School board updates supt. selection process

It was announced during the Greencastle School's monthly public session Monday that the board has narrowed the field of candidates for the position of superintendent.

Furthermore, newly scheduled executive sessions are now set to take place Friday, July 22, Saturday, July 23 and Monday, July 25, signaling efforts to stay on schedule with previously announced dates.

The names of interviewees, selected from a field of 16 original candidates, were not released Monday (for anonymity purposes), as officials strongly believe a superintendent lay within the current range of contenders.

"The most important thing the school board does is the hiring, firing and evaluating of the district superintendent," recently reappointed Board President Denise Sigworth said. "We take that job very seriously -- it is our most pertinent responsibility.

"We need a superintendent who is trustworthy and (who) has a good relationship with our board members and school employees."

Sigworth went on to say that, with the aforementioned statement in mind, the board has asked for all employee input in a number of different ways as it pertains to exactly which qualities they believe a superintendent should embody.

"We've had listening sessions, we've received emails from all the board members and we have hired the Indiana School Board Association (ISBA) to help us through this process," Sigworth said, stressing that whoever is selected will have "extremely large shoes to fill."

The new superintendent will be replacing long-time teacher and community leader Dawn Puckett who is retiring after nearly 30 years in education.

Though she officially retired at the end of the 2015-16 school year, Puckett is maintaining the role of superintendent through Aug. 31 in order to assist in the selection process.

"We've gone through and processed the applications; we've listed and ranked them based on the things that (employees) have told us are important in this process," Sigworth said. "We have made our selection of those who we will be interviewing -- we haven't made a selection but we are moving forward with the selection process."

Further updates will be anticipated by many at the board's next public session in August.

In other developments, the board formally conducted the approval and swearing-in of reappointed board member Bill Tobin, followed by the selection of Sigworth to continue as board president throughout the 2016-17 school year.

Tobin was recently reappointed as a member of the board by Greencastle Township Trustee Steve Butts and his advisory board. Tobin served on the board from February 2012 to June 2014 and is now filling the newly vacant seat of four-year member Gary Haussin.

Sigworth was recently reappointed to the board itself by the Greencastle City Council before again being selected as president by its members.

Additionally, the following positions of office were approved Monday: Michael White, vice president; Lisa Lazar, secretary; Tobin, legislative liaison to ISBA; Finance Manager Jayme Barber, corporation treasurer; Kellie Romer, deputy corporation treasurer; Tina Capps, high school ECA treasurer; and attorney Robert Rund (of Lewis & Kappes), corporation attorney.

In other business:

* The dates and times for monthly public sessions were approved to remain as the third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the district's administration office, located at 1002 Mill Pond Ln.

* A financial report was provided by Puckett who clarified multiple expenditures for board members. Claims for the month of June totaled $1,483,107.04 and were subsequently approved.

* A request to advertise the 2017 budget was approved. This entails several items of interest for the calendar as the budget is presented to multiple boards across the community.

* Two buses, one of full size and one activity, were approved for purchase Monday. The current 12-year bus replacement plan provides a fund that consists of only $46,000. With the fund only able to cover a portion of the approximately $160,000 needed, the district will have to dip into its savings to provide the rest. The board unanimously approved the decision to replace a portion of the aging buses.

* Several items of no value and their subsequent disposal were approved.

* A donation of $10,000 from Hendricks Regional Health was accepted, as well as a $2,500 donation from the Football Parents Club.

* Puckett presented one of her final superintendent reports Monday, citing several areas that are running smoothly: The registration process is going well; cash-transfer students have a deadline of July 31; the district was recently featured as "School of the Year" in ISBA's monthly publication titled "ISBA Journal;" and recent bus inspections went well.

* The board approved the hiring, transfer and resignation of several employees Monday: Lauren Alspaugh, resignation as guidance counselor at GHS (effective immediately); Michelle Alexander, resignation as fourth-grade teacher at Tzouanakis Intermediate (effective July 1); Kelsey Pomeroy, resignation as English and journalism teacher at GHS (effective July 7); Jennifer Zigler, resignation as guidance counselor at GHS (effective July 25); Jessica Stockton, approval of personal days and days without pay at Tzouanakis Intermediate (effective Oct. 10-14); Diana Callahan, hire as data coordinator at GMS, Tzouanakis Intermediate, Deer Meadow Primary and Ridpath Primary (effective July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017); Elizabeth D'Amore, transfer as fourth-grade special education teacher at Tzouanakis Intermediate to fourth-grade teacher at Tzouanakis Intermediate (effective Aug. 4); Taylor Myers, hire as fourth-grade special education teacher at Tzouanakis Intermediate (effective Aug. 4, pending background check); Natalie Hunt, hire as English and journalism teacher at GHS (effective July 18, pending background check); Mark Jedele, approval as co-head boys' and girls' cross country coach at GHS (effective immediately); Craig Jordan, approval as co-head boys' and girls' cross country coach at GHS (effective immediately); Rob Worman, hire as seventh- and eighth-grade football coach at GMS (effective 2016-17 school year); Thomas Lausee, hire as assistant seventh- and eighth-grade football coach at GMS (effective 2016-17 school year); Jordan Froderman, hire as assistant seventh- and eighth-grade football coach at GMS (effective 2016-17 school year); Mark Hernandez, hire as assistant seventh- and eighth-grade football coach at GMS (effective 2016-17 school year, pending background check); Tyler Shorter, hire as assistant football coach at GHS (effective 2016-17 school year); Jeff Sigworth, approval as volunteer boys' soccer coach at GHS (effective 2016-17 school year); Tonya Welker, approval as volunteer seventh- and eight-grade volleyball coach at GMS (effective 2016-17 school year); Shelley Gardner, approval of pay increase as food service assistant (effective July 19); Kristene Stokes, hire as secretary at GHS (effective July 21); Amanda Schroeder, hire as certified nursing assistant (CNA) at Tzouanakis Intermediate, Deer Meadow Primary and Ridpath Primary (effective Aug. 8, pending background check); Kimberly Rossok, transfer as instructional assistant at Deer Meadow Primary to instructional assistant at Tzouanakis Intermediate (effective Aug. 8); Nicole Dearinger, transfer as cafeteria assistant at GMS to cafeteria manager at Tzouanakis Intermediate (effective Aug. 8); Beckey Thomas, transfer as cafeteria manager at Tzouanakis Intermediate to cafeteria assistant at Tzounakis Intermediate (effective Sept. 2); and Sue Haberle, resignation as cafeteria assistant at Tzouanakis Intermediate (effective July 12).