The Pilot News - School board busy with budget

Board member Deb Shively commented that Triton School Corporation was "a lot better off than other schools" to which Lease replied: "You're better than most but you don't have a lot of excess to cut back from."
Lease said that there is pressure across the state for schools to operate on less money. "The government expects us to tighten our belts but we already know that they're about as tight as they can get," he said. "It's going to be a tight year where the state gives us minimal support."
The board planned their budget workshops for Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 27 and 28.
Some changes the board had full control of however, included the hiring of several employees to the transportation and sports departments. Maureen Lemler, Davi Slabaugh and Colleen Mast were approved for hire as substitute bus drivers to complete the 2008-09 school year.
Dave Carpenter was approved as boys varsity boys basketball assistant coach and Matt Landis was hired as boys freshmen basketball coach. Ryan Meister will coach the eight grade boys basketball team and Scott Jennings was approved as assistant coach for the girls varsity basketball team.
Jamie Viers was hired to coach the girls freshman basketball team and Brent Cooper was hired to continue coaching the eight grade girls basketball team. Terrin Meister will coach fifth grade girls basketball and Brett Swihart will continue also as varsity and junior high wrestling assistant coach.
For Triton's track teams, other coaching approvals for hire were: Carmen Meister (girls varsity), Terrin Meister (boys/girls varsity assistant), Justina Faulkner (girls junior high) and Ryan Meister (boys junior high).
Also looking ahead, the elementary and junior/senior high schools are collectively working toward enriching those students formerly referred to as "gifted and talented." At the October school board meeting administrators discussed some of the things they are working on for the students that normally get less attention from educators because they don't need the "extra help."
"We spend a lot of time and effort on those on the low end of scores," explained Triton Elementary School Principal Jeremy Riffle. "The pool (of students) we have now is from teacher request and it includes ISTEP and DIBELS scores."
Triton Jr. Sr. High School Principal Mike Chobanov said that the program initiative, for grades kindergarten through 12th grade, is one that Riffle is commissioner of. "We're working on the initial steps of that," he said. "The money has been there but we are looked upon with accountability. We do have advanced placement classes at the high school level (in place)."
Chobanov said that there were 170 students considered for the new program (in grades k through 12) but that a "realistic number" to be working with (once the number has been filtered down to the most successful), is more like three to five percent of that total. "We'll have to refine everything we've put together for the last two years," he said.
Riffle explained that at the elementary level, students are being assessed in their math classes so there can be focus to drive overall math scores higher, thus spending a little less on reading and writing. The concept was one suggested by an accreditation group that evaluated the school's performance last year.
It was noted that the state regularly offers the funding but much of it has been spent in the past on remediation, to raise state test scores, rather that enrichment for the higher ability students.