The Culver Community School Board members reviewed an amended Joint Service and Supply Fund Agreement for the JESSE Cooperative when they met this week.
Superintendent Karen Shuman previously explained that Plymouth Community School Corporation is still planning to withdraw from the JESSE Cooperative which leaves the organization without a Local Education Agency (LEA) and none of the eight other schools in the cooperative have decided to accept that role. If there is no LEA by June 2024, JESSE will dissolve. That will be determined by the JESSE Board of Managers.
The JESSE Board of Managers consists of all of the superintendents from the nine participating schools which include the Culver Community School Corporation, Argos Community Schools, John Glenn School Corporation, Knox Community School Corporation, North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation, Oregon-Davis School Corporation, Plymouth Community School Corporation, Triton School Corporation, and the Union-North United School Corporation.
Shuman said the agreement outlines the option that if a school wishes to withdraw from the Cooperative, they have until May 1, 2023 to do so. If a school does withdraw, that corporation would receive its portion of the remainder of the fund balance in the JESSE funds. Prior to this amended agreement, the funds would have simply stayed with the JESSE Cooperative.
Shuman noted that plans are still being discussed concerning the future of the JESSE Cooperative.
The Culver Community School Board approved the agreement with the changes as presented. The same agreement was recently approved by the Triton School Board and the Argos Community School Board.
