By Tim Pinkham, T-H Correspondent
LOOGOOTEE — The Loogootee School Board on Saturday morning “reluctantly” accepted the retirement, effective at the end of this semester, of 32-year math teacher Joe Williams.
Superintendent Larry Weitkamp said Williams is also a farmer and wants to return to farming full-time. Weitkamp said he tried to persuade Williams to stay until the end of the school year, but was unsuccessful.
Administration records show Williams taught at Loogootee Junior-Senior High School from 1971 to 1978, had a break in service, then returned in 1985 and has taught ever since.
The school board members indicated they were among the thousands of students Williams has taught during his teaching career.
Weitkamp said the teaching position will be posted, but only for the second semester.
“We need to look very hard at the end of the year” on whether to continue to fill that teaching position in subsequent years, Weitkamp told the board.
A number of factors will play into that decision, he said, including the economic downturn and Loogootee’s recent pattern of declining student enrollment.
Weitkamp said Gov. Mitch Daniels has said additional cuts in public education funding may be required if state tax revenues fail to meet budget projections due to the economic recession.
At the Oct. 17 school board meeting, Weitkamp had reported total school enrollment was down 47 students from last year. This was the sixth straight year of decline, which results in less state funding, since enrollment in a factor in funding.
Weitkamp said in October that a continued reduction in enrollment and funding could result in a decrease in the number of teachers needed in the corporation. He hoped any reductions could be achieved through attrition, such as not replacing retiring teachers, such as Williams.
“We much prefer doing it through attrition rather than through (reduction in force),” Weitkamp said Saturday.
On a related subject, Weitkamp said the deadline for school boards to decide if a reduction in force is necessary has been moved back from May 1 to June 1 next year, or whenever the state legislative session ends. This will allow school boards to know how much funding they will receive for the next school year before making personnel decisions.
In other business
Bus Drivers
The board agreed to increase the pay for school bus drivers based on increased fuel costs this year. The contracts with the drivers call for an automatic adjustment, up or down, every three months during the school year based on the current cost of diesel fuel and gasoline. Since January, diesel fuel has increased about 30 cents per gallon and gasoline 70 cents per gallon.
Technology Grant
Weitkamp told the board, Loogootee had partnered with Shoals in applying for a technology grant. He said this partnership gave both school corporations their best chance of receiving the grant. If approved, Loogootee’s share would be $51,000.
