Funding Priorities
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Tuesday, April 20, 2021 The Commercial Review Portland, Indiana 47371 www.thecr.com $1 Funding priorities Jay Schools lays out plans for federal emergency relief By RAY COONEY employees who kept The Commercial Review schools open, upgrade tech - Jay School Corporation nology and use resources is expecting to receive mil - for the long term. lions in relief funds from Specifically, the corpora - the federal government. tion is hoping to: It has developed a plan •Offer expanded summer for how to utilize those dol - school programs for lars. kindergarten through 12th Jay School Board on grade to help students who Monday approved the may have fallen behind dur - school corporations’ appli - ing the pandemic. “We’ve cation for the next round of never been able to offer that Elementary and Secondary option,” said Gulley. “We School Emergency Relief are going to work as hard as funds. we can to come up with the Also Monday, superin - right plans and communi - tendent Jeremy Gulley cation to help the right kids announced plans for gradu - who need it over two sum - ation and the board mers.” approved an increase in •Provide extra support in pay for driving buses for the form of additional staff, field trips and extracurric - including two to facilitate ular activities. the return of the alterna - Gulley, who attended the tive school at John Jay Cen - meeting virtually because ter for Learning and four two members of his house - reading recovery positions. hold have tested positive (Both are intended to be for COVID-19, explained permanent additions to the that Jay School Corpora - staff while several others tion is estimated to receive will be added temporarily.) an additional $9.1 million •Offer an extended school — $2.88 million in the sec - day (one additional hour of ond round of funding and instruction) for two years $6.24 million in the third — for students who need addi - in Elementary and Second - tional help. ary School Emergency •Expand special educa - Relief funds. (It has tion services with addition - already received $767,660 in al staff for LifeSkills, Eng - the first round of emer - lish language learners, gency relief funding and alternative programming $161,776 via a Governor's and speech pathology, and Emergency Education funding for additional men - Relief grant.) The money tal health services. was made available •Provide stipends to through the various federal employees who took on COVID-19 relief measures extra duties to keep schools and is being administered open during 2020-21. by Indiana Department of •Make extra funding and Education. resources available for pro - The Commercial Review/Ray Cooney After receiving input fessional development for from administrators, teach - teachers ers and staff, Gulley on •Upgrade technology Monday presented a five- with interactive panels in Final ‘Tonight’ point plan to invest in each classroom, new com - Freshman Chloe Ruiz performs in the winter guard show “Tonight” as part of the Jay instruction to help students puters for teachers, upgrad - County High School band’s spring concert Sunday afternoon. In addition to the winter guard show, affected by the ongoing ed servers and wireless the JCHS concert and jazz bands also performed. For another photo, see page 2. coronavirus pandemic, access points, and software assist teachers and staff in licenses their future work, support See Funding page 5 FR approves staff plan By BAILEY CLINE as a pilot program to combat year homeschooling students, The Commercial Review coronavirus-related absences. virtual academy liaison teach - FORT RECOVERY –– Fort “We have a strong number of ers will return to their assigned Recovery Local Schools will be students who are returning to Fort Recovery schools. finished with its Virtual Acade - in-class learning,” he explained. There is a “bubble” of 93 my program at the end of the The new staffing plan, which kindergarten students projected school year. was approved by school board, in the fall, compared to about 55 Some elementary staffing is based on the 2020 fall finan - students moving on to first changes will be made as well. cial forecast. Numbers for grade, Brown continued, so the Superintendent Larry Brown enrollment and open enrollment school has reassigned some confirmed the program will end are projected to be similar to staff to reflect those numbers. while discussing the 2021-22 pre-COVID numbers, Brown There will be no planned staffing plan at the Fort Recov - explained. changes to staff in grades 6 ery School Board meeting Mon - With the return of virtual through 12. day. It was originally intended academy students and single- See FR page 2 Hearing set in Young case By RAY COONEY Young is also charged with Meridian St., Portland, where a The Commercial Review possession of methampheta - 3-month-old child was not A change of plea hearing has