Election: School board same as commissioner districts
Next month, anyone interested in serving on the Brown County School Board of Trustees can file to run for the district 1, 2 and 3 seats.
Those who want to run for school board can put their name in the hat beginning July 27. The deadline to get on that ballot is Aug. 26. The three school board seats will be elected this November in the general election.
Late last year, the Brown County Commissioners approved an ordinance establishing the districts for commissioners and county council seats following a precinct change in Washington Township.
Following this change, questions arose about what precincts the school board districts would represent.
Recently, school board member Stephanie Kritzer worked with Deputy Clerk Laura Wert to determine what precincts each school board district represents and it was determined the school board districts will be the same as the county commissioner districts.
Currently, Carol Bowden represents district 1. Steve Miller Jr. represents district 3 and Vicki Harden represents district 2. Kritzer is one of two at-large members on the school board.
District 1 will include all of Hamblen Township as it had before. District 2 will be made up of all of Jackson Township and the new Washington 3 precinct. The new Washington 3 precinct includes Annandale Drive and other roads to the west of Nashville.
District 3 will be made up of the new Washington 2, which is all of Nashville, Washington 2 and Van Buren precincts.
Beginning with this year’s election, the four voting precincts in Washington Township were condensed to three with the former Washington 4 precinct renamed Washington 3. All in-town Nashville voters cast their vote at the Washington 2 precinct now.
The precinct change happened after Nashville Town Council decided to elect all of its members at-large from among in-town residents instead of requiring three of them to live in specific areas of Nashville.
Under the new ordinance, the districts cover the same areas, but there are some changes to the precincts in the county council districts. District 4 is now made up of Jackson 4, Washington 3 and Van Buren precincts. District 3 will include only Washington 1 and 2. District 2 is made up of Hamblen 2, Jackson 1 and Jackson 3. District 1 now consists of Hamblen 1, Hamblen 3 and Jackson 2.
School calendar modification approved
An updated calendar for next school year was approved by the Brown County School Board of Trustees earlier this month.
Students will now get Nov. 14 off as it will be a teacher work day instead of Nov. 11, which is Veterans Day. April 7 was originally a day off from school, but will now be a weather make-up day, Superintendent Emily Tracy announced at the June 2 board meeting.
May 30, May 31 and June 1 will also be weather make-up days next school year.
At the school board meeting this week, members will be asked to approve an updated eLearning plan for the district following recent legislation signed into law at the state level that allows only three eLearning days a year.
The law, which takes effect on July 1, also requires that students must be at a computer following along with instruction from a teacher like in a classroom for at least 50% of the eLearning day.
Donations, new food service director approved for schools
The Brown County School Board of Trustees approved the following at their May 19 and the June 2 meetings:
- The 2022-2023 elementary student handbook.
- Modified lease agreement between BCS and Human Services Inc. to additionally include the leasing of a room as office space with an increase in rent from $800 per month to $900 per month, beginning May 31, 2022 through May 30, 2024.
- Non-standard course for human anatomy at BCMS. This is course is a science elective. Teaching human anatomy at the middle school level requires school board approval, Superintendent Emily Tracy said.
- Retirement of Suzie Watson, effective at the conclusion of the 2021-2022 school year.
- Donation of $1,500 for National History Day award and Teacher of the Year awards from the Brown County Community Foundation.
- A $500 donation to the BCHS football program from Big Woods.
- An $800 donation to the BCHS girls softball program from the UCA Distributing.
- Separating BCMS master teacher Cindy Stark, effective at the conclusion of the 2021-2022 school year. This was not a termination.
- Separating BCHS English teacher Alexis Martin, effective at the conclusion of the 2021-2022 school year. This was not a termination.
- Appointing BCHS CTE engineering and construction teacher Cody McGill, bachelors Level E, $44,500 per year, full time with benefits, 184 days per year, effective Aug. 8. This is a new position.
- Appointing BCHS junior varsity baseball coach Randy Minniear, group 10, $1,535 stipend, effective May 19. This is a replacement for Jacob Riehl.
- Appointing BCHS assistant cheer coach Lindsay Leeper, group 12, $1,278 stipend, effective May 19. This is a replacement for Laura Minett.
- Appointing BCHS health assistant Tina Walls, full time with benefits, $12.25 per hour, 180 days per year, effective Aug. 8. This is a replacement for Kara Haywood.
- Appointing HES health assistant Casey Love, full time with benefits, $12.25 per hour, 180 days per year, effective Aug. 8. This is a replacement for Wilma Allender.
- Transferring HES part-time paraprofessional Diehdra Alltop to HES full-time preschool paraprofessional, beginning Aug. 8. This is a replacement for Rylee Seacat.
- Transferring BCHS junior varsity baseball coach Jacob Riehl to BCHS assistant varsity baseball coach, effective May 19. This is a replacement for Bryce Boyer.
- An $876.77 donation from Brown County Community Foundation for the girls tennis, girls basketball and baseball team as directed.
- Updated 2022-2023 school calendar to reflect additional weather make-up days due to the Indiana legislation limiting eLearning days in schools to three days.
- Separating BCMS boys tennis coach Andi Rogers-Bartels, effective May 18. This was not a termination.
- Appointing Early Education Center preschool teacher Christine Goebel, $16.25 per hour, full time with benefits, 7.65 hours per day, effective Aug. 8. This is a new position.
- Appointing HES preschool teacher Beth Ann Buehler, $18.25 per hour, full time with benefits, 7.65 hours per day, 184 days per year, effective Aug. 8. This is a replacement for Christina Hanson.
