SA advertising $16.5 million budget

BERNE — The South Adams Schools budget will increase again. And for the second consecutive year, the bulk of the jump is in spending is in the rainy day fund.

South Adams School Board gave permission Tuesday to advertise its 2018 budget at just over $16.5 million, up about 5 percent from last year’s $15.7 million.

The board also got an update on the 2017 portion of the high school renovation project, was reminded that the next major deadline for the 2018 portion is Thursday and agreed to let superintendent Scott Litwiller hire an additional second-grade teacher if necessary.

Board members Arlene Amstutz, John Mann, Julie Mansfield, Amy Orr, John Buckingham, Mitch Sprunger and Landon Patterson approved advertising the overall budget at $16,529,830, with just over $9.3 million of that in the general fund. Other fund totals were $2.03 million in debt service, $1.85 million in capital projects, $1.59 million in rainy day, $1.53 million in transportation and $228,000 in bus replacement.

The largest change in the budget is in the rainy day fund, calling for an increase in spending of more than $400,000. The board plans to use nearly $650,000 of that rainy day money toward the $1.2-million 2018 portion of the high school renovation project. Litwiller also typically advertises rainy day fund spending high in order to give the board flexibility in case of a need for large expenditures.

The bus replacement budget is nearly doubled to account for the purchase of two buses in 2018 as opposed to one this year, and the general fund went up by about $150,000.

The budget will be advertised in local newspapers Aug. 21, and a public hearing on is slated for the board’s regular 6 p.m. meeting on Sept. 12. The board then plans to vote on budget adoption at its regular Oct. 10 meeting.

Litwiller told board members that eight of the 10 classrooms being renovated this summer are ready to be occupied and a ninth should be ready by Thursday.The chemistry lab, however, will be pushing the deadline after gaps were found in the vinyl tile floor after it was waxed and buffed last week. The floor is currently being fixed with hopes of having it ready for staff to move in by Friday afternoon. The first day of school is Monday.

The deadline for design-builders to respond to a request for qualifications for the 2018 portion of the renovation is Thursday. That work is slated to include completing the renovation of the media center, adding a canopy over the main entrance and renovating the remaining classrooms around the media center. The board plans to hire a design-build team by September and then finalize plans for the renovation in December.

Also Tuesday, the board gave Litwiller permission to hire a fifth teacher for second grade after hearing that enrollment was slightly higher than expected.

Litwiller informed board members that about 95 students were expected for second grade this year, but as of late in the registration day Tuesday the total was at 100. That did not include migrant students, who spend about the first two months of the school year at South Adams.

Elementary school principal Shellie Miller and Litwiller are still discussing the best solution, with options including hiring an additional teacher or more aides. Litwiller acknowledged that while adding a teacher would help with class sizes, trying to do so this close to the start of the school year would cause some issues.

“It will be a little bit messy if we do decide to do this,” he said. “We’d be shuffling kids around a little bit …”

It could also result in the additional class beginning the year with a substitute teacher until the new full-time teacher is available.

In other business, the board:

•Extended condolences to the family of former South Adams principal and assistant superintendent Bud Bearss, who died Saturday.

•Honored the softball team, which won Allen County Athletic Conference, sectional and regional titles for the second consecutive year, as an example of excellence.

•Approved the following: an agreement with Martha Goller to provide mental health counseling at a cost not to exceed $25,000; vocational course fees for the upcoming school year; a lease agreement for the Migrant Education Resource Center building at a cost of $1,000 per month, down from the previous $1,200; the purchase of a new bus from Midwest Transit at a cost of $107,000; and its new Teacher Appreciation Grant policy to meet on first reading to meet state requirements.

•Learned the state board of education has still taken no action on the amended Area 18 agreement. The school board is waiting to take action until the state weighs in. The agreement would prohibit participating school corporations from sending buses into other districts, a response to Southern Wells’ intention to send buses in the Jay, Blackford and Huntington corporation districts this year.

•Accepted a donation of $750 from the Muncie Ironman competition.

•Changed the price for adult breakfast to $1.60 from the previous $1.55 to comply with federal requirements.

•Agreed to allow the Berne Bears Baseball Club to use the school facilities — baseball field and gyms — one Sunday per month.

•Approved field trip requests for athletic teams in the event that staying overnight is required during IHSAA tournaments. Also approved several out-of-state trips for athletic events in Ohio.

•Appointed Litwiller to continue serving on the School Employees Benefit Trust Board.

•Hired David Smith as a part-time library and tech aide, Allison Evans as auditorium director and Vicki Von Gunten and Amy Yoder as Title I aides. Also accepted the retirement of cook Pat Gaerke. South Adams still has openings for a seventh-grade language arts teacher, part-time middle school Title I aide and part-time student data specialist.

•Was invited to attend the staff breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Friday.