The interim superintendent of the North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation has 48 years of experience in public education and is considered an expert when it comes to school finances.
Dr. Robert Boyd served as director of administrative placement in the Indiana State University Department of Education for 26 years and is a former education department chair. He will take over the N.J.-S.P. administrative duties on Jan. 1 following action last night by the school board to hire him on an interim basis. Boyd is replacing Lynn Johnson, who is retiring at the end of this month. His schedule will be set after the first of the year, and the corporation will pay him $425 per day he works between then and June 30th.
School Board President Pat Goin says the other interim candidates they considered would have charged more money and required an extra benefit package. Boyd previously worked with the local school board to draft the shared services proposal with Oregon-Davis. The corporations briefly considered an administrative consolidation a few years ago but opted to remain separate at that time. O-D is also searching for a permanent replacement for departing Superintendent Greg Briles, but officials there have not commented as to whether they would be open to consolidation.
Boyd will immediately be tasked with making cuts to the 2016 N.J.-S.P. budget. Business Manager Guy Richie told the school board last night they were able to close out 2015 in the black due to a series of spending reductions through the year and the use of funds from the cash balance. No teaching positions have been cut since the push for a general fund referendum failed, but some vacant positions haven’t been filled. That has resulted in some reshuffling of resources and larger classes. Richie says the brunt of the school’s financial problems will be felt in 2016 due to further drops in enrollment and a lack of available reserve funds.
Boyd plans to meet this week with N.J.-S.P. administrators, faculty and staff. He will also sit down with Johnson to talk about the transition. Goin says additional community meetings to discuss the school’s future finances will be scheduled early next year.
