Greater Jasper Consolidated School Board members began their October board meeting in a special way.
Before diving into the agenda, board members took the time to recognize a few of this year’s school accomplishments.
One of these was the Lighthouse designation of Jasper Elementary.
Board members say this project helped bring the Fifth and Tenth Street elementary school bodies together. Jasper Elementary is the fifth school in the state and one of 300 schools in the nation to receive the designation.
The other school recognized at last night’s meeting was Ireland Elementary. The school was one of eight schools in Indiana to receive the U.S. Department of Education’s National Blue-Ribbon Award in September. Ireland Elementary School Principal, Shannon Bauer, says she will attend the virtual 2020 National Blue Ribbon School Awards Ceremony on Thursday, November 12th, and Friday, November 13th.
The next item on the agenda was a special announcement. Jasper Elementary School Principal, Kent Taylor, and Assistant Principal, Ryan Erny, and Ireland Elementary School Principal, Shannon Bauer, launched a special reading program on Monday, called “1 Book, 2 Schools.”
All students and staff received a copy of the book “The One and the Only Ivan” and a reading calendar on Monday. The principals say the book is a short read and students and staff will have an 8-minute daily reading. But the program not only includes the staff and student body. It also includes local businesses. Businesses around Jasper were recently given trivia questions about the book. Students who go around to the businesses and answer the trivia questions correctly will be entered to win various prizes.
Next on the agenda was the fate of the Fifth Street and Tenth Street Elementary School buildings.
The school board recently received approval from the Indiana Department of Education, giving them the authority and freedom to decide on what to do next.
As of now, the plan for the Fifth Street facility is demolishing the east side of the building to create a parking lot. Stenftenagel Group Clerk of the Works Owner, Scott Stenftenagel, says they are talking with Tammy Lampert of the Southwest Indiana Child Advocacy Center Coalition about what their next step is for the west side, which is the newer part of the building.
Currently, SWICACC is working towards purchasing the newer side of the facility to create a child advocacy center.
Stenftenagel says that School Board Attorney, Arthur Nordhoff, is developing contractual language for the proposed agreement with SWICACC and the Greater Jasper Consolidated Schools Corporation.
School Board Member, Brad Eckerle, has also been looking over and verifying property lines to help Nordhoff with establishing the language for the deed description between the two entities.
The Stenftenagel Group also presented three ideas for demolishing the Tenth Street facility.
Each idea involves a parking lot. The only difference between the ideas is the size and number of parking spaces and cost.
Stenftenagel also shared plans for a new Bus Maintenance Building. This project is estimated to cost between $1,950,000 and $2,150,000. Board Members and the Steftenagel Group are talking with Gibraltar Design about possible locations and conceptual building designs for the construction of the new building.
The next Greater Jasper Consolidated School Board Meeting is scheduled for 7pm on Monday, November 23rd in the Jasper High School Community Room.
