The Indiana School Board discussed approving two parts of the PlanCon application process last night, but some in the audience did not want them to proceed with application.
The PlanCon funding is part of the funding package for the proposed new Ben Franklin elementary school, and multiple phases of applications are required. Right now, the Indiana School Board is at parts D and E of the application, and some in the audience who saw the application said that parts of the application were false. Board Member Tamara Leeper also had some concerns with the application, and she called for the motion to approve to be tabled. With only six board members present, the vote tied 3-3 and the motion to table failed. After it was ultimately approved by a 4-2 vote, former board member Tom Harley was not happy with the board’s vote to approve, saying that the biggest error was answering “no” to a question that asked if the county had a comprehensive plan. He called the document “erroneous” and “misleading”.
Board president Doug Steve said that if the state did find any errors with the application, it would be sent back to the district.
In other business, the board unanimously approved sending the alternate elementary school proposal known as the Schroth plan to the academic, finance and buildings and grounds committees for future evaluation. His plan would keep the four school system and make repairs where needed for at least 10 years. His belief is that in that time, the district would become better prepared to handle the debt associated with the building of the new Ben Franklin school.
