By CHET BAUMGARTNER
Bluffton-Harrison school board member Mike Murray announced Monday that he will not seek re-election, leaving his district 1 seat open starting next year.
Murray announced his departure at the end of the district’s regular school board meeting. He said he wants to dedicate more time to family commitments, particularly as his grandchildren age.
He also said he wanted to announce it now to ensure people could file in time. Anyone interested can file for candidacy starting Tuesday, May 21.
But before Murray makes his final vote in December, he must consider several rounds of policy updates and implementations, including those Superintendent Brad Yates introduced Monday.
During their March meeting, board members started reviewing district policies — and considering new ones — and each month, board members will review eight to 10 policies, such as new policies concerning “civility and decorum” and student homework.
These particular policies do not address student behavior or expectations, Yates said; the district already addresses these through various handbooks.
Instead, the policies the board considered Monday address general principles to help define, for instance, the objective of homework, which schools can use to establish any more specific standards, Yates said.
Similarly, the policy on civility and decorum establishes general standards for the community as well as responses the district might take if people do not act civilly.
Board members will discuss these and other policies again in June, when they’ll also discuss a policy on student absenteeism, discipline, and cell phone use.
This policy does not propose any substantive changes to current standards, Yates said, but it will officially align the district with standards state legislators have mandated through legislation they passed this year.
Yates said he would like the board to pass the policy on first and second readings at their June meeting to ensure the district complies when the law takes effect July 1.
In other business, board members Julie Thompson, Murray, Bruce Holland, Trent White, and Angie Sheets:
• Approved selling two buses through a public auction. Yates said the district would place a reserve price to ensure revenue exceeds trade-in value and auction costs.
• Approved the district’s teacher evaluation and development plan. The committee that reviewed the plan recommended it remain unchanged.
• Approved summer work schedules for the district’s 12-month personnel.
• Approved an updated 2024-2025 school-year calendar to include flexibility waiver professional development days on Tuesday, Oct. 15; Friday, Dec. 20; Monday, Jan. 20; and Thursday, March 13.
•Approved the retirement request of Julee Frauhiger, the district’s payroll specialist for the past 28 years.
• Approved four resignations and almost 40 employment recommendations, including hiring Celeste Lewis as the Area 18 Career and Technical Education director.
• Approved two Family & Medical Leave Act requests.
• Accepted 25 donations totaling more than $7,000. Many of the donations were for the annual MS Color Run.
• Approved a number of policies on second reading.
• Approved discontinuing the rental agreement with Wells County HeadStart. Yates said staff recommended the action because of declining enrollment in the HeadStart program and increasing enrollment in the district-run On My Way PreK program.
• Approved applying for the Purple Star School Recommendation, which the Indiana Department of Education uses to honor schools with “significant commitment to service members, veterans, and students and families connected to our nation’s military.”
• Approved the district’s “belief statement,” a summary of the district’s “guiding principles” that help define a “quality education.” Board members reviewed a draft of the statement last month, and with their approval Monday, district staff will now develop standard practices and expectations to create building-level statements.
During the meeting, board members and staff also made several announcements:
• Holland announced that the middle school academic teams were recognized as a top 10 team in its division. Furthermore, Holland said, the high school e-sports team competed in state finals, with one team securing a championship and another securing the runner-up spot. Student Sam Holloway won the state championship in his individual competition.
• Bluffton-Harrison Elementary Principal Schlaura Linderwell said the IDOE issued a proficient certification to the elementary school through “Family Friendly Schools Designation” recognition. This is the first year the school earned this status, Linderwell said.
• Yates presented several updates on renovations and building projects. Yates specifically said the district is “exploring cost options” to renovate the fifth- and sixth-grade bathrooms and the seventh- and eighth-grade bathrooms. Furthermore, Yates said Minnich’s Lawn Care will complete foundational work for the “Our Town” safety village in June or July if all goes as scheduled.
The school board will meet again at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 17, at the central office.
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