[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6456225,"mediaKeyId","5692008-159a7b8a08114cadbad3910fe7763b06","parentId",5692008,"title","Residents urge clarity on administrator pay, alleged nepotism, class sizes and Head Start site changes","audioSeconds",533,"startMs",1057705,"endMs",1591640,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5692008-159a7b8a08114cadbad3910fe7763b06&start=1057&end=1591","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5692008-159a7b8a08114cadbad3910fe7763b06/thumbnail_1057705.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6456225/Indiana/Residents-urge-clarity-on-administrator-pay-alleged-nepotism-class-sizes-and-Head-Start-site-changes","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6456225-594990dd1726ff65fe571f1e947ef492/orig.mp4?Expires=1771070917&Signature=PRcBSaQovY4NypoPsZZmOito1G5J00ojEY4DyKnkHFrpNmg5Ykm4ml4sG89RVOVWyVtww2maAc~rX8m1gftXZ8jDnfImA7HTChhMvfkK-v4d18i1pgHQyzxD4MxNBvO662kYX2SJJ6yLI69DpsApSu9uYxiBy5IuH-yMH6tkD3mczwuQVDVj5IkMCBL68wFbrh--esCJHLDNVvgxzko3UyWbhnea3fQfoypqQj0NZ-6WraHHs7Lj7Y6ekf~HNjkOxsVmJaXQinpSkasPK6tDpzz-T5Ok3DECiHC0BzVU-TvlsWJW4fm4inb8QmWDKznjIl7a9oNvhRVAhJxfDuXzqw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Richmond Community Schools","date","2025-08-28T10:17:32Z","article","Several residents raised concerns during the meeting’s public-comment period about administrative compensation, a potential conflict of interest in a recent hire, class sizes, Title IX reporting and changes to Head Start sites.

Rob Weiss, who identified himself as born and raised in the community and a 1979 graduate, criticized recent administrative salary increases and asked why the district employs multiple assistant principals and high-paid athletic administrators. He said he was concerned that a newly hired administrator is the spouse of a new board member and said, “if I'm not mistaken, that position should have been pointed out because he should have recused himself for voting his wife” when administrative hires were approved. Weiss also asked the board to make a Title IX report public as soon as possible and said he had seen what he described as a multi-year bullying issue now subject to litigation. He described recent fourth-grade class-size problems — two third-grade classes of 28 students that moved to fourth grade — and said teachers were overwhelmed.

Tammy Miller, who said she lives in Wayne County but is not part of the Richmond district, spoke about Head Start. She said she understands new Head Start contracts will not be effective until October but reported that Hagerstown and Centerville Centers are closed and said that closures make it difficult for families to enroll and access an income-based program. Miller said she has tried to enroll children since May and asked that the district avoid making permanent changes to sites until enrollment work is complete.

Jason Blunk (identified as a parent and community member) offered two comments: he thanked teachers, administrators and support staff for improvements in early reading outcomes, and he asked the board to ensure that key terms in policies under consideration are clearly defined, saying he could not find a definition for a term on that night’s agenda and urging the board to define terms that require a student to take specific action.

Board members did not respond to public commenters during the meeting but the board president said the board would follow up by email. Staff and trustees referred several procedural concerns — including personnel matters, Title IX and litigation — to established complaint and legal processes referenced in district policy.

No board action on the items raised by public commenters was recorded during the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Richmond Community Schools Board of Trustees Meeting - 2025, August 27","oneSentenceSummary","Three community members used public comment to raise concerns about administrative pay increases, a possible hiring conflict, Title IX reporting and closures of Head Start sites; one caller thanked educators for reading gains and asked for clearer policy definitions.","taxTitle","Richmond Community Schools, School Boards, Indiana","taxId",55559,"location","Indiana","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6456230,"Board approves Head Start salary schedule, donations and advances multiple policies to second reading",173,1827035,2000830,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5692008-159a7b8a08114cadbad3910fe7763b06&start=1827&end=2000","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5692008-159a7b8a08114cadbad3910fe7763b06/thumbnail_1827035.jpg","/articles/6456230/Indiana/Board-approves-Head-Start-salary-schedule-donations-and-advances-multiple-policies-to-second-reading","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6456230-d87346214a2c57f4360e489090283052/orig.mp4?Expires=1771070917&Signature=BeF0iI3tX73ccXLtXgsG-cwouzMCo9gNo86pnkECA294vGZCiZbv7~z9v41R1FHX~G6chUJ0zZQ60p3sL6hdVgvveeGlIGtOwbpQk38oBS3zVvEcKyWfoG89Dgu89AzRDqDBgNH2dwvI7ozPfHyuii58tsQUdh4KZ4Cmnf88B1ykx0k9f2kXr4xW5a4T5QXL-XPscQDuyYhcdESvWepzJcezL0YD~wvotW0v~OuXR-rojLNxwEgq7UStpmeKen~DP8WJWk8gXjJz56Wi1B2SH-JvUkcT0XytqISDHAZ3CiEfnIza1LKGS7VH3kJkxU3M5IIG0XSkBA3Gn56kquEllw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Richmond Community Schools Board of Trustees approved a new salary schedule and benefit package for incoming Head Start broker positions and accepted community donations, and it moved multiple district policies to second reading at its meeting.

On personnel and finance: the board approved consent items 4.01–4.07 by voice vote (6–0). The board also accepted donations totaling $5,924.55 for the current reporting period; that motion passed 6–0. Separately, the board approved item 5.02 — a new salary schedule and benefits package for the Head Start broker positions — by a 6–0 vote. Board discussion described the salary schedule as a comprehensive outline of incoming Head Start positions and benefits; no specific contract amounts beyond the schedule were provided in the discussion.

