
•The board approved assigning Cori Vormohr as an eighth grade special education resource teacher at East Jay. Her hiring had been approved last month, but she had not yet received a specific assignment.
•The board approved the retirements of custodian Tim DeVoss and bus driver Mike Bowen.
•The board accepted the resignations of instructional assistant Amanda Tipton, special education teacher Priscilla Willrath, guidance counselor Tammy Velasco, speech language pathologist Allison Chalfant, physical education teacher Craig Teagle, instructional assistant Ashley Motter, art teacher Taryn Waesch, guidance counselor Laura McConnell, instructional assistant Vanessa Westlake, elementary art teacher Ashley Austerman, special education teacher Whitney Whitehair, special education teacher Holly Tonak, crossing guard Erin Davis and special education teacher Deb Sutton.
•The board approved the transfer of Michelle Keever to General Shanks as a special education resource teacher, Danielle Platfoot to General Shanks as a special education teacher, Michael Karn to Judge Haynes and General Shanks as a physical education teacher, Brandi Champ to Judge Haynes and General Shanks as an elementary art teacher, Kathy Ayers to JCHS as an art teacher, Dawn Mock to East Jay as a custodian and Roxanna Gaines to Judge Haynes as a custodian.
•The board approved leaves of absence for bus driver Theresa Muhlenkamp and eighth grade history teacher Carissa Allread.
•The board approved extra-curricular assignments for Amy Hawbaker as assistant softball coach at JCHS, Bruce Wood as assistant wrestling coach at JCHS, Bill Back as assistant football coach at JCHS, Brad Horn as assistant boys’ soccer coach at JCHS, Laura Collins as assistant volleyball coach at JCHS, Pazia Williams as freshman girls’ basketball coach at JCHS and Susan Garringer as girls’ tennis coach at JCHS.
•The board accepted the extra-curricular resignations of boys basketball coach Teagle and PVE club sponsor Deb Sutton, approved a field trip to Washington, D.C., by eighth grade students and approved a bus request from Jay County Public Library.
Board member Kristi Betts cast a dissenting vote on the board’s consent agenda without comment.