District 348 Board of Education Monday approved expansion of two athletic programs, which have some community funding support to offset their cost to the school budget. The activities include Girls Golf at Mt. Carmel High School and Track at Mt. Carmel Middle School.

Golf Coach Doug Spear said the Girls Golf activity has funding from Boosters and other community sources to make the activity self-supporting. He said six girls have been preparing through the summer to represent MCHS in Girls Golf competition.

Likewise, MCMS Dean of Students Brad Seaton said the two-year pilot effort for an MCMS Track program has been successful with the volunteer help from the community including Mike McPherson and Doug McPherson, Vernon Higginson, Christina Swanson and Matt Lies.

Seaton said MCMS has 50 to 60 students involved in Track and community support for the sport is shown by the development of a nearly $400,000 all-weather track facility at Riverview Stadium.

Board member Neil Earnest said the Track effort is "the key to the high school program." He and other board members emphasized that the Girls Golf and Track programs seek self-funding, just as Tennis and Soccer programs have successfully done.

School Superintendent Tim Buss said District 348 would be taking on transportation costs associated with the athletic programs.

Board member Janice Alka said her only concern in the decision, which she supported Monday, remains increasing energy prices facing the school district.

"We are going to start talking about cutting things because of high energy costs," she said.

Superintendent Buss expanded on that topic early in the board discussion. "I will be looking into all the transportation costs for athletic events and field trips. We can't continue to allow groups and classes to take numerous field trips (with gas costs where they're at). We will be looking at where we can cut back on transportation costs."

"Eliminating a sport could be a possibility," he added.

The motion to approve the new athletic activities was made by Terry Beckerman and unanimously supported by the board of education.

Superintendent Buss said drafting of the new school budget is now being done, and that the proposed budget will be presented to the Aug. 18 regular monthly meeting of the school board. Following that presentation, a copy of the proposed 2008-09 budget will be on display at the District Office as well as on the District's Web site. The board will hold a public hearing on Sept. 22 before taking a vote on the budget in the regular meeting that will follow.

In other business, the board approved low bids for the breakfast and lunch program for 2008-09, including those by CSI/One South and Wabash Food Services as well as items from Earth Grain and Prairie Farms Dairy.

Among communications acted on Monday, the board approved:

1. Alana Fleetwood resignation as junior varsity volleyball coach;

2. Elizabeth Savage resignation as MCHS prom sponsor;

3. Tyler Buss resignation as PE teacher at South, as he takes a position in another district as teacher and coach;

4. Emily Teague resignation after eight years as secretary to principal and vice principal at MCHS;

5. Linda K. Harshman as Brownsville School aide;

6. Samantha Newkirk request for FMLA leave after Christmas break in 2008-2009;

7. Terri Guisewite resignation as student senate sponsor.

In other personnel matters, following a half-hour executive session, the board resumed open meeting and voted as follows:

• Hired Doug Schwartz as full-time PE teacher at South Elementary School.

• Approved four non-certified staff hirings: Amber Jackson as 3rd grade reading program assistant at NICE; Katie Lathrop as alternative education monitor at MCHS; Susan Orr as part-time cook at NICE; Lisa Dillard as principal and vice principal secretary at MCHS beginning 2008-09.

• Call-back of non-certified personnel was Mary Mayberry, individual assistant of special needs student at Brownsville School.

• Extracurricular assignment -- Michael Cheesman as head wrestling coach at MCHS.