Policy votes and process: the board moved several policies to second reading rather than adopting them outright. Policy 6.01 (Policy 51.11 — determination of legal settlement and eligibility for enrollment for students without legal settlement) was moved to second reading and passed by voice vote 6–0. Policy 6.03 (Policy 52.23 — release time for religious instruction) and Policy 6.04 (Policy 5.600 — student discipline) also advanced to second reading on 6–0 votes.

Policy 6.02 (Policy 5.200 — revised attendance policy) was moved to second reading but the motion passed 5–1. During discussion a citizen asked about the definition of “habitual truancy”; trustees asked staff to clarify that terminology before final adoption and to place the item on the district’s upcoming policy meeting agenda for additional review.

Votes at a glance
- Consent items 4.01–4.07: motion to approve by Member Brunton; second by Member Stevens. Outcome: approved, vote 6–0.
- Donations (item 5.01): donations totaling $5,924.55 accepted. Outcome: approved, vote 6–0.
- Salary schedule and benefits package for Head Start broker (item 5.02): motion moved by Member Weber; second by Member Stevens. Outcome: approved, vote 6–0. Note: trustees described the schedule as outlining incoming Head Start positions and benefits; detailed contract terms were not presented during the meeting.
- Policy 51.11 (item 6.01): moved to second reading. Outcome: passed to second reading, vote 6–0.
- Policy 5.200 — attendance (item 6.02): moved to second reading. Outcome: passed to second reading, vote 5–1; trustees requested clarifying the definition of \"habitual truancy\" prior to adoption and scheduled additional review at the policy meeting on Sept. 9.
- Policy 52.23 (item 6.03): release time for religious instruction moved to second reading. Outcome: passed to second reading, vote 6–0.
- Policy 5.600 (item 6.04): student discipline moved to second reading. Outcome: passed to second reading, vote 6–0.

Board members repeatedly noted that moving policies to second reading allows further community and staff input before final approval. The board’s next special policy meeting was announced for Sept. 9; the next regular board meeting was announced for Sept. 10.

This article reflects motions and tallies recorded in the meeting; detailed contract or salary-line items beyond the salary schedule for Head Start were not provided in the public discussion.","At the meeting the board approved a new salary schedule and benefits package for Head Start broker positions, accepted community donations and moved several district policies to second reading, including an attendance-policy revision that drew discussion.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6456235,"Richmond Community Schools recognizes instructional teams after reported test-score gains",354,494755,849204,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5692008-159a7b8a08114cadbad3910fe7763b06&start=494&end=849","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5692008-159a7b8a08114cadbad3910fe7763b06/thumbnail_494755.jpg","/articles/6456235/Indiana/Richmond-Community-Schools-recognizes-instructional-teams-after-reported-test-score-gains","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6456235-ba4ae2ac2cdb7dbbb15d05d1d08e6987/orig.mp4?Expires=1771070917&Signature=ExFx~Fv8aIZs74m7M6aX3VDWDZCfN9SAHB~xxQBhG69nqpj22045mnxBVaZThukdSHatTyFH~-inOB8s0j~H6y5-iDZ~ENYf8qINphUyMswcb0Aw3dKi0sxqzMq4n4lk~xflsjEXFK071nFDyQRHo6TuniH91IEQ~ho5UmJW8Qm28gU20fXJxZH9YZrQHvyqHZ5fdVnHRMUM1pxAboxKajTsa9Y724TD0akwwUb0lVBSOLTZxVWBeMrfeqML-DU3xfTInOrlu4aWaBTQvXGSFB5lD8jgDD9cw5PKgTmn7-I8tMhZlGDID6SLHX82oSS8FJtn1o87vLlps8MpDlvHiw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Richmond Community Schools leaders used a board meeting to publicly recognize elementary and secondary instructional teams and literacy coaches for student gains on standardized tests.

District presenters introduced members of elementary and secondary instructional leadership and thanked them for the work that supported students’ achievement. District staff said the district recorded notable growth on state-aligned assessments, describing some early-grade gains as “double the state average,” and highlighted continued work to raise scores where gaps remain.

The presentations named multiple building-level instructional staff who were in the meeting: Amy Van Millsworth (literacy coach), Nicole Vanderbilt (principal, Fairview), Sean Thrasher (literacy coach, Fairview), Kristen Ross (literacy coach, Star Elementary), Sarah Vance (instructional staff, Star), Celeste Johnson (instructional coach), Ray Wolfie (principal, virtual high school), Steven Hensley (principal, Hitter program building), and TC Klushman (instructional coach, Dennis). Board members and district leaders acknowledged the work of literacy cadre coaches and instructional coaches districtwide.

Board members praised the deliberate focus on reading, math and science curriculum changes at both elementary and secondary levels. One board member said the gains at the secondary level were “quite impressive” given the difficulty of raising percentages at those grades. Several trustees and speakers also emphasized that, while growth has been noted, “we have work to do” to reach the district’s targets.

District staff described planned next steps including continued curriculum implementation, onboarding of new administrators and teachers, and ongoing professional development led by instructional coaches. The meeting also referenced a forthcoming RCS care closet at Richmond High School to provide coats, shoes and supplies to families, an example of the district’s partnership work that supports students outside the classroom.

The recognition portion of the meeting included staff introductions across multiple buildings and ended with trustees thanking the teams for their work and encouraging continued progress.","At a board meeting, district leaders and administrators highlighted improvements on standardized tests and introduced elementary and secondary instructional teams and coaches who supported that work.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Residents urge clarity on administrator pay, alleged nepotism, class sizes and Head Start site changes

Board approves Head Start salary schedule, donations and advances multiple policies to second reading

Richmond Community Schools recognizes instructional teams after reported test-score gains