Just beginning

What’s next?

That question lingered Dec. 11 after Jay School Board finalized a decision to close the Judge Haynes Elementary School building at the end of the current school year.

The answer, according to superintendent Jeremy Gulley, is a well-planned and well-communicated transition that keeps parents informed, teachers prepared and students excited to begin the next school year.

And though Haynes is the key building affected by the decision, it’s not the only one.

Both East Elementary and General Shanks Elementary will be seeing major changes in the second half of 2018.

“It’s really just one attendance district now,” Gulley said this week. “We knew K-2/3-5 was going to be different and new to people. But it has allowed us to provide predictability. … You know where you’re going to school.”

Students attending Judge Haynes will go to either East or Shanks, depending upon their grade level.

Those in kindergarten through grade 2 will be in the East building, while those in grades 3 through 5 will be in the Shanks building.

“These are really new schools if you think about it,” said Gulley. “The teachers will be familiar and so will some of the kids.”

But it will also be different.

And several issues still lie ahead.

In January, the board will consider remodeling proposals for the East and Shanks buildings. Floor to ceiling walls will need to be built at East, and both schools’ parking lots will require expansion to handle the additional traffic.

In order for that work to be done on time for the opening of schools next year, the board will have to adhere to a strict legal timeline involving a new lease with the Jay Schools Building Corporation and the issuing of bonds.

If all goes smoothly, that could be completed by April, allowing for the necessary construction over the summer months.

But that’s just part of the puzzle.

Gulley sees several key events on the horizon:

•Getting the financing for remodeling work approved early.

•Figuring out staff assignments for teachers.

•Getting the remodeling done on time for East and Shanks to open in the fall.

•Sorting out a transportation plan and sharing it with parents by spring.

•Making sure student drop-off and pick-up is efficient.

Gulley said a letter to parents went out the day after the board’s decision.

In some ways, he said, the administration is building on lessons learned in the closing of the Pennville Elementary School building at the end of the 2016-17 school year.

That process made clear the importance of asking parents about their concerns as early as possible and communicating with parents early as well.

Gulley will be briefing the school board monthly on the process, and bi-monthly meetings will be held with faculty.

The impact on school administrators and teachers will become clear over the next few months. Closing Judge Haynes is expected to result in the elimination of four teaching positions and one principal position.

Jan McGalliard, currently principal of Redkey Elementary School, is the employee most likely to see her position change because she is the administrator with the least seniority.

“I expect to announce (administrative assignments) on Jan. 3,” said Gulley.

As to the four teaching positions, “I’m setting a goal for May 1,” he added.

A student services coordinator position — a teaching job within the bargaining agreement with the Jay Classroom Teachers Association — is expected to be created to work with students and parents at the reconfigured East and Shanks.

Gulley said he hopes to have some sort of celebration or ceremony marking the end of the Judge Haynes building.

“People have strong attachments,” he said.

The goal, ultimately, is for people to be surprised how smoothly the transition goes.

“If I hear people say things went better than they thought it would, that would be an indicator,” said Gulley.