May 19, 2020 at 1:11 a.m.
Looking to fall
Jay School Corporation is preparing for what classes may look like in 2020-21
Looking to fall
Now the focus shifts to the fall.
“There will be no time to pause or take a knee,” Jay School Corporation superintendent Jeremy Gulley told school board members Monday in a virtual session via Google Meet that was live streamed on YouTube. “We must get ahead of the reopening.”
Gulley said the next 90 days will prove critical to figuring out how and when Jay Schools will return to a “new normal” in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
An advisory committee is being assembled to develop recommendations, there will be an emphasis on creating a “more robust” e-learning program with a variety of remote learning options and there may be a shift in the school calendar.
Absent clear guidelines from Indiana Department of Education, Gulley said, moving the start of school back a few weeks could make sense.
“Starting after Labor Day buys us precious time to prepare,” he told the board.
Doing that, he acknowledged, would have an impact on vacation times.
“The calendar has always been debatable,” Gulley said. “Our focus will remain fixed on our kids.”
Action on a change in the school calendar is expected at the board’s June 15 meeting, which is now planned to take place in-person, though socially distanced, at Jay County High School.
The 2020-21 school year is also likely to be impacted by pressure on state revenues because of COVID-19.
“We’re likely to face severe revenue losses,” Gulley said.
School corporation business manager Tarinna Morris underlined that point.
“I am concerned about the revenue stream (from the state) for the education fund,” said Morris. “We are starting to plan places where we can make some cuts. … We don’t really know what to expect. … I’m very concerned come January what they’ll do to our budgets.”
She noted that state tax revenues have fallen sharply during the pandemic, and the local tax draw from property taxes will be affected by the governor’s extension of the period for payment.
“I am estimating in June that we will only collect 40% of what we should,” said Morris. “The county auditor (Anna Culy) said she was estimating 50% collection, but she felt that was being optimistic.”
Still, Morris said she is projecting a positive cash flow of $606,547 for 2020 and an estimated cash balance of more than $3.1 million at year’s end.
Gulley attributed that to actions by the current board and its predecessors to close schools and further consolidate.
“Thank goodness the board made the tough decisions,” he said. “We are well postured to adapt to (a revenue shortfall from the state).”
Board members Phil Ford, Mike Shannon, Jason Phillips, Donna Geesaman, Ron Laux, Krista Muhlenkamp and Chris Snow unanimously adopted the latest revised version of the consolidation plan, which takes into some tweaks to the transportation and the bell schedule.
Gulley explained that the next round of consolidation will require extending the elementary school day by 20 minutes, a move that brings Jay Schools closer to the regional average. The average student bus ride time will decrease, and no additional buses will be needed.
“It’s been a thoughtful process,” said board president Phil Ford, “a building consensus process.”
Gulley had nothing but praise for how students, parents, teachers and support staff have responded to the challenge of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our teachers have performed magnificently,” he said. “Our support staff has also risen to the occasion.”
E-learning, he said, hasn’t been perfect “but it has been better than many expected.”
More than 235,000 meals were distributed to students and their families, and 3,000 face masks made by volunteers from fabric donated by TLS by Design have been delivered to the Jay County Health Department
“We expect another 3,000 will be made over the next several weeks,” said Gulley. “Our community has united in the face of this pandemic.”
Further reflecting the new realities, the board adopted several policy changes related to holding remote meetings, voting remotely and granting broad powers to the superintendent in the face of an emergency.
In other business, the board:
•Approved on a 6-0 vote with Muhlenkamp abstaining a $751,567 contract with Muhlenkamp Building Corporation, Coldwater, Ohio, to do extensive paving and lighting improvements at the high school site for better traffic flow following consolidation.
•Approved a one-year renewal with Chartwells, the food service management company, that includes a 2.6% increase in the company’s fees. Board members and administrators gave the company high marks for its performance, particularly during the COVID-19 emergency.
