Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. board members finalized 14 district policies as part of a consolidation process that’s nearing its conclusion, along with two others that a board member had requested his colleagues reconsider.
The school board unanimously agreed to finalize 14 district policies that were included in the sixth group of policies the board has reviewed and consolidated over the past year. They also finalized two others — B150: Organization and D150: Board-Superintendent Relationship — that had already been approved as part of the process in August and April, but were pulled back out for potential revisions at the request of board member Logan Schulz, District 7.
The consolidation — which began in earnest in August 2024 — is part of a wider reorganization, meant to simplify and streamline BCSC’s policy structure and eliminate any redundancies, school district officials have said.
Board members voted in July 2024 to terminate an agreement with NEOLA, the education consulting firm that assisted with BCSC policies previously, and approve an agreement with Indianapolis-based firm Church Church Hittle and Antrim as a replacement.
The firm is managing BCSC’s board policy platform and will update policies based on changes in state and federal legislation, as well as changes in case law.
School board members will meet for a work session that’s open to the public on Monday to begin looking through the policies and suggest potential changes for the seventh and final batch, which Superintendent Chad Phillips consists of 28 policies.
The following are the policies the board finalized on Monday:
B150 – Organization
D150 – Board – Superintendent Relationship
D275 – Drug-Free Workplace
D350 – Fitness for Duty Leaves and Examinations
D375 – Employee Discipline
D475 – Justifiable Decrease in Teaching Positions
E150 – Programs for High-Ability Students
F200 – Investment Income
F250 – Travel Expenses
G150 – Registered Sex or Violent Offenders
G250 – Pest Control
G300 – Latch-Key Programs
G425 – Pledge of Allegiance and Moments of Silence
G450 – Advertisements, Publications and Naming Rights
H125 – Corporation – Support Organizations
H175 – Questioning of Students
School board members also opted to retire a policy related to the state’s Teacher Appreciation Grant (TAG) program after legislators revamped it in the spring. The board had approved D250: Teacher Appreciation Grant last year, but now will have to develop a new policy that’s in-line with the changes at a later date.
The changes significantly lowered the amount of teachers that could be eligible for the grant, but increased the stipend amount itself.
Under the previous iteration of the program, teachers that earned an evaluation rating by administrators as “effective” or “highly effective” would be eligible to receive a stipend in the spring, ranging from $250 to $600. Technically, any teacher that earned those marks would be eligible for the stipend.
But that’s now been changed, with the TAG program now focusing on “performance and impact in high-need areas.”
The stipend is not just tied to evaluation ratings, teachers must also show “significant impact on student outcomes” to be eligible.
Schools can now only nominate up to 20% of their teachers for the stipends. The change was opposed by the Indiana State Teachers Association, saying that it “raises concerns about fairness, the erosion of collaboration and the exclusion of many deserving educators.”
Updated state law specifically outlines three stipends that a teacher could be eligible for, beginning this year:
- a “recognition” stipend of $3,500 for teachers who demonstrate high performance in improving student outcomes.
- an “exemplary” stipend of $5,000 for teachers who demonstrate high performance in improving student outcomes and serve as a mentor for their colleagues or teach in a high-need area.
- an “exemplary plus” stipend of $7,500 for teachers who demonstrate high performance in improving student outcomes, serve as a mentor for their colleagues, and teach in a high-need area.
