Wabash County Promise Program Expands
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Keri Koenig-
This program works with the Wabash County YMCA to support academic and career success and encourage youth to begin saving for post secondary education. According to its website (www.wabashcountyymca.org), its belief is that “The trajectory of every child’s life, regardless of situational limitations, should be determined by their potential.”
Patty Grant informed the school board about the struggles that persist with giving underprivileged students the financial aid they need. A new idea was proposed only a week prior to start combating this problem.
“What if we could give scholarships, not when students are 18? What if we could give it to them earlier?” Grant said in explaining the proposal.
With the 529 academic savings accounts and the help of the YMCA, the Wabash County Promise wants to start giving scholarships to students in grades four through eight. Scholarships will fall under three categories: academic achievement, family financial and college planning.
The scholarship would be awarded to a 529 account not owned by the family, but by the Wabash County Promise so that their scholarship would be secure and couldn’t be compromised before it is needed. On average, each scholarship would be $150. Over the years a student could earn many of these scholarships or contribute on their own to their college funds.
Dr. Bill Reichhart briefly shared this concept with the teachers of his administration beforehand. He said he appreciates the fact that this program is not limited to education in college – it is also open to vocational schools, certifications, apprenticeships and any other additional training outside of high school.
Brady Burgess asked if high school graduates had to use their scholarships immediately. Grant replied that the money from the scholarships would be protected for post-secondary purposes unless it was to be forfeited and returned to the program. She estimated the latest one could use the scholarship would be at age 21.
The first award will not be given until fall 2016. This is a completely innovative program, Grant told the board.
“We are unaware of anyone else in Northeast Indiana doing anything like this,” she said. She thanked Manchester Community Schools for its support, saying without it this would not be possible.
Also during the meeting, two MCS teachers told the board that ISTEP scores for 2014-2015 should be deemed a failure.
Teachers Rhonda Shover and Patty Good are also both co-presidents of the Manchester Teachers’ Association. They have written a letter addressed to Gov. Mike Pence on the topic of the unreliable ISTEP scores from this year of testing.
The two teachers thanked Reichhart for the phone calls and emails he has sent out on their behalf, but they said they felt it was time for their words to come from the source.
The teachers are doing what they know is best, they claimed, and the letter grades and scores are not reflective at all. They know they have great students and great teachers and have reached academic success in the past.
They read their letter aloud and offered copies to everyone on the board. An excerpt from their conclusion states: “It is irresponsible and unconscionable to use these ISTEP results and school letter grades to label student achievement or a school’s academic success.” They said they hope they can join many teachers and schools together to fight this unfair charge against their teaching abilities.
“The state needs to hear not only from the administration, but from the teachers as well. We at Manchester Community Schools support our teachers, our students and our families,” Reichhart said, adding that he believes the teachers have taken the best step possible to address the situation.
Sally Krouse agreed that the general consensus is that the school letters of this year are “a farce.”
“They will not be acknowledged in any way” if the inaccurate rating does remain, she said.
Many board members expressed their interest in signing the letter. The two teachers hope that with the more signatures they obtain, the more seriously this issue will be considered.[[In-content Ad]]
This program works with the Wabash County YMCA to support academic and career success and encourage youth to begin saving for post secondary education. According to its website (www.wabashcountyymca.org), its belief is that “The trajectory of every child’s life, regardless of situational limitations, should be determined by their potential.”
Patty Grant informed the school board about the struggles that persist with giving underprivileged students the financial aid they need. A new idea was proposed only a week prior to start combating this problem.
“What if we could give scholarships, not when students are 18? What if we could give it to them earlier?” Grant said in explaining the proposal.
With the 529 academic savings accounts and the help of the YMCA, the Wabash County Promise wants to start giving scholarships to students in grades four through eight. Scholarships will fall under three categories: academic achievement, family financial and college planning.
The scholarship would be awarded to a 529 account not owned by the family, but by the Wabash County Promise so that their scholarship would be secure and couldn’t be compromised before it is needed. On average, each scholarship would be $150. Over the years a student could earn many of these scholarships or contribute on their own to their college funds.
Dr. Bill Reichhart briefly shared this concept with the teachers of his administration beforehand. He said he appreciates the fact that this program is not limited to education in college – it is also open to vocational schools, certifications, apprenticeships and any other additional training outside of high school.
Brady Burgess asked if high school graduates had to use their scholarships immediately. Grant replied that the money from the scholarships would be protected for post-secondary purposes unless it was to be forfeited and returned to the program. She estimated the latest one could use the scholarship would be at age 21.
The first award will not be given until fall 2016. This is a completely innovative program, Grant told the board.
“We are unaware of anyone else in Northeast Indiana doing anything like this,” she said. She thanked Manchester Community Schools for its support, saying without it this would not be possible.
Also during the meeting, two MCS teachers told the board that ISTEP scores for 2014-2015 should be deemed a failure.
Teachers Rhonda Shover and Patty Good are also both co-presidents of the Manchester Teachers’ Association. They have written a letter addressed to Gov. Mike Pence on the topic of the unreliable ISTEP scores from this year of testing.
The two teachers thanked Reichhart for the phone calls and emails he has sent out on their behalf, but they said they felt it was time for their words to come from the source.
The teachers are doing what they know is best, they claimed, and the letter grades and scores are not reflective at all. They know they have great students and great teachers and have reached academic success in the past.
They read their letter aloud and offered copies to everyone on the board. An excerpt from their conclusion states: “It is irresponsible and unconscionable to use these ISTEP results and school letter grades to label student achievement or a school’s academic success.” They said they hope they can join many teachers and schools together to fight this unfair charge against their teaching abilities.
“The state needs to hear not only from the administration, but from the teachers as well. We at Manchester Community Schools support our teachers, our students and our families,” Reichhart said, adding that he believes the teachers have taken the best step possible to address the situation.
Sally Krouse agreed that the general consensus is that the school letters of this year are “a farce.”
“They will not be acknowledged in any way” if the inaccurate rating does remain, she said.
Many board members expressed their interest in signing the letter. The two teachers hope that with the more signatures they obtain, the more seriously this issue will be considered.[[In-content Ad]]
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