Relief update

So far, Jay School Corporation has spent about 38% of the coronavirus relief funds it received through federal legislation.

Jay Schools superintendent Jeremy Gulley during Monday’s Jay School Board meeting provided a breakdown of how the school corporation has used money from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund.

A total of about $10.3 million has been provided to the corporation in emergency relief funds beginning with the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and continuing with other pieces of legislation.

Gulley noted the funding has been used so far for:

•The Learn to Earn program — An alternative school that serves about 50 students at John Jay Center for Learning. (Jay Schools previously had the program, but it was cut in recent years for financial reasons.)

•An expansion of summer school services with transportation provided

•An after school study program, which includes a meal.

•Hiring literacy coaches

•Hiring seven additional aides

•Expanding special education services at the General Shanks building

•Adding staff for the Life Skills, English as a Second Language and speech programs

•Adding GPS systems to all buses along with digital radios. (The corporation is also working to roll out an app that will allow parents to know when their children have been picked up and dropped off.)

•Installing ViewSonic interactive panels in schools and making other technology upgrades

•Paying $471,835 to employees for additional duties during the coronavirus pandemic

In all, just under $4 million of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds have been spent thus far.

The school corporation’s plan calls for utilizing the rest during this school year and the 2022-23 school year. Gulley said federal guidelines would allow spending to stretch into the 2023-24 school year, if needed.

“Going forward, we want to be conservative with these dollars and prepare for the future,” he said. “I still think there’s twists and turns to come.”

Also Monday, board members Ron Laux, Phil Ford, Donna Geesaman, Chris Snow, Mike Shannon, Vickie Reitz and Jason Phillips approved the implementation of a bus driver recruiting bonus and referral program in an effort to combat a bus driver shortage.

New bus drivers will receive a $1,000 sign-on bonus once they have completed required training and received a satisfactory 90-day performance review. They can get an additional $500 at the completion of working 180 school days. The school corporation will also pay for various physicals, screenings and fees.

School corporation employees who refer new drivers can receive a $500 bonus.

The board was also presented with information about the company WillSub, which it is considering using to help manage its substitute teaching and substitute instructional assistants.

Assistant superintendent Trent Paxson noted that in 2018-19 the corporation had 56 active substitute teachers. This year, the number is down to 30.

The result has been that there were 213 instances in the first quarter of the school year when substitutes were not available. (That’s up from 62 during the same period in 2020-21.) The result is that teachers are covering those classes during the prep periods at a rate of $30 per hour. (Aides are also often used to cover classes.)

WillSub seeks to improve the process and attract more substitute teachers by using a web-based scheduling system, offering various benefits and implementing a marketing plan.

Delaware Community, New Castle and Yorktown schools all currently use WillSub.

Board members plan to vote on whether to sign on to a one-year contract with WillSub at their January meeting. If approved, the company could take over management of substitute teachers beginning in March.

In other business, the board:

•Approved the following: updated contract lengths for administrative employees through June 30, 2024, and extending the contract for football coach Grant Zgunda through 2024 (basketball coaching contracts will be considered after their respective season); field trips for the wrestling team to Martinsville High School Jan. 7 and 8, and the PVE Club – Lifeskills class to Tennessee in April; the extracurricular assignments of Liz Lawson as fine arts academic team sponsor and Brian Miles as assistant track coach.

•Accepted several grants, including the school corporation’s $819,413.43 Title I grant, a $110,980.60 Teacher Appreciation Grant that is used to reward teachers who received a 3 or 4 rating on their evaluations, a $36,713.09 Summer School Grant and a $31,800 grant through Arts Place from the Shoemaker Charitable Gift Fund.

•Reviewed Gulley’s plans for the Patriot Award for Exemplary Service. Considered an evolution of The Star of Character Award, it will honor those “who have significantly contributed to the mission of the Jay School Corporation over an extended period of time.” Plans call for nominations to open March 1 with a deadline of April 1 and awards to be presented in May.

•Accepted the retirement of instructional assistant Crystal Mosier effective Jan. 14 and several resignations, including those of West Jay Elementary School speech pathologist and preschool teacher Nicci Littler and JCHS girls golf coach Trisha Green.

•Heard Laux, who ran the meeting because Ford was attending virtually, thank all of the school corporation’s employees on behalf of the board and wish them a happy holiday season.