Whitko School Board Fires Popular Nurse
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
PIERCETON -ÊThe controversy surrounding the termination of Whitko School Nurse Sharon Lee was put to rest Monday night when the Whitko School board voted to fire her.
Despite numerous protests and petitions presented against the action, the board voted four to one for her termination in a role call vote. Mike Braddock was the only board member to vote against the termination.
Before the vote, 11 members of the public spoke up in Lee's defense. Then Lee stepped before the board to present her own case.
"I want to thank everybody, this is very humbling," said Lee while facing the audience and fighting back tears. "When I was hired 12 years ago, I was hired by the superintendent and the assistant superintendent. I had no intentions of staying 12 years. I thought I would be here only a few years and move on.
"To be honest, I thought it would be an easy job. I had worked in emergency medicine and trauma centers, and I brought that learning with me. Anybody could put a Band-Aid on a kid or call a parent when they barfed, so it should be easy. I quickly learned that there was a heck of a lot more to school nursing, and I learned an enormous amount. Then I decided I really liked school nursing."
She told how she learned that she was being considered for termination.
"I was called to a meeting with the four principals one day, May 13, I believe," said Lee. "One individual had a two-page letter listing things I was not doing right. Another had a listing of several concerns, including one about a form that was due June 1. He asked if I had all the data needed for the form, and when I looked at it, the form was from three years ago. It's not even the same form we use now. Then, when I tried to explain myself and defend myself, they said I always had something to say and that I always thought I was right.
"I asked them if they had any concerns with my nursing skills, and they told me I had good nursing skills and I was well prepared in my nursing. Then I was told, 'Frankly Sharon, you just don't fit.' After 12 years, I just didn't fit?"
She said she would like to work just one more year so she could get benefits from PERF (Public Employee Retirement Fund).
Once Lee finished her speech, the members of the audience gave her a standing ovation as she walked back to her seat.
After the vote was taken and the board approved the recommendations for termination, a young girl in the crowd, Kelsie Boggs, turned to her mother, Michelle, and asked what that meant. When her mother told her it meant Lee was leaving, the girl ran to Lee, wrapped her arms around the nurse and sobbed as Lee comforted her.
"See what you've done?" said Michelle Boggs. "You should be ashamed of yourselves. I am so disappointed, I can't believe it."
In a special meeting immediately before the regular board meeting, Whitko business manager Phil Menzie presented the 2004 budget to the board for review.
"This is an unusual year because it is a reassessment," said Menzie. "It's kind of like shooting a moving target. Since we have no firm budget from last year, we are still in limbo for this year. The tax monies are not known yet. We don't know what we have this year, so it's hard to predict next year."
Menzie pointed out that the $15.8 million budget is very similar to last year. He predicted an increase in the general fund of approximately 0.4 percent this year to make the total $11,547,193.
At $1,711,790 million, the debt service fund is down a bit from last year because the retirement bonds have been moved into a separate category, he said.
The capital project fund has been estimated on the high side at $1,432,647 million because the money for the new retirement bond category will be taken from this section of the budget.
The retirement bond debt fund sits at $95,270 and is used to pay employee retirement benefits. This new category was created due to a state mandate to better track the funds.
The total transportation operating fund is listed at $801,044, and the bus replacement fund is $203,160. The bus replacement fund is lower than last year because the corporation plans to replace three buses, 10 percent of the fleet as scheduled. Last year, the corporation replaced four buses, including a handicapped bus, so the budget was higher.
The special education preschool fund is listed at $30,957.
The board voted to give Menzie permission to advertise the 2004 budget as presented with any appropriate corrections necessary after meeting with the field examiner of the Department of Local Government Finance.
In other business, the board:
• Approved financial reports as presented by Menzie. The school has $74,056.11 in checking at National City Bank, $2,878.29 in investments at Lake City Bank, $2,704,908.75 in checking at Star Financial Bank, $2,389,083.39 in investments at Star Financial Bank and $4,354.55 in checking at First Federal Bank. The total of all accounts equals $5,175,281.09.
