WCS Board Hears Update On Grants, Remodeling
August 11, 2016 at 7:59 p.m.
By Katie [email protected]
Despite the remaining work to be done, bathrooms are open, desks are in place, technology is set up and students will be in a safe environment in a classroom structure.
Washington and Edgewood are safe and functional, but will not be completely finished before school starts Monday, according to LeMasters. Any work that needs completed after school starts will be done after hours. The school corporation will not have contractors in the building during the school day when teachers and students are present, unless there is an emergency situation that needs to be addressed immediately.
The construction of the new Lincoln Elementary is coming along. Interior and exterior stud work was wrapping up Wednesday and drywall will start going up this week.
Director of Human Resources Jeanine Corson presented the August personnel report. There has been a lot of movement in the district with 28 new hires, including seven certified teachers, three extracurricular positions and 18 classified positions. The school system is actively looking for ways to hire and retain employees, specifically custodians.
English is another area that has been difficult to retain teachers. The district had 9-1/2 openings for English teachers, and all but one of those positions have been filed.
There is currently a teacher shortage in Indiana, and WCS has received calls from two other school districts looking for English teachers. WCS has the advantage of hiring from other states to fill positions, a privilege not all Indiana school districts are allowed, Corson said. WCS recruited a new teacher for the 2016-2017 from Alaska.
Corson also noted updated changes to the Policy and Procedures Manual. According to Corson, all of these policies were currently in place, but language was changed to make the message more clear.
There are two staff members requesting out-of-state travel. The board will vote on the requests at its regular meeting Monday.
Mindi Reinholt, assistant director of special services, is requesting to attend the National Association for Gifted Children National Conference in Orlando, Fla., with nine other staff members. This conference is not offered in Indiana and will help staff learn ways to promote and further education for exceptional students.
WCS?Chief Financial Officer Brandon Penrod has tentatively requested to attend the National Association of School Business Officials International Conference in Phoenix, Ariz. This will give him the opportunity to meet and compare notes with school business leaders from across the country.
Penrod also presented current financial reports and noted, “We are right where we need to be.”
Director of Communications and Language Programs Wendy Long presented detailed information on three grants WCS received for the 2016-2017 school year.
The Title I grant allotment will focus on the top five schools with the highest percentage of free and reduced lunches. The Title III grant allotment will focus on English and professional development. Title I and Title III are both federal, supplemental grants.
WCS?also received the Non-English Speaking allotment, a state non-supplemental grant, which will be used to purchase materials.
WCS received all three of these grants last year and unfortunately the grant amounts were decreased, she said.
Despite the remaining work to be done, bathrooms are open, desks are in place, technology is set up and students will be in a safe environment in a classroom structure.
Washington and Edgewood are safe and functional, but will not be completely finished before school starts Monday, according to LeMasters. Any work that needs completed after school starts will be done after hours. The school corporation will not have contractors in the building during the school day when teachers and students are present, unless there is an emergency situation that needs to be addressed immediately.
The construction of the new Lincoln Elementary is coming along. Interior and exterior stud work was wrapping up Wednesday and drywall will start going up this week.
Director of Human Resources Jeanine Corson presented the August personnel report. There has been a lot of movement in the district with 28 new hires, including seven certified teachers, three extracurricular positions and 18 classified positions. The school system is actively looking for ways to hire and retain employees, specifically custodians.
English is another area that has been difficult to retain teachers. The district had 9-1/2 openings for English teachers, and all but one of those positions have been filed.
There is currently a teacher shortage in Indiana, and WCS has received calls from two other school districts looking for English teachers. WCS has the advantage of hiring from other states to fill positions, a privilege not all Indiana school districts are allowed, Corson said. WCS recruited a new teacher for the 2016-2017 from Alaska.
Corson also noted updated changes to the Policy and Procedures Manual. According to Corson, all of these policies were currently in place, but language was changed to make the message more clear.
There are two staff members requesting out-of-state travel. The board will vote on the requests at its regular meeting Monday.
Mindi Reinholt, assistant director of special services, is requesting to attend the National Association for Gifted Children National Conference in Orlando, Fla., with nine other staff members. This conference is not offered in Indiana and will help staff learn ways to promote and further education for exceptional students.
WCS?Chief Financial Officer Brandon Penrod has tentatively requested to attend the National Association of School Business Officials International Conference in Phoenix, Ariz. This will give him the opportunity to meet and compare notes with school business leaders from across the country.
Penrod also presented current financial reports and noted, “We are right where we need to be.”
Director of Communications and Language Programs Wendy Long presented detailed information on three grants WCS received for the 2016-2017 school year.
The Title I grant allotment will focus on the top five schools with the highest percentage of free and reduced lunches. The Title III grant allotment will focus on English and professional development. Title I and Title III are both federal, supplemental grants.
WCS?also received the Non-English Speaking allotment, a state non-supplemental grant, which will be used to purchase materials.
WCS received all three of these grants last year and unfortunately the grant amounts were decreased, she said.
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