Warsaw School Board Hears Proposal for Child Center
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
The center would include a year-round daycare and a full-day preschool program during the school year. It would be marketed to families from out of the school district to Warsaw Community Schools.
Rees said her kindergarten and first-grade teachers told her they needed preschool to get kids in earlier. The Center would absorb the Clay Area Preschool to get it started.
She said she and Director of Special Services Deb Blatz worked with several organizations to secure funding. However, the problem is that grants for the most part aren’t reviewed until September and the school year starts in mid August.
“That’s our biggest issue is funding sources aren’t available until September,” Rees said.
They have approached the United Way of Kosciusko County, the Dekko Foundation and the Kosciusko County Community Foundation for grants.
The daycare, board member Delores Hearn said, would be open 6 to 9 a.m. and 3 to p.m. and only available to the kids who attend the preschool. Rees said that’s what they’re indicating for now. The preschool is the most important aspect for her.
Rees said they don’t need to be licensed to start a child care program. Hearn said if they provide child care full day, they would need to be licensed. Deb Wiggins, board member, also indicated it also depended on the number of students being cared for.
Rees said, “We had the opportunity to go down to Indianapolis and look at programs similar to this. They were all 3, 4 and 5 and grouped together. The kids learn from each other and this is a period of discovery.”
The Center would take care of 17 to 20 kids.
“Are you asking the board to approve an early learning center?” Board President Jennifer Tandy asked. Rees said she was.
Wiggins asked how much would the Center be in the red. Rees indicated the Center would generate $24,000 in revenue, but have $89,000 in costs, so it would be about $65,000 in the red.
Because grants are reviewed in September, Wiggins asked if it was considered to start the Center at a different starting point.
Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz said WCS had 16 retirements this past year and were replaced with less-expensive staff. Some of the funding can come from there. Also, the state nearly completely funded full-day kindergarten this year, he said, and WCS has a growing enrollment. Hintz said he and Chief Financial Officer Kevin Scott think they can fund a full-day teacher for the Center.
The Center also could attract families from outside of WCS, which could lead to more families sending their kids to Warsaw. If WCS invests the money upfront, Hintz said they could make it up later.
Wiggins asked if the Center was an idea that would eventually be implemented at other Warsaw schools. Hintz said that was a possibility.
“It’s just another way to frontload success,” he said. “This is really a good investment.”
Rees said in the Claypool area, there was very little opportunity for early childhood care.
Rees was directed to advertise and market the Center, with an emphasis on outside the Warsaw School District, and to get opinions about it.
The board will be presented with a recommendation on the Center at its regular meeting Monday.
In other business, the school board:
– Reviewed personnel recommendations, including the resignation of Madison Elementary School Principal Jacob Hoag, effective July 1. Hoag plans to take the principal’s job at the Columbia City school that his children attends.
– Heard a presentation by Mandy Bailey on mental health counseling for the Step One program at Warsaw Community High School. Step One services nearly 100 at-risk students. Bailey and teacher Jeanne McCormack were told to develop a proposal for a mental health counselor for the program as soon as possible. Hintz suggested the proposal be developed and presented to the board by the July school board meeting, at the latest.
– Reviewed the wage and salary study, which was shared at the March public work session. Preliminary possibilities were presented at the May public work session. The board will be asked to approve year one of the three-year recommendation at its meeting Monday.
The recommendation also is for increases to start July 1.
Scott said included in the recommendation will be an additional 10 cents per hour to be given in January for all hourly employees in good standing with WCS.
The recommendation includes increases of 3.9 percent for support staff, 2.9 percent for special services and 2.8 percent for administrators. The teaching staff is under contract through June 2013 so is outside the scope of the recommendation.
The specific amount of increase for each employee will vary depending on their proximity to regionally competitive wages and salaries.
Because of state legislation passed, by July 1 all schools in the state must post the superintendent’s contract, administrators contracts and the teachers master contract. Scott said all three will be on the school district’s website by July 1.[[In-content Ad]]
The center would include a year-round daycare and a full-day preschool program during the school year. It would be marketed to families from out of the school district to Warsaw Community Schools.
