July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Renovations revisited by school board (3/29/05)
Smeltzer named new JCHS band director
By By Jennifer Tarter-
Continued discussion on the proposed Jay County High School renovation project and the appointment of a new high school band director topped news at the Jay School Board meeting Monday.
During discussion of the proposed $26.6 million Jay County High School renovation project, board members agreed that installing a geothermal heating system is no longer an option. The board heard reports from Primary Engineering of Fort Wayne and Balance Engineering of Carmel on each company’s evaluation of the school’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
The reports indicated that a geothermal heating system at the high school would be the most costly choice and more complex to maintain and operate than the other systems. The unit is also not suited to heat and cool areas as large as the school’s gymnasium, auditorium and pool. Initial estimates of a geothermal HVAC system at the school were $8,650,000.
Also Monday, board members approved the appointment of Kelly Smeltzer as JCHS band director.
Smeltzer, who has been a JCHS assistant band director since 1997 under current JCHS band director Dave Humbert, was hired to replace the 38-year veteran who plans to retire.
A recommendation to hire Smeltzer was approved 6-0, with board member Frank Vormohr absent from Monday’s meeting.
Smeltzer will begin his new position on July 1.
“We’re going to continue the great thing that we have. Mr. Humbert has set an incredible precedent that we hope to continue,” Smeltzer said during Monday’s meeting after his hiring.
“The band kids have been really super and put forth 150 percent all the time. That makes a big difference in our program,” he added, also thanking the band staff members.
Also, board members agreed they are ready to move forward with the JCHS project and renovations in the vocational area, originally estimated at $2.3 million, should be included in the plans.
Board members also discussed the options for renovating the swimming pool, which include filling it in, building a new eight-lane pool, building a new six-lane pool or renovating the school’s current six-lane pool.
Board president Doug Inman said people can justify the renovation of the HVAC system and vocational area. He added that the proposed auxiliary gym and swimming pool are not part of the curriculum and mentioned a remonstrance could be filed against the project, which could cause the project to fail.
“To avoid a remonstrance, we might as well pack our bags and go home. There will be one regardless,” board member Bryan Alexander said, adding that he is not in support of repairing the pool. “I want to do something smart and prudent for the taxpayers and the students.”
Board member Mike Shannon said renovating the pool would be a mistake and would like the school to have a pool large enough for competitions and people to have enough room to safely watch swimming activities.
Board members Jay Halstead and Greg Wellman were not decided on which option they favored for the pool renovation. Wellman did state he was against filling in the pool.
Board member Mike Masters said he was in favor of moving forward and making a decision on the project.
“Let’s come to some kind of consensus and make a vote quickly and let the chips fall where they may,” Masters said, adding that a remonstrance “may not be a bad thing.”
To move forward with the renovation project, board members would next define the scope of the project and vote on issuing bonds to finance the projects at a public preliminary determination resolution hearing. Board members didn’t specify whether they plan to vote on the scope at their Monday, April 25 meeting.
In other business Monday, Jay Schools superintendent Barbara Downing reported the corporation will have some teachers’ contracts that will not be renewed for the 2005-06 school year.
According to a timeline presented to board members Monday, Downing will make a recommendation at the April 25 board meeting of teachers who will not have their teaching contracts renewed.
Downing also said the corporation will not be replacing all of the teachers that are planning to retire this year due to the reduction of Indiana Department of Education funds and federal Title I funds.
Also Monday, board members:
•Heard foreign language department chair and JCHS foreign language teacher Annemarie McClung report on a new foreign exchange program she would like to start at the high school. The program would allow students from Germany to visit the U.S. for 10 days during fall break and stay with JCHS students. Then during spring break, JCHS students would travel to Germany for 10 days and stay with the families of students who came to the U.S.
These trips would cost between $1,000 and $1,500 a student, which would include a plane ticket and spending money.
Downing said if the board would approve the exchange program the corporation’s liability insurance must cover students. She is having the corporation’s insurance company check on prices for the insurance.
