Board makes financial moves

Jay Schools will receive an estimated $391,000 less in its State Basic Grant in 2015 under the final version of the school funding formula adopted by the Indiana General Assembly.
But because of cost-cutting measures already put in place that should translate to a negative cash flow of $192,000 for the year and leave the school corporation with a year-end general fund balance of about $984,000.
And more steps continue to be taken to improve the financial situation.
On Monday, the Jay School Board:
•Agreed to sell the former Garfield building to Chris Fennig of MyFarms for $82,200.
•Approved refinancing of bonds from an improvement project at Jay County High School, a move that should produce more than enough cash to pay off an energy savings contract and leave some money for capital projects.
•Learned 19 retirements and resignations had been received so far this spring and that not all the positions will be filled with new employees.
Board members have been struggling for months to get a handle on general fund expenditures and have been faced with proposals from Superintendent Tim Long that would close schools and re-shuffle students in the county.
But board president Mike Masters noted after Monday’s meeting that it’s expected that any school closing decision would be part of a larger cost-cutting strategy and, while not off the table, isn’t likely to come before the board soon.
Meanwhile, the board heard Monday from teachers concerned that any cost-cutting steps should be taken in a way that’s equitable to all involved.
Jay Classroom Teachers Association president Paul Szymczak told the board that when inflation and increased health insurance costs are taken into consideration, his members are moving backwards.
“Our situation is not sustainable if teachers are expected to take these kinds of losses,” he said.
David Golden, who has been co-chair of the JCTA contract negotiating team the past few years, was even more direct.
“We can’t avoid saying that we have not lost administrators or administrative positions” while teaching positions have been eliminated, said Golden. “I’m pointing to this as an equality of sacrifice issue.”
Members of the teachers’ union took a financial hit in recent years because of changes in the employee health insurance plan, while some administrators still enjoy a $1 per year health insurance package as part of their contracts.
The board has said it wants to do away with the $1 insurance “perk” and has considered making a pay adjustment to make the change more palatable to the administrators involved.
Golden called that unfair. “We lost about $2,000 each (when health insurance changed). To give $6,000 back to them doesn’t seem fair to us,” he said.
Despite the need for funds, the board was split 5-1 on whether to sell the Garfield building at 404 E. Arch St., Portland, to Chris Fennig and MyFarms, even though Fennig was the sole bidder.
The MyFarms bid of $82,200 represented 90 percent of the average of three appraisals, making it the only legal bid.
But board members indicated they believed there was the possibility of re-use of the facility by Youth Service Bureau for an as-yet-unfunded project.
“We had another proposal but not with a bid,” said board president Mike Masters. “It’s extremely difficult to pass up on an active bid.”
Board member Kristi Betts dissented, while member Corey Gundrum was absent. Mike Shannon, Ron Laux, Beth Krieg, Greg Wellman and Masters, who voted in favor of sale to MyFarms, expressed interest in working with the Youth Service Bureau on meaningful projects in the future.
Refinancing of more than $3 million in bonds to get a better interest rate won 6-0 approval. The Jay Schools Building Corporation met prior to the board meeting and gave its approval to the refinancing. The total amount of savings won’t be known until the new bonds have been sold.
In other business, the board:
•Learned that Structural Engineering Services LLC had examined the stage floor framing over the old orchestra pit at Jay County High School and found it “structurally sound as built.” A similar stage over an orchestra pit collapsed in Westfield earlier this spring.
•Was told by Long that a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Blackford High School will be made available to interested JCHS students. The cost of establishing a separate program at JCHS was deemed to be unrealistic.
•Heard 91.5 percent of Jay County’s third graders have passed the IREAD exam. The state average was 84.2 percent. Jay Schools’ percentage is expected to rise after a second test is administered June 2.
•Approved a memorandum of understanding with John Jay Center for Learning that covers rent for the Alternative Placement Center, rent for the JCHS Annex, the cost of an adult education receptionist and oversight of adult basic education programs at a total cost of $53,320.
•Approved a 10 cent per meal increase in the prices of school lunches. New prices for the 2015-16 school year are: Elementary lunch $2.30, middle school $2.55, high school $2.55, breakfast $1.75, adult breakfast $2.05, a la carte milk 40 cents, adult lunch $3.05. There is no change in reduced price lunches, 40 cents, or reduced price breakfasts, 30 cents.
•Adopted new German textbooks for levels 3, 4 and 5, which are accepted by Indiana University for dual credit.
•Accepted a $4,000 donation from Century Link for technology in the classroom at Bloomfield Elementary School and a $50 donation from the Pennville Alumni Association to the school’s activity fund.
•Approved new preschool fees for the next school year. The new fees will be $75 per semester per child for children registered to attend two days a week, $100 per semester per child for children registered to attend three days a week and $125 per semester per child for children registered to attend five days a week.
•Made no changes in rates for the latch key program.
•Made no changes in pay for substitute teachers, substitute bus drivers, after school tutors or credit recovery staff.
•Learned that the administrative retreat will be Aug. 5.
•Hired Emilie Garringer as a summer band instructor at East Jay Middle School and Ted Habegger and Dennis Dwiggins as driver education teachers this summer at JCHS.
•Approved the retirements of Barry Weaver as a physical education teacher at JCHS, Bonita Frazee as a fourth grade teacher, Cindy Rudrow as an art teacher, Nancy Evans as a physical education teacher, Angela Crouch as a reading recovery teacher, Susan Williams as a special education teacher, Kay Alexander and Madonna Phelps as school bus drivers, and Emma Keever as an instructional assistant.
•Accepted the resignations of Holly Johnson as a special education teacher, Elizabeth Dennison as a school psychologist, Chris Weaver as an instructional assistant, Clara Shaw as an instructional assistant, Donna Revolt as an instructional assistant, and Cassia Alberson as a science and language arts teacher.
•Approved leaves of absence for fourth grade teacher Bonita Frazee, first grade teacher Chandra Dawson and attendance secretary Brandy Chowning.
•Made a pay-rate correction for Julie Carner, an instructional assistant.
•Approved extracurricular assignments for Pazia Williams as assistant softball coach at JCHS and Ryan Smitley as assistant varsity football coach at JCHS.
•Accepted the extracurricular resignations of Barry Weaver as boys’ swim coach and Cassia Alberson as academic coordinator and sixth grade volleyball coach.
•Approved field trips by the East Jay Middle School sixth grade and the JCHS choir.
•Approved a bus request by the Jay County Summer Swim Team.