Cloverdale considers policy plan

By JASON MOON

Assistant Editor

Cloverdale Community School Corp. Supt. Carrie Milner believes the more opinions a corporation has, the better off it is.

On Monday, Milner told the BannerGraphic that the corporation has invited representatives from NEOLA to attend its meeting tonight in the hope that the policy service can lend a hand to the board to determine what should be policy or what should be a guideline within the corporation.

"The bigger issue is what needs to be policy and what needs to be guideline," Milner said.

CCSC currently does not implement NEOLA policies. According to NEOLA's website, the service provides schools districts with a service for developing and updating board bylaws and policies, in addition to various other items.

According to its website, NEOLA's purpose is to help school corporations develop bylaws and policies which are complete, appropriate, understandable, usable and non-procedural.

In addition, NEOLA employees former superintendents who work with several schools in the area, including Greencastle Community School Corp. and South Putnam Community School Corp., according to Milner.

Milner said the desire to have NEOLA representatives attend tonight's meeting was because of all the policies the Indiana Department of Education is currently requiring schools to implement.

"There are just a lot of different policies coming at us from the state," Milner said, pointing to wellness, bullying and drug policies that the state is requiring corporations to incorporate.

In the past, Milner said a handful of board members would get together with administrators from each building within the corporation and determine policy and guidelines by going over each building handbook.

She said that still is a possibility. But, the corporation still wanted to meet with NEOLA.

"We just want to look at our options," Milner said. "This is a chance for us to understand what the service will provide. We just need an overview of what programs are offered to us.

"Each corporation needs to have policies that fits its needs. I think it would certainly be helpful. It would give us basic pieces that would be included in policy."

The board will also elect its 2006-07 officers at tonight's meeting. Currently, Linda Mann serves as board president while Pamiela Hepfer is the vice president.

Other board members include Bobbi Nees, Jim Sharp, David Brinkman, Todd Whitlock and new board member Don Albietz.

Albietz officially replaced Barb Petro at the board's June meeting. Petro submitted her resignation from the board at its April meeting after suffering a stroke.

The board will also hear an update on a drug testing policy from new Cloverdale High School Principal Sonny Stoltz and will receive a report on energy savings.