Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
BOURBON – Triton School Board held a public hearing Monday for the corporation’s 2027 budget.
The total proposed budget is $14,489,305. The rainy day fund is $500,000. The debt service fund is $1,934,700. The education fund is $7,775,205. The operations fund is $4,279,400.
The adoption meeting is at 7 p.m. Oct. 5.
Business Manager Tom McFarland said the 2027 budget is very similar to the 2026 budget.
There were no comments from the public.
Later in the meeting, Superintendent Jeremy Riffle brought up some things the corporation wanted to celebrate. He said some people may have already heard about the items he talked about, but they were to reinforce “our staff and students are just doing awesome stuff.”
Riffle said Triton students achieved about an 96% pass rate on the IREAD test in the spring, which was an increase from 2025. Riffle said the school corporation wants to see that continue. Riffle also said he believed 66% of second-graders who took the test passed IREAD.
He said 99% of kindergarteners finished the 2025-26 school year at or above benchmark.
Riffle also talked about graduation rates. Triton had a 100% graduation rate in 2023, 98% in 2024 and 97% in 2025.
“That feels like it’s going down, but they’re really strong,” he said. He added if a student leaves the school corporation before graduating and doesn’t enroll in another school, that student is still technically on Triton’s books. Every year, there’s several students Triton has “to fight to get off of our books,” because Triton hasn’t been their educating entity for possibly multiple years or the student was a foreign exchange student.
“There’s a lot of factors in that. Our students, our staff are trying to do everything they possibly can to get our kiddos to graduate,” he said, adding several students finished their last class and are considered graduates, but haven’t walked in graduation yet.
In other business, the board:
• Approved the 2027 bus replacement and capital project plans.
• Approved the annual review of bus routes, student transportation safety policy and transportation handbook.
• Approved putting a bus up for auction Dec. 8.
• Heard the elementary and junior-senior high school will celebrate Constitution Day Thursday.
• Approved the hiring of Katelyn Kaufman as a substitute teacher, David Walter as a substitute teacher, Karrie Haney as a crossing guard and cafeteria substitute, Terry Alderfer as an elementary cafeteria dishwasher, Blake Walls as a substitute bus driver, Bethany Bentley as the eighth-grade volleyball coach, Laurie Thompson as the junior high volleyball supervisor, Lisa Hammond as the sixth-grade volunteer volleyball coach, Bailey Nicely as the volunteer girls’ wrestling coach, Krystin Alderfer as a volunteer girls wrestling coach, Jazmin Lemler as a volunteer wrestling coach and varsity girls wrestling assistant coach, Anna Damron as a bond volunteer, Alexis Brunner as a band volunteer, Jorie Yarber as a band volunteer, Jessica Strevy as a band volunteer, Brandon Strevy as a band volunteer, Mark Schwartz as a band volunteer, Barbara as a band volunteer, Stephen Fink as a show choir and theater volunteer, Aaron Haines as a show choir and theater volunteer, Michelle Gonzalez as a show choir and theater volunteer, Jacob Gonzalez as a show choir and theater volunteer, Matt Wyse as a marching band drill writer volunteer, Raquel Teutle as a fall and winter color guard sponsor and Jennifer Brunner as a band volunteer, show choir volunteer and assistant director of the fall drama production.
• Approved the resignation of Kassandra Summe as the eighth-grade volleyball coach and Kaitlin Linville as a junior varsity boys tennis coach.
