Masters to resign position

Mike Masters will leave his school board post with a year still on his term.
The Jay School Board president closed the group’s meeting Monday by announcing that he will resign from the group effective Dec. 31.
The board also hired Kirk Comer for his second stint as Jay County High School girls basketball coach (see story on page 10), held its public hearing on the 2016 budget, discussed the need for spending cuts and got an update on school testing.
In making closing comments before the meeting adjourned, Masters said he will halt his 11-year run on the school board at the end of the year. He decided to leave with a year still on his term in order to allow whoever the board selects as his replacement time to get acclimated before running for election in November 2016.
“Me being on this board for another term is not an option. It’s not one I would consider,” Masters told board members Greg Wellman, Kristi Betts, Ron Laux, Beth Krieg, Mike Shannon and Cory Gundrum. “And because of that, I think it would probably be in the best interest of this board to accept my resignation … and appoint someone that can get a hold of this now and when the term comes up they’ll be ready to hit the ground running.”
A variety of factors played into the decision, Masters said, including that he has passed up professional opportunities in order to continue serving. He is the owner of Masters Insurance and Masters Financial Network in Dunkirk.
Earlier in the meeting he again urged the board to get serious about making spending cuts, noting that the proposed 2016 budget calls for deficit spending and that if the pattern continues the corporation’s general fund balance will be gone in four years. He made similar comments at the board’s Aug. 3 meeting.
“My time is short on this board, so … we better make some headway in the next few months,” he said, noting that the balance that hovered around $3 million from 2005 to 2012 is expected to be at $1.6 million by the end of this year and continue to decline in 2016.
Wellman, who preceded Masters as president, emphasized that the board has made cuts in an effort to stem the financial tide, but more needs to be done.
“Some of them have worked, and most of them have not worked enough to cover what the state and what the enrollment has done,” he said. “Now we have to look at more serious items.”
The board members’ comments followed those of Jay Classroom Teachers Association president Paul Szymczak, who agreed that spending cuts are necessary and asked that teachers be included in the discussion.
“Please consider the programs and people who make the Jay Schools what it is,” he said, reading from a written statement. “Please try to find ways to reduce costs that do not reduce what we are able to provide our students.”
Though not referenced directly at the meeting Monday, consolidating buildings has been brought up as a possible cost-saving measure. In February, superintendent Tim Long proposed a plan that would move all eighth graders to a segregated area of Jay County High School, move all sixth and seventh graders to East Jay Middle School, close Westlawn Elementary and move those students to the current WJMS building and close Pennville Elementary and move those students to Redkey Elementary.
CSO Architects was then commissioned to study the usage of space in all buildings at the school corporation. The results were expected at Monday’s meeting, but Long said instead he’s hoping to present them at the board’s Sept. 21 meeting.
“That needs to be here yesterday,” said Betts.
“Because when we talk about running out of time and we need to make decisions, for me personally, I don’t feel like I can comment until I know what’s available, what’s not available,” added Krieg.
While board members discussed financial issues, there was no public comment on the budget, which is down about $1.2 million from 2015 at a proposed $35.8 million. It is slated for approval at the board’s next meeting.
Trent Paxson, director of testing and assessment, told the board that state ISTEP+ test scores from the 2014-15 school year are expected to be available in mid-December. There will then be a review period, with scores to be finalized in January.
That news sparked frustration from the board, with Betts saying it is unfair to teachers, whose evaluations are based partially on test scores, while comparing the system to “sticking a Post-It on a butterfly and seeing where it goes.”
“How can you give a test in May that you don’t grade until the following December and say it’s relevant or valuable?” said Long, with several board members chiming in their agreement.
Long also noted that the test for the current school year has not yet been written yet by Pearson, which is taking over the state’s contract from CTB/McGraw-Hill. There is currently no guide on preparing for the test, so Jay Schools will keep using the Acuity program it has used for several years.
In other business, the board:
•Heard from Long that 63 percent of kindergarten through third graders have been signed up for College 529 savings plans through Jay County Promise. The corporation set a goal of 70 percent.
•Approved the financial report 6-1 with Betts voting against. She expressed concern that the corporation is spending too much money on data plans for employee iPads.
•Hired Shirley Dollar (Westlawn Elementary part-time instructional assistant), Erika Frazee (Jay County High School instructional assistant), Jennifer Herndon (General Shanks Elementary instructional assistant), Krista Hemmelgarn (JCHS math teacher), Dave Pogue (General Shanks part-time custodian), Adam Steinbrunner (East Jay Middle School eighth grade history teacher), Kathleen Fennig (EJMS part-time instructional assistant), Sara Barton (General Shanks instructional assistant), Cynthia Hyatt (alternative school teacher), Kurt Hess (JCHS physical education/health teacher), Terry Hale (East Elementary part-time cross guard), Courtney Kinstle (EJMS special education resource teacher), Keri Harker (elementary school computer lab instructional assistant) and Treva Fraley (West Jay Middle School part-time cook).
•Approved transfers for instructional assistant Kristen Selvey to Redkey Elementary School and full-time instructional assistant Josh Selvey to Westlawn Elementary School and a leave of absence for Westlawn instructional assistant Kim Kesler. Also accepted resignations from Morgan Meadows (JCHS instructional assistant), Judy Schoenlein (East Elementary part-time food service employee), Emily Funk (EJMS special education resource teacher) and Michael Brown (bus driver).
•Accepted donations of $800 from Ardagh workers in GMP Local 121 and $297.57 from Hickory Grove Vacation Bible School.