Project to have leftover funds

Copyright 2017, The Commercial Review

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BERNE — South Adams Schools will have a bit of extra money to spend from the first phase of its renovation project.

At the recommendation of superintendent Scott Litwiller, South Adams School Board on Tuesday agreed to spend some of those funds on additional new doors and a window at an entrance on the north side of the building. He said he plans to bring quotes to the board’s next meeting for other items on which that money could be spent.

Also Tuesday, the board received no comments during a public hearing on its budget and reviewed the corporation’s school grades from the Indiana Department of Education.

Litwiller reported to the board that after all payments, including $46,681.07 in additional funding the board approved at the meeting, are paid to Performance Services for the first phase of the high school renovation project about $197,500 will be left over. The total cost of the project came in at $1.75 million.

The board approved using $16,310.05 of that money for the purchase and installation of new doors to match those that were originally included in the project. In addition to matching aesthetically, they will also be insulated to provide better energy efficiency. 

Litwiller told board members Arlene Amstutz, John Mann, John Buckingham, Amy Orr, Landon Patterson and Mitch Sprunger, absent Julie Mansfield, that the rest of the project funds could be used for items such as cabinets, bulletin boards, chairs, desks, tables, shelves and an additional wall to isolate the media center that sits in the middle of the high school classroom area. He plans to have numbers of the cost of those items at the board’s Nov. 14 meeting.

Director of buildings and maintenance Dave Vorhees said he expects the first phase of the project — it included creating a new office area with a secure entrance as well as renovating highs school classrooms along the north and east sides of the media center — will be complete by the end of the month with the exception of some tile work, which will be done during winter break.

The board approved the additional $46,681.07 to its contract with Performance Services to cover the renovation of one classroom, reception upgrades, blinds and flooring that were not included in the original scope of the project.

The second phase of the renovation, scheduled for summer 2018, will include renovation of the remaining classrooms around the media center.

The board heard no comment from the public on its proposed $16.53 million 2018 budget, which is up about 5 percent from the current year’s $15.7 million. That includes $9.3 million in the general fund, $2.03 million in debt service, $1.85 million in capital projects, $1.59 million in the rainy day fund and $228,000 in bus replacement

The board will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Oct. 24 to vote on budget approval.

Litwiller shared the department of education school accountability grades for South Adams, with the elementary school earning an A for the fifth straight year. The middle and high schools both took a step forward from 2015-16 with B and A grades respectively.

“Overall, I’m pleased,” said Litwiller. “A little bit better than last year. We knew with the new standards and the new assessment that it would take us some time, but we would turn it around, and we’re starting to see that.”

In other business, the board:

•Honored Katie Gorrell, the individual Allen County Athletic Conference girls golf champion, and Tanya Baumgartner’s sixth grade students, who had a 92.5 passage rate (best among public school corporation’s in Indiana) on the science portion of the ISTEP test, as examples of excellence.

•Heard an update from Litwiller that schools involved in the Area 18 Career and Technical Education Cooperative, which includes schools in Adams, Jay, Wells, Blackford and Huntington counties, sent a letter to the state department of education requesting that a proposed new agreement be reviewed. The agreement, which was approved by the Area 18 board but not yet by the corresponding school boards, would prohibit the schools involved from sending regular buses across district lines.

•Learned from Vorhees that the schools will be undergoing water testing for lead today and Thursday. The testing was made available through funding from Indiana Finance Authority.

He also reported that the school property has had issues with some standing water and that he is in the process of looking into fixes for those problems.

•Accepted donations totaling $833, including a $450 anonymous donation for future cross country projects.

•Approved an FFA field trip Oct. 24 through 27 to the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis and a U.S. History field trip June 22 through 25 to Boston.

•Hired Susie Amstutz, Julie Baumer, Emily Cook, Alissa Goldsworthy, Erin Hubbard and Diane McClung as after-school migrant tutors, Jazmin Perez as a part-time aide for English language learners and Deb Renner as a temporary aide for special education. Also approved coaches for the winter season, including head coaches Jesse Gaskill (wrestling), Trent Lehman (boys basketball), Brett Freeman (girls basketball), Andy Lehman (swimming) and Kristin Miller (cheer).

•Adopted its capital projects fund plan, bus replacement plan and resolution, and budget reduction resolution for 2018.

•Heard from student representative Becah Schwartz that the middle/high school choir concert is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, with the band concert set for 7 p.m. Tuesday.

•Accepted the resignation of curriculum and Title I director Michelle Clouser effective Oct. 31. Closer has accepted a similar position at Wa-Nee School Corporation in Nappanee. (She will continue working on a day-to-day basis at South Adams over the next few months before making the transition.)

•OK’d leaves of absence for Sheryl Calhoun and Susie Amstutz.