CCSC Board tackles athletic renovation hearing, 2027 budget preview

The Cloverdale Community School Corporation (CCSC) Board of School Trustees opened the new academic year Aug. 10 with a full agenda that included academic updates, a required public hearing on major athletic facility improvements, a detailed financial presentation, and approvals across district operations. All seven board members were in attendance for the meeting.

A major portion of the meeting centered on a legally required public hearing regarding proposed improvements to the district’s football field and track. Superintendent Dr. Stacy Mason outlined the necessity of the project, pointing to persistent drainage problems on the football field and an aging track surface.

“Our current football field faces significant drainage challenges,” Dr. Mason said. “Transitioning to a synthetic turf field will resolve the drainage issues and eliminate ongoing costs.”

She added that the current track had “exceeded its functional life expectancy,” explaining that combining both renovations into a single project would reduce overall costs.

A statement and PowerPoint presentation from Stifel, Nicolaus & Co., the district’s underwriter, outlined the financing plan for $4.895 million in bonds, with $4.5 million allocated directly for construction. Dr. Mason emphasized that the net tax impact on residents would remain less than five cents per $100 of assessed property value.

Following the public hearing, attorney Stacy Barclay with Sutherlin, Zeiner & Barclay, LLC of Greencastle, presented five project-related resolutions to the board. The trustees approved the main Project Resolution by a 7–0 vote, while unanimously passing the Reimbursement Resolution, the Resolution Determining Need for the Project, the Lease Amendment Resolution, and the Reapproval of Building Corporation Formation.

Greg Linton, former CCSC superintendent and current Chief Financial Officer for the Cloverdale Distance Learning Academy (CDLA), later delivered a comprehensive budget workshop, highlighting that district enrollment grew by 53 students last year. While the district’s virtual program saw a decrease of 97 students, Linton noted that the program remains “very robust.” Though cash balances continue to climb, Linton cautioned the board about rising utility expenses, increasing insurance rates, and circuit breaker revenue losses.

To help offset facility project costs, the district plans to transfer $1.5 million from its Rainy Day Fund.

“We’re always wanting to do the very best we can for students,” Linton said, “but that’s always done in a tone of very conservative, fiscally responsible [planning].”

The board voted unanimously to advertise the 2027 budget, capital projects plan, and bus replacement plan.

Curriculum Director Cathy Ames opened the evening’s academic presentations with updates on statewide testing and upcoming legislative mandates. Ames noted that IRead results were expected the following day and that ILearn scale scores were already available to administrators, though state proficiency cut scores had not yet been released. She outlined new state legislation requiring individualized math plans for students in kindergarten through eighth grade and commended recent upgrades to the state’s TIDE testing platform, which will now grant teachers access to real-time student data.

Reflecting on the return to classrooms, Ames said, “A lot of great things [are] starting out our school year, and I know it will continue to be a successful year.”

Moving into routine and operational business, the board voted unanimously to approve the meeting agenda, while the July 13 meeting minutes were approved 6–0 with one abstention. Claims and financial reports totaling $1,133,972.17 passed unanimously, and no public comments were submitted during the meeting.

The board then addressed several operational, personnel, and policy changes. Members unanimously approved changing the district’s Medicaid billing provider to Relay, adopted the SuperEval superintendent evaluation tool, and approved stipends for CDLA co-directors and the guidance secretary. Middle school coaching staff appointments passed by a 6–1 vote, while new hires and adjunct teacher contracts were approved unanimously. Trustees also unanimously approved an increase in the IRS mileage reimbursement rate to 76 cents per mile, as well as all submitted professional leaves, facility use requests, and student transfers.

As part of the approved field trips, trustees gave the go-ahead for 14 FFA students to attend the Indiana State Fair on Aug. 13, 85 sophomores to attend the Area 30 Career & Academic Programming Exploration on Nov. 23, and 120 juniors and seniors to visit the Area 30 Career Fair on April 9, 2027.

The board also formally approved the complete personnel agenda, acknowledging several resignations, employment changes, and coaching updates:

Resignations

• Christina Bessell (CES instructional assistant)
• Cathy Ames (Director of Cloverdale Distance Learning Academy)
• Brittany Jacobson (part-time custodian)
• Ashlee Burnham (CES instructional assistant)
• Jason Frye (CHS instructional assistant)

Employment

• Aubree Grundlock (reassigned from CMS Special Education teacher to CMS seventh grade English/Language Arts teacher)
• Ron Lyon (promoted from substitute bus driver to full-time)
• Cathy Tipton (bus aide)
• Kiersten Wade (Knoy part-time Instructional Assistant)
• Dani Cummings (transferred from CMS instructional assistant to CES instructional assistant)
• Jenny Dicken (CES instructional assistant)
• Rae Stout, Ashley Wells, Laura Anderson, and Sherry Flory (CMS four-hour cafeteria staff)
• Samantha Hollcraft (CMS 5.5-hour cafeteria staff)
• Holly Howard, Jaci Maynard, and Whitney Wilkerson (CMS instructional assistants)
• Dorothy Austin (moved from CMS four-hour cafeteria staff to substitute)
• Britney Manuel (CHS part-time custodian)
• Kayla Parrish (moved from full-time bus driver to substitute)

Athletic personnel actions included the resignations of Sara Howard (CMS head track coach) and Ken Schnepp (assistant track coach), the hiring of Bambi Wiley (CHS fall cheer coach), and volunteer approvals for Jamie Steffy (CHS girls’ golf volunteer assistant), and Cooper Neese (CHS boys’ basketball volunteer assistant).

Acceptance of local grants and donations also received unanimous support, including a $2,000 gift from POET Biorefining for book vending machines at Cloverdale Elementary School and $2,767 from Drew Boyette for the football program.

Concluding the meeting, Dr. Mason commended district staff and students for a smooth return to school, noting early compliance with the district’s new cell phone policy.

Board members echoed praise for the maintenance and custodial staff for their hard work readying campus facilities for opening day and acknowledged recent donations supporting the district’s neuroscience lab and local contributions to Dollars for Scholars.

CCSC Board members Vivian Whitaker, Katrina Lewis, Donna Fidler, Melissa Carrell, Emily Haltom, Joe Mann, and Mike Rightmyer II will meet again on Monday, Sept. 14, at 7 p.m. in the Arthur L. Johnson Administration Building.