The Brown County School Board of Trustees approved a 2.5 percent increase in pay for administrators Dec. 15 meeting.
The pay raise model will mirror the certified 2.5 percent teacher pay raise the board approved earlier this school year.
In November, the board also approved raises for noncertified staff, including substitute teachers and janitorial staff.
Nonadministrative certified staff will also receive this pay raise increase, including school nurses, occupational therapists and the district’s psychologist, Jim Nelson.
Money for the raises will not come from referendum voters approved this spring to increase property taxes. Instead raises will come out of the district’s general fund, said Superintendent Laura Hammack.
The board also approved extending the contracts of administrators by one year, including for all building principals and assistant principals, Brown County High School Athletic Director Mark Bruner and Director of Student Learning Debbie Harman.
Director of Student Services Al Kosinski’s contract was not included in the extension, as he is on a two-year contract, Hammack said.
BCIS special education classroom receives large grant
The special education classroom at Brown County Intermediate School will see some upgrades soon after receiving a $20,604.54 grant from the Cummins Foundation.
Cummins employee Joel Lewis attended the Dec. 15 board meeting at which the grant was announced.
Superintendent Laura Hammack said the money will go toward new cabinetry for storage and equipment in the classroom to support students with disabilities.
Money will also be allocated for the school’s Ability Weeks. Life skills teacher Kristen Cole brought Ability Weeks to the intermediate school after learning about the idea at a special education conference, she said. Ability Weeks allow students in the general population to experience what it is like to have a disability and celebrate the uniqueness of their special education peers. Each week focuses on a different disability.
One week focused on autism, Cole said. During that week, students were asked to take a test in a “senses room” that was filled with different sensations, like bright lights, different smells and random, loud noises.
The next BCIS Ability Weeks will take place Jan. 23 to 27.
School board approves donations, personnel changes
Brown County School Board of Trustees meeting board members approved the following Dec. 15:
- To allow the Indiana Youth Survey of BCIS, BCJHS and Brown County High School students.
- The use of a disclosure sheet for free and reduced price information between Brown County Weekend Backpacks Program and Brown County Schools, and a parent disclosure form between the Brown County Weekend Backpacks Program and Brown County Schools.
- Reclassification of Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent Renee Seacat from temporary to permanent.
- Reclassification of Administrative Assistant to the Special Education Department Ronna Snyder from temporary to permanent.
- Reclassification of Sprunica Elementary School administrative assistant Jenny Webb from temporary to permanent.
- Separating Van Buren Elementary School Science Bowl Coach Mandy Austin, effective immediately. Austin has begun teaching math instead of science at Van Buren. Van Buren teacher Tina Robertson was appointed to replace her, $559 stipend, effective Dec. 1.
- Separating administrative assistant to the superintendent Amber Phelps, effective immediately.
- Separating BCJHS cafeteria manager Danyeil Ferguson, effective Jan. 13.
- Appointing BCHS dance coach Sindy Woolems, $511.50 stipend, for the 2016-2017 school year. She is a replacement for Wrenn Clark and Sarah Axton.
