Hedges, new wrestling facility top of list for $15 million

By Dave Pearce

The announcement of a new football coach for the Mount Vernon Wildcats overshadowed other big announcements during last Monday’s MSD of Mount Vernon school board meeting. However, the other announcements were just as big as the first of two required public hearings was held on the issuance of a maximum $15 million bond for improvements within the school district. The term of the note will be capped at 20 years.

The retirement of a 2017 bond issue at the end of the 2027 school year paved the way for the district to take on the new debt to help maintain the current tax rate for the district to fund the improvements. The expiring bond is a $15 million bond 10-year bond for energy saving in the district issued in 2017.

Although no one appeared during the public hearing to ask questions, the board did lay out some of the plans they are considering for the money. Preliminary plans call for renovation of the Hedges Central School building to make room for the district office to be moved into the former elementary school home. Several other projects are being considered.

The board did approve a year-long lease with CAPE (Community Action Program of Evansville) to continue their rental of a portion of the building but school CFO Bo Harris indicated this would likely be the last year for the agreement since work on the building would be slated to being not long after the lease ends on February 27, 2027. The school system has been renting the space to the not-for-profit for $225 per month to provide a reasonably priced home for the organization that began in 1965. Current services include but are not limited to the Head Start and Early Head Start programs, Weatherization, child care, homeless housing services, Foster Grandparents, and the state of Indiana’s Energy Assistance Program.

But Harris explained the $15 million will be spent on several different items.

“We do have some big projects we are wanting to do,” Harris stated. “The first of which is our Hedges Central Elementary School which has been used mainly for Parks and Recreation and not-for-profit organizations as well as a couple of school organizations. We would like to renovate a part of that building in order to move the administrative offices over there. We are at the point where we are putting hundreds of thousands of dollars in roofing per year on that building so we need to make a decision as to whether we are going to go all in on that building or not. We have decided to move forward in getting more of our school personnel into that building.”

Harris explained that timing for the project is good as the Mount Vernon Parks and Recreation Department will be getting their own building over the next year or two.

The explosion of wrestling in the southern end of the county has led school officials to strongly consider creating a new wrestling facility and weight room in between the current junior high and high school buildings.

“The drawings are preliminary but it would be a two-story facility in the Wildcat Plaza area with the wrestling room upstairs and the weight room on the bottom also with a couple of locker rooms and a training room,” Harris explained.

Harris went on to say that there may be some other smaller projects that could be completed with the funds. It is estimated that it will take the better part of the year in order to obtain the funds. Projects would begin after that.

A second and more in-depth public hearing is scheduled for the next school board meeting on March 16 at 5:30 p.m. in the Media Center at the high school.

Several staff employment recommendations were unanimously approved which include:

*Marc J. Hostetter’s replacement of Charles Seifert as the Director of Human Resources and District Operations. Hostetter is a graduate of White River Walley high School as well as the university of Southern Indiana and the American College of Education in Indianapolis. He holds a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership. In his latest assignment, he has served as principal of Mount Vernon Junior High School for eight years. He lives in Evansville. Seifert will return to instruction in the CTE (Career and Technical Education) Classroom which the district is trying to expand. The position of Mount Vernon Junior High School Principal will be posted.

*The assignment of a new Curriculum Coordinator at the Administration Office effective with the 2026-27 school year. Michele L. Branson-Bopp, a Mount Vernon High School graduation was approved for the position. Branson attended Indiana university at Bloomington as well as the University of Southern Indiana and holds a Master of Science degree. She had 10 years teaching experience to go along with 14 years of administrative experience. She has served as an ELA teacher and curriculum coordinator for Mount Vernon Junior High School for the past year. She lives in Evansville.

*The acceptance of Intention to Retire from two long-time employees of the district. Jacquelyn Maier will retire from her position as Director of Special Education after 36 years of service and Michelle Johnston will retire after 36 years of service as a sixth grade science teacher at Mount Vernon Junior High. Both are effective with the end of the 2025-26 school year.

*Hannah Seifert as the AC Volleyball coach at the Mount Vernon Junior High School. She is a multi-sport athlete at Mount Vernon High School and lives in Mount Vernon.

*Arlissa Sharber will replace Kendra Steinhart as AC Volleyball coach at Mount Vernon high School. Sharber also was a multi-sport athlete for the Wildcats and resides in Mount Vernon.

*Kelly E. Tuck has been hired to fill the position of Newspaper/Yearbook Sponsor at Mount Vernon Junior High School. She has been a language arts teacher and newspaper/yearbook sponsor at the junior high since 2022. She will receive one-half to three-quarters stipend for the position. She is a graduation of Castle high School and the University of Southern Indiana and she lives in Mount Vernon.

The next regularly scheduled meeting for the MSD of Mount Vernon School Board will be March 16 at 5:30 p.m. at the Media Center inside Mount Vernon High School.