Joint schools board discusses year-round school, other issues

Clark County

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July 28, 2012

Joint schools board discusses year-round school, other issues

Some officials worry that year-round calendar could hurt construction projects

By JEROD CLAPP jerod.clapp@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Sat Jul 28, 2012, 08:30 AM EDT

CLARKSVILLE — Officials from four school boards in Clark and Floyd counties discussed what have now become perennial topics at a joint meeting Thursday — cost savings, year-round school and revenue generation.

But as each district has accepted a modified version of a balanced calendar — or year-round school — there are still some difficulties in moving toward a full balanced calendar schedule.

Christina Gilkey, board president for Greater Clark County Schools, said the move has a lot of benefits, including increased test scores and employee attendance.

But in his first appearance to the joint meetings, Greater Clark Superintendent Andrew Melin said there are building projects concerns to consider. He summer is an ideal time for districts to tackle construction projects because students are out of the building.

If their tentative balanced calendar for 2013-2014 looks like New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corporation’s — with a six-week summer break — Melin said it might be tough to complete those projects without students in the building.

“It’s not necessarily to say this is a bad thing, but I think we’re going to have more circumstances in which school will be in session and you’ll have to complete projects in some way during that same timeframe,” Melin said.

Brad Snyder, NA-FC’s deputy superintendent, said floor waxing, building deep cleans and asphalt laying could all be affected by a shorter summer break.

But Gilkey said with the renovations of Jeffersonville High School completed in 2011, the district avoided some of those problems during a regular school calendar year by requiring contractors to work second shift.

Joe Basham, board member at West Clark Community Schools, said contractors will often follow the marching orders of a district for a job.

“The skilled trade in our area is second to none,” Basham said. “We as Southern Indiana should be proud of the contractors we have ... “People will work second shift, third shift whatever. They don’t care as long as it’s putting food on their table.”

DJ Hines, NA-FC board member, said some projects can meet tighter completion dates if the price is right, especially if early finish incentives are offered.

But the group also discussed finding ways to generate money other than what they’re paid per student.

Mark Pavey, Greater Clark board vice president, said the districts should look into hiring a full-time grant writer to bring in more money, or even look at renting out building spaces and other options.

“We’re all struggling with revenue and we’re depending on those students getting shifted around,” Pavey said, “but is there opportunities to somehow generate revenue within the schools that go right back into the general fund that can be used for operations?”

But Bill Wilson, president of Clarksville Community Schools board, said that’s an idea he brought up last time and hasn’t seen anything come of it yet.

“Well you threw it out last time,” Wilson said. “When things get thrown out, I don’t like it. I like to see things happen.”

The boards also talked about the discussions they’ve had with local legislators, including state Rep. Ed Clere and state Sen. Ron Grooms — who attended the meeting — and the openness from them on issues of funding inequalities in the state, the possibility of using Tax Increment Finance District funds and deannexation to help schools.