NPCSC discusses policy, grading and classroom technology

BAINBRIDGE -- At its monthly meeting Wednesday, the North Putnam Community School Board addressed a variety of issues in preparation for the coming school year.

Early in the meeting there were differences of opinion with several items in the financial report. Board member Travis Lambermont made a motion not to approve the claims of payment and payrolls for the period of July 1 -- July 16 which were presented to the board.

The vote was fairly close with three board members in favor of Lambermont's motion and four opposed to his motion.

With the motion pronounced dead, the board voted on the claims and payrolls, ultimately approving the expenditures.

The board was presented with a letter of intent to proceed with the ongoing remodeling projects at North Putnam schools until future funds are secured.

With a variety of ways in which schools can acquire funds for projects such as building construction, it is best done in $2 million increments for a variety of reasons, even if a project is to cost more than $2 million.

Tax rates are one of the reasons, getting funds in smaller, successive increments keeps rates lower than if the school were to ask for a large sum up front, but the processing of each increment takes around 90 days from request to delivery.

The letter established that a $95,000 Quality Assurance Bond be made available to provide funds to continue construction in the event that the funds are needed to maintain progress while awaiting the next $2 million payment.

The board approved the letter of intent, thereby approving the bond.

With Andy Cooper from Johnson-Melloh absent from the meeting, Superintendent Dan Noel presented an update on the Roachdale and Bainbridge Elementary projects.

Noel and board member Mark Hoke spoke to the vast improvement between the "old Roachdale Elementary" and the nearly completed remodel. Both cited a palpable difference in air quality and the feeling of being in a cleaner, more well-lit environment.

School grading policy was up for discussion, with Board member John Hays expressing the desire to have a cohesive grading policy across all schools in the corporation, as opposed to changing just the high school grading policy as the amendment was written.

Board member Oliver Haste agreed with Hays, and Noel agreed as well that an "across the board" grading policy change would be better than a fragmented grading system that is different in each school but that principals from each school should be present for that discussion and with Bainbridge Elementary Principal Rodney Simpson out of town at a principal's convention, Noel felt the decision to apply the amendment to all schools could not be made immediately.

Ultimately the board approved the amendment to apply to both the middle and high schools with five in favor and and board members Jill Summerlot and Travis Lambermont opposing the amendment as it was presented.

The board approved the high school and middle school handbooks despite concerns from the board that the handbook is, in places, in conflict with board policy.

Part of the issue with not approving these conflicts is that board policy and school handbooks are lengthy and require an extensive amount of time and effort to review, making it so that a decision to clear up all conflicts in advance would result in not being able to implement an effective board policy or school handbook.

In the end, the board approved the handbooks but used the discussion as a talking point to schedule definite weekly dates to continue revising and clarifying board policy, a charge that has been repeatedly referred to by different members of the board as "the most important thing we do" because the policy will remain long after individuals will leave their roles as board members.

Haste had suggested that weekly meetings take place, even if some members cannot make it.

"I don't have any more time than anyone else," he said understanding that everybody has busy schedules, but he expressed his opinion that the board start making "real progress."

The board decided to meet once each week with the exception of the week that the board's monthly meetings are held.

The school board approved the hiring, retirement and resignation of multiple positions.

At North Putnam Middle School Kinzi Pierce and Catharine Tesmer were approved as special education teachers at NPMS, with Tesmer on a one-year temporary contract. Pierce will replace Cindy Huddleston for the 2014-15 school year. Martha Rewerts was hired as cafeteria aide and Heather Lawson was hired as an instructional assistant/receptionist/health aide.

At North Putnam High School, several athletic hires were approved. Greg Barrett was hired as boys' head track coach; Lukas Haworth as boys' head track coach; Kevin Lutes as girls' head track coach.

The board approved a number of NPHS summer band instructors including Colton Cox, Mark Kays, David Perkins and Rachel Pierce; and several summer guard instructors including Kirstin Miniola and Mathew Wargel.

The board approved hiring Kirstie McClamroch as a guidance counselor at NPHS; Ann Hazelgrove as athletic director secretary at NPHS; Ashlee Pinney as instructional assistant at Roachdale elementary and Judy Sanford for the position of bus driver.

While the hires were all approved, Summerlot expressed concern with the fact that some of these hires were already in the building and working, making the month-late vote a frustrating gap in board decision making that she felt made the voting moot.

This concern was understood by other members of the board as well and led to further talk among the board about getting the information from the repsevtive schools in a quicker fashion. It also brought forth discussion that these individuals are always hired temporarily and "pending board approval."

Nonetheless, Summerlot's concern brought the issue to the surface and seemed to spawn a desire amongst the board to be make these votes before individuals begin working, whenever that is possible.

In other business:

* The board approved a $5,000 stipend for Rodney Simpson.

* The board approved to accept bids for cafeteria supplies and groceries.

* The board approved athletic event and ticket prices but not until discussion about lowering the prices to allow for great participation. Noel informed the board that the athletic conference sets the price for admission, not the school. The school retains the power to sell "All-Sport" passes that act as a sort of season pass for all sporting events, for whatever price the board chooses.

"We're here for the kids," Summerlot pointed out when discussing the expense of admission, the inevitable trip to concessions and her desire to make sporting events as affordable as possible.

The board approved dropping the price of the All-Sport pass from $35 to $30.

* The board approved the sports program advertisement sales, which allows for vinyl signage to be sold to business to advertise at sporting events.

* The board approved a technology move that will shift the corporation away from Microsoft Outlook.

* The board tabled the decision to move to the "My Big Campus" learning program that would allow students to turn in assignments electronically using an internet connection.

* The board approved the PAWS (Providing Alternative Ways for Success) program for alternative and night school to be taught by Eric VanHaaften.

* The board approved a supplemental contract for Jim Hess for Project Leads the Way training.

* The board approved summer band camp, which will begin on July 28.

* The board approved a facility use request for Connection Christian to utilize the cafeteria pending some slight adjustments on the paper work that simply clarifies the lessee and lessor.

* The board approved a golf outing at Clover Meadows Golf Course on Sept. 28.

* Noel informed the board that he had approved a cheer program fundraiser in the form of flash mob preparation classes.

The North Putnam Community School Corporation holds monthly board meetings at 7 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month.

Each meeting is a meeting of the school board in public for the purpose of conducting NCPSC business and is not to be considered a public community meeting, although there are times for public participation as indicated by the agenda of each meeting.

The next school board meeting will take place in Bainbridge at 7 p.m. Aug. 21, at the NCPSC administration office.