Northeast Dubois cuts administrator insurance

As Northeast Dubois School Corporation continues to battle a budget shortfall, the school board took a step to reduce insurance benefits for administrators in the school corporation.

Superintendent Bill Hochgesang said the move was made at the suggestion of the administrators.

“Everybody is doing their part to make us solvent and get back on track,” Hochgesang said.

Hochgesang also requested a public hearing to occur next month for his own insurance benefits to be cut in half. The hearing is mandated by state law in regard to school superintendents.

The move cuts the insurance benefit in half for Northeast Dubois High School principal Tina Fawks, Dubois Middle School principal Ryan Case, Dubois and Celestine elementary school principal Brenda Ferguson and director of improvement assessment and technology Rick Gladdish.

It will save the corporation about $30,000.

The school board cut their own benefits in December in response to the budget shortfall.

The school corporation contracted with Brookston-based Administrator Assistance last fall to complete a feasibility study of the general fund – the fund pays for operational expenses including wages and benefits and is where the shortfall is occurring.

The study concluded that cuts in addition to a property tax referendum would be necessary to continue to operate the school corporation with the four schools.  Based on the study’s recommendations, the school corporation will pursue a referendum in the November election to increase property taxes in the district by 18 cents per $100 of assessed value. The increase will bring about $540,000 to the school’s general fund.

“Even with an 18 cent tax referendum we will still be the lowest tax rate in the county among the four school corporations,” Hochgesang said.

The schools are still attempting to find savings or increase funding.

Along those lines, Northeast Dubois Principal Tina Fawks presented changes to the high school’s career and technical education classes that will bring some additional state funding to the school. Northeast Dubois will now host classes for the Patoka Valley and Perry County Career and Technical Cooperative. The addition of the culinary arts and hospitality and education professions classes will bring in about $20,000 in funding for the school.

Here is a story about the suggestions made by Administrator Assistance last month.

WITZ AM/FM News Director Jim O’Neal contributed to this report