"We are not in good shape, but we are OK. We are monitoring things daily. We are OK for now, but not great. Five million looks like a lot, but we owe over 2 million," Menzie said.
• Accepted resignations, terminations and retirements for Jason Bennett (instrumental music teacher and band director), Ryan Graves (boys varsity assistant basketball coach), Charles Snyder (lead teacher at Whitko Middle School), Steve Miller (lead teacher at WMS) and Cindy Hicks (kindergarten shuttle bus driver).
• Accepted employment actions for Kate Mann (fifth-grade teacher at Pierceton Elementary School), Tara Brandon (science teacher at Whitko High School), Bryan Sprunger (co-athletic director and industrial arts teacher at WHS), Susan Mishler (co-athletic director and physical education teacher at WHS), Barbette Walter (change from substitute bus driver to bus driver), Charles Wright (lead teacher at WMS), Fred Stoffel (cross country coach WMS), Mike Hanback (eighth-grade assistant volleyball coach at WMS), Lance Christiansen (girls assistant/JV volleyball coach at WHS), and Troy Mann (ninth-grade volleyball coach at WHS).
• Appointed Phil Menzie Privacy Protection Officer.
• Approved a resolution to allow employees to make additional contributions to their retirement funds.
• Approved handbooks, textbook rental fees and media for news releases for the 2003-04 school year.
• Appointed Sarah Rickerd to the South Whitley-Cleveland Township Library Board.
• Approved preschool transportation for the 2003-04 school year.
• Accepted grants and donations from Wal-Mart Foundation and Pierceton PTO.
• Announced a reception for new staff on Aug. 18 at 7 p.m. in the administration office in Pierceton
The members of the Whitko School Board are: Dave Tranter, Hal Trump, Mike Braddock, Pete Mitchell and E. Marie Trump. [[In-content Ad]]
PIERCETON -ÊThe controversy surrounding the termination of Whitko School Nurse Sharon Lee was put to rest Monday night when the Whitko School board voted to fire her.
Despite numerous protests and petitions presented against the action, the board voted four to one for her termination in a role call vote. Mike Braddock was the only board member to vote against the termination.
Before the vote, 11 members of the public spoke up in Lee's defense. Then Lee stepped before the board to present her own case.
"I want to thank everybody, this is very humbling," said Lee while facing the audience and fighting back tears. "When I was hired 12 years ago, I was hired by the superintendent and the assistant superintendent. I had no intentions of staying 12 years. I thought I would be here only a few years and move on.
"To be honest, I thought it would be an easy job. I had worked in emergency medicine and trauma centers, and I brought that learning with me. Anybody could put a Band-Aid on a kid or call a parent when they barfed, so it should be easy. I quickly learned that there was a heck of a lot more to school nursing, and I learned an enormous amount. Then I decided I really liked school nursing."
She told how she learned that she was being considered for termination.
"I was called to a meeting with the four principals one day, May 13, I believe," said Lee. "One individual had a two-page letter listing things I was not doing right. Another had a listing of several concerns, including one about a form that was due June 1. He asked if I had all the data needed for the form, and when I looked at it, the form was from three years ago. It's not even the same form we use now. Then, when I tried to explain myself and defend myself, they said I always had something to say and that I always thought I was right.
"I asked them if they had any concerns with my nursing skills, and they told me I had good nursing skills and I was well prepared in my nursing. Then I was told, 'Frankly Sharon, you just don't fit.' After 12 years, I just didn't fit?"
She said she would like to work just one more year so she could get benefits from PERF (Public Employee Retirement Fund).
Once Lee finished her speech, the members of the audience gave her a standing ovation as she walked back to her seat.
