Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
BOURBON – Triton School Board held two public hearings during its meeting Monday.
The first public hearing was in relation to collective bargaining between the school corporation and the Triton Teachers Association.
Superintendent Jeremy Riffle said the public hearing gave people an opportunity to give feedback on things the school corporation should consider before going into the pre-bargaining session with the TTA. He noted the bargaining can’t be settled on until after Oct. 1.
There was also a public hearing about the 2026 bus replacement plan, the capital projects plan and the 2026 budget.
Business Manager Tom McFarland said the school corporation’s plan was to replace one large and one small bus, with an estimated combined cost of about $260,000.
For the capital projects plan, McFarland said most of the projects were general maintenance, including flooring, work on sidewalks, fencing, ceiling work and painting throughout the corporation. The total costs of the projects are estimated at $375,000.
The proposed 2026 budget totals $14,354,725. The rainy day fund is $500,000. The debt service is $1,770,200. The education fund is $7,869,980. The operations fund is $4,214,545. The budget will be adopted Oct. 6.
There were no public comments during the hearings and no further discussion by the school board.
In other business, the board:
• Heard Triton Gives Back is Sept. 26, where students and staff alike go out into Bourbon and the surrounding area of Marshall County to give back to their community.
• Heard school picture retakes at the elementary school are Sept. 19.
• Approved hiring Terri Large and Janelle Bontrager as half-day first-grade teachers, Erika Alexander as a part-time elementary evening custodian and Anika Spangle, Jazzalen Trust and Jaydon Heckaman as substitute teachers.
