School board elects officers

Mike Masters will continue to lead the Jay School Board.
Masters was re-elected board president Monday as part of a slate that included Kristy Betts as vice president and Greg Wellman as secretary.
But the vote was not unanimous.
Wellman and board member Mike Shannon voted against the slate, and Masters abstained.
Before the board’s reorganization session, Masters said, “My job and my thought process has always been to bring this group together. … It’s not possible for you to be happy with everything I say or do.”
Shannon also dissented on a 6-1 board decision to hear a miscellaneous student appeal of administrative action in an executive session.
Wellman, who made the motion to hear the student appeal, said he believed it was appropriate since board members are always urging students and parents to follow the official chain of command when they have a dispute with the school corporation.
The appeal will be heard in a 5:30 p.m. executive session Jan. 19 prior to the regular board meeting at 6 p.m.
Business manager Brad DeRome told the board the school corporation finished 2014 with more in its year-end balance than it did the year before.
“We did end up in the black to the tune of $11,000,” said DeRome. “We did reverse the trend.”
DeRome noted the school corporation’s general fund had a year-end balance of about $2,018,000.
Board members have established a goal of boosting that cash cushion to about $3 million to provide greater flexibility in a time of uncertain state finances.

In other action, the board:
•Appointed Holly Weaver to the board of the Jay County Public Library.
•Re-appointed Coldren and Frantz, Portland, and the Indianapolis firm of Church, Church, Hittle and Antrim as legal counsel.
•Re-appointed DeRome as corporation treasurer and Violet Current as deputy treasurer and made them the authorized users of the corporation’s safety deposit box.
•Convened as a board of school finance as required by law, voiding outstanding checks that are more than two years old and approving financial goals.
•Re-appointed DeRome and Lisa Evans as small claims court representatives for the corporation.
•Heard superintendent Tim Long appoint board members Ron Laux and Mike Masters to the insurance committee, board members Beth Krieg, Greg Wellman, and Kristy Betts to the negotiations committee, board member Corey Gundrum to the school calendar committee, Betts as the board’s legislative delegate and Gundrum and Laux to the policies committee.