CCSC Board tackles fiscal errors, CDLA restructuring
The Cloverdale Community School Corporation (CCSC) Board of School Trustees navigated a packed agenda during its April 13 meeting, addressing everything from accounting oversight to life-changing student travels across the Atlantic.
With six of seven members present—board member Joe Mann was absent—the evening balanced routine administrative business with significant updates on the district's future.
The meeting opened on a high note as Lesley Spatta, a Cloverdale High School social studies instructor, shared highlights from a recent spring break trip to Spain. Accompanied by Celeste Terrell and six Cloverdale students, the group joined a larger party of 25 to explore Barcelona, Madrid and Zaragoza.
Spatta noted that for four of the six local students, the trip marked their first time flying. Despite Spatta not speaking Spanish—relying on a bilingual guide named Rafa with EF Tours—she described the experience as transformative.
"It changed my life," Spatta told the board. "It gave me a new perspective on the world and people. The kids embraced and supported each other, whether they knew each other beforehand or not."
The board, moved by the success of the program, later unanimously approved a request from Principal Sonny Stolz for a follow-up international trip to Italy, scheduled for the summer of 2028.
Superintendent Greg Linton addressed a recent notification from the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) regarding an "excessive" Education Fund transfer. State law caps transfers from the Education Fund to the Operation Fund at 15 percent; however, Linton reported a transfer of 15.56 percent.
"This is an error that I made at the end of the year when final transfers were completed," Linton explained.
To rectify the oversight, the board directed Executive Secretary Heather Stokes to record the acknowledgment in the official minutes and publish a notice on the corporation's website. Within 90 days, Linton will submit an explanatory document to the Distressed Appeals Board and the IDOE. To prevent a reoccurrence, the corporation treasurer will now join the superintendent in monitoring end-of-month calculations.
The board approved a strategic reduction in days for CCSC Food Service Director Billy Boyette, moving from 233 to 135 days annually. The move allows Boyette to maintain health benefits while saving the food service budget $24,792.32. Linton noted that these savings would help transition responsibilities to a head cook as part of a long-term succession plan.
Significant changes are also coming to the Cloverdale Distance Learning Academy (CDLA). To better aggregate test scores and distinguish between grade levels, the board approved:
Adding 11th grade to the Academy High School.
Amending the CDLA profile to cover grades K-5.
Creating a dedicated CDLA Middle School for grades 6-8.
To manage these administrative changes, the board discussed hiring a part-time administrative assistant at an introductory rate of $14.63 per hour.
In other business, the board unanimously approved new English/Language Arts textbooks for the middle and high schools and a subscription to the School Counselor Use of Time Analysis (SCUTA) software.
In a show of neighborly support, the board approved the use of the Cloverdale High School (CHS) track by the Eminence High School track team. Board President Vivian Whitaker noted that the two schools have a long history of sharing facilities, dating back 50 years.
Approval was also granted for four homebound instructors to assist middle school students, as well as the formalization of a corporation-wide mentoring program.
Claims and financial reports totaling $3,663,495.97 were approved, covering two payroll cycles.
The board also approved four student transfers into the district and five donations to the middle and high schools, alongside excitement for the upcoming "Snails to Trails" summer program.
The board also took time to celebrate excellence within the district:
Students of the Month: Harper Haltom (Cloverdale Elementary), Jacob Bequette (Cloverdale Middle School) and Chase Cofer (CHS).
Staff Member of the Month: Stacey Plamondon, instructional assistant at CMS.
In addition, the board approved the following professional leave, field trip and facility use requests:
Professional Leave Requests
March 6 – Jamie Nees, CPI training, ONT.
March 13 – Tyler Lotz, Drew Boyette, Indiana Football Coaches Association, Indianapolis.
March 13 – Chelsea Beatty, IEP workday, Cloverdale.
April 8 – Jamie Nees, Media Specialist, Area 30 Career Center.
April 9 – Kim Bailey, I CIVICS Education Conference, Indianapolis.
April 13 – Jamie Nees, work on IEP paperwork, CES.
April 13 – Nicole Campbell, Training Indiana's New Accountability Model, online.
April 16 – Kenzie Pigg, joint board meeting Young Farmers & Ag Professionals, Indiana Farm Bureau Office, Indianapolis.
April 17 – Carolyn Hall, IEP workday, CMS.
April 20 – Nicole Campbell, Sara Howard, Alison Dobbs, Rachel Newton, Katina Wetter-Wright, Strategies for Preventing and Eliminating Chronic Disruptive Behavior, Area 30 Career Center.
May 4 – Jamie Nees, work on IEP paperwork, CES.
May 5 – Cathy Ames, Safe Schools training, CIESC.
May 5 – Lori Halloran, CMS Leader in Me field trip, Brownsburg.
May 7 – Grayce Burdette, set up for Arts Fair, CMS, CES.
Field Trips
April 30 – Spanish III, Indianapolis Zoo.
May 2 – Academic Super Bowl, Sarah Scott Middle School, Terre Haute.
May 5 – CMS Leader In Me, Slick City, Brownsburg.
May 7 – Third Grade Class, Tivoli Theatre, Spencer.
June 1-8 – Snails to Trails, Nashville, IN.
June 2-9 – Snails to Trails, Santa Claus, IN.
June 3-10 – Snails to Trails, Beef and Boards, Indianapolis.
June 4-11 – Snails to Trails, Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis.
June 5-12 – Snails to Trails, Louisville, KY.
Facility Use
March 12 –Student Incentive Motivating Magic Show, CHS gymnasium.
March 16 – Cloverdale Community Youth League (CCYL) board meeting, CMS library.
March 29 – CCYL coaches scheduling meeting for Softball, CMS library.
April 4 – CCYL Easter Egg Hunt (in the event of inclement weather), CHS auxiliary gym and cafeteria.
May 7 – Arts Department Annual Art Fair, CES and CMS.
May 8 – CHOICE dance, CMS gymnasium.
May 17 – Cloverdale Christian Church Community and Church Wide Hymn Sing and Prayer, football field and CMS gymnasium.
Additional personnel matters receiving board approval included:
Retirements
Julie Dix – CHS Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) teacher.
Lisa Mendenhall – custodian.
Resignations
Seth Geiger – CMS long-term substitute
Chelsea Gellenback – CHS C.L.A.S.P. Learning Disabilities instructional assistant.
Employment
Hannah Beaman – Bus aide, part-time.
Tracy Young – CHS Special Education instructional assistant.
The Cloverdale School Board—consisting of Vivian Whitaker, Katrina Lewis, Donna Fidler, Melissa Carrell, Emily Haltom, Joe Mann, and Mike Rightmyer II—is scheduled to meet again at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 11. The meeting will take place at the Arthur L. Johnson Administration Building, 310 E. Logan St., Cloverdale.
