Board to meet ahead of vacancies

BAINBRIDGE -- The North Putnam school board has announced that it will be hosting a special public meeting on Friday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. inside the district’s administration offices at Bainbridge.

The special meeting will follow a 6 p.m. executive session with another executive session taking place upon the conclusion of the special meeting.

Though it is unclear what the meeting will entail, the announcement comes at a time at which the district approaches positions with upcoming vacancies.

Superintendent Dan Noel and Athletic Director Tim Garver will retire and resign, respectively, effective Friday, June 30, while former corporation attorney Gene Hostetter was not reapproved for 2017 during the board’s regularly-scheduled public meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 11.

Personnel items are among the reasons a school board is able to announce and host an executive session.

During the Jan. 11 meeting, the board heard from a member of the Indiana School Board Association (ISBA) but chose not to employ the group’s services when a last-minute motion to do so “died” on the table via a 3-3 vote, leaving the district without a replacement for Noel who is set to retire at the end of the school year.

Furthermore, the board has yet to officially accept the resignation of Garver and, with such a meeting, could officially set in motion plans for his replacement.

The meetings are set to be hosted at the corporation office, 300 N. Washington St., Bainbridge.