June 14, 2017 at 4:41 p.m.
Plan for busing may change
Amended agreement could keep Southern Wells buses from coming to Pennville
Plan for busing may change
Copyright 2017, The Commercial Review
All Rights Reserved
Buses may not be coming into Jay County from the Southern Wells school district after all.
The administrative board for Area 18, which includes schools in Jay and Wells counties, recently approved an amended agreement that schools in the group will not send buses into other districts in order to pick up students.
The new agreement is now in the hands of the nine school boards that are part of the district. Indiana Department of Education is also reviewing the agreement.
Area 18 is a cooperative between Jay, South Adams, Blackford, Southern Wells, Adams Central, Bluffton-Harrison, North Adams (Bellmont), Northern Wells (Norwell) and Huntington schools to provide a variety of career and technical education programs. For example, Jay County students travel to South Adams for machine trades classes while Jay County hosts graphic arts.
The new agreement states that “participating school corporations agree, as a condition of participation, not to provide any school transportation services within other participating school corporations’ boundaries …” except for shared services, field trips and extra-curricular events.
That would mean that in order to continue to be part of the cooperative, Southern Wells could not send buses into Jay County. Southern Wells Community School Board in April, in response to a request from Pennville-area residents, had agreed to extend bus service to Pennville. Some parents made the request following the decision by Jay School Corporation to close Pennville Elementary at the conclusion of the 2016-17 school year.
Southern Wells also planned to send buses to Montpelier in Blackford County and Warren in Huntington County.
The school district has drawn students from those areas for several years, but in the past had only sent buses as far as the county lines. It was estimated in April that between 25 and 32 percent of Southern Wells students come from outside its district boundaries.
Jay School Board and Bluffton-Harrison Metropolitan School District both approved the amended Area 18 agreement Monday, and Adams Central followed suit Tuesday.
South Adams School Board tabled the matter at its meeting Tuesday on advice from attorney Tim Baker who, according to superintendent Scott Litwiller, said the board should wait for Indiana Department of Education to review the modified agreement. That vote was 5-1 with John Mann against and Landon Patterson absent.
South Adams also already has a board policy to not send buses beyond district boundaries.
However, the board members in attendance later, without approving the agreement, unanimously indicated their intent to remain a part of the Area 18 cooperative, citing the benefits for its students.
North Adams also tabled the issue Tuesday. Huntington and Blackford district officials were unable to be reached by press time.
Southern Wells’ next scheduled school board meeting is Tuesday. Superintendent Steve Darnell indicated this morning that, like South Adams and North Adams, his corporation would like to get an opinion from the state department of education before voting on the agreement.
Northern Wells’ next board meeting is Tuesday, but superintendent Scott Mills said he does not expect any action to be taken until the July meeting.
All Rights Reserved
Buses may not be coming into Jay County from the Southern Wells school district after all.
The administrative board for Area 18, which includes schools in Jay and Wells counties, recently approved an amended agreement that schools in the group will not send buses into other districts in order to pick up students.
The new agreement is now in the hands of the nine school boards that are part of the district. Indiana Department of Education is also reviewing the agreement.
Area 18 is a cooperative between Jay, South Adams, Blackford, Southern Wells, Adams Central, Bluffton-Harrison, North Adams (Bellmont), Northern Wells (Norwell) and Huntington schools to provide a variety of career and technical education programs. For example, Jay County students travel to South Adams for machine trades classes while Jay County hosts graphic arts.
The new agreement states that “participating school corporations agree, as a condition of participation, not to provide any school transportation services within other participating school corporations’ boundaries …” except for shared services, field trips and extra-curricular events.
That would mean that in order to continue to be part of the cooperative, Southern Wells could not send buses into Jay County. Southern Wells Community School Board in April, in response to a request from Pennville-area residents, had agreed to extend bus service to Pennville. Some parents made the request following the decision by Jay School Corporation to close Pennville Elementary at the conclusion of the 2016-17 school year.
Southern Wells also planned to send buses to Montpelier in Blackford County and Warren in Huntington County.
The school district has drawn students from those areas for several years, but in the past had only sent buses as far as the county lines. It was estimated in April that between 25 and 32 percent of Southern Wells students come from outside its district boundaries.
Jay School Board and Bluffton-Harrison Metropolitan School District both approved the amended Area 18 agreement Monday, and Adams Central followed suit Tuesday.
South Adams School Board tabled the matter at its meeting Tuesday on advice from attorney Tim Baker who, according to superintendent Scott Litwiller, said the board should wait for Indiana Department of Education to review the modified agreement. That vote was 5-1 with John Mann against and Landon Patterson absent.
South Adams also already has a board policy to not send buses beyond district boundaries.
However, the board members in attendance later, without approving the agreement, unanimously indicated their intent to remain a part of the Area 18 cooperative, citing the benefits for its students.
North Adams also tabled the issue Tuesday. Huntington and Blackford district officials were unable to be reached by press time.
Southern Wells’ next scheduled school board meeting is Tuesday. Superintendent Steve Darnell indicated this morning that, like South Adams and North Adams, his corporation would like to get an opinion from the state department of education before voting on the agreement.
Northern Wells’ next board meeting is Tuesday, but superintendent Scott Mills said he does not expect any action to be taken until the July meeting.
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