No more block?

Consolidation of Jay Schools in the face of declining enrollment is expected to move forward.

But retrofitting school buildings could cost half as much as had been projected.

And both team teaching at the middle school level and block scheduling at the high school are on the chopping block in order to get necessary savings.

Jay School Board members will decide on the path ahead at their next meeting on Feb. 18.

Superintendent Jeremy Gulley presented board members with a new option Monday after an outside analysis by a group of former school administrators concluded that consolidation won’t be enough to prevent future deficit spending unless block scheduling and teaming are jettisoned. 

“Block scheduling is the best if you can afford it,” said Gulley. “The question is, can you?”

The answer, he said, is no.

Administrative Assistance of Brookston, Indiana, worked with interim business manager Michael Bush and former business manager Brad DeRome to project the corporation’s long-term financial picture.

Their conclusion: Jay Schools will be running millions of dollars in deficit spending unless those program changes are made. That’s even if the consolidation goes forward as outlined.

Both block scheduling and teaming require significantly more teaching staff than a traditional seven-period day, and personnel costs make up the lion’s share of the corporation’s expenses.

“Block scheduling is thick on staff,” said Gulley.

Should the corporation drop teaming and block scheduling, there would be a dramatic impact on the projected costs of retrofitting for consolidation. 

That’s primarily because fewer classrooms would be involved in construction or renovation.

Initial plans for converting Jay County High School to a junior-senior high school, converting the two middle school buildings to elementary schools and making security upgrades at Bloomfield and Redkey elementary schools carried an estimated price tag of $20,675,653.

But the option unveiled by Gulley on Monday — with block scheduling and teaming out of the picture — is estimated to cost $9,771,753.

The new option would involve far less construction at the high school, with the estimate for work on that building dropping from $14,870,904 to $4,940,038 if the building is used with a traditional seven-period day.

Under the new option, the estimated cost of renovations at East Jay would remain the same at $1,244,599. At West Jay, the estimated cost would drop from $3,171,726 to $2,927,020. At Bloomfield Elementary School, the estimated cost would drop from $1,388,424 to $660,096. And while the original plan had estimated work at Redkey Elementary School costing $103,620, Gulley said Monday he believed the school corporation could do the necessary improvement work itself.

Meanwhile, there would be ongoing savings through the reduction of an estimated 20 to 30 jobs by the elimination of teaming and dropping the block schedule.

“If you get into traditional (scheduling), you can use attrition to reduce staff,” said Gulley. “You’re preserving the options for future boards.”

He added, “If you cut the project in half, you cut the tax impact in half.”

As originally outlined, the building changes would have cost farmers an estimated $2.90 per acre. Property taxes on a $100,000 house would have gone up $5.36 per month and would have gone up $15.11 per month on a $200,000 house.

The option presented Monday drops the property tax impact for farmers to $1.31 per acre. Meanwhile, the owners of a $100,000 house would see a $2.68 per month impact and the owners of a $200,000 house would see a $7.56 per month impact.

“I think what you have is a sensible plan,” Gulley said, referring to the new option presented Monday. “We’re trying to find a good middle ground that’s sensible for all concerned. … We are not going to ignore the difficulties this school district faces.”

“I’m as much a block schedule fan as anyone,” said board president Phil Ford. “But we don’t want to end up the way Muncie has. … We can’t afford what I like, but it is what it is.”

Block scheduling allows students to explore more course opportunities, JCHS principal Chad Dodd explained. Teaming allows middle school teachers to spend a period each day collaborating on how best to help their students.

“On Feb. 18, I will ask you to choose one (option),” said Gulley.

Farmer and former Jay County commissioner Jim Zimmerman thanked the board and administration for their efforts to bring the costs down. 

“I appreciate your listening to comments from the community, especially the ag community,” said Zimmerman, noting that 42 percent of property tax revenues come from the agricultural sector. “I think it’s wise to put the decision off to next month.”

If approved by the board, block scheduling and teaming would be dropped as of the start of the 2020-21 school year.

The corporation has worked over the past few years to reduce expenses and get its fiscal house in order in the face of declining enrollment.

Overall enrollment is down 48 percent since 1974, and state support for schools is directly tied to enrollment. That has led to the closing of Pennville and Judge Haynes elementary schools and staff reductions that have reduced spending by $2 million.

This latest consolidation calls for JCHS to become a grade seven through 12 facility, Westlawn Elementary students to move to the West Jay building, General Shanks Elementary students to move to the East Jay building and pre-school and central office to relocate to the current General Shanks building. The current central office building on Tyson Road and the Westlawn building would join the Pennville and Judge Haynes buildings to be sold.

The earliest possible timeline calls for renovation work at the high school to begin in the 2019-20 school year and all of the changes complete by the 2021-22 school year.

In other business, the board:

•Heard Gulley say he is looking into outside management services for custodial and food service functions in an effort to find further cost savings.

•Heard interim business manager Michael Bush say the corporation met its financial goals for 2018, achieving a $425,853 positive cash flow in the general fund, building the Rainy Day Fund to $600,782 and ending with a general fund cash balance of $1,874,893.

•Approved wellness goals for the corporation that include healthy meal choices, the promotion of daily walking and running as well as nutrition information on the Jay Schools web site.

•Hired Courtnie Darr as an instructional assistant at Westlawn, Amber Posocco as a cook at East Jay, Amanda Schoenlein as a latchkey supervisor at East Elementary School and Carol Stocker as a cook at JCHS.

•Accepted the resignations of accounts payable clerk Lisa Evans, instructional assistant Jennifer Wolfe, cooks Deb Raines and Sarah Daniels and technology network analyst Ryan Wellman.

•Approved leaves of absence for first grade teacher Chandra Dawson, eighth grade teacher Gina Brockman, bus driver Kristeen Beatrice, instructional assistant Liana McLaughlin, English teacher Amanda Burcham and custodian Barb Mullins.

•Approved extracurricular assignments for Terry Hartley as archery coach at East Jay, Marcie Vormohr as middle school swim coach, Duane Monroe as sixth grade boys’ basketball coach at East Jay, Brett Livingston as anime sponsor at JCHS, Amber Huelskamp as assistant girls’ track coach at JCHS, James Armstrong as sixth grade girls’ basketball coach at East Jay and Kristin Millspaugh as middle school assistant swim coach.

•Accepted the extracurricular resignations of Fred Medler as sixth grade boys’ basketball coach and Patrick Byrum as assistant baseball coach at JCHS.

•Approved a contract for behavioral health services with Meridian Health Services.