A difference of opinion – and memory – between administration and teachers forced the 5-member school board to make a decision on a financial dispute at Monday night’s board meeting.
Smith-Green school board member Bob Amber voted against a request to funnel $2,130 to the Destination ImagiNation fund for a May 2007 trip the D.I. team took to Knoxville, Tenn.
Maggie Kitt was honored at the December school board meeting and given the Spotlight on Success award. Kitt is a seventh grade student at Churubusco Middle School and was recognized for her hard work in two dance classes, choir, 4-H and schoolwork. She is the daughter of John Kitt and Robin McCormick.
Although he was outvoted by four votes on the issue, Amber said from now on the school needs to have a contract in place clearly outlining the procedures for funding D.I. trips and transportation.
by Viv Sade
“This agreement has to be in writing,” Amber says. “We’re relying on people’s memories after a year and a half?”
The request for $2,130 from the D.I. team came after teacher sponsors in charge of the group met with Adam Skiles, director of business and technology, and Bruce Hiippensteel, interim superintendent, last Tuesday.
According to a school memo, Destination ImagiNation sponsors felt there were some discrepancies regarding receipts and expenditures to their fund.
After reviewing the records, there was a difference of opinion regarding the sum of $2,130 that was received from Central Noble School Corp. for their portion (half) of the trip to Knoxville.
Both teams from both school corporations shared a chartered bus, Amber said, and Smith-Green paid the entire bill of $4,260 up front.
Amber said Central Noble paid Smith-Green for their half almost immediately.
“We had agreed to pay the transportation costs for the DI teams,” Amber said. “And we put that check into an account to offset the cost of he transportation per our agreement.”
“We have a lot of great D.I. teams and they all travel to various competitions,” Amber said. “We try to do everything in our power to help them, including paying upfront fees such as registration and other charges, but they must reimburse the corporation for those costs.”
After reviewing board minutes and audio, Skiles was unable to find any information to verify whether or not Smith-Green Schools was to be reimbursed for the funds expended and left it up to the board to decide the matter.
“This is why every year this is a muddy mess,” Amber said. “Because there is no written agreement.”
In other school board business Monday:
• The board agreed to borrow money in the form of tax anticipation warrants for the following funds Transportation Fund, $304,156; Debt Service fund, $19,326; Pension bond Fund, $23,394.
The need for the tax anticipation warrants is determined by the 2009 cash flow projections, Skiles said. Cash flows in these three funds are expected to be negative at month end for various times throughout 2009, as a result of delayed property tax distributions.
The warrants are issued by the Indiana bond bank and all temporary loans must be paid by Dec. 31, 2009.
Skiles said the repayment should not cause a hardship to Smith-Green Schools, since they will be borrowing only short-term until property taxes are back on a timely distribution by year end.
• The board accepted a $3,000 grant from DECK Foundation to help fund a field trip for fourth and fifth graders to attend a Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra concert.
• The board agreed to have Skiles be the official signature on all purchase orders during their search for a superintendent. Hippensteel will be authorized as the second signer in the event Skiles is not available.
• Claims were approved in the amount of $619,577, which included $268,563 in payroll.
The next regular school board meeting will be Monday, Jan. 5, 2009, at 7 p.m. when new board members will be sworn in.
Also on the agenda for Jan. 5 – the proposed 2009-10 school calendar and the reorganization of the board and its officers.
If the DI team items are discussed at a school board meeting they should be in the minutes, and that would make them in writing. So there should not have been any porblems or concerns.