School board plans for the year ahead

What happens when you get all the teachers, board members and superintendent together?

A lot.

The Greencastle Community School Corporation held its final session before the beginning of the school year Monday at Greencastle Middle School.

New teachers, iPads and financial requests highlighted Monday's agenda, but the topic which may have the largest impact would be the board's adoption of Canvas -- a teaching software that will allow students to not only view their assignments online, but they'll be able to turn in homework assignments, epload files, videos and audio recordings, and read, create and reply to an instructor's messages.

Affecting grades three through 12, Canvas by Instructure Inc. will replace the familiar "My Big Campus" as to better implement technology and create new tools from which the students can benefit.

Assistant Superintendent Jeffrey Hubble helped clarify the situation after Monday's meeting, saying My Big Campus was scheduled to be discontinued for some time.

"Instructure [Inc.] is the name of the company that has this program called Canvas," Hubble said. "Canvas is the program the teachers will use now to deliver instruction, which I think is even better than My Big Campus -- but it costs.

"Last year is was $5 per kid," Hubble continued. "This year they've bundled with corporations in the state of Indiana who have been receiving it for free, so they've made it affordable for us to get on board. We're paying $3.75 per student for third through 12th grades."

Although a five year contract has been writ, only one year was approved by the Board on Monday. Hubble went on to explain the way this new agreement will progress.

"We step up 20-percent each year, but we won't get back to $5," Hubble said. "The highest we'll get in the five year contract will be $4.75 [per student.]

"Now, at the end of the five year contract, they'll want us to pay the fair market value," Hubble added. "But we're hoping by then . . . they'll have so many more users that it will be cheaper for them to do it."

In other news, the school board unanimously passed each item on the agenda, though thorough discussion took place before each favorable vote.

Election of officers

Three key positions were filled at Monday's meeting, including School Board President, Vice President and Secretary -- respectively, those filling the key roles will be Denise Sigworth, Dale Pierce and Mike White.

In addition, several other officers were named:

Legislative Liaison to ISBA (Indiana School Board Association) -- Denise Sigworth

Corporation Treasurer -- Jayme Barber, Finance Manager

Deputy Corporation Treasurer -- Kellie Romer

High School ECA Treasurer -- Denise Smedley

Corporation Attorney -- Robert Rund of Lewis & Kappes P.C.

Several new teachers were also approved, including new sixth grade physical education teacher Craig Jordan, a recent graduate of Butler University, who will also become the athletic director beginning with the 2015-2016 school year.

Approval requests

-Diana Callaghan, Greencastle Community Schools' District Data Coordinator, requested additional hours required for the school year, bringing the total to 617.

-More than $91,000 of annual insurance will be reduced to nearly $20,000 through savings, without jeopordizing the integrity of existing programs.

-"Item J" -- an approved request to advertise CPF bus plans.

-Donation approved from Greencastle Middle School PTO in the amount of $850 for the annual eighth grade field trip.

-Approved a request for Meru Access Points at Tzouanakis Intermediate.

-Approved a request for the Greencastle High School Choir's trip on April 28, 2016 to New York City, N.Y., which will include roughly 72 students and 10 chaperones.

-Approved a request for a 2015-2016 Speech and Language Pathologist

-Contract with Soliant for Deer Meadow Primary.

-Appoved bidding for bread and mil for the 2015-2016 school year, in which Prairie Farms will provide the milk.

-Approved a request for the Greencastle High School Band endowment in the amount of $657.05, administered by the Putnam County Community Foundation.

Following the request's approvals, Superintendent Dawn Puckett gave a report which included that the third grade success rate for ISTEP Testing has risen by 2.5-percent in the 2014-2015 school year to 93.4-percent.

Aug. 4 will commence the first day for teachers as they prepare for the new school year, with the following day being a staff work-day. However, Aug. 6, 2015 will be the first day for students.

The next scheduled school board meeting is set to be held on Aug. 17, 2015 at Greencastle High School, beginning at 7 p.m.