Board approves personnel hires, school improvement plans, donations and student activities

At its September meeting Blue River Valley Schools’ board approved a personnel report (resolution 2024-9-3) that included resignations and hires across certified and noncertified positions: resignations listed included Holly Britton and Carolyn McConnell; hires included Mary Hawkins (elementary teacher), Loretta Schwartz and Joanna Dealey (special education paraprofessionals), and others. The board also approved a subset of extracurricular appointments — new varsity girls golf coach Kayden Morris, an esports coach Kelsey Flowers, an eighth-grade class sponsor and a webmaster.

The board approved a student transfer report dated Sept. 9 (two recommended approvals and two recommended denials) and accepted two $500 donations from Casey Kimberly to benefit the high school boys basketball and boys golf programs.

Superintendent Dickerson presented school improvement plans for each building, noting that they include academic and attendance goals and required strategies; the plans will be posted online after approval and submission in October. The board moved and approved the school improvement plans.

The board also approved an overnight FFA soils contest field trip for Oct. 10–12 in Switzerland County, with Mr. and Mrs. Tranowski listed as chaperones; because the trip is during fall break, no instructional time will be missed. To enable broader student participation in a county-level career event at the East Central Service Center, the board approved changing the waiver day to the announced date so eighth- and ninth-graders can attend.

All items were approved by motion and voice vote; no opposed votes were recorded in the minutes.