School treasurer reports on investments for 2018

Almost $100,000 was earned in interest on the school district’s bank accounts last year, reported Superintendent Laura Hammack during a meeting of the district’s board of finance Jan. 3.

“These are really steady accounts that even when the market can be crazy, they just hold their own,” Hammack said.

School district treasurer Julie Smith reported that the district has money in two banks: The local PNC bank and Trust Indiana Bank.

PNC’s interest rate average for 2018 was 1.52 percent, which was up from 0.07 percent in 2017.

The Trust Indiana Bank interest rate average for 2018 was 2.28 percent. In 2017, that average was 1.24 percent.

The board also voted to approve Steve Miller Jr. as president of the board of finance and Carol Bowden as the secretary and treasurer.

School board approves trip request, staff changes

The Brown County Schools Board of Trustees approved the following Jan. 3 and 17:

• An out-of-state field trip for the Brown County High School History Club to go to Nashville, Tennessee, from Feb. 22 to 24.
• A resolution to transfer amounts from the education fund to the operations fund.
• Appointing Brown County Junior High School head wrestling coach Donald J. Vaught, $1,598 stipend, effective Jan. 7. This is a rehire.
• Appointing Brown County Schools corporation bus driver Stacy Sims, $92 per day, 180 days per year, effective Aug. 7. This is a new position.
• Appointing BCS bus monitor Melanie Bartlett, $10.75 per hour, part time without benefits, no more than five hours per day, 180 days per year. She is a replacement for Lisa Stringer.
• Separating BCHS paraprofessional and bus monitor Lisa Stringer, effective Dec. 20, 2018. This was not a termination.
• Separating Van Buren Elementary School preschool teacher Monica Feikema effective Jan. 31. This was not a termination.
• Separating BCHS food service worker Stacy Sims, effective at the end of the 2018-2019 school year. This was not a termination.
• Recommendation to appoint Deborah Harman as the BCS representative on the Brown County Career Resource Center steering committee. She is a replacement for Kim Sechler.
• The use of a BCS bus by BETA for a field trip to Hope for Hearts Horse Farm on Tuesday Feb. 5 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. All expenses for the use of the school bus will be paid for by BETA.
• The implementation of the ASPIRE (A Smoking Prevention Interactive Experience) program for students aged 13 to 18. The ASPIRE program was developed by and is used and made available with the permission of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
• A yearly donation of $1,000 to the CRC general donation account line from an anonymous donor, effective Dec. 7.