Board gives OK to raises

BERNE — Classified support staff at South Adams Schools will receive a 2-percent pay increase next school year along with the annual 10-cent per hour boost in pay.
In addition, South Adams School Board members approved several other support staff pay hikes to make those positions more attractive in a competitive environment.
At the recommendation of superintendent Scott Litwiller, the board increased school nurse pay from $19.50 per hour to $23 an hour, payroll clerk pay from $16.79 per hour to $17.50 per hour, secretarial pay from $12.95 per hour to $13.40 per hour, technical director pay from $26.46 per hour to $27.39 per hour, network technician pay from $19.84 per hour to $21.20 per hour, tech support assistant pay from $18.32 per hour to $19.45 per hour, and substitute cook pay from $9.33 per hour to $9.75 per hour.
The pay increases were approved on a 6-0 vote with board member Landon Patterson absent.
Board members Arlene Amstutz, John Mann, Julie Mansfield, John Buckingham, Amy Orr and Mitch Sprunger also voted 6-0 approving a series of resolutions related to the re-financing of the bond issue for the kindergarten-through-grade-eight building.
Board attorney Tim Baker explained that because the projected savings from the re-financing of the bonds will be used to fund renovations in the high school it’s necessary that a portion of the high school building be included in the new bond issue.
“We’re just expanding the lease rental real estate,” Litwiller said.
“The debt service stays the same,” said Baker.
The re-financing is expected to generate something in the neighborhood of $2 million. Bonds will be sold June 29, with the closing on July 21, Baker said.
Meanwhile, Litwiller and other administrators have met with Performance Services to explore the scope and the budget for the high school renovations.
Performance Services played a key role in the design-build approach to the K-8 building, and design-build rather than design-bid-build resulted in significant savings.
“We did really well with that,” said Litwiller. The company has offered to help with the initial work free of charge and without obligation, he added.
No decision has been made on whether to use the design-build approach again.
“It is an option. It may not be the best option. But it is an option,” said Litwiller.
If all goes well, the timeline for work on the renovations would be next summer.
In other business, the board:
•Learned that South Adams High School has again been rated as a 4-Star school by Indiana Department of Education.
•Approved fall coaching staff positions. Grant Moser will be head varsity football coach, Craig McKean and Jeff Lehman will be assistant varsity coaches, Clark Moser will be junior varsity assistant coach and Jessie O’Dell will be freshman assistant coach. Lack Taing, Toby Sprunger and Tyler Sprunger will be volunteer assistant coaches. Ashley Buckingham will be head varsity volleyball coach, Paul Yoder will be assistant varsity coach, Tiffany White will be freshman assistant coach and Alyssa Bluhm will be volunteer assistant coach. Luke McClung will be head varsity soccer coach, and Kevin McClung will be assistant coach. Cindy Greer will be boys’ head varsity tennis coach. Seth Sprunger will be girls’ varsity golf coach. Kristin Brown will be head varsity cheer coach. Clint Anderson will be head varsity cross country coach, with Danette VonGunten and Dianna Fox as assistants and Neil Stinson and J.D. Keller as volunteer assistants. Doug Beall will be head middle school football coach with Caleb Wurster as assistant coach and Shannon Smitley and Logan Steiner as volunteer assistants. Haley Provost will be eighth grade volleyball coach, and Leslie McPeek will be seventh grade volleyball coach, while Aimee Sprunger and Whitney Ellinger will be volunteer assistants. Katie Campbell will be middle school cheer head coach.
•Hired Allison Crider as a first grade teacher, Kim LeFever as Project Lead the Way teacher and Mark Gates as a seventh grade English teacher.
•Hired Joel Reinhard, Lauren Smith and Spencer Sharp as tutors.
•Approved leaves for Vickie Hough and Ashley Buckingham.
•Accepted the resignations of Kaylea Kongar, Margie Dobler, Joanne Ehrman and Bobbie Feaster.
•Hired Alison Yoder, Andy Sommer, J.D. Keller, Kristin Brown, Sandy Sprunger, Lonnie Teeple, Andy Brown and Josh Hendrixson as summer school staff.
•Accepted a donation of a public address system from Limberlost Construction. The system is valued at $5,000.
•Honored the South Adams girls’ softball team, which had a record-breaking 23-7 season and won the school’s first regional championship in a girls sport; regional winners in Public Broadcasting’s kids’ writing contest; and state track participants.