Rees said her kindergarten and first-grade teachers told her they needed preschool to get kids in earlier. The Center would absorb the Clay Area Preschool to get it started.
She said she and Director of Special Services Deb Blatz worked with several organizations to secure funding. However, the problem is that grants for the most part aren’t reviewed until September and the school year starts in mid August.
“That’s our biggest issue is funding sources aren’t available until September,” Rees said.
They have approached the United Way of Kosciusko County, the Dekko Foundation and the Kosciusko County Community Foundation for grants.
The daycare, board member Delores Hearn said, would be open 6 to 9 a.m. and 3 to p.m. and only available to the kids who attend the preschool. Rees said that’s what they’re indicating for now. The preschool is the most important aspect for her.
Rees said they don’t need to be licensed to start a child care program. Hearn said if they provide child care full day, they would need to be licensed. Deb Wiggins, board member, also indicated it also depended on the number of students being cared for.
Rees said, “We had the opportunity to go down to Indianapolis and look at programs similar to this. They were all 3, 4 and 5 and grouped together. The kids learn from each other and this is a period of discovery.”
The Center would take care of 17 to 20 kids.
“Are you asking the board to approve an early learning center?” Board President Jennifer Tandy asked. Rees said she was.
Wiggins asked how much would the Center be in the red. Rees indicated the Center would generate $24,000 in revenue, but have $89,000 in costs, so it would be about $65,000 in the red.
Because grants are reviewed in September, Wiggins asked if it was considered to start the Center at a different starting point.
Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz said WCS had 16 retirements this past year and were replaced with less-expensive staff. Some of the funding can come from there. Also, the state nearly completely funded full-day kindergarten this year, he said, and WCS has a growing enrollment. Hintz said he and Chief Financial Officer Kevin Scott think they can fund a full-day teacher for the Center.
The Center also could attract families from outside of WCS, which could lead to more families sending their kids to Warsaw. If WCS invests the money upfront, Hintz said they could make it up later.
Wiggins asked if the Center was an idea that would eventually be implemented at other Warsaw schools. Hintz said that was a possibility.
“It’s just another way to frontload success,” he said. “This is really a good investment.”
Rees said in the Claypool area, there was very little opportunity for early childhood care.
Rees was directed to advertise and market the Center, with an emphasis on outside the Warsaw School District, and to get opinions about it.
The board will be presented with a recommendation on the Center at its regular meeting Monday.
In other business, the school board:
– Reviewed personnel recommendations, including the resignation of Madison Elementary School Principal Jacob Hoag, effective July 1. Hoag plans to take the principal’s job at the Columbia City school that his children attends.
– Heard a presentation by Mandy Bailey on mental health counseling for the Step One program at Warsaw Community High School. Step One services nearly 100 at-risk students. Bailey and teacher Jeanne McCormack were told to develop a proposal for a mental health counselor for the program as soon as possible. Hintz suggested the proposal be developed and presented to the board by the July school board meeting, at the latest.
– Reviewed the wage and salary study, which was shared at the March public work session. Preliminary possibilities were presented at the May public work session. The board will be asked to approve year one of the three-year recommendation at its meeting Monday.
The recommendation also is for increases to start July 1.
Scott said included in the recommendation will be an additional 10 cents per hour to be given in January for all hourly employees in good standing with WCS.
The recommendation includes increases of 3.9 percent for support staff, 2.9 percent for special services and 2.8 percent for administrators. The teaching staff is under contract through June 2013 so is outside the scope of the recommendation.
The specific amount of increase for each employee will vary depending on their proximity to regionally competitive wages and salaries.
Because of state legislation passed, by July 1 all schools in the state must post the superintendent’s contract, administrators contracts and the teachers master contract. Scott said all three will be on the school district’s website by July 1.[[In-content Ad]]
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