Wawasee Awards $2.2 Million in Renovation, Electronics Contracts
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jordan Fouts-
For high school cafeteria renovation and wireless and security systems at the high school and three elementaries, the board chose Brown and Brown General contractors, who bid $773,000; Griffen Plumbing and Heating, who bid $677,200; and Pemberton-Davis Electric, who bid $772,000. The three companies may begin work as early as Christmas break.
A total of 18 bids were received, Kari Vilamaa, president of Barton Coe Vilamaa architects and engineers, told the board. He said many of the bids were close together, and after speaking with the companies recommended the lowest bid among general, mechanical and electrical contractors.
Board members noted this will be the first renovation to the cafeteria in 30 years, and observed that seating is now a major problem, with students often having to stand and wait for a seat to open up.
The board also approved additional appropriations and tax anticipation warrants to fund the renovation.
Also during the meeting, Wawasee High School Principal Don Harman and Vocational Director Tracy Roberts informed the board of changes in graduation requirements and vocational class titles.
The elimination of Pre-Algebra courses is the biggest change handed down by the State Board of Education Nov. 7, Harman said. It will be replaced by “Algebra Enrichment,” which must be offered during the same academic year as Algebra I.
The state board also created a new class category, “Quantitative Reasoning,” aimed at helping students apply math to real-world situations. It provided a draft of proposed courses, such as Agribusiness Management and Advanced Culinary Arts.
Harman remarked that a lot of high schools are frustrated with new math requirements for graduation, since they're “harder on lower-end kids” who already have trouble graduating and are most at-risk for dropping out.
The high school has seen a trend of dropping enrollment since 2007, Corporation Data Technician Bob Cockburn reported to the board, and said he sees the freshman dropout rate as a big contributor.
Enrollment has trended downward throughout the corporation, he said, but the high school lost the most students in that period – 945 students enrolled for the 2011-2012 school year compared to 1,071 in the 2007-2008 school year.
“I think many of our kids are lost at the 9th grade, when schoolwork suddenly becomes more demanding and students face the prospect of actually failing, he told the board,” said Cockburn. “It's not a 9th grade problem, it's a Wawasee problem... it's an 'us' problem, and it starts in kindergarten, elementary school and middle school.”
He also shared data showing that, while enrollment is down by about 2,000 students district-wide compared to 2007, the percent of students in free and reduced lunch and textbook programs has risen from 32.5 percent to 46.7 percent.
It's not surprising, he observed, and the local numbers match the trend nationally. But children absorbing their parents' worries about being able to feed them also has an impact on student retention and success.
Also during the meeting, Superintendent Tom Edington reported that the wind turbine study committee has decided to wait for wind and power data from the Tippecanoe Valley School Corp's turbine and will not meet again until March. At their last meeting, they decided to consider the field behind the high school bus garage for turbine placement instead of the middle school, out of deference to the National Weather Service station nearby.[[In-content Ad]]
For high school cafeteria renovation and wireless and security systems at the high school and three elementaries, the board chose Brown and Brown General contractors, who bid $773,000; Griffen Plumbing and Heating, who bid $677,200; and Pemberton-Davis Electric, who bid $772,000. The three companies may begin work as early as Christmas break.
A total of 18 bids were received, Kari Vilamaa, president of Barton Coe Vilamaa architects and engineers, told the board. He said many of the bids were close together, and after speaking with the companies recommended the lowest bid among general, mechanical and electrical contractors.
Board members noted this will be the first renovation to the cafeteria in 30 years, and observed that seating is now a major problem, with students often having to stand and wait for a seat to open up.
The board also approved additional appropriations and tax anticipation warrants to fund the renovation.
Also during the meeting, Wawasee High School Principal Don Harman and Vocational Director Tracy Roberts informed the board of changes in graduation requirements and vocational class titles.
The elimination of Pre-Algebra courses is the biggest change handed down by the State Board of Education Nov. 7, Harman said. It will be replaced by “Algebra Enrichment,” which must be offered during the same academic year as Algebra I.
The state board also created a new class category, “Quantitative Reasoning,” aimed at helping students apply math to real-world situations. It provided a draft of proposed courses, such as Agribusiness Management and Advanced Culinary Arts.
Harman remarked that a lot of high schools are frustrated with new math requirements for graduation, since they're “harder on lower-end kids” who already have trouble graduating and are most at-risk for dropping out.
The high school has seen a trend of dropping enrollment since 2007, Corporation Data Technician Bob Cockburn reported to the board, and said he sees the freshman dropout rate as a big contributor.
Enrollment has trended downward throughout the corporation, he said, but the high school lost the most students in that period – 945 students enrolled for the 2011-2012 school year compared to 1,071 in the 2007-2008 school year.
“I think many of our kids are lost at the 9th grade, when schoolwork suddenly becomes more demanding and students face the prospect of actually failing, he told the board,” said Cockburn. “It's not a 9th grade problem, it's a Wawasee problem... it's an 'us' problem, and it starts in kindergarten, elementary school and middle school.”
He also shared data showing that, while enrollment is down by about 2,000 students district-wide compared to 2007, the percent of students in free and reduced lunch and textbook programs has risen from 32.5 percent to 46.7 percent.
It's not surprising, he observed, and the local numbers match the trend nationally. But children absorbing their parents' worries about being able to feed them also has an impact on student retention and success.
Also during the meeting, Superintendent Tom Edington reported that the wind turbine study committee has decided to wait for wind and power data from the Tippecanoe Valley School Corp's turbine and will not meet again until March. At their last meeting, they decided to consider the field behind the high school bus garage for turbine placement instead of the middle school, out of deference to the National Weather Service station nearby.[[In-content Ad]]
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