•Unanimously accepted donations of $10,352.95 toward the graduation experience of the JCHS class of 2020. Donations came from individuals, businesses, churches and civic organizations and ranged from $7.75 to a $2,500 from Portland Rotary Club. Gulley himself contributed $1,680, and each member of the Jay School Board contributed $200.
•Approved the purchase of 600 Lenovo Chromebooks for students in grades three through six at a cost of $118,470, 250 Lenovo touchscreen Chromebooks for students in grades kindergarten through two at a cost of $68,370 and 200 Lenovo Chromebooks for teachers at a cost of $50,898. All three purchases were from Tierney, St. Paul, Minnesota, which had submitted the lowest quoted price.
•Approved new textbooks for German, Latin and Spanish classes at the high school as recommended by a teacher-parent committee.
•Learned that plans for summer school still depend upon guidance from the Indiana Department of Education. “Everything’s put on hold,” said assistant superintendent Trent Paxson.
•Approved student handbooks for the 2020-2021 school year.
•Approved ways to handle teacher evaluations and fourth-quarter student grades affected by the COVID-19 situation. That came on a 6-1 vote with Snow dissenting after raising questions about how students would be graded during the period when schools were closed. Gulley explained that students will receive the better of their two grades from the third and fourth quarter grading periods, along with a progress report that will be incorporated into their permanent record. “There’s a measure of grace in this,” said Gulley.
•Hired Aaron Bichsel as a custodian and Steven Bishop as Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor.
•Approved the retirements of computer teacher Rick Guntle, English and science teacher Amanda Omstead, director of health services Nancy Berry, athletic department secretary Joni Penrod and bus driver Kathy Crouch.
•Accepted the resignations of special education teacher Gina Walker, drama teacher Carol Gebert, instructional assistant Leah Shannon and social studies teacher Michelle Keever.
•Approved a leave of absence for second grade teacher Kelly Rilemesch.
•Approved Trisha Green as JCHS girls golf coach.
•Accepted the extra-curricular resignations of Giles Laux as student council sponsor at Bloomfield Elementary School and Shelly Miskinis as student council sponsor at Redkey Elementary School.
•Contracted with Rehabilitative Services Inc. for physical therapy services for the corporation.
“There will be no time to pause or take a knee,” Jay School Corporation superintendent Jeremy Gulley told school board members Monday in a virtual session via Google Meet that was live streamed on YouTube. “We must get ahead of the reopening.”
Gulley said the next 90 days will prove critical to figuring out how and when Jay Schools will return to a “new normal” in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
An advisory committee is being assembled to develop recommendations, there will be an emphasis on creating a “more robust” e-learning program with a variety of remote learning options and there may be a shift in the school calendar.
Absent clear guidelines from Indiana Department of Education, Gulley said, moving the start of school back a few weeks could make sense.
“Starting after Labor Day buys us precious time to prepare,” he told the board.
Doing that, he acknowledged, would have an impact on vacation times.
“The calendar has always been debatable,” Gulley said. “Our focus will remain fixed on our kids.”
Action on a change in the school calendar is expected at the board’s June 15 meeting, which is now planned to take place in-person, though socially distanced, at Jay County High School.
The 2020-21 school year is also likely to be impacted by pressure on state revenues because of COVID-19.
“We’re likely to face severe revenue losses,” Gulley said.
School corporation business manager Tarinna Morris underlined that point.
“I am concerned about the revenue stream (from the state) for the education fund,” said Morris. “We are starting to plan places where we can make some cuts. … We don’t really know what to expect. … I’m very concerned come January what they’ll do to our budgets.”
She noted that state tax revenues have fallen sharply during the pandemic, and the local tax draw from property taxes will be affected by the governor’s extension of the period for payment.
“I am estimating in June that we will only collect 40% of what we should,” said Morris. “The county auditor (Anna Culy) said she was estimating 50% collection, but she felt that was being optimistic.”
Still, Morris said she is projecting a positive cash flow of $606,547 for 2020 and an estimated cash balance of more than $3.1 million at year’s end.
Gulley attributed that to actions by the current board and its predecessors to close schools and further consolidate.
