Budget planned to be $40.7 million

The budget will be advertised at an 8.3% increase.

Jay School Board on Monday reviewed Jay School Corporation’s proposed 2024 budget and gave business manager Shannon Current permission to advertise it at $40.73 million.

The budget would represent an increase of $3.13 million over the current year. (Advertised numbers are typically cut by Indiana Department of Local Government Finance. The 2023 Jay Schools budget was advertised at $37.9 million and trimmed to $37.6 million.)

As proposed, the budget includes $21.9 million in the education fund and $11 million in the operations fund. Those numbers are up from $20.1 million and $10.3 million, respectively, this year.

Also included in the budget are the debt service fund ($5.85 million), the rainy day fund ($1 million) and the pension debt service fund ($893,902).

The proposed budget lays out a three-year capital projects plan, with roof replacement, as usual, the most costly item each year. Nearly $545,000 in roof projects are planned for 2024, with $325,000 in 2025 and $285,000 in 2026.

Other major projects in 2024 include lights for the baseball field at $338,200, other lighting at $155,000 and new vehicles at $150,000. School security upgrades ($190,000), softball lights ($165,000) and parking lot work ($150,000) is planned for 2025, and parking lot work, new vehicles and grounds equipment are all estimated at $100,000 in 2026.

The bus replacement plan calls for replacing five buses each in 2024 and 2025 at a cost of $150,000 each and four buses each in each of the next three years.

After receiving permission from board members Ron Laux, Phil Ford, Donna Geesaman, Vickie Reitz and Marcie Vormohr, absent Jason Phillips and Chip Phillips, Current’s next step in the budget process is to advertise it on Aug. 9. A public hearing on the budget is set for Aug. 21, with a vote on budget adoption scheduled for Sept. 18.

In other business, the board:

•During the Patriot Pride moment, honored Alex Ardizzone (English and German) and Azael Navarro-Garcia (English and Spanish) for earning their multilingual certificates indicating proficiency in multiple languages.

•Approved the following: the hiring of junior-senior high assistant principal Robert Mangus (his mother Jessie Mangus taught in Jay Schools for about 30 years), East Jay fifth grade teacher Taylor Schwarck and junior-senior high front office secretary Danielle McGill; a leave of absence for junior-senior high radio/tv teacher Lori Reece; extracurricular assignments including Bobby Ruiz as JCHS boys soccer coach; a contract for mental health needs assessment of students with Otis R. Brown Center for Human Services; its 2023-24 school board meeting calendar, with meetings generally continuing to be held at 5 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month; and renewal of dental insurance with Delta Dental at a 7% increase.

•Heard from food service director Jennifer Gelhaus that the school corporation’s summer food service program distributed 24,423 lunches this year as compared to 7,499 in 2022. (There was an even larger increase in the amount of breakfasts distributed.

•OK’d an updated school resource officer agreement with Jay County. Gulley noted in the future that it may be possible to add a second school resource officer.

•Accepted the resignations of junior-senior high English teacher Megan Byard, East Jay Elementary School fifth grade teacher Breana Madaj and Lifeskills instructional assistant Caliandra Elking and East Elementary technology instructor Kelly Lauber.

•Accepted a $150,000 Healthy Meals Incentives Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture for new equipment for the food service program.

•Voted to use built-in make-up days first before shifting to remote learning (limited to three days total) on days when school needs to be canceled because of inclement weather or other circumstances. Answering a question from Ford, e-learning director Katie Clark estimated that fewer than 10% of students do not have internet access.

•Discussed the total solar eclipse that will occur April 8. Gulley said options for the day include keeping schools open as scheduled, closing school that day and adding a day at the end of the year, remote learning or early dismissal. He asked the board to consider options. (Ford said he’d like to see especially younger students receive education regarding eclipses and how to view them safely.) 

•Reviewed proposed updated board policies. They will be subject to a vote at the Aug. 21 meeting.