Foreign language students currently take group trips out of the country through an organization that provides liability insurance for students.
•Heard Downing report on ISTEP Plus and Graduation Qualifying Exam scores for grades three through ten from Fall 2004.
Tenth grade GQE math scores fell to 48 percent of students passing in 2004. In 2003, 64 percent of students passed the math portion of the test. The state average in math was 64 percent passing.
Tenth graders GQE English/language arts scores stayed the same at 61 percent passing. Scores were below the state average of 68 percent passing.
•Approved the second and final reading of a revision to board policy to elect board members in the general election in November, instead of in May. The newly elected members will take office on Jan. 1.
This action was approved by the board in a July 2004 resolution.
•Approved the adoption of new science books for second through eighth graders and new health books for six through 12th graders. Board members also approved waivers for kindergarten and first grade science books and kindergarten through fifth grade health books. Students will continue to use the book currently used by students in those grades.[[In-content Ad]]The Jay School Board approved numerous personnel items on Monday, including extracurricular recommendations to hire Ronald Fuller as the West Jay Middle School eighth grade boys track coach, Nathan Smith as the WJMS seventh boys track coach and Violet Current as the WJMS eighth grade girls track coach.
Also approved was the hiring Jessie Bivens as the WJMS seventh grade girls track coach, Rex Journay as a assistant varsity baseball coach at Jay County High School and Chris Snow as a JCHS volunteer baseball coach.
Board members also:
•Approved recommendations to hire Steve Shawver as a custodian at JCHS.
•Approved field trip requests for the JCHS Prevocational Education Club to Indianapolis on April 21 and 22; the JCHS football team to Louisville, Ky. on July 21; and East Jay and West Jay Middle school students to Washington, D.C. from Nov. 16 to 21.
•Approved bus use requests from Arts Place in Portland for a trip to Ball State University’s Emens Auditorium in Muncie on April 16; Jackson Township School, an Amish school in near Bryant, to the Indianapolis Children’s Museum on April 13; and Girl Scout Troop 832 to Kings Island in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 23.
•Approved a medical leave request from bus driver Mary Botts.
During discussion of the proposed $26.6 million Jay County High School renovation project, board members agreed that installing a geothermal heating system is no longer an option. The board heard reports from Primary Engineering of Fort Wayne and Balance Engineering of Carmel on each company’s evaluation of the school’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
The reports indicated that a geothermal heating system at the high school would be the most costly choice and more complex to maintain and operate than the other systems. The unit is also not suited to heat and cool areas as large as the school’s gymnasium, auditorium and pool. Initial estimates of a geothermal HVAC system at the school were $8,650,000.
Also Monday, board members approved the appointment of Kelly Smeltzer as JCHS band director.
Smeltzer, who has been a JCHS assistant band director since 1997 under current JCHS band director Dave Humbert, was hired to replace the 38-year veteran who plans to retire.
A recommendation to hire Smeltzer was approved 6-0, with board member Frank Vormohr absent from Monday’s meeting.
Smeltzer will begin his new position on July 1.
“We’re going to continue the great thing that we have. Mr. Humbert has set an incredible precedent that we hope to continue,” Smeltzer said during Monday’s meeting after his hiring.
“The band kids have been really super and put forth 150 percent all the time. That makes a big difference in our program,” he added, also thanking the band staff members.
Also, board members agreed they are ready to move forward with the JCHS project and renovations in the vocational area, originally estimated at $2.3 million, should be included in the plans.
Board members also discussed the options for renovating the swimming pool, which include filling it in, building a new eight-lane pool, building a new six-lane pool or renovating the school’s current six-lane pool.
Board president Doug Inman said people can justify the renovation of the HVAC system and vocational area. He added that the proposed auxiliary gym and swimming pool are not part of the curriculum and mentioned a remonstrance could be filed against the project, which could cause the project to fail.
