Military program gets OK

One of the focuses of the recent manufacturing education push has been to provide students with real-world work experience while still in high school.
Now those who are considering the military will have that opportunity as well.
Jay School Board on Monday approved a pilot program in partnership with Indiana Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion that will allow students who are thinking about joining the armed forces a chance to get an early look at what military service is like. Blackford School Corporation will also be involved in the program, pending board approval.
The board also discussed the 2016-17 preliminary student count and its financial outlook.
The military “internship” program calls for students to participate in four to six eight-hour Saturday sessions. Those can include training at a local Indiana National Guard armory, recruit sustainment detachment, local training area or Camp Atterbury.
A pilot program is scheduled to begin with a few students in May, with more to be added in the fall.
“Certainly no live-fire activities, but they’ll get a chance to observe that training. They’ll get a chance to go to our maintenance shops,” said Jay Schools director of teacher effectiveness Jeremy Gulley. “I just think this is a gap in what we offer kids to be able to learn and explore, and this would fill that gap.
“I think it’s good for the kids. I think it’s good for the parents.”
Board members Kristi Betts, Beth Krieg, Greg Wellman, Ron Laux, Mike Shannon, Cory Gundrum and Tammy Bennett also received an update on elementary school enrollment, which is projected at 1,549 students for 2016-17.
That includes a kindergarten class of 273, which would be the largest of any at the elementary level.
Based on those numbers, Jay Schools will still likely see an enrollment drop next year as the graduating class of 2016 has 298 students. Superintendent Tim Long noted that the projected enrollment numbers are preliminary and that often the corporation picks up additional kindergartners at registration time.
The financial status remained unchanged, with business manager Brad DeRome continuing to project a budget surplus of $192,000 for 2016 and a general fund cash balance of $1.87 million at the end of the year.
“I think that we should be cautiously optimistic with these numbers,” said Wellman, referring both to the finances and the kindergarten enrollment. “They’re really good numbers … When I looked at that and said to myself, ‘We’re $100,000 away from $2 million in the general fund,’ that’s pretty exciting when you look at where we’ve come from. … Things are starting to fall in our favor.”
In other business, the board:
•Received an update on bullying from Long. There have been 23 recorded cases of bullying this year — nine at Jay County High School, six at the middle schools and eight in the elementary schools.
•Heard from director of testing and assessment Trent Paxson that Pennville, Redkey, Westlawn, Judge Haynes and General Shanks elementary schools will have their libraries open in conjunction with the summer lunch program.
•Approved updates to the corporation’s wellness policy on second reading, a contract with technology consulting firm Curtis & Livers Consulting of Indianapolis, math textbooks for 2017 through 2022, updates to school handbooks and the list of summer school courses — reading, English, applied economics, civics, economics, U.S. government, U.S. history, world geography, algebra I, algebra II, geometry, biology, life science, physics, and health and wellness education.
•Were presented changes to corporation policies. Those will be voted on at an upcoming meeting.
•Formed a superintendent’s committee on Betts’ suggestion to review operation of the high school cafeteria to look for ways to improve. Betts noted that she’d like to see less food thrown away, and the committee will also look at possibilities for offering more variety. The plan includes the committee visiting cafeterias at other schools to observe how they operate.
•Approved a 15-month extension — through Aug. 31, 2017 — of its medical/vision and dental insurance contracts through Anthem and Delta Dental respectively. There was no increase and cost, and the school contribution for premiums will remain at $7,000 for individuals and $16,000 for families annually.
•Were updated by Judge Haynes Elementary principal Erica Tomano about the school being one of 200 in the state recognized for utilizing “Promising Practices.” It was honored for its monthly problem-solving team meetings that are used to discuss student progress and plan interventions, which are research-based and are monitored at least every two weeks.
•Hired Ted Habegger as a driver education instructor at JCHS and Billie Newsome as a technology instructional assistant at Westlawn, Pennville and Redkey elementary schools; accepted resignations of East Elementary cook Kristal Mansfield, Bloomfield Elementary cook Melissa Campofiore, East Jay Middle School nurse Lisa Brewster, West Jay Middle School kitchen manager Andrea Milthaler and JCHS instructional assistant Elaine Harris; accepted the retirements of Pennville custodian Mary Lou (Peb) Frazee, Judge Haynes fourth grade teacher Virginia Stout and Westlawn, Bloomfield and Judge Haynes elementary school English as a second language teacher Karen Nichols; and approved leaves of absence for WJMS art teacher Lindsay Edwards, General Shanks and Judge Haynes instructional assistant Sarah Link, bus driver Robert Ford, mechanic Kyle Frazee, Westlawn reading recovery teacher Christa Robinson and Redkey Elementary special education teacher Jenny Gibson.
•OK’d field trips for the WJMS archery team for May 12 through 14 to Louisville, Kentucky, Jay County FFA students for June 13 through 16 to the state convention at Purdue University, WJMS band and choir to King’s Island in Cincinnati, General Shanks fifth graders for May 9 to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, and the JCHS boys basketball team to a camp June 30 through July 3 at the University of St. Francis.