After serving three years as president, Deb Wiggins told the rest of the Warsaw School Board Wednesday night that it was time for someone else to fill that position.
“I’ve served enough,” Wiggins said. “I am done. Three years is enough.”
Office holders for 2011 included Wiggins as president, Dan Robinson as vice president and Delores Hearn as secretary.
During the board’s yearly reorganizational meeting for 2012, Wiggins opened the floor up for nominations for president.
Hearn nominated Robinson for president, and board member Dan Metzger nominated Jennifer Tandy for president.
Voting for Robinson were Wiggins, Robinson and Hearn. With votes from Metzger, Matt Dick, Christie Gale and herself, Tandy was elected president.
Metzger then nominated Dick for vice president, and Dick was elected to the position with six votes. Wiggins abstained.
Dick then nominated Metzger for secretary, and Metzger won with six votes. Wiggins also abstained on that vote.
Later in the meeting, Hearn said, “I just want to say thanks to our previous president who has carried us through two difficult years. It has taken a lot of time and effort (on her part).”
Wiggins said she thought that goes for all officers and wished all the new officers well.
The board voted to keep the regular monthly meetings on the fourth Monday of each month beginning at 7 p.m., with exceptions being in May, September and December. The May meeting will be May 21, the September meeting will be Sept. 17 and the December meeting will be Dec. 20.
Unanimously, the board also voted to establish work sessions on the third Tuesday of each month beginning at 4 p.m., with the exception of the September and December work sessions. The September work session will be Sept. 11, and the December work session will be Dec. 11.
The purpose of the work sessions, according to Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz, is to bring information before the board which was presented in committee and hopefully reduce the length of the regular meetings.
The annual resolution of the board of school trustees also was approved. The resolution names Erica Purvis as the treasurer of Warsaw Community Schools and Lori Tilden as the executive secretary to the board.
The copy fee for records obtained through Tilden for 2012 will remain at 10 cents per page.
The officers and members of the board of finance will be the same as the officers and members of the school board.
The cash management provider for 2012 will be Lake City Bank, Reed & Earhart, Attorneys at Law, P.C., will be the school board’s legal counsel and the Times-Union is designated for the advertisement of legal notices to the public.
Jean Shively will continue to serve as the deputy treasurer of WCS.
After some discussion, the board of school trustees approved compensation for 2012 shall not exceed $2,000 per year and a per diem of $3,000 per year for a total of $5,000 per year. The per diem rate for regular meetings is $112, and for committee meetings is $62.
Hearn had suggested the board’s compensation be reduced. In the past, she said, the board had more meetings and committee meetings in part because of the school building projects. With those projects completed, Hearn said she didn’t expect the board to have that many meetings and they could reduce the board’s compensation.
“Good idea. You have something in mind?” Metzger asked.
Hearn suggested during the meeting to lower the maximum to $4,000. Metzger said if the board was going to have less meetings, they wouldn’t get to the $5,000 maximum anyway. People have told Hearn, she said, that they think the board shouldn’t get $5,000 maximum yearly or even get paid at all.
Hintz said that while he appreciated Hearn’s comment, he would caution that because the corporation’s strategic plan is scheduled to be approved in February and elements of that plan could require more time of the board. Also, there are a couple of elementary schools in need of renovation, and that could require more time from the board.
“I personally don’t know that there will be fewer meetings,” Hintz said.
Chief Financial Officer Kevin Scott said for 2012, there is a $35,000 budget for the board.
This morning, Scott said the board’s compensation was capped at $35,000 in 2010, and $33,840 was paid out. In 2011, a total of $31,666 was paid out.
Robinson said the work sessions are going to be considered as committee meetings, and the board will have executive sessions prior to each regular meeting.
Hintz’s evaluation dates also were approved by the board.
Each board member completes Part I of Hintz’s evaluation by April 15 to have baseline data for use at the end of the 2010-11 school year. The superintendent will provide a written self-evaluation to the board also by April 15.
Board members will individually complete the superintendent evaluation form (Part II) and submit it to the board president or designee by May 1.
The board president will provide a summary of the superintendent’s evaluation to the public at the board’s regular meeting in June.
At the end of the meeting, Wiggins said she was asked by the Winona Lake Town Board for the Warsaw School Board to name a representative replacement to the town’s park board. She said the town was asking for a replacement immediately because the park board is operating without one now.
Metzger suggested Gale serve on the board since she lives in Winona Lake. Gale wanted to know more about what she was getting into, so she made a motion to table the matter until the regular meeting Jan. 23. The motion was approved.
At the public work session Tuesday, the school board will review appointments and committees.
