Gulley provides school update

The 2025-26 school year started smoothly.

Mostly.

Jay School Corporation superintendent Jeremy Gulley reported to Jay School Board about the first week-plus of school during its meeting Monday, noting positive feedback along with internet and HVAC difficulties.

Gulley referred to responses from parents to surveys that were sent out. Rating various issues from one (worst) to five (best), responses of four or five hovered around the 80% mark on each question. (More than 250 parents filled out the survey.)

Eight-seven percent of parents rated the first day of school as a four or a five overall. The corporation’s lowest marks came for in-person registration, with 78.9% rating it a four or a five and 8.2% rating it a one.

Gulley explained two of the challenges of the school year thus far have been internet access for students at Jay County Junior-Senior High School and heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) issues at multiple buildings. He said it seems that the internet system at the junior-senior high was stressed when students returned to classes on Aug. 7.

He added that staff is continuing to work to find where the fault in the system was occurring and that students may be gradually allowed onto the system in an effort to isolate the issue.

Portable units are being used in the preschool at the General Shanks building, West Jay Elementary School and the junior-senior high until HVAC issues can be permanently resolved. (Gulley noted that it is possible that the HVAC and internet problems at the junior-senior high could be connected.

The board also held its public hearing on the 2026 budget, with no comments from the public. The $42.65 million proposed budget would be up by 2.8% from the current year and includes $23.9 million in the education fund, $11.64 million in the operation fund, $7 million in the debt service fund and $20,000 in the rainy day fund.

Business manager Shannon Current also projected slight budget deficits in the education and operation funds for 2025, which would put them at balances of $8.23 million and $6.43 million, respectively, at the end of the year.

In other business, the board:

•During the Patriot Pride moment, honored Jay County FFA members Kendall Schemenaur and Maddie Clark, who won the Indiana FFA natural resources demonstration at state convention this year. Their project involved tapping maple trees on the junior-senior high property for sap.

•Accepted the resignations on instructional assistants Brooklyn Jenkins and Kimberly McDavid.

•Approved the following: leaves of absence for Rachel Faller and Autumn Brown; the hiring of Chelsea Boyd as front office secretary at the junior-senior high; and various extracurricular positions, including Ashlynn May as girls tennis coach and Sophia Fugiett as FFA advisor.

•Received proposed updates on board policies. They were be voted on at the September meeting.

•Accepted an $845.96 donation from Dennis and Christine Rodgers for a special needs chair at West Jay Elementary School.