Sets one meeting a month
Delphi approves schedules, salaries
By Kevin Schnepp

The night before Tuesday's big snow day, the Delphi Community School Corporation Board of School Trustees precipitated a blizzard of their own with approvals for scheduling enhancements and contracts.

In consecutive unanimous votes, the board put into place semester format at the middle school and block scheduling at the high school.

Middle school principal Robert DeLarosa said the switch from trimesters to semesters at the middle school would help enhance both schools' educational opportunities.

"Our master schedule will coordinate with the high school's more," DeLaRosa explained. "We will be able to offer a smoother transition for students entering high school."

DeLaRosa said the middle school would have an eight-period day to help with the alignment, but it would not be block scheduling. Students would have the same homeroom time and move between classes simultaneously.

Careers classes currently offered at the high school will be available in eighth grade next year, providing students the opportunity to take more electives in high school.

Block scheduling at the high will be beneficial to students and teachers high school principal Barry Stone said. A challenge will be structuring the in and out-of-school suspension programs.

"We are working toward enforcing what we already have in place," Stone began. "And we will build on that to create programs from which the schools and the community will benefit," he concluded. Contracts renewed

The board unanimously approved salary increases of oneand a-half percent for teachers and extracurricular staff, retroactive to the first day of the 2006-07 school year. Aides, cafeteria personnel, bus drivers and administrators will receive a one-and-a-half per- cent pay increase, with the stipulation the increases would be at the discretion of corporation superintendent Ralph Walker.

Meeting dates adjusted

The board approved Walker's request for one meeting the second Monday of each month, except in August and September when two will be required.

The board approved a $1.75 million temporary tax anticipation loan through First Financial Bank. Walker said the money would be re-invested for three months at another bank, most likely Regions. He explained an investment rate of more than five percent would help buffer the 3.93 percent interest rate on the loan.

Maintenance supervisor John Eller reported a heater problem at the Camden school was solved. Another unit was retrofitted as a replacement.

"I want to clarify that no one went without heat during the outage," he said, adding that radiant heaters kept the room around 70 degrees.

Financial outlook provided

Lonnie Therber shared information concerning ways the corporation could take on new project debt without increasing the tax rate.

Therber provided a 20-year plan. Assuming certain criteria, such as how and when new debt would be created, the plan would allow for approximately $20 million in new bonds.

Variables to affect the debt service tax rate included valuation, non-property tax revenues, the amount of new debt, interest rates and payments. By pro-rating new debt in as old debt is retired, the corporation would not need to raise taxes and would not let the rate fall.

"The corporation is in pretty good shape financially," Therber commented. "But knowing the schools as I do, there is more than likely some repair needed."

Pat George, president of the Educational Foundation, established to raise money for scholarships, presented a timeline showing progress since inception in 2006. The foundation submitted federal tax forms and would soon have necessary state forms completed.

Other business

Claims and payroll in the amount of $1,441,996.67 were approved.

FFA will embark on a ski trip Feb. 24 in Jones, Mich.

Jennifer Schnepp was approved to be a grant writer for the corporation.

Athletic director Bob Blaydes will go on disability for 90 days effective Feb. 16.

The next regular meeting will be March 12 at 7 p.m.