Cloverdale School Board wraps up 2024

Cloverdale's seven-member school board required less than 30 minutes to wrap up its 2024 calendar year during a meeting held Dec. 9 in the Arthur L. Johnson Administration Center.

The evening began with recognition of the corporation's latest Student of the Month honorees, which included Cloverdale Elementary School (CES) student Aubrey Fidler, Cloverdale Middle School (CMS) student Bella Patton and Cloverdale High School (CHS) student Celeste Terrell.

CMS PE/health educator Brian Siddons was recognized as the latest Staff Member of the Month.

Under new business, Cloverdale Community School Corporation (CCSC) Superintendent Greg Linton addressed the board with a request to approve an additional appropriation for the corporation's Education Fund in the amount of $3,100,000.

"The additional cash is in the Education Fund as cash, but I need the authority to use it for end-of-year expenditures," Linton explained. "This is directly related to the extensive growth of the program."

Board member Donna Filder made a motion to approve the request, with Mike Rightmyer II seconding the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

Next, the board unanimously voted in favor of a request to approve Teacher Appreciation Grant funds, distributed to school corporations each year by the Indiana Department of Education. The funds are awarded to teachers based on the prior year's performance evaluations.

"Teachers receiving a Highly Effective or Effective on their 2023-2024 evaluation are eligible to receive the stipend," Linton said. "I am requesting the board to award the same stipend amount to administrators, which will be paid out of the Education Fund. The amounts of this year's stipends are $1,275.52 for certified staff members receiving a four (4) on their evaluation, and $1,020.41 for certified staff members receiving a three (3) on their evaluation."

Rightmyer made a motion to approve the request and board member Melissa Carrell seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

A request to approve an additional instructional assistant for Cloverdale Middle School (CMS) was also approved, 7-0. CMS Principal Chelsey Meluch submitted the additional personnel request, noting the position would primarily work with special education students in providing access to their accommodations in general education classrooms. The school's special education department is currently serving 74 students, which amounts to 26-percent of the school's student population.

The board also unanimously approved the corporation's 2025-2026 school calendar, which begins Aug. 5 for students and is scheduled to end on May 20. Graduation is slated for May 22.

Acting on a request from CCSC Food Service Director Billy Boyette, the board unanimously approved a request to pay equal wages, $14.46 per hour, for three- and four-hour café positions. "Both are crucial positions and perform the same duties," Boyette noted in his request.

The board later voted 7-0 to approve a request to declare wrestling mats as surplus at CMS. The mats were purchased in 1999 and have reached the end of their useful life.

"We have been blessed with two newer mats in the last few years and now have three competition mats that are tapeless," CCSC Athletic Director James Wade explained. "We no longer need the 25-year-old CMS mat that requires tape that sometimes damages the gym floor."

The board also cast 7-0 votes to approve end-of-the-year purchase orders that would not be ready for payment until after the board's Dec. 9 meeting, as well as a request to approve an updated Rainy-Day Resolution for the 2025 annual budget.

"The original resolution that was submitted contained an incorrect date and the DLGF (Department of Local Government Finance) representative asked me to have a corrected resolution approved by the board," Linton noted.

The board later approved 11 professional leave requests, two field trip requests, and four facility use requests.

Field Trips

May 9 – Seventh/eighth grade honor roll students, Bogey's Family Fun Center, Terre Haute.

May 15 – Seventh/eighth grade students, Indianapolis Indians baseball game, Indianapolis.

Facility Use

Nov. 15, 2024 – Cloverdale Community Youth League (CCYL), youth basketball photos, CES gymnasium.

Dec. 12, CCYL board meeting, CMS library.

Jan. 13, 2025 – CMS Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) winter meeting, CMS media center.

Feb. 8 – CHS junior class, father/daughter dance prom fundraiser, CMS gymnasium.

Additional personnel matters receiving unanimous board approval included:

Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Morgan Barley – CES teacher.

Dawneen Hardwick – CMS medical instructional assistant.

Resignation

Nicole Campbell, junior varsity/varsity head cheerleading coach.

Hire

Camille Garcia, CHS winter cheerleading coach.

Eddie Byrns, CHS girls' wrestling coach.

Kiersten Wade, CMS girls' basketball coach.

Volunteer

Pedro Perez, Jr. – CHS volunteer wrestling coach.

Zach Thomas – CMS boys' basketball volunteer assistant.

Dustin Cummings – CMS boys' basketball volunteer assistant.

The Cloverdale Community School Board will meet again on Monday, Jan. 13 beginning at 7 p.m. in the Arthur L. Johnson Administration Building, 310 E. Logan St., Cloverdale. Members of the board include Vivian Witaker, Katrina Lewis, Donna Fidler, Melissa Carrell, Emily Haltom, Joe Mann and Mike Rightmyer II.