Greensburg — For the remainder of the 2012-2013 school year and the entirety of the 2013-2014 school year, Decatur County Community Schools will remain on its current schedule.

Johnny Budd, superintendent of Decatur County Community Schools (DCCS), made the announcement Wednesday night at the regular monthly meeting of the DCCS Board.

The Board recently concluded a survey of the corporation’s students, staff and parents. The results of that survey, Budd reported, were 58 percent in favor of maintaining the current schedule and 42 percent in favor of modifying.

“At this time,” the superintendent said, “I’m not recommending we make a change. I do believe it’s an issue we should reconsider in the future.”

The board also discussed a buckling issue with the South Decatur Elementary School’s gym floor at Wednesday’s meeting.

DCCS Maintenance Director Don Lewellyn reported that the floor is buckling near one entrance and that the damage is expanding out toward the main floor.

“That floor,” Lewellyn explained, “is the original floor first installed in the 1950s.”

Lewellyn speculated that the age of the floor combined with building standards of the period and a decades-ago termite problem have likely all contributed to the damage, which he characterized as “worse in winter and better in summer.”

Board member Matt Hoeing suggested that replacing the entire floor might be a better solution than simply performing a patch on such a dated structure.

However, with the price tag for a replacement running over $100,000, Budd wasn’t convinced replacing was the best option.

Pending further evaluation of the floor and the extent of damage, the board will again address the issue at a later meeting.

Budd also reported on the construction progress of new Science Wings at North and South Decatur High Schools.

The superintendent told the Daily News that, during the corporation’s semester’s-long reconstruction and renovation projects, three classrooms of the new wing at North were completed, while two at South were completed (the new wings at both are virtually identical, containing five classrooms each).

Budd explained that the classrooms were left incomplete because initial money allotted for the new wings proved insufficient to complete the construction.

Because the original bid for the work was 14-months-old, the board was forced to reestimate the cost of the unfinished work and create a new bid for it.

That bid, according to Budd, went to T & G construction out of Bedford, for $368,598.

The superintendent reported that he expects work to be completed at both schools by the end of May.

Also on Wednesday night, Budd laid-out the board’s official policy for rental of its new headquarters building at 2020 North Montgomery Road (where Wednesday’s meeting was held).

In reviewing the amount, the corporation the community to use the building, Budd made clear that the board has no intention of making a profit from the building’s use.

“We want to be a good steward to the community,” he said. “We only want to break even for anyone who wants to use our facility and thereby give back to the community as much as we can.”

According to the Board’s official policy handout on the matter, any DCCS school-affiliated group may use the building free of charge, while community non-profit groups will be charged $20 hourly, with business groups paying $30 hourly.

Budd cautioned, however, that, depending on pending estimates of the building’s utility usage and the size of the group and event in question, those amounts could go up or down.

In regards to the corporation’s old building at 1645 Indiana 46, Budd explained that two appraisals of the structure must be completed and those two averaged together to create a bid.

“That bid must be advertised for 30 days,” Budd said. “If one of the subsequent bids on the building is within 90 percent, we can sell; if not, we have to advertise another 30 days. Afterward, we can sell to the highest bidder regardless of percentages.”

Budd also reported Wednesday night that he anticipates the pilot iPad program at North and South Elementary Schools will be up and running within four-to-five weeks.

Under the program, two full classes at both schools will receive iPads for trial use. The two teachers will receive thorough guidance and training on the most efficient, advantageous use of the devices for classroom education.

Also on Wednesday night, the Board held a special annual session to elect officers for 2013.

Board member Tim Roscoe was elected 2013 president by his fellow board members, while Matt Holden was named vice president.

Todd Mauer was named secretary, and Brent Muckerheide president of the Board of Finance. The board also named member Chris Owens as its ISBA Legislative Representative and Policy Liaison and reconfirmed Louise Smith, Sandy Pratt and Amy Hacker, respectively, as treasurer, deputy treasurer and assistant bookkeeper.

Also during the session, the DCCS Board again selected the second Wednesday of each month as its meeting date, but moved the meeting’s regular start time from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The next regular meeting of the DCCS Board will be at 6 p.m., Feb. 13 at the main office.



Contact: Rob Cox at 812-663-3111 x7011.