Board OKs part-time officers, hears update on facility projects

Jay School Corporation will have a new option for increasing its police presence next month.

Jay School Board on Monday approved a memorandum of understanding to hire off-duty law enforcement officers as part-time employees.

Board members also received an update from facility director Gary Cagle.

Jeremy Gulley, superintendent of Jay Schools, presented the memorandum that had been discussed with school board members last month. It details that off-duty officers will provide school security and that any action taken is under their police powers as regulated by their full-time agency. They are not responsible for school discipline.

Off-duty officers hired by the school corporation must abide by the regulations of both the corporation and of the law enforcement agency they work for, maintain full-time status at their law enforcement agency, attend all required training and wear a police uniform.

Gulley will be in charge of hiring the off-duty officers, who will be paid $27.87 per hour. They will follow a similar process as substitute teachers.

School Resource Officer Cody Jessee will handle scheduling.

Board members Ron Laux, Phil Ford, Donna Geesaman, Jason Phillips, Vickie Reitz and Chip Phillips, absent Marcie Vormohr, unanimously approved the memorandum, which goes into effect Jan. 1.

Also Monday, Cagle updated the board regarding projects that have been completed since he was hired to replace Mark Myers, who retired at the end of the 2022-23 school year.

Cagle noted that many of the projects were started by Myers while he was still on the job.

Projects included:

•Jay County Junior-Senior High— Fixing a water line, installing new exterior paneling on the upper gym area, building new softball dugouts, roof work, extensive equipment replacement at the pool and heating, cooling and ventilation (HVAC) work.

•East Jay Elementary — Interior and exterior  LED lighting, resealing and re-striping the parking lot, repairing and painting handrails, and roof work

•West Jay Elementary — Installing exterior LED lights

•East Elementary — A new retaining wall, updating playground equipment and installation of HVAC equipment

•Bloomfield Elementary — A new concrete curb and replacing doors

•Redkey Elementary — Painting all curbs, installing some new concrete pads and refurbishing the east entrance

Planned future projects include installing a new HVAC system for the northeast wing of West Jay as it has experienced maintenance issues this year. Architecture and engineering firm Barton Coe Vilamaa estimates the project cost will be $480,000. The board is scheduled to select a bid at its Feb. 12 meeting.

In other business, the board:

•During the Patriot Pride moment, honored Bloomfield Elementary School students, represented by Macy DeHoff, Murphy Link and principal Ben Dues, for their annual Christmas food drive. Partnering with Bryant Wesleyan Church, which adds perishable items to the non-perishable donations from the students, the drive helps feed families in need during the holiday season.

•Briefly discussed the proposed installation of lights for the JCHS baseball and softball fields. Baseball lights had been planned for 2024 with softball lights to follow later, but Gulley said he believes it makes more sense to do both at the same time. He suggested the board look at year-end financial numbers before making a decision next month. The cost of the project is $836,583.

•Heard an update on Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund money to corporation received via coronavirus relief funds. Of the $10,304,881 that came to Jay Schools through three rounds of ESSER and another grant, $8,389,854 has been reimbursed. All funds must be encumbered no later than Sept. 30, 2024.

•Increased preschool fees for the 2024-25 school year by $15 each to $355 for two days a week, $480 for three days a week and $630 for five days a week.

•Approved the following: services contracts with Nicci Littler for speech and language services and Soliant Health for virtual speech and language services; the hiring of Melissa Stephen as a bus driver; leaves of absence for special education director Annie Van Horn and teachers Angelana Carter and Jane Evans; a field trip to Italy, France and Spain for high school foreign language students in June; permission to sell metal buildings that have been used at the football field and will no longer be needed with the construction of the new locker room, concession and restroom facility; 

•Accepted a donation of $50,000 to the junior-senior high building trades program from Portland Redevelopment Commission. (The commission approved the donation last month.)

•Heard Ron Laux wish all school staff and the media members in attendance a Merry Christmas.