Needed school bus repairs addressed in Cloverdale

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

CLOVERDALE -- In a meeting that took just over 30 minutes, the Cloverdale School Board of Trustees principally addressed agenda items concerning Cloverdale Schools’ expenses Monday evening.

Cloverdale Superintendent Greg Linton brought a request for approval of additional appropriations related to the bus replacement fund. The request asked for approval to spend $125,000 to address unforeseen but needed repairs. Linton pointed out that the appropriations would not lead to an increase in Cloverdale’s tax rate or other public expense, and the board approved them unanimously.

Linton also brought forth an approval request for stipends for non-certified full-time and part-time employees. The stipends will be $1,500 for full-time and $750 for part-time, which Linton said was the same payment across certified and non-certified employees at Cloverdale Schools.

Board members unanimously approved the request, and Linton expressed gratitude to the board for supporting different groups of educators in the school corporation.

Before she adjourned the meeting, board president Vivian Whitaker also made a public comment regarding the decline of student populations in Putnam County. The point she emphasized was that students who leave the school districts are not all going to schools in nearby counties, but are moving farther away.

Whitaker said that with the loss of students in the past year, the school corporations in Putnam County combined have lost more than $1 million in tax revenue and seen further stifled growth.

Whitaker related that she would relay concerns with regard to educational legislation at the state level, and that it was important for Cloverdale Schools to maintain a supportive relationship with the town at-large, expressing that, “If the school goes, so does the town.” In a later statement to the Banner Graphic, Linton said that student decline is an ongoing conversation that will be addressed further in the future.

The board additionally approved the following personnel report:

• New employment: Debra Long as elementary school part-time instructional assistant

• Resignation: Billy Boyette as middle school seventh-grade boy’s basketball

• Coaching: Kyle Shaffer as middle school assistant wrestling coach; and Nate Baker as middle school boys’ track coach

The board also approved the calendar for the 2019-2020 school year.

The board also recognized Cloverdale Schools’ Students of the Month:

Cloverdale Elementary School: third-grader Eva Shannon;

Cloverdale Middle School: sixth-grader Grace Long; and

Cloverdale High School: senior Julie Helton.

Shannon was not present at the meeting, and will be recognized in-person at the next board meeting.

The next regular school board meeting is scheduled for Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Arthur C. Johnson Administration Center in Cloverdale.

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