Oeth retains MSDMV title

By Lois Mittino Gray

Mount Vernon School Superintendent Stephanie Stewart called the annual meeting of the District Board of Finance together to begin the January 20, school board meeting. After she conducted the election of Greg Oeth as Finance Board President by roll call vote, he readily took over and conducted the election of Brian Williams as Secretary. All votes that evening were done by roll call, as required, because Board Member Brittney Butler was attending virtually via FaceTime.

The Mount Vernon School Board of Trustees is required by law to organize as a Board of Finance after the first Monday and before the last day in January. The Board of Finance ran through annual fiscal business and acknowledged the 2025 investment officer’s yearly report. They also reviewed the district’s overall investment policy which had no changes, and is reviewed in depth every four years.

Second, the board accepted the list of five local depositories that can be used for investments throughout the year as recommended. The five are located in or have branches within the MSD of Mount Vernon’s boundaries. They are: United Fidelity Bank, Fifth Third Bank, Old National Bank, First National Bank of Carmi, and Crane Credit Union.

The third annual action is to review the 2024 fiscal indicators report of the school corporation’s overall financial condition as required. It is provided by the Distressed Unit Appeals Board (DUAB). The 2024-25 ADM Student Count (average daily membership) is listed as 1,950 students. The 2023-2024 ADM Student Count was listed as 2,012.7 students, so this was down somewhat, and the year prior to that was 2,063 students. The estimated population of Mount Vernon was listed as 15,428 people. It was unanimously accepted.

After the annual Board of Finance meeting was adjourned, the regular school board meeting was called to order and conducted these business items:

In personnel matters, Kendra Steinhart resigned as an assistant coach of high school volleyball and it was accepted. Mason Camp was hired to be an Information System Specialist at Marrs and Farmersville Elementary Schools, replacing Ryan Reyes who was promoted. Elyse Baker will be a teacher assistant in remediation at West Elementary School, replacing Morgan Boarman. She just recently completed a long-term substitute teacher assignment at the school. Chelsea Timmons was hired to do high school food services. She has been a substitute cafeteria worker since August.

In coaching hires, Drew Burkhart was tapped to be the assistant coach high school boys’ wrestling on quarter stipend. Julia Kingery and Kaitlyn Taylor will do Unified Track on quarter stipend and Kennedy Maier will do the same on a quarter to half stipend. These new track coaches all have experience as coaches and working with students.

Jenny Parker announced her retirement as a Special Education teacher at the junior high school, effective at the end of 2025/26 school year. She has put in 37 years of service and “we will sorely miss her.”

Charles Seifert will be re-assigned from Assistant Superintendent of Operations to a teacher of Career and Technical Education at the high school, effective for the 2026-27 school year.

Board members approved Luke Harris and Dustin Murray to attend the Baseball Coaches Convention in Indianapolis on January 22-23. Harris may also attend the Indiana High school Tennis Coaches Association Coaches Conference in Indianapolis on February 5. Athletics will pay the expenses for both events. Hannah and Noal McLimore were given permission to attend with students the Western Kentucky University Honor Band in Bowling Green, Kentucky on January 22-24. Alyssa Wood was granted permission to attend the 2026 Indiana School Public Relations Association Annual Conference in Indianapolis on March 3-4.

They also granted permission to DECA students to travel to Indianapolis on Sunday, March 1, 2026 for the DECA State Competition as requested.

In other matters, they adopted a resolution authorizing Board President and/or Superintendent to issue required preliminary administrative notices on behalf of the Board for administrative contract non-renewal. The two shall each be authorizing agents acting on behalf of the Board for purposes of preparing, signing, and issuing any preliminary notice of administrative contract non-renewal that may be required to begin with the Board.

Board members granted permission to PAWS wrestling for use of the high school gym for the SIEWC Duals on January 18, 2026; for the SIEWC Conference on March 1, 2026; and for the Frosh/Soph Qualifier on March 15, 2026, as requested. They also granted permission to Lady Cats Basketball Association to use the high school gyms for a girls’ youth basketball tournament on Sunday, January 25, 2026.

Wednesday, January 28 will be a Staff Development-early dismissal day. Information to the Board included tax draw summary, property and casualty insurance premiums set at 403,972.46 this year, and a healthy self-insurance fund report with a balance of $4,703,549,23.

February board meetings are set for Monday, February 2 and Tuesday, February 17. Both begin at 5:30 p.m. in the high school Media Center. The second meeting was moved to Tuesday since the usual Monday date is a school holiday.