Cloverdale school board approves a dozen RIFs

CLOVERDALE -- The Cloverdale Community School Corporation voted to approve a series of reductions in force (RIFs) at Monday's monthly meeting.

Superintendent Greg Linton explained due to the anticipated loss of $1.3 million in state funding over the course of the next few years, the reductions have to be made to save money.

"It's necessary (to RIF) to make sure that our expenditures meet our revenue ... Those are some of the most difficult decisions that boards and school administrators have to make. In light of a reduction in funding, we really don't have any other options if we are going to make sure to keep the school corporation in good standing," Linton said.

The certified staff members affected by the RIF will include a third-grade teacher, fourth-grade teacher, business position in the high school, elementary school counselor and reduce the elementary school assistant principal position.

Classified positions include the reduction of five full-time instructional assistants (some to part-time positions), ONT special education coordinator to half-time and reducing one custodial position to half-time.

"The individuals that were in those positions that I identified will not have a job with Cloverdale next year," Linton explained about what the RIFs mean. "If we have teachers that would resign a position or leave to go some place else and we have an opening, the individuals that were RIFed this evening could be called back."

The elementary assistant principal will be transferred to intervention position.

The board approved a central elementary school home school advisor position, which will replace the elementary school counselor position.

"It is a new position that will assume the responsibilities of the Cloverdale elementary counselor position. This position will, instead of requiring a counseling degree of four years, will be a two-year associates degree, like a social worker. It is a position that will cost the corporation less money, but continues to provide to the needs of the students," Linton explained.

Adjustments were made to the classified technology position, one of the instructional assistant positions listed in the RIF. The board approved a reduction of hours in the position to 185 days a year with 29.5 hours per week.

In other business, the board held the second lease finance hearing to learn more about the lease agreement with the building corporation.

Last month, the Cloverdale school board approved a resolution which could allow the school to enter into a lease finance agreement to complete several capital projects. The school is looking to borrow about $1.5 million to complete the series of projects even though the school had been saving money for the projects.

The capital projects include repairs to school parking lots, upgrading HVAC equipment, upgrade to the middle school roof, upgrade the school's PA system, upgrading the bus parking lot fence to help with security, finishing a drainage project and more.

"Due to the financial cuts that have been made recently by the Indiana General Assembly many school corporations, like Cloverdale schools, find themselves turning to lease financing to be able to complete some of the capital projects we need to have happening at the school corporation," Linton told the board in May.

Jay Riles provided the board with some updated numbers regarding the potential lease finance agreement.

The maximum lease payment on the 15-year, $1.5 million lease is expected to be $135,000, with an interest rate of 1 to 5 percent. Riles noted at his last check, the interest rate would probably be no more than 3 percent. This would be a fixed rate unless the school was to refinance at a lower rate.

The maximum levy increase on the tax rate is expected to be about 4.5 cents.

The good news was with the RIFs accounted for, the school has an A+ credit rating.

The board also approved:

* The following resignations, Tiffany Douglass as CHS agriculture teacher and Sara Grove as CES teacher.

* The following hires, Calandra Edie as CHS agriculture teacher; Maggee Boyce as CHS summer school teacher; Andy Tyler as CHS summer school teacher; John Nees as driver education teacher; and Kyle Ellis as part-time summer maintenance.

* The following CHS band volunteers, Julie Beatty, David Raiser, Sam Workman Salisbury, Rebecca Beyers, Tabatha Hickey and Dakota Jones.