SYRACUSE - Permission was granted by the Wawasee Community School Corp. Board of School Trustees to advertise for bids for the new North Webster Elementary School project.

The bids will be received from contractors on June 21 at 2 p.m. and a recommendation to the board on the contractors will be given June 27.

Bids will be broken down into six different packages, including general construction, mechanical construction, electrical construction, kitchen equipment, plastic laminate cabinets and media center cabinets.

Alternate bids will be requested for a storage and maintenance building, a storage mezzanine above the administration area, alternate wood floor system for the gym and added security card readers at all exterior doors not included in the base bid.

Board member Brian Dawes asked the representative from Barton, Coe, Vilamaa Architects & Engineers Inc., Fort Wayne, if they had any sense where the bond rates for the building project will be.

Superintendent Mark Stock said they are looking to sell the bonds in August and the architect representative said they will probably be going up from their current rates.

The architect representative was then asked by Dawes what part of the project isn't included in the bids. The representative said the only thing not included is the non-attached furniture, such as student desks and computers.

Stock said no decision has been made on the outside playground equipment. They still must figure out whether to move the current equipment to the new school or buy new equipment and which is more cost effective.

Board president Jeff Wells said the board is "pretty happy" with the design and layout of the building.

The new elementary will be built on the property Wawasee Schools purchased in November for $322,092. The 68 acres, formerly owned by Joe Barrett and Richard Kistler, is at the intersection of CRs 750E and 600N, North Webster. The total square feet of the elementary will be 106,226.

In other business, the school board:

• Approved the teachers' 401(a) investment agreement. As part of the teachers' retirement packet, the agreement is the "last piece of the puzzle." Under the agreement, Superintendent Mark Stock, Evans and Tumey would serve as trustees. The agreement would be between the trustees and a consultant to provide advice on to which funds to invest teachers' retirement money.

• Approved the retirement of Susan Kern, cafeteria manager at Wawasee High School; Jennifer Daniel, WHS science teacher; and Gretchen Smoker, WHS Spanish teacher.

• Approved the employment of Bryan Waltz on a regular contract to teach language arts at WHS beginning with the 2000-01 school year. He has a master's degree and eight years of experience and will be replacing Michele Dyck.

Dawes asked what the "environment" is for hiring teachers.

Stock replied that it is becoming a "teacher's market."

Hiring teachers is becoming tougher and more competitive and schools are definitely looking at a teacher shortage, said WHS principal Alan Frank.

Board members are president Jeffrey Wells, vice president Carol Swartzendruber, secretary Marion Acton, Brian Dawes and David Carey. [[In-content Ad]]