Mission accomplished for Enlow

Southwest School Superintendent Terry Enlow took the job as superintendent with the goal of fixing a bad financial situation. Now, with the completion of the school’s major renovation around the corner and a positive cash balance in the school reserves and rainy day fund, Enlow is ready to retire.

These days the school has a 20 percent cash reserve in the general fund, $1.7 million in a rainy day fund and a major renovation being completed with no interest loans and stimulus money. “We are in good shape with our facilities, our general fund is in good shape, and our school buses are full,” Enlow said explaining why he feels it’s time to retire.

Costs associated with retired teachers has created a burden on the school district as well. Enlow calls these unfunded legacy expenses and when he took over the school corporation had about $9 million to pay out in retirement benefits. He has been able to wrangle those expenses also and currently, that amount in the savings and rainy day fund is enough to fund those expenses until they end in 2020.

In other words; mission accomplished.

The home where Enlow grew up now lies under the waters of the Patoka Reservoir in Crawford County, but that 400 acres is where he started working hard at a young age. And now he’s looking forward to not working at all for awhile after he officially retires in March of next year.

Enlow left the farm and went to college at Oakland City University. He finished his Masters in Business and EDS at Indiana University. He began his 43 years in education as a teacher and basketball coach at Waldron High School in the Shelby Eastern Schools. He worked at Shelbyville in vocational education before moving down to the Crawford County School system. He was the superintendent at Orleans Community Schools and then became the superintendent at Cloverdale Community Schools in Putnam County before being asked to come down to Southwest Dubois.

There are no plans to run down to Florida with his wife Marilyn, she herself a retired professor from Oakland City University. But there are plans to relax with friends, play golf and go fishing and he’s still offered to help with the transition to the next superintendent. “I have tried to leave the school corporation with someone they could rely on,” he said referring to Assistant Superintendent Chad Schenk. “Ultimately it is up to the school board who they hire.”

Enlow is leaving in March because he feels this will give the next superintendent time to get acclimated with the needs of the school before the budget process begins in July. “I have jumped into situations like that,” Enlow explained, “and it just puts things that much further behind.”

Enlow said regardless of where the school corporation stands he knows it is time for him to retire. “God has blessed me –what’s the old proverb– find a job you like and you’ll never have to work a day in your life,” Enlow said. “Thats the case, I never-ever not enjoyed going to work.”