NORTH MANCHESTER - After eliminating a special education position before the beginning of the school year, Manchester Community School Corp. administrators realized as this school year progressed that a need for the position still existed.

Tuesday at the Manchester Community School Board meeting, superintendent Diana Showalter suggested that the school hire a special education teacher to spend part of his or her time at Laketon Elementary and part-time at Manchester Junior High.

However, since the school year is already well under way, the school corporation had trouble finding a qualified person to fill the position. Two teachers who already have special education licenses are teaching general education classes.

Tuesday, Showalter recommended that Amy Lambert be hired for the special education position although she is not fully licensed in special education. Lambert is planning to take one special education class in the spring and another in the summer to comply with requirements necessary for the limited emergency license she will have this year. Lambert has spent the past three months working with special needs students.

"Amy is certainly capable," said Showalter. "She has some experience working with special needs students and she has good mentors in both buildings she will be working in."

After a brief discussion among school board members and Showalter, Lambert was hired by a 5-1 vote.

In other business, the board:

• Heard that Manchester High School will be hosting the Chamber of Commerce dinner in January. The high school won the bid to host the dinner and is looking into ways to showcase itself. Said Showalter: "It should be a really special evening."

• Heard that enrollment projections continue to fall. Business manager Steve Shumaker presented a study that showed the demographics in North Manchester. Shumaker also said that numbers are down throughout Wabash County. "Wabash County is not faring very well," said Shumaker.

"No matter which way you look at it, it's going downhill," said Showalter.

• Received information from Showalter about the K-12 Subcommittee findings that were recently released throughout the state. The committee presented recommendations of changes that could be made to improve education in Indiana as a whole.

• Heard that the next board meeting will be Dec. 7 at Manchester High School. The school will present a banner from the IHSAA for the Sportsmanship Award earned last year at the first home boys basketball game of the season.

• Approved amending the retirement/severance bond resolution because dates on the original resolution have changed.

• Approved a recommendation to declare 250 library books obsolete. The books will be donated to the North Manchester Public Library book sale in December.

• Approved hiring: Eric Christiansen, girls tennis coach at Manchester High School; Ericka Eckert and Laura Fawcett, volunteer assistant cheer coaches at MHS; and Scott Bowman and John Hanlon, volunteer assistant wrestling coaches at MHS.

• Approved an overnight field trip for Mike Schlitt and members of the academic competitions to attend the Model United Nations Conference in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Dec. 2-4.

• Approved an overnight field trip for Terry McKee and the Manchester High School Band to perform at "Canada's Wonderland" in Toronto, Ontario, Canada May 7-10, 2005.

• Approved the acceptance of a Gifted and Talented Grant for $13,042, and a Title V Grant for nearly $8,000, $4000 of which has been switched to a Title II Grant to be used for class-size reduction.

• Approved Sunday building rental of the Performing Arts Center and Commons for the First Brethren Church's annual Harvest Meal morning worship Nov. 21.

• Approved the minutes from the Nov. 2 board meeting.

Manchester school board members are Sally Krouse, president, Thom Frantz, Kent Terrill, Brian Schilling, Carlye McLaughlin and Brad Perrot. Todd Speicher was not present at the meeting. Superintendent is Diana Showalter. [[In-content Ad]]