“Thank goodness the board made the tough decisions,” he said. “We are well postured to adapt to (a revenue shortfall from the state).”
Board members Phil Ford, Mike Shannon, Jason Phillips, Donna Geesaman, Ron Laux, Krista Muhlenkamp and Chris Snow unanimously adopted the latest revised version of the consolidation plan, which takes into some tweaks to the transportation and the bell schedule.
Gulley explained that the next round of consolidation will require extending the elementary school day by 20 minutes, a move that brings Jay Schools closer to the regional average. The average student bus ride time will decrease, and no additional buses will be needed.
“It’s been a thoughtful process,” said board president Phil Ford, “a building consensus process.”
Gulley had nothing but praise for how students, parents, teachers and support staff have responded to the challenge of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our teachers have performed magnificently,” he said. “Our support staff has also risen to the occasion.”
E-learning, he said, hasn’t been perfect “but it has been better than many expected.”
More than 235,000 meals were distributed to students and their families, and 3,000 face masks made by volunteers from fabric donated by TLS by Design have been delivered to the Jay County Health Department
“We expect another 3,000 will be made over the next several weeks,” said Gulley. “Our community has united in the face of this pandemic.”
Further reflecting the new realities, the board adopted several policy changes related to holding remote meetings, voting remotely and granting broad powers to the superintendent in the face of an emergency.
In other business, the board:
•Approved on a 6-0 vote with Muhlenkamp abstaining a $751,567 contract with Muhlenkamp Building Corporation, Coldwater, Ohio, to do extensive paving and lighting improvements at the high school site for better traffic flow following consolidation.
•Approved a one-year renewal with Chartwells, the food service management company, that includes a 2.6% increase in the company’s fees. Board members and administrators gave the company high marks for its performance, particularly during the COVID-19 emergency.
•Unanimously accepted donations of $10,352.95 toward the graduation experience of the JCHS class of 2020. Donations came from individuals, businesses, churches and civic organizations and ranged from $7.75 to a $2,500 from Portland Rotary Club. Gulley himself contributed $1,680, and each member of the Jay School Board contributed $200.
•Approved the purchase of 600 Lenovo Chromebooks for students in grades three through six at a cost of $118,470, 250 Lenovo touchscreen Chromebooks for students in grades kindergarten through two at a cost of $68,370 and 200 Lenovo Chromebooks for teachers at a cost of $50,898. All three purchases were from Tierney, St. Paul, Minnesota, which had submitted the lowest quoted price.
•Approved new textbooks for German, Latin and Spanish classes at the high school as recommended by a teacher-parent committee.
•Learned that plans for summer school still depend upon guidance from the Indiana Department of Education. “Everything’s put on hold,” said assistant superintendent Trent Paxson.
•Approved student handbooks for the 2020-2021 school year.
•Approved ways to handle teacher evaluations and fourth-quarter student grades affected by the COVID-19 situation. That came on a 6-1 vote with Snow dissenting after raising questions about how students would be graded during the period when schools were closed. Gulley explained that students will receive the better of their two grades from the third and fourth quarter grading periods, along with a progress report that will be incorporated into their permanent record. “There’s a measure of grace in this,” said Gulley.
•Hired Aaron Bichsel as a custodian and Steven Bishop as Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor.
•Approved the retirements of computer teacher Rick Guntle, English and science teacher Amanda Omstead, director of health services Nancy Berry, athletic department secretary Joni Penrod and bus driver Kathy Crouch.
•Accepted the resignations of special education teacher Gina Walker, drama teacher Carol Gebert, instructional assistant Leah Shannon and social studies teacher Michelle Keever.
•Approved a leave of absence for second grade teacher Kelly Rilemesch.
•Approved Trisha Green as JCHS girls golf coach.
•Accepted the extra-curricular resignations of Giles Laux as student council sponsor at Bloomfield Elementary School and Shelly Miskinis as student council sponsor at Redkey Elementary School.
•Contracted with Rehabilitative Services Inc. for physical therapy services for the corporation.
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