SA delays property decision

BERNE — Action to extend a commercial real estate listing on 4.81 acres of property in the heart of Berne has been tabled until the South Adams School Board meets in February.
Superintendent Scott Litwiller recommended a one-year extension of the listing with BND Commercial of Fort Wayne, but board members want more time to think about the issue.
Board member Mitch Sprunger suggested waiting another month, and the board unanimously agreed.
The property continues to be listed with BND on a month-by-month basis.
Dave Stemen of BND requested the extension in December, saying he was very close to putting together a development project for the site of the former Berne Elementary School and playground at the northwest corner of the intersection of U.S. 27 and Indiana 218. Having a 12-month listing extension, Stemen said, would give him needed flexibility in dealing with potential developers.
Stemen had also asked the board to consider an arrangement under which the school corporation would retain ownership of the land until the build-out of the commercial development project was complete.
But the school corporation’s legal counsel is still researching that question.
In other business, Litwiller told the board the recent drop in ISTEP scores came as no surprise because of major changes in the test.
“Much has already been said about the 2015 ISTEP that questions its credibility,” he said. “This is not the first time Indiana schools have seen a change in academic standards and assessment tests. History tells us that whenever there is a change in the content and design of high-stakes tests, scores will drop for the first few years. It takes time for the curriculum to catch up and align to new standards. What matters most, still matters most: Student development.”
Litwiller noted that bills have moved through both houses of the Indiana General Assembly providing that the 2015 ISTEP scores will have no impact on schools’ A-F grades or teacher evaluations.
The board also:
•Re-appointed Tim Baker as general legal counsel, Rebecca Biberstein as recording secretary and treasurer, Annette Schwartz as deputy treasurer and Sandy Fluekiger as extra-curricular treasurer.
•Approved a trip by 30-plus students and 12 adults to Haiti from June 14 through 20 as part of the continuing Dots in Blue Water service project led by Michael Baer.
•Accepted the resignation of Logan Clouser as a special education aide.