North Putnam considers policy changes

BAINBRIDGE -- The North Putnam School Board reviewed proposed changes to school corporation policies during a recent workshop.

The board is set to consider more policy changes -- school visitors, volunteers, alternative lunch -- during another workshop set Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. in the North Putnam Administration Office at 300 N. Washington St. in Bainbridge. Other issues for consideration are the school corporation calendar and non-certified raises and insurance.

Superintendent Dan Noel said reviewing and making changes has been taking place for the last eight years, and more school board members attested to being part of the process at some previous point.

The proposed changes were:

-- Defining who the treasurer answers to,

-- At least three members of the school board, the school board president or the superintendent must call for a special meeting (not necessarily in writing),

-- The superintendent’s contract must be renewed every five years (state law),

-- And the school board should have more involvement in creating the annual budget.

Changes on which no final decision was made were:

-- Can authorized personnel spend $30,000 or $50,000 without school board permission (state law permits $50,000)?

-- Should issues be added to the agenda two weeks before the meeting (current process), the Friday before the meeting (members receive all relevant information) or 48 hours before the meeting?

-- Should an applicant for superintendent have a valid superintendent certificate from the Indiana Department of Education or the equivalent from another state before consideration, be made to get one after hire, or not be required to get one at all?

Questions answered were:

-- While refusing to vote (to do nothing at all) on an issue is considered a “yes” vote, choosing to abstain and from a vote and saying so is neither a “yes” or a “no” (does not count at all toward the vote).

-- The board cannot take action on items that are not on the agenda without a “suspension of the rules,” a two-thirds vote for time-sensitive or emergency issues.

The North Putnam School Board’s next workshop is set Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. in the North Putnam Administration Office at 300 N. Washington St. in Bainbridge.