While some school systems in Indiana this year received less from the state than they expected, Warsaw Community Schools actually received more, the school board learned Monday.

Warsaw schools received $90,000 more than anticipated, said business manager Rande Thorpe, but expenditures will still exceed revenue by $551,774.

Since WCS currently has a $2.6 million cash balance, Thorpe said, "I envision that we will be fine this year and probably next year."

But if the state's financial problems are not resolved, the corporation will be forced to use the cash balance to make up for lack of revenue, and if things continue as they are now, Thorpe said, by 2005 he would expect WCS to be in a "deficit position."

"We can't be. There's no way that schools in Indiana can operate that way," he said. "Last year we were very pessimistic as far as things that were going to happen. There's no question that the state of Indiana is in financial trouble."

Thorpe's report informed the board of the school corporation's financial standing and did not include suggestions or solutions.

Two new board members - Gene England and Ron Yeiter - and two returning members - Larry Chamberlain and Cathy Folk - were sworn in Monday. Craig Allebach was chosen to serve another term as board president, Folk will be board vice president and Chamberlain will be board secretary.

The board also heard a report from Sandra Hess, assistant superintendent, on the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which Hess said is referred to as the "law of accountability."

Each state must create its own educational standards, she said, and will be assessed to determine the progress toward its goals.

Each district must demonstrate "adequate yearly progress" toward meeting the state standards, Hess said, and the information is sorted by subgroups - such as students with limited English proficiency, special needs students or those in low socio-economic status.

"The category a school's placed in can go up and down based on a handful of students," she said.

The board also:

• Received a donation from the Warsaw Breakfast Optimists of 44 copies of "America: A Patriotic Primer," by Lynne Cheney. The donation was made by Bill Dalton, who said it would give every third-grade teacher and every school library two copies of what he called a "great book."

• Heard a report from Washington Elementary principal Tom Ray on the "Fast ForWord" language program, which is being used by Washington as a pilot program for students with limited English proficiency or special needs, or who are slow learners.

The program, originally developed for stroke victims, retrains the brain to hear sounds of speech, which is connected to reading. It improves thinking and listening skills, helps students focus and organize better and gives them a foundation for reading.

Ray said the program, which costs $2,000 per "station," or licensed computer, is already showing results. Federal funds, through the NCI Special Education Co-op, were used for the pilot program.

• Approved advertising for bids to finish the Lakeview Middle School air conditioning.

• Heard that enrollment in all Warsaw schools is 6,424 students, 74 more than this time last year.

Warsaw school board members are: Craig Allebach, Larry Chamberlain, Gene England, Cathy Folk, James Folk, Mark Minatel and Ron Yeiter. The board will continue to meet at the administration building at 7 p.m. on the third Monday of each month. [[In-content Ad]]