mine, a Level 5 felony, and pos - breathing. Hayden Markle was been scheduled for a Portland session of paraphernalia, a then transported to IU Health woman who faces charges relat - Class C misdemeanor. She is cur - Jay, where he was later pro - ing to the death of her son. rently scheduled for a two-day nounced dead. The Commercial Review/Bailey Cline Jay Circuit Court last week jury trial beginning July 12. Indiana State Police, Indiana scheduled a change of plea hear - The need for that trial would Department of Child Services, ing for May 17 for Jennifer F. be eliminated if she were to Jay County Coroner’s Office and Young, who is charged with a Planting pumpkins plead guilty at the May 17 hear - Jay County Prosecutor’s Office Four-year-old Nora Stultz waters a cup of Level 1 felony for neglect of a ing. investigated the boy’s death, dependent resulting in death. A separate trial for Ryan resulting in the April 15, 2020, fertilizer Saturday at Pennville Community Center. Hayden Markle, the 3-month- Markle on the same charges is arrests of Young and Ryan Mikkal Hodge of the Indiana Pumpkin Growers old son of Ryan Markle and scheduled to begin May 17. Markle. Association provided information about growing giant Young, died March 6, 2020. An Portland police and Jay Emer - In Indiana, Level 1 felony pumpkins and provided seeds with the potential to autopsy determined his cause of gency Medical Service were charges carry a sentence of 20 to grow up to 1,500 pounds at the event. death to be acute methampheta - called March 6, 2020, to an 40 years in prison and up to a mine intoxication. upstairs apartment at 221 S. $10,000 fine. Deaths Weather In review Coming up Jay County had a high tem - perature of 64 degrees Mon - United Way of Jay County day. The low was 41. Wednesday — Family First and Second Harvest Food Rain and snow are expected undergoing changes at IU Ruth Ann Wendel , 78, Bank will partner for a free after 10 p.m. tonight with 2 to 4 Health Jay. Bryant food tailgate from 10 a.m. to inches of accumulation possi - Roscoe Licht , 100, Albany noon Wednesday at Jay Coun - ble and winds gusting to 20 Friday — Coverage of Details on page 2. ty Fairgrounds. miles per hour. The low will be Thursday’s Fort Recovery soft - Income verification is not 29, and Wednesday’s high will ball game against St. Henry. required. be 40. See page 2 for an extend - ed forecast. The Commercial Review Page 2 Local Tuesday, April 20, 2021 Obituaries Roscoe Licht Del-Com School Kathy), Albany, and William J. ters; sons-in-law Dallas D. Star - be expressed at MeachamFu - Corporation for “Billy” Licht, Muncie; four buck and Jerry L. Morton; and neralService.com. Aug. 12, 1920-April 16, 2021 12 years. He daughters, Margaret Starbuck, daughter-in-law Rebecca L. Our father, Roscoe L. Licht, enjoyed support - Kernersville, North Carolina, Licht. Ruth Ann Wendel , Bryant, Aug. 9, Albany, surrounded by loved ing the area Freda Morton, Muncie, Services will be 1 p.m. Thurs - 1942-March 28, 2021. Services ones, was called into eternal youth and would Kathryn “Kathy” Marquell day, April 22, 2021, at Meacham will be at noon Saturday at the life by his Savior at the age of welcome Delta (husband: Bill), Albany, and Funeral Service with burial Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 100 on April 16, 2021. High School agri - Rebecca A. “Becky” Licht, following at Black Cemetery. 7321 E. Indiana 67, Bryant. He resided at Bethel Pointe culture students Licht Muncie; 14 grandchildren; 17 Visiting hours are Wednes - •••••••••• Health & Rehabilitation Center. to his farm for great-grandchildren; eight step- day from 5 until 8 p.m. and one The Commercial Review pub - Born Aug. 12, 1920, in Shoals, learning. Over the years, he great-grandchildren; two step- hour prior to the service on lishes death notices for those with Indiana. attended DeSoto United great-great-grandchildren; and Thursday at the funeral home. a connection to our coverage area He was a longtime Delaware Methodist Church and was a several nieces and nephews. Memorials may be sent to free of charge. They include the County dairy and grain farmer former member of Elks Lodge He was preceded in death by Cancer Services of East Cen - name, city of residence, and was a milk hauler for Pro - #1776, Dunkirk, and Miami his wife of nearly 64 years, Mil - tral Indiana (Little Red Door), birth/death date and services. ducers Dairy in Muncie for 27 Valley Dairy Producers Associ - dred K. Licht; a son, James 2311 W. Jackson St., Muncie, IN There is a charge for obituar - years before retiring in 1969. ation. “Jim” Licht; parents John H. 47303. ies, which are accepted only from He also drove a Delaware Survivors include two sons, and Lucrease (McKittrick) Condolences and other funeral homes or mortuary serv - Township school bus for the Charles “Monty” Licht (wife: Licht; seven brothers; five sis - expressions of sympathy may ices.