Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
AKRON - Benefits are an important part of any employment package.
Monday, Wayne Landis, a teacher with the Tippecanoe Valley School Corp., went before the Tippecanoe Valley School Board for a contract grievance hearing because he was paying for benefits he said the corporation must pay under the current teachers' contracts.
Val Conner, UNISERVE director from the Indiana State Teachers' Association, presented the grievance to the school board. Conner oversees the teachers' union in 10 area school districts.
The Section 125 program is an optional program for teachers that provides pre-tax dollars to pay for insurance benefits and unreimbursed medical expenses that insurance doesn't pay, as well as reimburses child care.
The program, under the Tippecanoe Valley School Corp.'s current contract, Landis said, was supposed to be a free benefit to those who wanted to participate.
"Starting this year," Landis said, "AFLAC started charging a $4 per month fee for anyone participating in the (program)."
The contract the TVSC teachers are still working under says the board will pay the start-up and administration fees of the program. Landis, who is one of 22 teachers using the program, said the $4 per month fee is something the school corporation should pay because it is an administration fee.
The school board unanimously agreed to pay the fees until a new teacher contract is settled and reimburse the teachers the fees they have paid. The TVSC teachers have worked all year without a new contract.
In other business:
• The school board selected American Energy Conservation Inc., Fort Wayne, as the provider for the Guaranteed Energy Savings Project.
The resolution approved does not commit the board to the project but only selects AECI as the provider. At a special 7:30 p.m. April 27 meeting, the school board will determine the scope of the project and financing.
At the March meeting, the board approved advertising to receive proposals for the project at Akron. Only AECI submitted a bid for the performance contract.
A performance contract is a guaranteed facility improvement through the Indiana legislature, according to Steve Nutt, account executive with AECI. It improves the facility and infrastructure of a school, is financed by a third party and is guaranteed to pay for itself with energy and operation savings over 10 years.
The project will focus on Akron Elementary.
Nutt said the benefits are that the infrastructure is improved, there are no up-front expenditures and work and savings are guaranteed.
Work that could be finished by year's end at Akron includes new lighting, new ceilings, steam to hot water conversion, new centralized cooling, new unit ventilators with new shelving, electrical upgrade with technology outlets and Americans with Disability Act improvements.
• The school board discussed the purchase of computers for school board members.
Brad Hagg, TVSC technology director, recommended the board purchase IBM Thinkpad laptop computers for their use. Because only $3,850 was budgeted for the project, Hagg said the remaining $2,145 would have to come from either the general fund account or the project will need to be delayed until January 2001.
Board member Tom Weaver said if the funds are not available at this time, he had no problem waiting until next year.
Hagg said if the current board members who have computer equipment could wait, those without the equipment could get it now. Then next year, the other board members would get their laptops. The only two board members without the equipment are Mark Wise and Rod Eaton.
Board members Fred McSherry, Bruce Andrews and Weaver said the board could wait a year to get the equipment. A motion to delay for the time being was made by McSherry. Wise, however, made a motion to amend McSherry's motion to purchase laptops for him and Eaton.
McSherry, Weaver and board president Bruce Andrews were against providing just two board members with the computers. McSherry said it wasn't fair to the three board members who have purchased their own equipment. "You're going to use company computers to also do personal things," he said.
The motion, with the passed amendment, was defeated unanimously.
• TVSC Superintendent Dr. Karen Boling presented a report on the projected enrollment and staffing implications of the enrollment.
The 1999-2000 TVSC official enrollment was 2,277. The projected enrollment for 2000-01 is 2,214, a decrease of 63 students.
Board members asked student representatives to the board if they had many overcrowded classes and what classes they were. After one student representative said she has one class that has approximately 33 students, Rod Eaton told Boling he held her "personally responsible" for the overcrowding of the schools. He said if they have to hire another teacher to alleviate the problem, then that's what they have to do.
• Mentone Elementary School fifth-grader Brittany Hoffer was recognized for being the Kosciusko County winner of the "Why I Choose to Live a Drug-Free Life" essay contest. Hoffer will receive a $500 savings bond and award certificate from the Indiana Troopers Association Inc.
• Fifteen computers, donated by the Fort Wayne Indiana National Guard, were accepted. The computers are being used at Akron Elementary.
• Kelly Fields' donation of $350 was accepted to be used in the Reading Recovery Program. In a letter addressed to the school board, Fields said he decided to donate the money to the corporation instead of using the money to campaign for a seat on the school board.
• Andrews announced the Building Trades Open House will be May 21 from 1 to 4 p.m. at 5640 W. CR 200S.
• Two Dekko grants were accepted, for $520 and $686.85.
• The next school board meeting is May 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Mentone Elementary School public meeting room.
School board members are Bruce Andrews, Tom Weaver, Fred McSherry, Mark Wise and Rod Eaton.
