LOOGOOTEE, Ind. – There are plenty of public school officials who constantly complain about what they perceive as a lack of state funding for their districts.

But few are willing to personally sacrifice to help address the problem.

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That’s what makes Dr. Joan Keller so special.

Keller, entering her second year as superintendent in the rural Loogootee, Indiana school district, recently made headlines by asking the school board to lower her salary by 25 percent.

You read that correctly.

Keller, who made $97,308 over the past year, has requested that her salary be lowered to $76,723 in 2015-16, and $72,981 over the final two years of her contract, if she decides to work that long, according to the Washington Herald.

She also requested to have her paid vacation days reduced from 20 to 15.

The school board will vote on the suggested amendments to her contract at its Aug. 18 meeting, the news report said.

Keller said she asked the school board to make the adjustment to help the district absorb an anticipated loss of $300,000 in state funding this year.

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The loss of state revenue is not an immediate threat to the district’s budget, according to Keller. The Loogootee School Corporation has enough money in reserve to maintain its current programs for the coming year, and there are no current worries about layoffs or pay cuts for other employees, she said.

Keller told EAGnews that she can afford the pay cut, and the less money she makes, the less money that will have to come out of district reserves. It’s a simple matter of leadership and setting a proper example.

“I could do it, and it’s just a way to help the school save,” said Keller, who added that the pay cut would never have been publicized if the district was not required by law to post its contracts in local publications.

“I’m not trying to make anyone feel bad, I haven’t asked another soul to give up any money, and I don’t intend to. I just feel like the example has to come from the top.

“The community and the board and the staff have been good to me, and it’s just my way of giving back a little bit.”

Keller, who will turn 64 this week, has been giving back to the children of Indiana for a very long time.

She was a teacher in various school districts for 23 years, a high school principal for five years, an elementary principal for three years and a superintendent for a total of 10 years.

She retired from K-12 education in 2010, taught at Indiana University Southeast, then accepted an invitation to return to her most recent K-12 district in neighboring Shoals, Indiana to serve for two years as superintendent.

Then last fall she accepted the superintendent’s position at Loogootee, where she has four grandchildren enrolled in school. She decided to apply after the previous superintendent was asked to resign and the district clearly needed a strong leader.

Keller, who describes herself as “older than dirt,” says she’s been a resident of Martin County, where both the Shoals and Loogootee districts are located, for more than four decades. That’s why she’s been willing to prolong her career and help whatever district needs her the most.

“I thought about retiring again last summer, but Loogootee had an opening, I have four grandkids here, so I thought I probably had a couple more years in me,” she said.

“It is home.”

Nancy Summers, president of the Loogootee school board, said there was little surprise among board members when Keller made the offer to slash her own salary.

“I don’t think anyone was shocked,” Summers said. “She’s a very unselfish person. That’s just how she is.”

Keller played a very similar role in the Shoals school district, taking a significantly smaller salary than her predecessor as she helped the school navigate its way through a tough financial period, according to Summers.

“They were financially strapped (in Shoals), but it didn’t take very long for her to get the job done,” Summers said. “I’ve never met anyone who truly cares more about what’s best for children than she does.”