Thank you

Thank you.

The bulk of Monday’s Jay School Board meeting was spent offering appreciation for outgoing members Phil Ford, Jason Phillips and Vickie Reitz.

All three chose not to seek re-election this year.

Ford is the longest-serving of the group, having held his seat for two full terms on the board. He spent the bulk of his time on the board as its president following a long career in education. He was a science teacher at Jay County High School and president of Jay Classroom Teachers Association. He went on to become dean of students, athletics director (serving two stints) and principal.

Phillips was first appointed to the board to fill the remainder of Kristi Betts’ term after she moved to Georgia. He was elected to his own term in 2020.

Reitz, like Ford, spent more than 40 years in education. She retired as the director of guidance for Jay Schools.

“The lasting impression you all have made on kids will last forever,” said school board president Ron Laux. “And we can’t thank you enough for your dedication to this corporation and to this board.”

“I certainly express the same sincere gratitude,” added Jay School Corporation superintendent Jeremy Gulley.

He thanked Phillips for his service on the board and reflected on decades of working with Ford and Reitz, having first come on staff as a teacher more than 25 years ago. He later worked more closely with both of them when he was principal of Jay County High School.

“As a personal matter, it’s just your friendship that’s been so important to me,” Gulley added.

Ford made two requests as he leaves the board, asking that a program be implemented to replant trees to replace those that have been removed at the junior-senior high property and to add a “batter’s eye” — a solid-colored, usually dark area beyond the center field fence that serves as a visual backdrop for the hitter — back to the baseball field.

Aaron Clark, Jon Eads and Chad Towell will take over those school board seats after they all were uncontested in the November election.

Gulley also gave a brief update on the recovery process following the Sept. 22 tornado that damaged the junior high/IMC wing of Jay County Junior-Senior High School.

He noted that the school corporation received a cost estimate for repairs from its insurance company on Dec. 5. A mechanical and plumbing assessment was also completed.

Those documents were sent to architectural firm Barton Coe Vilamaa, which identified some areas of concern that have been shared with the insurance firm.

The next step, Gulley said, is to reach an agreement on the scope and cost of the necessary repairs to the junior-senior high building. A representative from Barton Coe Vilamaa will visit the board next month to discuss the process and present details of an overall assessment of Jay School Corporation facilities.

The hope is that the school corporation will be able to review bids for work on the junior-senior high in late January or early February. Gulley added that he’d like to see work happening at the facility as soon as possible.

“We’re not moving as fast as I would like to move,” he said.

The board also approved payment of $3,545.51 in costs related to the tornado recovery. (Those costs are being reimbursed by insurance.)

In other business, the board:

•On the recommendation of its insurance committee, agreed to a consulting services agreement with LHD Benefit Advisors for health insurance consulting services. The school corporation previously worked with Brown & Brown Insurance. Geesaman said she struggled with the decision but added that she’s hopeful there can be an improvement on the insurance front because employees have become frustrated with changing companies and increased premiums.

•Accepted the following: the school corporation’s Summer School Grant totaling $63,245.74, which helps cover the cost of summer band, supervise agriculture experience, extended school year and elementary summer school; a Teacher Appreciation Grant from the state totaling $105,118.97, which will be distributed to teachers based on their evaluations; and an $85,676.63 grant from the state department of education for supplemental stipends to teachers for improving reading skills based on IREAD-3 data.

•Approved the following: the hiring of McKenzie Garringer as Redkey Elementary School secretary, Erin Bercot as a resource instructional assistant at Redkey Elementary and Nicolas Rains as a custodian for the junior-senior high school; a leave of absence for junior-senior high family and consumer science teacher Olivia Dues; and an update to family medical leave policy that shifts the timeline to a rolling 12 months rather than a calendar year.

•Accepted the resignation of junior-senior high agriculture teacher Cody Linville.

•Received an update on Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund money that was provided for schools through the various federal coronavirus relief bills. Business manager Shannon Current reported that all of the school corporation’s $10,304,881 has been spent, with 99.9% already reimbursed.

•Accepted donations totaling $10,000 for the junior-senior high school from the American Electric Power Foundation, $1,000 from Fullenkamp Machine, $750 from Mid-States Concrete and $500 from Moo Juice Express.

•Had its first reading of proposed updates to school board policy. One update follows the passage of a new Indiana law passed by the 2024 General Assembly that requires that school corporations adopt and implement a wireless communication device policy that, with some exceptions, prohibits students from using a wireless communication device such as a cell phone during instructional time. Gulley provided the board with multiple options for what such a policy could look like.

•Offered wishes of a Merry Christmas to all.