Milan schools organize

At the first meeting of 2025, the Milan School Board of Trustees met for a reorganization session. Board members in attendance were Timothy Tuttle, Edward Amberger, Greg Lewis, Mike Alloway and incoming member Anne Marie Layden. Superintendent Pat Murphy was also in attendance.

The oath of office was administered by Brad Bergquist, attorney with Doug Wilson’s group, to re-elected member Edward Amberger and newly elected member Layden. The Board approved the 2025 regular meeting dates as such: January 13, February 17, March 10, April 21, May 19, June 16, July 21, August 18, September 15, October 20, November 17, and December 15. All meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m.

Timothy Tuttle was approved as president, Edward Amberger as vice-president, and Greg Lewis for the secretary position. The following appointments recommended by Supt. Murphy were approved: Gretchen Berger as corporation treasurer, Michelle Carpenter, deputy treasurer, Supt. Murphy as representative of the Southeastern Career Center, Southeastern Learning Center, Wilson Center, R.O.D. representative. Doug Wilson and Taylor Hunter were approved as corporation attorneys and the Board of Finance will consists of the entire school board.

The Board unanimously approved Supt. Murphy’s request to participate in: At Risk, High Ability, Indiana Online, Central Indiana Education Service Center, R.O.D. Special Education Cooperative, School Food and Nutrition Program, Southeastern Career Center, Southeastern Indiana School Insurance Trust, Southeastern Indiana Schools Study Council, Textbook Rental Program, Title Programs, Unified Purchasing Cooperative of The Ohio River Valley and the Wilson Education Center.

A motion was made to authorize Corporation Treasurer Gretchen Berger to use the safe deposit box and for the Board President to appoint individual Board members to any necessary committees or as representatives to various organizations.

The newly formed Board of Finance met directly after the organization meeting. Financial graphs were presented to the Board members. Supt. Murphy noted that the fund balances have been consistent throughout the past few years. He also noted the reports indicate that overall the school’s financial condition is sound.

The regular meeting was then held with Supt. Murphy recognizing high school junior Kayla Roell, who would go on to win the State title in wrestling.

The Board approved Blake Davie as high school library assistant and Breshay Sechrest as high school resource room paraprofessional. A request from Heather Sterwerf to use the track for practices for Special Olympics was approved. Michelle McKittrick’s request to attend the Indiana School Safety Specialist Program in Indianapolis and the request from Stefani Bedel for the high school band to sell calendar dates for a donation were both approved.

Under the Superintendent’s comments, he reviewed the expectations for students and staff when an eLearning Day is used along with the differences between using a Synchronous and Asynchronous day. “We currently meet the state requirements to conduct Synchronous Days and are not limited to the number we can use,” noted Supt. Murphy.

Supt. Murphy noted that Milan schools received a letter from the Indiana Department of Education stating Milan Schools did not meet the funding floor between fiscal year 2023 and fiscal year 2024. He said the letter was incorrect, and the district spent more than the minimum requirement. The letter was generated due to a coding error when information was submitted at the time. The district was not allowed to file for an amendment and will need to correct when information is reported for the next fiscal year. The letter required acknowledgement at a board meeting and will be posted on the website as directed. There are no financial or audit penalties associated with the error.

Editor’s Note: Information for the above article was taken from unofficial minutes from the Milan School Board of Trustees January meetings.