GCSC passes resolution opposing state bills
Fearing further losses than public schools have already suffered in recent years, the Greencastle Community School Board recently expressed its opposition to a pair of bills currently in the Indiana General Assembly.
During its most recent meeting, the school board gave its unanimous approval to a resolution opposing the establishment of education scholarship accounts and the expansion of the Indiana School Choice Scholarship Program.
Early in the meeting, when the board asked for comments from the audience, Greencastle Classroom Teachers Association President Kristien Hamilton expressed her gratitude for the board considering the resolution.
“That is an awful bill that will potentially move $202 million of public education funding to private vouchers and unsupervised home schools,” Hamilton said.
The General Assembly is actually considering two bills regarding these matters — House Bill 1005, called the “Indiana education scholarship account program,” and Senate Bill 412, which would create an education savings account program title the “Indiana personalized education grant program.”
Superintendent Jeff Gibboney gave the board his brief summary of each bill, explaining that public school students make up 90 percent of the student population in the state and if school choice is expanded further, “it’s going to be extremely difficult to drive additional dollars to the classroom.”
“With school choice and vouchers, those schools aren’t held to the same standard of accountability,” Gibboney said. “It’s just not a good way to spend our taxpayer dollars.”
He offered a similar take on the establishment of education scholarship accounts.
“Again, it will take public tax dollars out of our schools and, again, many of these dollars will flow to private home schools,” Gibboney said. “And there is not much monitoring of how those dollars are spent.”
Gibboney also recently wrote an open letter to Indiana legislators, expressing his opposition to the bill, with the letter also signed by Hamilton and School Board President Mike White.
Currently, HB 1005 has passed the House of Representatives by a 61-38 margin, with nine Republicans joining all 29 Democrats in opposing the bill. State Rep. Beau Baird (R-Greencastle) voted in favor.
The Senate has yet to consider the bill.
SB 412 passed out of committee along a 9-4 party line vote, with the GOP voting in favor. It has not been voted upon by the full Senate. However, Sen. John Crane (R-Avon), who represents the northern portion of Putnam County, voted in favor in committee.
In another matter with statewide repercussions, the board also approved a resolution urging state leaders to add school teachers and staff members to the list of those eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
While the state has not yet added teachers under 50 years old to the list, they could become eligible through a federal program being operated at Kroger, Meijer and Walmart stores.
In other business:
• Gibboney reported that the second student count day took place in February, with a total of 1,704 students enrolled at GCSC.
This number is down 13 from fall, which will lead to a funding adjustment later this year.
• The superintendent also made note of the retirement middle school/high school choir teacher and sixth-grade band teacher Kathryn Dory, as well as middle school cafeteria assistant Carol Morgan.
“I’d just like to thank them for serving the students of our school and being longtime members of our staff,” Gibboney said.
• The board approved the advertisement of hearings for upcoming building projects. The meetings are set for March 8 and 15.
The building projects will be drawn from a list provided by krM Architecture, which presented the findings of a facilities master plan in January.
• The board recognized students of the month from each building: GHS, Paige Kaiser; GMS, Kaylee Schwab; Tzouanakis, Lucas Fry; Ridpath, Raylynn Brewer; and Deer Meadow, Krae Ames.
Additionally, the January students of the month were never recognized in the Banner Graphic. They were: GHS, Braden Wilson; GMS, Mary Strother; Tzouanakis, Thalia Collins; Deer Meadow, Anna Kaste; and Ridpath, Addalyn Ross.
• Besides retirements, the board approved several other agenda items.
Resignations: Amy Martin as GMS cafeteria assistant and Wanda Hutcheson as Ridpath noon aide/instructional assistant.
Transfer: Dan Clodfelter from bus driver to buildings and grounds maintenance at the transportation center.
New hires: Morgan Adams as Tzouanakis cafeteria assistant and Grace Bills as 21st Century Community Learning Center instructional assistant at GMS.
Substitutes: Kaitlyn Price as long-term kindergarten substitute at Ridpath, Chris Weeks as long-term seventh-grade science substitute, Shauwana Higgins as substitute custodian and Rebecca Arnold as substitute teacher.
Extracurricular activities: Noah Wilson as GHS boys’ assistant track coach and Kaleb Camacho as GHS girls’ assistant track coach.