The North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation has yet to release the names of the 24 staff members who are being eliminated or reassigned as part of a “right-sizing” of the corporation. The cuts announced and approved at the Tuesday, March 15 meeting include a termination of seven certified employees, an adjustment in contract for three certified employees, and a termination in employment for 14 non-certified personnel.
The reductions will be effective at the end of the school year. During the public comment portion of the meeting, North Judson-San Pierre Interim Superintendent Dr. Bob Boyd promised to provide a list of names to the media by the end of the week in order to allow time for formal notification of affected employees.
Boyd sent a news release on Friday, March 18th elaborating on the approved cuts. The reductions include 10 certified teachers, four of whom are general elementary school classroom teachers. Another three are special education teachers, and three more are certified support personnel. An additional 14 non-certified staff will be cut. Boyd says they are primarily teacher’s aid positions that support student learning, and adds no support programs will be cut.
WKVI News asked then if the names would be forthcoming, to which Boyd replied “the thought of the affected people’s names going public at this time was found to be repugnant by most folks here at N.J.-S.P.,” and advised they would be available after the board minutes are approved.
Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act is open to interpretation as to when so-called “draft minutes” or other meeting memoranda are available for public inspection. It merely states they are to be available “within a reasonable period of time” after a public meeting.
Additional reductions in food service and custodial personnel are still under consideration, according to Boyd. He says they will be announced in a timely manner.
The “right-sizing” plan includes consolidation of the middle and high school administrations and a move of 6th grade students to the elementary school building. Boyd says adjustments in central office and building level administrative positions will be made as a new superintendent is appointed by the school board. Boyd’s interim contract is up at the end of June.
As for decisions about the current central office building and middle school space, they will be made prior to the start of school in August. WKVI News remains committed to reporting on decisions as they are made and will share information as it is publicly available.
To date, Boyd says the adjustments in general fund expenditures total about $1.25 million, which is 16.5 percent of the 2016 general fund total appropriations. He says the right sizing will bring expenditures in line with projected general fund revenue. Boyd says N.J.-S.P. will continue to provide services for all grade levels well into the future. He adds cuts in state funding mean “business as usual from the past” is not possible in the short-term future.
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