Cloverdale School Board reorganizes for 2026

The Cloverdale Community School Corporation (CCSC) Board of School Trustees met Jan. 12th to elect officers for the 2026 calendar year, approve routine matters, and to address several items under the new business portion of the meeting.

Three community members were also in attendance to address the recent departure of Cloverdale Middle School (CMS) special education teacher Jill Schreiber.

Under board organization, Vivian Whitaker was elected to continue in her role as board president for 2026, while Mike Rightmyer II was nominated and approved to serve as vice president, and Donna Fidler as board secretary.

The board also voted to continue holding regular board meetings on the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Arthur L. Johnson Administration Building.

Board member compensation was set at $2,000 a year, with an additional compensation of $75 per board member for each meeting held outside of the regular board meetings.

Noting board compensation has remained unchanged for more than 20 years, Whitaker said a change in state law would have permitted the board to increase the per person compensation amount to 10 percent of a beginning teacher's salary, which would amount to $4,830.

"We thought that to be an excessive jump, but due to the fact that we will be hiring a new superintendent and we have a couple of work sessions on items that are coming up, we are going to add a stipend for those meetings, so that is our rationale," Whitaker explained.

Next, the board voted to appoint Mendy Shrout as corporation treasurer, Sara Zaring as deputy treasurer, and Michelle Cooper with Lewis & Kappes Law Firm and Tim Shelly with Warrick & Boyn as corporation attorneys.

Under routine matters, the board voted unanimously to approve meeting minutes for executive and regular sessions held Dec. 8, 2025, as well as the latest claims and financial reports, which CCSC Superintendent Greg Linton advised totaled $2,455,061.71 (including two payrolls).

Regarding communications, the board recognized the corporation's latest Student of the Month honorees, which included Cloverdale Elementary School (CES) student Lily Flinchum, Cloverdale Middle School (CMS) student Macy Mescall, and Cloverdale High School (CHS) student Zaydin Knight.

Jessica Fidler, fifth-grade math teacher at CMS, was honored as the latest CCSC Staff Member of the Month.

Cloverdale Police Department Sergeant Wade Warren had the honor of recognizing the department's latest Citizens of the Month, which included CES third-grader Liam Bernard and CMS student Alea Crecelius.

Addressing new business, the board voted 7-0 to approve hiring a temporary transportation director assistant while full-time director Joel Kennelly is on family medical leave (FMLA).

The board also voted 7-0 to approve updating the corporation's mileage reimbursement rate to match the updated federal rate for mileage reimbursement of 72.5 cents per mile, which went into effect on Jan. 1st. The corporation's previous mileage reimbursement rate was 70 cents per mile.

Next, the board cast separate votes to approve the Chromebook responsibility and financial liability policy, the 2025-27 Title II Grant in the amount of $47,563.48, and compensation for students who work in the Clover Student Café.

"We have a small group of students who have agreed to learn the coffee industry in our Cloverdale Student Café and in order to encourage more participation Mr. (Sonny) Stoltz has requested $30 for each student for each time they complete a shift in our café of an evening during a school sporting event or other ECA (extra-curricular activity)," superintendent Linton explained.

The board also voted unanimously to accept donations for CES and CHS, and one cash transfer-in for CHS.

In addition, the board approved the following professional leave, field trip, and facility use requests:

Professional leave requests

Jan. 2 -- Brian Siddons, girls' sectional wrestling, Ben Davis.
Jan. 7 -- Kenzie Pigg, legislative lobby meeting, Indiana Statehouse.
Jan. 13 -- Kim Bailey, Advanced Classroom Management, Area 30, Greencastle.
Jan. 21 -- Drew Boyette, MI-BAT Beginning Ag Teacher Workshop, Trafalgar.
Jan. 22 -- Kenzie Pigg, IAAE Winter Workshop, Indiana FFA Leadership Center.
Jan. 30 -- Jessica Fidler, Strategies for Preventing and Eliminating Chronic Disruptive Behaviors, Greencastle West Central.
Feb. 10 -- Chelsey Meluch, School Culture Workshop, West Central.
Feb. 17 -- Chelsey Meluch, Proactive Leadership Workshop.
Feb. 20, Mar. 13 and Mar. 16 -- Kenzie Pigg, conventions and conferences of Serving the Indiana Farm Bureau State Committee for Young Farmers & Ag, French Lick, IN, Anaheim, California, Indianapolis, and Portland, Oregon.
Feb. 24 -- Chelsey Meluch, Teacher Retention Workshop, virtual.
Mar. 13 -- Karl Turk, JAG competition, Ivy Tech, Greencastle.

Field Trips

Dec. 22, 2025 -- CHS varsity girls' basketball team and families, Coachman Fairground.
Jan. 13 -- CMS fifth grade class, Putnam County Courthouse, Greencastle.
Jan. 20 -- CMS fifth grade class, Putnam County Courthouse, Greencastle.
Mar. 6 -- Bring Change 2 Mind, Eagle Creek Reservoir.
Mar. 13 -- CHS Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG), Ivy Tech, Greencastle.

Facility use

Jan. -- May -- Girl Scout Troop 1142, Girl Scout Juniors working on Bronze Award, Mrs. Vaughn's kindergarten classroom.
Jan. -- Apr. -- 4-H Club, 4-H meetings, CHS ag room.
Jan 25 and Jan. 31 -- Cloverdale Community Youth League (CCYL), softball/baseball open gym and evaluations, CHS auxiliary gym.
Feb. 7 -- CHS class of 2027, fundraiser for prom, CHS auxiliary gym.
Feb. 21 -- Softball clinic, CHS auxiliary gym.
Apr. 17 -- FFA, District VII Leadership Contest, CHS gym, auxiliary gym, cafetorium, and media center.

Additional personnel matters receiving board approval included:

Employment

Amy Bates -- bus aide.
John Brush -- CHS part-time AEP-discipline assistant.
Cyndi Byrer -- CHS custodian, moving from part-time to full-time.
Seth Geiger -- CMS long-term substitute.

Coaching resignation

Seth Geiger -- track coach.

Coaching hire

Martha Miles -- CHS winter cheer coach.
Ken Schnepp -- CHS assistant track coach.

Coaching volunteer

Brantson Scott -- CHS assistant basketball coach.

The Cloverdale Community School Board will meet again on Monday, Feb. 9 beginning at 7 p.m. in the Arthur L. Johnson Administration Building, 310 E. Logan St., Cloverdale. Members of the board include Vivian Whitaker, Katrina Lewis, Donna Fidler, Melissa Carrell, Emily Haltom, Joe Mann, and Mike Rightmyer II.