“To avoid a remonstrance, we might as well pack our bags and go home. There will be one regardless,” board member Bryan Alexander said, adding that he is not in support of repairing the pool. “I want to do something smart and prudent for the taxpayers and the students.”
Board member Mike Shannon said renovating the pool would be a mistake and would like the school to have a pool large enough for competitions and people to have enough room to safely watch swimming activities.
Board members Jay Halstead and Greg Wellman were not decided on which option they favored for the pool renovation. Wellman did state he was against filling in the pool.
Board member Mike Masters said he was in favor of moving forward and making a decision on the project.
“Let’s come to some kind of consensus and make a vote quickly and let the chips fall where they may,” Masters said, adding that a remonstrance “may not be a bad thing.”
To move forward with the renovation project, board members would next define the scope of the project and vote on issuing bonds to finance the projects at a public preliminary determination resolution hearing. Board members didn’t specify whether they plan to vote on the scope at their Monday, April 25 meeting.
In other business Monday, Jay Schools superintendent Barbara Downing reported the corporation will have some teachers’ contracts that will not be renewed for the 2005-06 school year.
According to a timeline presented to board members Monday, Downing will make a recommendation at the April 25 board meeting of teachers who will not have their teaching contracts renewed.
Downing also said the corporation will not be replacing all of the teachers that are planning to retire this year due to the reduction of Indiana Department of Education funds and federal Title I funds.
Also Monday, board members:
•Heard foreign language department chair and JCHS foreign language teacher Annemarie McClung report on a new foreign exchange program she would like to start at the high school. The program would allow students from Germany to visit the U.S. for 10 days during fall break and stay with JCHS students. Then during spring break, JCHS students would travel to Germany for 10 days and stay with the families of students who came to the U.S.
These trips would cost between $1,000 and $1,500 a student, which would include a plane ticket and spending money.
Downing said if the board would approve the exchange program the corporation’s liability insurance must cover students. She is having the corporation’s insurance company check on prices for the insurance.
Foreign language students currently take group trips out of the country through an organization that provides liability insurance for students.
•Heard Downing report on ISTEP Plus and Graduation Qualifying Exam scores for grades three through ten from Fall 2004.
Tenth grade GQE math scores fell to 48 percent of students passing in 2004. In 2003, 64 percent of students passed the math portion of the test. The state average in math was 64 percent passing.
Tenth graders GQE English/language arts scores stayed the same at 61 percent passing. Scores were below the state average of 68 percent passing.
•Approved the second and final reading of a revision to board policy to elect board members in the general election in November, instead of in May. The newly elected members will take office on Jan. 1.
This action was approved by the board in a July 2004 resolution.
•Approved the adoption of new science books for second through eighth graders and new health books for six through 12th graders. Board members also approved waivers for kindergarten and first grade science books and kindergarten through fifth grade health books. Students will continue to use the book currently used by students in those grades.[[In-content Ad]]The Jay School Board approved numerous personnel items on Monday, including extracurricular recommendations to hire Ronald Fuller as the West Jay Middle School eighth grade boys track coach, Nathan Smith as the WJMS seventh boys track coach and Violet Current as the WJMS eighth grade girls track coach.
Also approved was the hiring Jessie Bivens as the WJMS seventh grade girls track coach, Rex Journay as a assistant varsity baseball coach at Jay County High School and Chris Snow as a JCHS volunteer baseball coach.
Board members also:
•Approved recommendations to hire Steve Shawver as a custodian at JCHS.
•Approved field trip requests for the JCHS Prevocational Education Club to Indianapolis on April 21 and 22; the JCHS football team to Louisville, Ky. on July 21; and East Jay and West Jay Middle school students to Washington, D.C. from Nov. 16 to 21.
•Approved bus use requests from Arts Place in Portland for a trip to Ball State University’s Emens Auditorium in Muncie on April 16; Jackson Township School, an Amish school in near Bryant, to the Indianapolis Children’s Museum on April 13; and Girl Scout Troop 832 to Kings Island in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 23.
•Approved a medical leave request from bus driver Mary Botts.
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