Southwestern School Board reorganizes, approves 2025 budget and a $600,000 rainy-day transfer

The Southwestern School Board met in organizational session and moved quickly through officer elections, finance items and routine business on the board’s required annual schedule.

The board formally acknowledged that a member named Misty had been sworn in earlier by virtual means and completed the in-person oath for a member introduced as Jonathan. "I do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States ... and the state of Indiana," Jonathan recited during the oath.

At the annual Board of Finance meeting the board approved Resolution 20250, designating the board of trustees to function as the board of finance and empowering the president and secretary to sign necessary documents. Laura Bulry, the corporation’s chief financial officer and treasurer, gave the finance and investment report and recommended continuing German American Bank as the district’s main public depository; the board approved that recommendation.

Bulry said interest earnings rose year over year and described cash balances for the education fund (near the board’s roughly 10% target), operations and the rainy day fund. She reported moving $500,000 into operations in February 2024 and a later $250,000 transfer; before the meeting she moved another $600,000 into the rainy day fund and asked the board to ratify that transfer with Resolution 202507, which the board approved.

The board also re-adopted the district’s two-year investment policy and approved a two-year resolution allowing the treasurer to invest in certificates of deposit outside the district if higher interest is available (resolution expires January 2027).

On budgeting, Bulry presented the 2025 appropriations as listed in the packet. She described an enrollment-driven revenue shortfall in the education fund, adjustments to the basic grant formula and the decision to appropriate $700,000 from the rainy day fund for 2025 spending authority while retaining a reserve balance. The board moved to adopt the budget as presented.

Other business included:

- Officer elections: the board retained Rick as president and confirmed Jon (John) Jones and Lacy Deputy in their roles; Lacy Deputy was nominated and approved as secretary. - Appointments: the board set several trustee appointments (Madison-area special services representative, Southeastern Career Center board member, study council member and Wilson Education Center governing board) to default to the superintendent or the superintendent’s designate for 2025. - Personnel and operational approvals: the board accepted a custodian resignation and approved hires for custodial positions, an FMLA request (with December 18 cited as the preferred start date for the 12-month period), conference and field-trip requests, routine donations, performance bonds and the treasurer’s report. - Policy and administrative approvals: the board adopted a policy governing use of school buses by outside agencies, designated the local newspaper named in packet (“mass and courier”) for legal advertisements, set the IRS 2025 mileage reimbursement rate at $0.70 per mile for personal-vehicle business use, and approved a life-insurance rate pending final contract details. - Facilities: the board tabled a proposal to replace flooring in two OVO classrooms and a hallway pending a maintenance assessment of a moisture issue; it approved a roughly $6,500 hardware repair to cafeteria exterior doors to address repeated latching and locking failures.

The meeting ended after the superintendent’s report; the board set the next regular meeting for Feb. 24 at 5:00 p.m.

The meeting record shows motions and voice or roll-call votes approving the listed actions; minutes will include required roll-call acknowledgement items and the administrative documents presented at the meeting.