Whitko’s Clason Plans Retirement
March 20, 2018 at 7:43 p.m.
LARWILL – Whitko School Board President Jorell Tucker announced Monday the surprise retirement of Superintendent Steve Clason during the regular meeting as the board discussed personnel matters.
Last year, Clason’s contract was renewed for an additional three years, extending his employment to the end of 2021.
Tucker thanked Clason for a dedicated 10 years of work at Whitko. Clason said he enjoyed serving the staff and students, however, he has other things requiring his time and attention. His retirement is effective July 1.
“I live in the Whitko area and I’ll always be a Wildcat,” he said, adding that he’s had a 40-year career in education.
In December, the school board decided to reconsolidate kindergarten to six grade students in their respective elementary schools. In January, it voted 3-2 to move seventh- and eighth-graders to the high school in South Whitley as a cost-saving initiative because of student enrollment decreases.
Many citizens have spoken for and against relocating the junior high-aged children at the last three meetings, either favoring expansion at the high school or for creating a junior-senior high at the middle school outside of Larwill.
[[In-content Ad]]
On Monday, only Greg Taylor addressed the board, asking them to reverse their decision and “go with their original decision” to make the middle school location the junior-senior high school as recommended by consultants Mike Pettibone and Steve Yager last fall.
The board has announced a preference for a more centralized junior-senior high school, meaning expansion at the near-Larwill property, in a public letter. Funding to quickly renovate and expand the middle school as a junior-senior high school will have to come from additional tax revenue.
Students of the month were recognized as Giovani Meyo-Tecualt, Pierceton Elementary School; Braxton Minick, South Whitley?Elementary School; Jordyn Leininger, Whitko Middle School; and Erin Starkweather, Whitko High School.
Teachers Nate Wessels of SWES and Sariah Morgan of PES talked about the student ambassador program in both schools.
The board approved Nibloc Excavating and Asphalt’s quote of $112,000 to expand the PES parking lot.
Also approved were six modular classroom lease contracts with Aries Modular Systems: one at PES for $58,000 and five at WHS for $179,000, pending inspection and certification, with provisions for yearly extensions.
In their building reports, principals John Snyder and Gene Sweeney talked about the recent unsubstantiated threats at the high and middle schools, saying safety protocols will be immediately initiated. They thanked the local emergency responders.
Board member Carrie Hoffman said the incidents were handled well. Her sixth-grade son reported to her he never felt afraid during the supposed threat at the middle school.
The board approved several field trips – the FFA officers to Syracuse to attend a national officer retreat; all schools’ archery teams to an archery tournament in Ohio; and the soccer team to Anderson University in July.
Purchases of 108 iPads for kindergarteners; 108 ChromeBooks for fifth-graders and 131 Chromebooks for ninth-graders also were approved.
The board approved use of school buses for field trips as requested by the South Whitley Community Preschool and the Rainbow Preschool to the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, and for Rainbow Preschool for a trip to Studebaker Dairy.
Randy Holler was reappointed to the South Whitley Community Public Library board.
Board member Georgia Tenney thanked everyone from both communities for the interest they’ve shown in school reconfiguration.
“We’re all Whitko,” she said, “and want our kids to graduate from Whitko High School.”
She said everyone has to have a vision of what a centralized campus looks like.
She hoped for forward-thinking candidates in the upcoming election and asked that everyone focus on pride in the school system.
“We need to show Warsaw and Columbia City what our schools are about,” she said, asking that staff members send articles to the local newspapers.
She said she’d like to see a sign on the middle school grounds indicating it as the future site of the junior-senior high school.
Tucker announced there will be several executive sessions and a possible work session announced prior to the April 16 regular meeting.
Board members are Tucker, Tenney, Hoffman, Eric Trump and Matt Long.
Latest News
E-Editions
LARWILL – Whitko School Board President Jorell Tucker announced Monday the surprise retirement of Superintendent Steve Clason during the regular meeting as the board discussed personnel matters.
Last year, Clason’s contract was renewed for an additional three years, extending his employment to the end of 2021.
Tucker thanked Clason for a dedicated 10 years of work at Whitko. Clason said he enjoyed serving the staff and students, however, he has other things requiring his time and attention. His retirement is effective July 1.
“I live in the Whitko area and I’ll always be a Wildcat,” he said, adding that he’s had a 40-year career in education.
In December, the school board decided to reconsolidate kindergarten to six grade students in their respective elementary schools. In January, it voted 3-2 to move seventh- and eighth-graders to the high school in South Whitley as a cost-saving initiative because of student enrollment decreases.
Many citizens have spoken for and against relocating the junior high-aged children at the last three meetings, either favoring expansion at the high school or for creating a junior-senior high at the middle school outside of Larwill.
[[In-content Ad]]
On Monday, only Greg Taylor addressed the board, asking them to reverse their decision and “go with their original decision” to make the middle school location the junior-senior high school as recommended by consultants Mike Pettibone and Steve Yager last fall.
The board has announced a preference for a more centralized junior-senior high school, meaning expansion at the near-Larwill property, in a public letter. Funding to quickly renovate and expand the middle school as a junior-senior high school will have to come from additional tax revenue.
Students of the month were recognized as Giovani Meyo-Tecualt, Pierceton Elementary School; Braxton Minick, South Whitley?Elementary School; Jordyn Leininger, Whitko Middle School; and Erin Starkweather, Whitko High School.
Teachers Nate Wessels of SWES and Sariah Morgan of PES talked about the student ambassador program in both schools.
The board approved Nibloc Excavating and Asphalt’s quote of $112,000 to expand the PES parking lot.
Also approved were six modular classroom lease contracts with Aries Modular Systems: one at PES for $58,000 and five at WHS for $179,000, pending inspection and certification, with provisions for yearly extensions.
In their building reports, principals John Snyder and Gene Sweeney talked about the recent unsubstantiated threats at the high and middle schools, saying safety protocols will be immediately initiated. They thanked the local emergency responders.
Board member Carrie Hoffman said the incidents were handled well. Her sixth-grade son reported to her he never felt afraid during the supposed threat at the middle school.
The board approved several field trips – the FFA officers to Syracuse to attend a national officer retreat; all schools’ archery teams to an archery tournament in Ohio; and the soccer team to Anderson University in July.
Purchases of 108 iPads for kindergarteners; 108 ChromeBooks for fifth-graders and 131 Chromebooks for ninth-graders also were approved.
The board approved use of school buses for field trips as requested by the South Whitley Community Preschool and the Rainbow Preschool to the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, and for Rainbow Preschool for a trip to Studebaker Dairy.
Randy Holler was reappointed to the South Whitley Community Public Library board.
Board member Georgia Tenney thanked everyone from both communities for the interest they’ve shown in school reconfiguration.
“We’re all Whitko,” she said, “and want our kids to graduate from Whitko High School.”
She said everyone has to have a vision of what a centralized campus looks like.
She hoped for forward-thinking candidates in the upcoming election and asked that everyone focus on pride in the school system.
“We need to show Warsaw and Columbia City what our schools are about,” she said, asking that staff members send articles to the local newspapers.
She said she’d like to see a sign on the middle school grounds indicating it as the future site of the junior-senior high school.
Tucker announced there will be several executive sessions and a possible work session announced prior to the April 16 regular meeting.
Board members are Tucker, Tenney, Hoffman, Eric Trump and Matt Long.