By Angel Perkins News-Mirror Editor
The Triton School Board made no major changes to start off the new year, retaining all their officers and appointed and volunteer delegates. Nominations started off during the first board meeting of 2008 with Kris Glingle for board president.
“There are others here just as qualified if not more so than I am,” he said in fairness to any other nominations, but none were offered. Dick Trowbridge was reinstated as board vice president and Deb Shively will continue as secretary.
Meeting days and times (at 7 p.m. every second Monday of the month) were also kept as they had been and they chose to keep Janet Barker in her position as corporation treasurer. Liaisons were retained for the upcoming year with Shively and Trowbridge (as alternate) chosen as board representatives to meet with the Triton Teachers’ Association and Shively also continuing on with the Indiana State Board of Accounts and State Board of Finance.

Volunteers to serve on Triton’s textbook committees remained the same with members Glingle and Trowbridge to serve on the high school’s committee and members Jerilyn Anders and Rodney Kreft to review and negotiate on the elementary’s committee for the 2008-09 school year textbook choices.
One position that was not reinstated, at least not until a further decision is made, was that of corporation attorney, previously held by Roy Burbrink of the Law Offices of Burbrink and Clemens of Plymouth. Board member Shively requested that no decision be made until remaining members could hold further discussion and the matter was so tabled.
Even the board member’s salaries ($1,875 each) remained the same as Triton Schools Superintendent Ted Chittum said it is the same as it has been for at least 15 years. Salary increases were, however, approved by the board for the superintendent, school administrators and athletic director who will each see a $2,000 increase annually.
Other future potential changes discussed by the Triton School Board at Monday night’s meeting could only be left up to authorities at the state level to decide. Superintendent Chittum gave each board member a copy of the Indiana Commission on Local Government Reform’s (ICLGR) “Streamlining Local Government” report. “I thought each of you should have one,” Chittum said. “There are four (recommendations) that really target the schools.”
He explained the four basic suggestions to the school board members and then noted a recent Northern Indiana Educational Services Center (NIESC) report. “In recommendation 13 they (the state commission) suggest corporations use cooperative purchasing,” Chittum said. “We pay in to it (NIESC) $5,454.80 annually; we pay a certain percentage per child. By our being members of the co-op, we’ve raised our total value realized to $24,236.15 (a 544 percent return).”
He explained that using a co-op, something the Kernan-Shepard report is suggesting, is one that 30 Indiana school corporations are already doing. “I don’t think they (the commission) were aware to what extent Indiana’s schools are already involved in that,” Chittum said. “There weren’t many educators consulted on that.”
OTHER ITEMS:
— A recent lightning storm struck the school corporation’s phone system causing damage that cut out phone access for several days. It was noted that the system is considered “antiquated” and that the company that sold the system to the corporation no longer services that model.
— Triton School Board members initiated a new practice of setting a fiscal goal, an idea that was instituted by the state of Indiana code to be in practice before the end of January 2008. The basic guideline expected is that corporations invest more money into the actual educating of the students than on other educationally associated expenses.
For example, during the 2005-06 school year, Triton spent 58 percent of their expenses on actual academic achievement. The fiscal goal pledges to spend even more.
— Triton Elementary School Principal Rebecca Dennis announced that the fifth grade would be holding a fundraiser for their annual field trip to Camp Amigo. On Jan. 29, 10 percent of all purchases made at the Bourbon Subway and 15 percent of sales from Bourbon Street Pizza will be donated to the students’ educational camping trip.
    — Triton Jr. Sr. High School Assistant Principal Robert Ross reported a new incentive that acknowledges students “of the month.” Each of the school’s 32 teachers chooses a student each month based on their individual criteria, and the students’ photos are displayed in the classroom as well as in the school office.