The district proposed spending $141,170,074 to serve its more than 14,000 students. That spending level represents a 1.3 percent increase from 2008, with a breakdown as follows:

• General Fund, $93,457,939.
• Debt Service, $15,364,048.
• Capital Projects, $17,439,417.
• Transportation, $10,856,429.
• Pension Bond, $2,179,387.
• Bus Replacement, $667,854.
• Pre-school–Special Education, $500,000.
• Repair and Replacement, $205,000.
• Self Insurance, $500,000.

The district’s budget for 2008 was $139,333,656.

Read the entire article for additional information from the business manager Bob Harris as well as other details on the impact of property tax and other governmental changes that affect school funding.

WHO:

• Mayor Greg Ballard
• Deputy Mayor Olgen Williams
• Deputy Mayor Nick Weber
• Chief of Staff, Paul Okeson
• Director of Public Safety, Scott Newman
• IMPD Chief, Michael Spears
• City Controller, David Reynolds
• Corporation Counsel, Chris Cotterill
• Policy Director, David Wu
• Director of Enterprise Development, Michael Huber
• Director of Bond Bank, Kevin Taylor
• Director of International and Cultural Affairs, Carolin Requiz-Smith
• Director of Public Works, David Sherman
• Director of the Department of Metropolitan Development, Maury Plambeck
• Chief Operating Officer for Indy Parks, Stuart Lowry
• Director of Minority Business Development, Gregory Wilson
• Sherron Franklin with Abandoned Housing
• Douglas Hairston with the Front Porch Alliance
• Khadijah Muhammad with the Ex-Offender Re-entry Program

WHERE:

Perry Township Education Center
6548 Orinoco Drive

WHEN:

Tuesday
August 19, 2008
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

There were a number of applicants:

• Jon Bailey of Bose McKinney & Evans (2yr incumbent)
• David Day of Church Church Hittle & Antrim
• William Groth of Fillenwarth Dennerline Groth & Towe
• John Helm of Schreckengast Helm & Cueller
• John Lewis of Lewis & Wilkins
• J. Lee Robbins of Williams Hewitt Barrett & Wilkowski
• D. Michael Wallman and Bob Rund of Rund Wallman & Robbins
• Thomas Wheeler of Locke Reynolds

There were a few individuals that shared their own opinions about what candidate would be the best choice. Keith Brown has an article in the Indy Spotlight where some of those comments were shared from the community individuals.

In Mr. Brown’s article, he include the 12 questions that were asked of each candidate.

1. In three minutes, what is your assessment of Perry Township Schools and our board?
2. School law, in many instances, is a specialty area with specific legislation written targeting the public school systems. What experiences, background and training have you had to prepare you to represent the 12th largest school district in the state?
3. What percentage of your practice is educational law?
4. How many lawyers in your firm represent Indiana school districts?
5. How have you or your firm ever represented or held a professional or personal attorney/client relationship with any of our board members?
6. Do you serve as insurance defense counsel for any Indiana school liability insurance carrier?
7. What is your current involvement in our community or the school district in relationship to legal matters?
8. In serving as the school attorney, who would you expect to communicate with in this district? If you are contacted by a board member other than the board president, and that board member asks you to initiate research or provide individual counsel, how would you respond?
9. Please review your fee structure and all other costs that may be assessed in relationship to serving Perry Township Schools as their board attorney.
10. What other organizations do you currently represent in your practice and how do you plan to allocate your time in serving this board and their needs?
11. When requesting assistance, will you be our primary source of contact or will this be done by a junior partner, associate or paralegal?
12. Is there any other question that you would like to respond to and we have not posed?

Despite a decrease in the level of state funding, district officials have operated summer school programs at each of the 11 elementary schools in addition to the two middle schools and high school.

"Our school board made a commitment to host summer school this year, even with deficiencies in funding we’re receiving for the program," Little said. "(Board members) believed it was important for our children, especially at the elementary and middle school level, to give them a strong foundation for the coming school year."

This is good news for the district and the students that we’re educating. Did your son or daughter participate in a summer program this year? What did you think?

Source: Summer program remains

An article now available on Newsweek’s website and I’m guessing is currently available on the newsstands shows support for the efforts of teacher’s like Connie Heermann.

The more I hear and read about the situation the more it’s frustrating and the more I’m personally torn between what would be the most beneficial action in hindsight and how to move forward in the best way possible too.

I think I’ve probably changed my mind on this subject a few different times and now I’m leaning more and more in support of Connie. I’ll be the first to say that I don’t have all the details and know exactly the sequence of events that transpired that made Connie at fault and everyone else blameless.

As I said before, not sure where we can go from here at this point, but it sure does seem like we’ve lost a great teacher in the township.

Source: Write and Wrong

In two areas on my previous post I presented information that was in fact erroneous or interpreted wrong by me while reading other news article coverage. Connie said some of the facts have been a challenge to get out with a variety of sources, but I wanted to take a minute to clarify things I stated on my post that were wrong.