After the vote was taken and the board approved the recommendations for termination, a young girl in the crowd, Kelsie Boggs, turned to her mother, Michelle, and asked what that meant. When her mother told her it meant Lee was leaving, the girl ran to Lee, wrapped her arms around the nurse and sobbed as Lee comforted her.
"See what you've done?" said Michelle Boggs. "You should be ashamed of yourselves. I am so disappointed, I can't believe it."
In a special meeting immediately before the regular board meeting, Whitko business manager Phil Menzie presented the 2004 budget to the board for review.
"This is an unusual year because it is a reassessment," said Menzie. "It's kind of like shooting a moving target. Since we have no firm budget from last year, we are still in limbo for this year. The tax monies are not known yet. We don't know what we have this year, so it's hard to predict next year."
Menzie pointed out that the $15.8 million budget is very similar to last year. He predicted an increase in the general fund of approximately 0.4 percent this year to make the total $11,547,193.
At $1,711,790 million, the debt service fund is down a bit from last year because the retirement bonds have been moved into a separate category, he said.
The capital project fund has been estimated on the high side at $1,432,647 million because the money for the new retirement bond category will be taken from this section of the budget.
The retirement bond debt fund sits at $95,270 and is used to pay employee retirement benefits. This new category was created due to a state mandate to better track the funds.
The total transportation operating fund is listed at $801,044, and the bus replacement fund is $203,160. The bus replacement fund is lower than last year because the corporation plans to replace three buses, 10 percent of the fleet as scheduled. Last year, the corporation replaced four buses, including a handicapped bus, so the budget was higher.
The special education preschool fund is listed at $30,957.
The board voted to give Menzie permission to advertise the 2004 budget as presented with any appropriate corrections necessary after meeting with the field examiner of the Department of Local Government Finance.
In other business, the board:
• Approved financial reports as presented by Menzie. The school has $74,056.11 in checking at National City Bank, $2,878.29 in investments at Lake City Bank, $2,704,908.75 in checking at Star Financial Bank, $2,389,083.39 in investments at Star Financial Bank and $4,354.55 in checking at First Federal Bank. The total of all accounts equals $5,175,281.09.
"We are not in good shape, but we are OK. We are monitoring things daily. We are OK for now, but not great. Five million looks like a lot, but we owe over 2 million," Menzie said.
• Accepted resignations, terminations and retirements for Jason Bennett (instrumental music teacher and band director), Ryan Graves (boys varsity assistant basketball coach), Charles Snyder (lead teacher at Whitko Middle School), Steve Miller (lead teacher at WMS) and Cindy Hicks (kindergarten shuttle bus driver).
• Accepted employment actions for Kate Mann (fifth-grade teacher at Pierceton Elementary School), Tara Brandon (science teacher at Whitko High School), Bryan Sprunger (co-athletic director and industrial arts teacher at WHS), Susan Mishler (co-athletic director and physical education teacher at WHS), Barbette Walter (change from substitute bus driver to bus driver), Charles Wright (lead teacher at WMS), Fred Stoffel (cross country coach WMS), Mike Hanback (eighth-grade assistant volleyball coach at WMS), Lance Christiansen (girls assistant/JV volleyball coach at WHS), and Troy Mann (ninth-grade volleyball coach at WHS).
• Appointed Phil Menzie Privacy Protection Officer.
• Approved a resolution to allow employees to make additional contributions to their retirement funds.
• Approved handbooks, textbook rental fees and media for news releases for the 2003-04 school year.
• Appointed Sarah Rickerd to the South Whitley-Cleveland Township Library Board.
• Approved preschool transportation for the 2003-04 school year.
• Accepted grants and donations from Wal-Mart Foundation and Pierceton PTO.
• Announced a reception for new staff on Aug. 18 at 7 p.m. in the administration office in Pierceton
The members of the Whitko School Board are: Dave Tranter, Hal Trump, Mike Braddock, Pete Mitchell and E. Marie Trump. [[In-content Ad]]