The Homer-Center school board voted on items regarding personnel and the seasonal turf treatment of its fields. The board president and superintendent gave an update on the discussion of the high school starting time.
The board voted 8-1 in favor of approving a service proposal with Earthcraft Landscaping of Indiana. The package includes turf treatment for Memorial Field (cost of $3,090), the Homer-Center Practice Field ($2,440), and the high school ($620). The opposing vote was cast by Logan Dellafiora, who cited budgetary concerns, while those in favor discussed the importance of healthy turf for safety (such as reducing the risk of turning an ankle).
The board accepted the retirement of health teacher Cindy Andrie, who served the district for 16 years. Additionally, Robert Stossel was approved as Athletic Director for the 2018-19 school year.
Regarding the high school starting time, board president Michael Bertig and superintendent Charles Koren reported that while the discussion will continue at next month’s planning meeting, it is expected that the starting time for the high school will be delayed by approximately twelve minutes. The change, while minor, would not affect bus routes and would therefore incur no additional transportation costs to the district. The change would, however, help the district align to research studies that show that the circadian rhythms of teens trend towards later bed times and waking times as they age. The twelve minute delay would ensure that even the earliest morning bus pick-ups for high school students would occur no sooner than 7 AM.
In other news, the revision of the district’s tobacco use policy was delayed while the administration ensures the updated language will effectively prohibit the use of specific vaping devices. These devices, called JUULs, look similar to a common USB flash drive and are gaining popularity among teens.
Lastly, Grace Frazer and Bailey Foust received Wildcat Recognition Awards, and Shelby Ursiak is the Kiwanis Senior of the Month. Congratulations!
