North Putnam sees decline in its student population

ROACHDALE -- North Putnam Community School Board discussed topics including a decline in student population, bus routes, Quality Zone Academy Bonds (QZAB) and the upcoming budget during its regular meeting Thursday night.

Superintendent Dan Noel informed the board that student population is down 62.5 students this year. Noel was unsure of the reasons for the decline in student population.

"We (corporation) tried to look at everything," Noel said. "Nothing worked."

With this year's decline in students and last year's loss of 74 students, North Putnam has been looking at different ways to increase attendance, one being the implementation of open enrollment that gave the schools an extra 20 students this year.

Noel also said that the corporation has added several new classes to the curriculum in hopes of luring more students to North Putnam.

The decline in student population has also meant a decline in the need for bus routes, but not the need for bus drivers.

The corporation has streamlined its bus routes through the use of Versatran software that has helped to consolidate bus routes. While this has helped, the corporation is still missing four drivers.

"As long as there are drivers, things run smooth," Bonny Osborn, acting as transportation secretary, said.

Board member Oliver Haste offered his praise of the jobs that the bus drivers have been doing.

Funding for schools is determined by student population, this year funding will be down for North Putnam but some funds are coming in from different areas.

The corporation applied for a Quality Zone Academy Bonds (QZAB) several months ago and received notice for the bond before this month's board meeting.

The awarded bond of $1.8 million can only be used at one of the buildings in the corporation. It was decided that it would be used at the high school and middle school building.

The school board will be given a list of projects that funds could be used for in the future. Some projects that could be included are computers for graphic design class, updating the greenhouse or a new roof for the building.

School Board President John Hays asked for the day of the next school board meeting to be changed due to it occurring during fall break. However, North Putnam School Corporation Treasurer Tanya Pearson informed Hays that it would not be possible due to the need of approving the budget for the year.

The school board will be holding a separate meeting on Thursday, Oct. 17 to approve this year's budget and the regular meeting will be held on Thursday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m.

In other business:

-- The school board approved the change in the superintendent's contract. The contract term has been lengthened until 2018.

-- Medical leave for Ashley Moeller at North Putnam High School was approved from Feb. 2, 2014 through April 7 and for Carla Meeks at Bainbridge from Sept. 5 through Nov. 5.

--Julie Harbison and Kinzi Pierce have been hired as special education instructional assistants at Roachdale and Bainbridge elementaries.

-- The athletic department had several new hires: Travis Franklin and Travis Kratt as volunteer assistant football coaches at the high school, Kristie Hankins as girls' JV basketball coach at the high school, Brian Jeter as a volunteer assistant baseball coach, Kathy Pike as a volunteer assistant girls' basketball coach, Phil Webster as head baseball coach, John Allen and Lonnie Lawhorn as volunteer assistant boys' basketball coach at the high school and Tony Gray as the head swimming coach at the high school.

-- Kelly Colvin, Jenny Hays, Dustin Hudacin and Heather Poynter have been hired as volunteer assistants for FFA.

-- Holly Frye has resigned as seventh-grade girls' basketball coach.