NP students honored for their tenacity

By Lois Mittino Gray

North Posey School Board Member Larry Kahle led a moment of silence in honor of the passing of Fred Frayser to start the regular monthly meeting of the district board on May 11. Frayser served the New Harmony School District in various roles, including Principal, from 1974 to 2011 and Kahle worked in close association with the dedicated educator.

School Superintendent Todd Slagle was pleased to have much to announce in the “Good News” portion of the meeting. North Posey High School Senior Audrey Fisher was named as an Indiana Association of School Principals Academic All-Star. She was selected as one of the top 40 students in Indiana. Audrey was able to honor an influential educator in her life, and she selected junior high teacher, Kelly Lashley. Ms. Fisher also received the Rick Reed Academic Competitions Award. Audrey was one of two recipients of this award which recognizes seniors for outstanding achievement in IASP sponsored academic competitions, such as Spell Bowl and Academic Super Bowl.

The entire High School Academic Super Bowl team did awesome in the Class 3 Competition. The Fine Arts individual team scored a first-place win, qualifying for the State Competition with the top score for Class 3 in Indiana. The English individual team won first place, qualifying for State Competition with the only perfect score among all Class 3 schools. The Mathematics individual team placed third in the intense competition and the Science individual team placed third, too. Their combined performance placed them in the top five overall which qualifies an interdisciplinary team for State Competition.

Tracy Newcomer, teacher at North Elementary School, received the National Teacher Appreciation Award presented by Indiana Members Credit Union. She was selected as the top candidate from more than 1,200 nominations submitted statewide.

Under the Patron Concerns portion of the agenda, Jackson and Tracy Bosecker addressed the Board regarding Southern Indiana Career Technical Center honor cords not being allowed to be worn during graduation. The matter has since been rectified.

In personnel matters, this is the time of year for many resignations and position changes. Courtney Bittner resigned as a Kindergarten teacher at North Elementary School. Victoria Schaefer resigned as Music and Choir Teacher and Assistant Band Director for the Junior/Senior High School. Ashlee Ricketts turned in her resignation from working in the high school cafeteria and Tony Faulk turned in his as a night custodian at North Elementary School. All resignations are effective May 22, 2026.

Lydia Hoops was transferred from a position as a North Elementary Instructional Assistant to a Junior High Special Education Teacher. Jennifer DeJean was hired as a Junior High School PE/Health Teacher and Junior High School Girls’ Basketball Coach. Lori Reinhart will be a Guidance Counselor at North Posey High School. Nancy Grant was tapped to be a High School Instructional Assistant while Kayla Candler will do the same at North Elementary School. In coaching hires, Brice Kudej will be a Football Coach for North Posey Junior High School and Nathan Brandle will be a Boys’ Basketball Coach for South Terrace Elementary School.

Heidi Raber was granted permission to take FMLA beginning April 17, through the end of the school year. Kathy Veeck may take personal leave days from April 27 through May 1. Braxton and Kaitlyn Lee are allowed to use personal leave for a family vacation from August 10-14, 2026. All professional leave requests were approved with a 5 to 0 vote.

As for summer trips, Matthew Cox, Braxton Lee, and parent volunteer Heather Reese were given permission to take the girls’ wrestling team to Urbana, Ohio, on May 29-31 to attend the Jeff Jordan State Champ Wrestling Camp. Robyn Koester may take four FFA students to the Indiana FFA State Convention in Noblesville, Indiana, on June 16-18, 2026. Waylon Schenk, and members of his coaching staff, will accompany the high school football team for a team building event in French Lick on June 25-27, 2026. All expenses shall be paid from the ECA Funds.

Several business contract renewals were approved. A one-year renewal with IXL Learning for the site license for Math and ELA for Grades 7-8 at a cost of $5,155.00 was okayed. This is an increase of $467.50 from last year. Preventive maintenance service agreements for each building with DeBra-Kuempel were approved. Cost for the High School/Junior High building will be $11,738.00; North Elementary $3,738.00; and South Terrace $ 8,544.00. A Cost Reimbursable Plus Fix Fee Food Service Management Company Contract for the 2026-2027 school year was also approved.

Superintendent Slagle presented the Athletic Training Services Agreement with Rehabilitation & Performance Institute, PSC for approval. The agreement is for a five-year term commencing August 3, 2026, through June 30, 2031, for the provision of trained health care personnel for MSD of North Posey athletes. The Athletic Trainer provided shall evaluate and treat injuries sustained by North Posey students during school athletic events, administer first aid, and make recommendations for exercise ed or other physical measures for minor injuries. The hourly rate for the 2026–2027 school year shall be $50.00 per hour, with increases as outlined for each year of the agreement. School Board Member Lindsey Bowers made a motion to approve the agreement, and Greg Schmitt seconded the motion. The motion passed with a 5 to 0 vote.

Board members were pleased to accept a scholarship for 2026-2027 from the Indiana District Consortium for School Networking, sponsored by Secured Tech. This competitive scholarship is awarded to technology leaders who demonstrate a commitment to advancing educational technology within their districts. The scholarship shall fund the district’s membership and registration for the CTO Clinic.

Under New Business, Slagle presented the proposed personnel lists for each building for the 2026–2027 school year for the Board’s consideration. The lists include the recommended hours for cafeteria staff for the upcoming school year. There are some positions still to be filled from recent resignations, and they are listed on the school website. The list passed 5 to 0. Mr. Slagle also presented items 9-13 of the 2026 curriculum materials to the Board for second read and they were approved unanimously.

Two options for the 2027-2028 Academic Calendar were up second review. They both started on different dates and one includes a full week of Fall Break and one has only two days for the Break. The Board approved option 2 for the 2027-2028 Academic Calendar and the calendar is posted on the district website.

A Reimbursement and Credential Advancement Agreement passed on second reading with a 5 to 0 vote.

The Board approved unanimously the purchase of 110 Chromebook devices, specifically the Lenovo 500e model, with Google Chrome Education Upgrade to replace teachers’ current devices. Quotes were obtained by Brandon Cox from Vivacity Tech in the amount of $53,093.40 and CDW in the amount of $51,260.00. Cox recommended accepting the lower quote from CDW. The purchase will be funded through the 2024 bond funds. Additional quotes were received from Pellera Company, RTI, and Bluum USA; however, these vendors did not provide pricing for the specified Lenovo 500e Chromebook model.

A cost proposal from Jotform to allow users to build custom online forms, automate workflows, collect e-signatures, and create real-time reports was accepted. The annual cost for five users is $5,829.60 and it passed with a 5 to 0 vote.

A proposal for professional design services from Hafer Engineering for the South Terrace Elementary School Sustainable Upgrade and Renovation project was accepted. The construction is targeted for Summer 2027, with bidding anticipated for December 2026. The proposed professional fee for this project is $155,000.00. This fee is based on a single bid package, a standard project delivery schedule, and the project scope and conditions as currently understood.

At the meeting’s conclusion, members heard updates on building renovation work. The Maintenance Building still requires redoing some things, the North Elementary School roof is about finished , new chillers are onsite at schools and waiting to be installed, and discussions are ongoing about tying in with the sewer district’s wastewater treatment plant.

Graduation is set for May 22 at 7:30 p.m. and the next regular Board Meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 8 at the District Office. The Executive Session will begin at 5:00 p.m. and the regular 5:30 p.m. --30--