SYRACUSE - Preliminary ISTEP scores discussed at last night's Wawasee School Board meeting held in the administrative building showed that at the third-grade level, 68 percent of the students scored above the standard on both the math and language arts portions of the test - the highest in six years.

It also showed that 64 percent of the eighth-graders and 65 percent of 10th-graders scored above the average on both sections; while only 49 percent of sixth-graders throughout the corporation did so. At the same time 15 seniors, 53 juniors and 93 sophomores failed to pass the graduation-qualifying exam. All will have additional opportunities to take the test.

Bob Lahrman advised the board that contruction at North Webster Elementary School is on schedule, that work at Milford and Syracuse schools continues and that the high school is very close to the Jan. 1 completion date. Superintendent Mark Stock said he will announce the move-in date for North Webster after the holiday break. In related issues, board member Brian Dawes asked director of finance Jim Evans to provide the board with a summary of building project claims.

The board accepted a 2 percent wage increase for classified employees, noting that with longevity, seniority and other adjustments that are particular to each employee group, the average increase will actually be 3 percent. It voted to pay Stock $96,500 in a three-year contract with a longevity incentive package. Dallas Winchester abstained from voting.

The board accepted the following pay schedule for administrators for the next two years: high school principal, $80,600; assistant for curriculum and instruction and director of finance, $75,000; middle school principal and high school assistant principal, $70,100; athletic director, $68,600; elementary principal, $67,300; dean of students, $63,600; alternative school director, $62,200; director of support services, $61,100; and Title I coordinator, $56,900.

Explaining that 119 employees will be eligible for retirement by 2008, the board passed a resolution on a bond issue to fund retirement and severance expenses. Ten-year bonds with an eight-year payback will be sold in March. They will be based on 2 percent of the assessed evaluation of the school district as determined by an actuarial study. Payments will be made in the years that the middle school and high school projects come off debt service. This will help maintain the tax rate and provide a method of paying for retirement obligations.

Stock explained that the only unfunded retirement obligations are in the future for every teacher hired after 1995, "and that number keeps growing," he said.

The board also renewed the corporation's liability insurance policy that has increased and appointed Evans as treasurer, Pam Unruh as deputy treasurer and Sandy Hollar as assistant deputy treasurer.

In other action the board approved the minutes of its regularly scheduled November meeting and two executive sessions. One was convened to discuss the purchase or lease of real property and collective bargaining, which also was the topic of the second session.

Bruce Cavell of the Wawasee A Team posed four points to the board. He asked about the new procedures of communication and was told that they have not yet been finalized but will involve a consent agenda with more school-related topic and less business discussed at board meetings.

Second, he asked if the new policy would ensure that all reports are reported to the board and made public. He was referring to a North Central Association report with negative findings. It was explained that the board had not requested a copy of the report.

Third, he wanted to know why the report was "so hush-hush?" Stock explained that every school gets these reports, that every school has areas of weaknesses on which they are working.

Stock further explained that if it was a review by peers, the peer body could not publish the information.

Cavell also invited all the members to attend one of their meetings, which are held just prior to school board meetings. Stock added that each month school administrators meet with Cavell's committee. [[In-content Ad]]