At the regular meeting of the South Ripley Community School Corporation Board of School Trustees held May 15, Superintendent Ted Ahaus “thanked administrative staff for their hard work in conducting multiple interviews for the many positions that were filled.”

The positions recommended by Supt. Ahaus include:

• Hiring William Vinup as second shift custodian at the elementary school effective May 24 was recommended. This received a favorable vote with one abstention;

• Melissa Alexander would be hired as a science teacher at the high school effective for the 2006-2007 school year. (This action is pending teacher licensure)

• Employment of Nicholas Paulin as a science teacher at the high school effective for the 2006-2007 school year was recommended. (This is pending emergency permit receipt)

• The hiring of Janna Stonebraker as an art teacher at the high school was recommended. This would be in effect for the 2006-2007 school year. (Action is pending teacher licensure)

• Tara Deppert was recommended for the position of foreign language teacher at the high school effective for the 2006-2007 school year.

• Kristen Stone was recommended to be hired as an elementary teacher for the 2006-2007 school year.

• It was recommended that Ashlee Miller be temporarily employed at the elementary school as a teacher for the 2006-2007 school year. This would fill a vacancy left by the absence of Kathy Deaton due to a maternity leave. It was noted that this is a salary only non-benefits position.

• The recommendation of employing Rae Jean Auterson for the choral director at the Jr.-Sr. High School for the 2006-2007 school year was heard. She was recently non-renewed due to only having a emergency permit.

• The approval of the summer remediation program and teachers at the high school was recommended.
• Approval was requested for the elementary Jump Start Summer School Program and teachers for the program.

• The resignation of Sara Dennis as a Spanish teacher at the high school will be effective at the end of her maternity leave (2005-2006 school year). The Superintendent sought approval to post the position.
Approval for continued program support in the following programs was requested: At Risk, Title I, Title II, Gifted and Talented, Prime Time, ROD Special Education Cooperative, School Food and Nutrition, Southeastern Career Center, Textbook Rental, Safe and Drug Free Schools, Wilson Education Center, Southeastern Learning Center (Alternative School), and Indiana Virtual Academy. When this motion was made, board member Randy McIntosh made the recommendation that a list of state cuts and reductions be kept so taxpayers will be aware of funding cuts.

Approval of the 2006-2007 elementary school Rules Handbook was sought. There were not changes to this edition. The high school handbook for the 2006-2007 year was approved with changes. These changes were in relation to a new daily time schedule, a Friday time schedule with added activity period, and the schedules for delay and early dismissal days.

Teacher in-service date as approved on the 2006-2007 school calendar was changed from May 2, 2007 to March 9, 2007 to align with Jac-Cen-Del’s in-service date.

In other business:

• Assistant Superintendent Dennis Stockdale presented a draft of a wellness policy.

• Business Manager Lana Miller noted that the school will have to pay $11,279.82 for free and reduced books that will not be reimbursed by the state.

• South Ripley received $658.10 from their sales at the recent auction held at the Southeastern Career Center.

A work session followed the regular meeting to discuss a potential project/renovation.
Board members present at the meeting were: Chris Bradford, Robert Garcia, Randy McIntosh, Jim Miller, Ralph Miller, and Jim Samples. Keith Mathews and Attorney Merritt Alcorn were not present at the meeting.

The next regular meeting of the South Ripley School Board of Trustees will be held June 19, at 6:30 p.m. in the administrative building.