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MENTONE - Tippecanoe Valley High School assistant principal Rod McKee's contract extension was tabled Monday following support from teachers and parents and information that board member Mark Wise received at his residence.
In a 4-to-1 vote, the Tippecanoe Valley school board postponed action on the contract that would have extended McKee's employment to June 2004. Board president Tom Weaver voted against the motion.
Wise did not give details about the information he received, opting to talk about the issue in executive session. He received the information following confirmation that McKee's contract would be on Monday's agenda.
Teacher's Association representative Scott Smith recommended the board table the issue and set up a meeting to discuss the assistant principal with the school's staff.
The same disapproving comments were heard when the board considered compensating McKee for doing double duty while the Tippecanoe Valley High School was without a principal.
Parents and teachers present disagreed with the board decision to pay McKee an extra $1,000 for the work. The board was split 3-to-2 on the decision.
One office worker at the high school said she takes over for fellow office workers when they are gone. She is compensated for it, she told the board. Wise rebutted her, saying she gets paid for her extra work hours.
"I think there are times when people are expected to go above and beyond," the high school's building trades teacher Ken Murphy said.
Again, the board was split about McKee's out-of-state vocational conference in Las Vegas. The corporation would pay only an estimated $150 for "meals and mileage," superintendent Dr. Karen S. Boling said.
The bulk of the cost is from a vocational grant, she said. McKee was invited to the conference.
In other business, the school board:
• Will schedule another hearing about building construction projects in November. No specific date was set. The board will hear from portable classroom facility builder and from R.W. Clinton Construction, who build Mentone Elementary School.
• Approved a $23,043.75 appropriation to the general fund.
• Accepted a $1,050 grant from the Heartland Arts Fund to support the Children's Theatre Company.
Discussed rearranging the election cycle but decided against changes. The board was concerned about voter turnout in the May primary elections versus the November general elections, and the 13-month lame-duck cycle that one district representative goes through.
• Saved $251,642,47 after refinancing the Tippecanoe Valley Middle School Building Corp. bond. Board member Hal Hoffman said he was "happy as a lark" about the savings but was concerned about the higher interest rate.
The corporation improved to an AA- credit rating but the interest rate increased from 1.4 percent to 1.6 percent.
The Tippecanoe Valley School Board members are president Tom Weaver, vice president Hal Hoffman, secretary Mark Wise, David O'Brien and Rod Eaton. Superintendent is Dr. Karen S. Boling.