Connie Heermann, being suspended for her use of the “The Freedom Writers Diary” and disregard for the school board’s request for her to request her students to return the books to her.

Connie in fact did NOT disregard the request to have the books returned to her, many of her students disregarded her request for them to return the books to her after the principal asked Connie to get the books back from the students. The principal had been asked by central administration to have the books returned.

The challenge I have in this situation is her disregard for policy and procedures and not working within the confines of the system she’s agreed to work in and support.

According to Connie there actually is no written policy and procedure on how to get books approved for use in the classroom. She shared with me a couple of names who she said were also unaware of any polices as such. I’d like to try and confirm this by seeing a copy what was potentially broken or disregarded by Connie in her efforts.

If there are any Perry Township teachers or administrators that have a copy of the policy and procedures for getting a book or curriculum approved for classroom use, please let me know.

• President: Steve Maple
• Vice-President: Charles Mercer
• Secretary: Barbara Thompson

Other than those elections, it doesn’t appear there was much big news at the board meeting last night.

ORGANIZATION MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Monday, July 14, 2008
6:30 p.m.

CALL TO ORDER – PRESIDENT BARBARA J. THOMPSON

I. Election of Board Officers:

• President
• Vice President
• Secretary

II. Appointment of Robert Harris as Treasurer, Beth Meyers and Gloria Ramsey as Deputy Treasurers — Board President

III. Appointment of Robert Harris, Mike Bagley and Frank Giles as Purchasing Agents — Board President

IV. Board President Appointments to:

• RISE Advisory Committee:
  • Appointee
  • Alternate
• CENTRAL NINE:
  • Appointee
  • Alternate
• ISBA LEGISLATIVE LIAISON

V. Approve dates for subsequent meetings of the Board of Education — Dr. Little

VI. Approve Resolution #1: Authorization for Contract Changes — Board President

VII. Approve Resolution #2: Use of Facsimile Signatures — Board President

VIII. Approve Board Members’ Compensation for 2008-2009 (Presently $2000 per member) — Board President

IX. Recommend Surety Bond Amounts for Treasurer, Deputy Treasurers, Extra-Curricular Treasurers, Cafeteria Head Cashiers and Blanket Bond for all employees — Mr. Harris

IX. X. Consideration of School Board Attorney — Board President

XI. Adjourn

METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PERRY TOWNSHIP

6548 Orinoco Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46227
(317) 789-3700

REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION*

Monday, July 14, 2008

Immediately following Organization Meeting

CALL TO ORDER – BOARD PRESIDENT

I. CONSENT AGENDA

- Approval of minutes of a regular meeting held on June 9, 2007

- Approval of Allowance of Vouchers

- Approval of June Financial Report

- Approval of J.W. Flynn as agent for Self Insurance

- Approval of Personnel Report

- Approval of Professional Travel Requests

- Report on travel beyond 75 miles by certified staff members

PUBLIC COMMENTS

BUSINESS

I. Recommend approval of the Indianapolis Star, Court and Commercial, and Indianapolis Recorder for publication of legal notices as required by law (IC 5-3-1-4). — Mr. Harris

II. Announcement of Public Work Session for discussion of 2009 proposed budgets on Monday, July 28, at 6:00 p.m., in Room 210 of the Education Center. — Mr. Harris

III. Recommend approval to advertise for 1028 hearing for Central Nine project. — Mr. Harris

IV. Recommend approval to advertise for notice of hearing on lease for Central Nine project. — Mr. Harris

ITEMS OF INFORMATION REQUIRING ACTION

1. Approve Resolution #3 – Approval of Form of Lease for Central Nine Phase 2 project. — Mr. Harris

2. Approve Resolution #4 – Approval of the Building Corporation for Central Nine Phase 2 project. — Mr. Harris

3. Recommend approval of Alternative Education New School/Program proposals for middle school and high school level. — Dr. Barnes
4. Recommend approval to hire personnel before the August and September board meetings. — Mr. Jameson

5. Recommend approval of the Perry Meridian Middle School 2008 Technology Grant — Mr. Oldham

COMMENTS AND CONCERNS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND SUPERINTENDENT

Any concerns or items that individual Board members and/or Superintendent wish to discuss.

_______________________________

*A sign-up sheet is provided for those patrons desiring to address the Board about items on the evening’s agenda except personnel items. This sheet is available near the agenda on  the table provided for Board material. The meeting site is fully accessible. Any person requiring further accommodation should contact the Superintendent, at the Corporation’s central office.

Officer Jason A. Fishburn, 29, was shot in the torso and the head. IMPD Chief Michael Spears called Fishburn’s head wound "devastating".

Our thoughts and prayers are with Officer Fishburn and his family during this time.

WISH TV 8: Indianapolis News and Weather - Chief: Officer suffered ‘devastating’ gunshot wound to head