The past several weeks have been a whirlwind. First, there are several people and organizations that need a thank you for their help in different matters. The first thank you goes out to the City Council for their generous gift to help the School Corporation through the 2010 budget. Another thank you goes out to the County Council and County Commissioners for the same purpose. I want to also thank the County Highway Department for their help in putting in the gravel parking lot behind the softball diamond. This is a great example of different groups in a small community working together to save taxpayers’ money. We often take these situations for granted in Ohio County. There are not very many places where the working relationships that exist between departments of the City, County and school, work together for the benefit of everyone. An additional thank you goes to the City and County officials who will fund 2 aides through the Endowment for each building again next year. Another thank you goes to the Teachers’ Association. We were able to work through contract issues to allow the School Corporation to not lay off any teachers.
I also want to recognize the pending retirements of Sue Hart, Cheryl Jones, Nancy Hoffman and Marsha Louden. These ladies have worked tirelessly through the years and will be missed. I know that each of them has plans for the future, and we wish them well in anything they decide to do.
The budget has been the overriding issue for the past four months. Many discussions with different individuals have taken place, and cost cutting measures have started. The teachers’ contract has been settled with some modifications that were very helpful in allowing the Corporation to go forward. We have already started cutting classroom supplies. We have four individuals retiring and will only be replacing two of the individuals, and the replacements will come internally. In addition to the changes in teacher assignments, our administrative staff will be shifting. We hope that the shifting in responsibilities will allow us to be more efficient at the same time cut costs. Beginning July 1st, Mr. Majewski will become principal of both buildings. While this may seem to be a huge undertaking, there are two issues that allow us to move in this direction. The first item is the decrease in our student population. Over the past ten years our student population has steadily decreased as has our school neighbors. There is not one specific reason for this occurrence but a multitude of reasons. In addition, Ms. Holland will be moving into a new position. She will become the Director of Student Services. Ms. Holland’s responsibilities among others will be special education K-12, Title I, state testing coordinator and all federal, state and local grants. By taking on these responsibilities, Ms. Holland will be able to help ease the transition for everyone. Mr. Bostic and Ms. Huff will remain in their present roles.
Our goal is for the shift in responsibilities to not negatively impact students. We believe that this goal can and will be achieved. If you have any questions regarding the changes, feel free to contact me. I can easily be contacted by e-mail at spatz@risingsun.k12.in.us