Financial helper

Jay School Corporation needed help, and educators step in when they’re needed.

That’s what went through Mike Bush’s mind when he accepted the position of interim business manager for the corporation, which was facing a vacancy with the retirement of Brad DeRome.

When DeRome asked Bush, former superintendent of Wes-Del Community Schools, if he’d be interested, the answer was simple.

“I said, ‘Yeah I’ll be glad to help.’ That’s kind of what I do, that’s what educators do, they help out,” Bush said. “That’s what I try to do if somebody’s in need.”

DeRome, who was Jay Schools’ business manager for almost 19 years, retired this month and took a job with Muncie Community Schools as its new chief financial officer. As the corporation searches for his replacement, the day-to-day operations of the system still needed to be taken care of.

That’s where Bush comes in. He’ll make sure the corporation is financially healthy heading into 2019 with the help of the staff of the administrative office.

“Make sure that we get the end of the year closed out properly, we have bond payments that need to be made,” Bush said. “It’s basically just a day-to-day monitoring of the actual financial actions of the school corporation.”

He spent five years as superintendent of Wes-Del in Gaston before retiring in June. The Muncie resident spent 40 years in education after graduating from Ball State University, with the majority of that time spent at Wes-Del. There were stints as technology director for Jay Schools from 1993 to 1995 and two years as athletics director for Muncie Central High School between.

Bush’s strong record in the education field are an asset to Jay Schools as it searches for a permanent candidate, said superintendent Jeremy Gulley. The role of business manager is vital to keeping a school district running smoothly, he said.

“No question, we knew we needed a steady transition,” Gulley said. “(Bush is a) very experienced person and we’re glad to have him in the interim.”

The length of Bush’s employment depends on how quickly a new business manager is hired. The corporation is accepting applications and is looking for candidates with a strong financial background, not necessarily in education, Gulley said.

Bush will be working two to three days a week in the office on a part-time basis in the meantime. He spends his other work days at Wes-Del, where he is overseeing two building projects expected to be completed in July.

After that, he’ll move from being “semi-retired” to completely retired. His wife, Stella, retired from nursing last year, and the couple have three grandchildren they’d like to spend time with.

When he started his job as a teacher at Wes-Del in 1978, Bush never expected he’d find himself in an administrative position at the end of his career. He anticipated working in the classroom until he retired.

“I’ve always been driven by being around youth and trying to do as much as possible, as I can, to promote good students who become good citizens,” Bush said. “You have to continue to put kids at the forefront of all the decisions that you make, whether it’s in the classroom or in the administrative office.”