Eastern Greene Schools board approves early graduations, drops iLEARN gate for geometry and OKs new parent app and major donations

The Eastern Greene Schools board on April 8 approved several policy changes, personnel moves and community donations during a roughly 57‑minute meeting in which the superintendent’s designee led agenda items.

Miss Provo presented a recommendation from Mr. Kuykendall to allow certain students to graduate after the first semester or at the end of their junior year if they meet graduation requirements. After discussion about surveying past early graduates to measure outcomes and possible work‑based supports, the board moved and voted to approve the early‑graduation recommendations.

Miss Provo also recommended that the district stop using the iLEARN assessment as a mandatory gatekeeper for eighth graders seeking to enter high‑school geometry and instead rely on teachers’ recommendations and semester grades. "A test does not dictate whether you can go on and be successful," Miss Provo said, summarizing the math department’s position and citing COVID‑era score impacts as part of the rationale. The board approved that change unanimously.

Administrators recommended and the board approved the 2024–25 elementary, middle‑ and high‑school handbooks, which incorporate new statutory language regarding classroom cell‑phone use. Miss Provo said the board must implement a recent Indiana law and that administrators will work with students and parents on how the rules will be enforced; "This is 100% coming from the state of Indiana, the legislation," she said.

On high‑school policy, Miss Provo described revisions to the drug‑testing rule: positive tests will not carry academic penalties and will apply only to extracurricular participation, reflecting the legal distinction between a positive result and being under the influence.

Personnel actions included the board’s acceptance of retirements from long‑serving elementary teachers Kim James and Judy Milnes, the approval of Ken Howard as high‑school assistant principal effective July 1, 2024, and a slate of coaching and assistant‑coaching appointments across sports. One recorded vote on boys basketball head coach Jamie Hudson was 6–1–0; most other personnel votes were unanimous.

The board accepted multiple community donations: several small anonymous gifts to lunch accounts, $300 to the high‑school prom fund, $250 from Crane Credit Union for cheerleaders, $190 for a fifth‑grade trip, a $40,000 anonymous gift toward the school weight‑room project, $10,000 from Bunge Agribusiness for athletics and agricultural programming, and $1,000 from Sam Rees Trucking for boys golf. "So unbelievable, donation there," Miss Provo said of the large anonymous gift.

Miss Provo recommended two contracts: a free SchoolCare nurse‑charting system the district will adopt to streamline nurse communications with parents, and a paid FinalSight messaging and family‑app contract (roughly $2,500 per year) to replace the older Send It system and consolidate school communications. The board voted to proceed with both contracts.

Late items included resignations the board accepted: Tina Smith (high‑school nurse), Rebecca Mobley (middle‑school resource teacher, effective May 20, 2024), and Emily Black (high‑school social studies teacher, effective May 20, 2024). The board directed administration to begin recruitment to fill vacancies.

Board members closed by sharing local event notices — a career fair, upcoming musical and a K–12 art show — and by discussing ideas for strategic planning, regional student‑run business models and scheduling equity for girls’ and boys’ sports. The meeting was adjourned at about 7:29 p.m.

Votes at a glance
- Agenda approval: approved (recorded as unanimous).
- Minutes (03/18/2024): approved (unanimous).
- Claims 18044–18164: approved (unanimous).
- Early‑graduation recommendations: approved (unanimous).
- Remove iLEARN requirement for geometry entry: approved (unanimous).
- Elementary, middle and high school handbooks (including cell‑phone statute language): approved (unanimous).
- Ken Howard, high‑school assistant principal: approved (unanimous).
- Coaching hires: approved (majority of votes unanimous; boys basketball head coach vote recorded 6–1–0).
- SchoolCare (free nurse charting): approved.
- FinalSight family app and messaging contract: approved (board accepted terms, approx. $2,500/year).
- Donations: accepted (unanimous).
- Resignations (Tina Smith, Rebecca Mobley, Emily Black): accepted (unanimous).

What happens next
Administrators will finalize handbook language for parents and students over the summer, post the 2025–26 calendar online, begin recruitment for the open positions, implement the SchoolCare system and transition to the FinalSight messaging/app platform. The board asked administration to follow up with data about outcomes for early graduates and to consider a working session for strategic planning.