The Warsaw Community Schools Board of Trustees held a brief organizational meeting Monday afternoon followed by a work session.
The organizational meeting consisted of new members taking their oath of office, officer selections were appointed and 2017 meeting dates were established.
Reelected board members Jay Baumgartner (District 6) and Randy Polston (District 4), along with newly elected board member Elizabeth “Elle” Turley (District 3) were sworn in by Tim Shelly, Warsaw School Board attorney. Turley replaces Curt Hermann, who decided to not to seek re-election.
(New Warsaw School Board member Elle Turley, District 3, was sworn in at the board’s meeting Monday. Pictured (L to R) are: Troy Turley, Elle’s husband; Elle Turley; daughter, Audrey, 15; and son Lewis, 13. (Katie Wonderly/News Now Warsaw)
Board member Dan Metzger (District 7) requested the board adopt Heather Reichenbach (District 2) as school board president, Matt Dick (District 1) as vice president and Randy Polston as secretary. All three positions were unanimously approved by the board.
Conflict of interest forms were acknowledged by the board for approval, however action will be taken at the next meeting. The Resolution, Year End Appropriations, and Annual Investment Report was approved 7-0.
The dates for 2017 school board meetings were also approved at the organizational meeting. Those dates and school board agendas can be found at http://www.boarddocs.com/in/warsaw/Board.nsf/Public.
The January work session meeting immediately followed the organizational meeting starting off with “Getting to Know Central Office Personnel” featuring newly appointed Deputy Treasurer Shannon Ebbinghouse. Ebbinghouse lives in Colimer with her husband and teenage son. She also has a daughter and one grandchild.
Jeanine Corson presented the Personnel Report which consisted of 17 new hires, 3 rehires, 9 separations and 8 transfers. Corson noted there are still several job openings at the schools.
Corson also delivered an out of state travel request to the board for literacy coaches Megan Smith and Mandy Duncan to attend the National Reading Literacy Conference in Columbus, Ohio. The purpose of their visit will be to learn about what methods other schools are using and pinpoint the best practices to bring back to Warsaw schools.
Brandon Penrod, CFO, presented the Finance and Operations Report which included maintenance contract updates and updates on the elementary school cafeteria renovations.
Dirk Felger, Director of Maintenance, Buildings and Grounds for Warsaw Community Schools presented three maintenance contracts with Penrod. They included preventative maintenance, renewing the contract with a fitness repair company to calibrate the high school weight room and removal of asbestos and mercury leached flooring at the old Lincoln Elementary.
Felger made it clear neither the asbestos nor mercury were ever exposed and never a threat to staff or students. There is leachable mercury in the rubber flooring in the gym which is potentially hazardous material. It must be removed as a safety precaution, before the gym can be demolished.
Penrod also proposed a driver’s education program to be offered during the school year. This could be up and running by March if approved.
He also submitted his school bus recommendation to replace ten buses. Four of the buses were destroyed in the transportation building fire in January last year. These will be paid for from reimbursement from the insurance company. The other six were scheduled to be replaced in 2016, and will be paid for out of the budget.
Penrod requested the board approve the recommendation at the meeting to start preparations to get the busses moving. The motion was approved 7-0.
A regular board meeting is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. at the WCS Administration Building, open for the public to attend.
