PIERCETON - Marcy Pratt, a registered nurse, is Whitko's new school nurse.

She was hired by Kosciusko Community Hospital for the position independently of the school corporation, Superintendent Jeff Hendrix told the Whitko School Board Monday.

By using an outsourced person through KCH, Hendrix said, the school corporation has access to KCH and some of their services, including first aid and defibrillator training.

Pratt will start her duties at the high school in the mornings and then go to South Whitley Elementary School around lunchtime. Pierceton Elementary and Whitko Middle School will hire health clerks.

Hendrix said the school corporation has tried to expand health coverage for its students as best it can with what money it has.

Asked how the financial costs for Pratt and the health clerks compare to just having a nurse as before, Hendrix said the cost will be about the same. The health clerks are being paid at an instructional aide rate and the school corporation isn't paying for their benefits.

Dave Tranter, school board president, said unless the school corporation hired four nurses - one for each school building - there is no way the school corporation could have care at each of the buildings all the time. The money isn't there to do that.

Pratt replaces Sharon Lee, who was terminated earlier this summer as the school corporation's nurse after approximately 12 years.

In other business, the school board:

• Heard the total enrollment for Whitko Schools for the 2003-04 school year as of count day, Sept. 12, is 1,993 students.

• Approved a donation of permanent bleacher seats to Whitko High School from the Scott Brown family in honor of their son, Kameron. The seats will be near the tennis courts at WHS. Kameron, a WHS tennis player, died unexpectedly this year. The approximate cost for the six benches is $314 each.

• Heard a presentation by Matt Metzger and Irene Polischouk. Metzger participated in a foreign exchange program for four weeks in Brazil. Polischouk is from the Ukraine and is staying with the Craig Sherbahn family.

• Heard an update on the Whitko Soccer Club from Marlene Mishler. Thirty students at the high school participate and 50-60 students in the school corporation participate. The school board encouraged the soccer club to set up a meeting with the board after the fall sports season is over to discuss the program further.

• Approved employment actions, including Randy Sands as girls assistant varsity basketball coach at Whitko High School; Glenn Cunningham, girls junior varsity basketball coach, WHS; Brianne Buckland, girls freshman basketball coach, WHS; Lisa Lukens, fall drama director/spring musical director, WHS; and Judy Richards, health clerk, PES.

• Heard the Whitko football team will play in the RCA Dome Saturday at 1:30 p.m.; homecoming game is Sept. 26; high school parent-teacher conferences are Sept. 24, from 4:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.; and ISTEP starts today.

• Approved the submission of a grant application for $13,867 to the Indiana Department of Education; approved the receipt of a Zimmer Inc. grant for $100.

• Approved SWES Principal Bill Hoppus and WMS Principal Jerry Klausing as school safety specialists for the 2003-04 school year. Both have participated in the required state training and are qualified for the designation.

• Approved an additional list of substitutes for the 2003-04 school year.

• Heard the South Whitley Elementary School PTO meets the third Tuesday of every month at 3:15 p.m.; the Pierceton Elementary School PTO meets the first Monday of every month at 6 p.m.

Whitko School Board members are Dave Tranter, Pete Mitchell, E. Marie Trump, Hal Trump and Michael Braddock. They meet at 7:30 p.m. on the third Monday of every month in the administration building, Pierceton. [[In-content Ad]]