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Southwestern board approves contracts, fees, policies and personnel moves
Summary
The board approved routine business: donations, policy second readings, a multi-year PowerSchool enrollment payment, meal price increases, reinstated school fees, service contracts (speech therapy, Vantage Point), HVAC and insurance payments, Project Lead The Way spending, several hires and resignations.
The Southwestern Consolidated Schools board approved a slate of routine and operational items at its meeting, including contract renewals, policy approvals, fee reinstatements and personnel actions.
On business items the board approved minutes, accounts payable vouchers and accepted donations: $50 from Mount Auburn Christian Church to the Spartan Food Pantry and $1,000 from Richard and Deborah Fix for the FFA. The board also completed second readings and approvals for a set of district policies, including A300 (responsible use of technology), A301 (wireless communication device), C175 (attendance/truancy prevention), C525 (medical needs), F101 (budget implementation), F125 (purchasing and capital assets), H125 (corporation support organizations) and H150 (public records).
The board approved a multi-year arrangement for PowerSchool enrollment services; the figure read at the meeting was reported as "$53,91.36" in the transcript, and members confirmed the payment would be recorded from the operations fund and implemented as an annual payment covering 2026–2031 with a negotiated 3% annual increase. The board also approved increasing student lunch prices from $2.80 to $3.00 and adult lunches from $4.60 to $4.75.
Members voted to reinstate school fees after the state changed how those costs are funded. The transcript records multiple class- and grade-level fees (elementary flat fee $99; middle and high school fees varying by class with a separate band fee around $50). The numbers were discussed on the record and one speaker noted conflicting figures during the reading; the board approved the fee schedule as presented.
Contract approvals included a renewal with Beck Speech Therapy for on-site speech-language pathology services and a continuation with Vantage Point Children and Family Services to provide in-school supports. The board approved Project Lead The Way biomed supplies spending from an accepted grant ($29,785) and authorized HVAC-related payments — $69,487.96 to Quality Plumbing and Heating (via Tekon Construction Management) and $29,600 to Tekon Management for project work. The superintendent reported demolition was complete and that a chiller/air handler shipment had been delayed until July 6.
After reviewing quotes from four insurers, the board approved Insurance Management Group for property and casualty coverage at a quoted $119,339, citing an estimated $20,000 savings versus the prior carrier and expanded cyber coverage up to $1 million. The board also approved two overnight student trips (SCA July 13–15 to New Albany; Spartanets July 7–10 to Ball State) funded in part by a Blue River Community Foundation account.
Personnel actions approved included acceptance of the resignation of Zach Sprout (technology director) and Daniel Hilton (instructional aide and bus driver), elimination of a contract for Melissa Satderfield due to reduction in force, and hires including Kimmy Ays (instructional assistant) and Jed Reiki (interim tech director). The board confirmed the hiring of a high-school chemistry teacher (names in the transcript read as "Eric and Timmy"). All motions recorded in the transcript passed by voice vote with six members in favor where noted.
The board requested a future program walk-through for the Project Lead The Way spending and scheduled routine follow-up for HVAC and insurance implementation.
