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Schools' $52.4 million budget gets board's OK

The Huntington County Community School Corporation Board of Trustees got a lot done in a short amount of time at its meeting Monday, Oct. 27, adopting the 2015 budget as well as the general obligation bond and school bus replacement plan, among other items of business.

The $52.4 million 2015 budget, which includes $36.3 million in the general fund, received quick approval with a 6-1 vote, with board member Scott Hoffman voting no.

Board President Kevin Patrick says the school system is doing a good job of doing more with less.

"Over the last eight and a half years that I've been on the school board, our budgets have been reduced by more than $5 million a year. But as you can see from the results that we get in the classroom, our results continue to improve," he said. "That's because we have some of the greatest employees anywhere, and we have parents and students that are working together to make those accomplishments."

The board passed the general obligation bond additional appropriation resolution with a 5-2 vote, with board members Hoffman and Rex Baxter voting against the bond.

The resolution gives the school corporation permission, if bonds are sold, to use the proceeds of the bonds for expenses, specifically various repairs to school buildings.

The board also adopted on final reading the $2 million general obligation bond on a 5-2 vote, with Hoffman and Baxter voting against the bond.

The 2015-2017 capital projects plan was also approved with a 5-2 vote, again with Hoffman and Baxter voting against the plan.

The 2015-2026 bus replacement plan received unanimous support from the board, passing 7-0, with an advertised ap-propriation of $809,334.

Jon Bennett, assistant superintendent for business, said the corporation plans to purchase one bus this school year, and as many as six in the 2015-16 school year.

In other items of business:

• The 2015 tax neutrality resolution (pension bond) was approved 7-0.

"It will be nice to see that go away," Patrick said.

• The board gave approval 7-0 for bids to be received for repair of the high school's roof and blow-off hatches. Super-intendent Tracey Shafer says the work probably will not happen this year.

"That's not likely to be until early next spring due to the timeline," he said, "but we'll get the process started and we'll probably get better bids over the winter."

Shafer added a communications tower will need to be moved off the roof before repair work can begin.

• Several policies were adopted on second reading, with a 6-1 vote. Hoffman voted against the adoption because he was against only one of the policies, that of the new school nutrition policy.

"We have to abide by the USDA regulation, which is Mrs. Obama's food policy," he says. "The waste is unbelievable. Kids aren't having a good lunch, so how can they study and concentrate on classes when they aren't getting a good meal?"

Board member Holly Thompson added she recently had lunch at a school and the wasted food caught her attention.

"It's like they're eating just one thing out of three or four," she said.

• Shafer explained the process of adding a board member to represent District 5, which does not have a candidate run-ning in the upcoming Nov. 4 election.

After the election, the district will advertise for interested candidates to apply for the vacant seat.

After newly-elected District 2 and 3 new members are sworn in, in early January, the board will conduct interviews in an executive session and then appoint the District 5 member, likely at the Jan. 12 board meeting, Shafer says.