MENTONE — The public may get a close-up look at Tippecanoe Valley High School’s addition and renovations on Oct. 27.
That was announced at the Tippecanoe Valley School Board’s regular meeting on Monday at Mentone Elementary School.
The open house will be from 2-4 p.m., and everyone is welcome to come.
Ground was broken in spring 2023 for the project, which includes a renovation of the pool area and new seating; a new auditorium; new agriculture area; and new locker rooms, among other things.
Bib’s Billfold
At the meeting, the board also accepted a $27,500 donation from Stephanie Bibler.
Each year, the Scott “Bibs” Bibler Sweet Sassy Golf Classic occurs in memory of her husband, TVHS coach and teacher Scott “Bibs” Bibler, who was killed in a plane crash in 2015.
The money raised from the classic is then given to Valley to be used in Bib’s Billfold, with funds both paying for Valley teacher grants and for students in need.
Stephanie noted about $6,000 of the funds this year came from donations in memory of Mike Hoyt. The former Valley coach and teacher passed away in August. Hoyt’s widow Diana Hoyt was present for the check presentation.
Stephanie also said more than $175,000 over the years has been raised to go into Bib’s Billfold.
Budget Hearing
The board also had a hearing for the 2025 Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation budget.
No one from the public spoke during it. The board will vote on the budget at its next regular meeting at 6 p.m. Oct. 14, held a week earlier than usual due to the corporation’s fall break.
The proposed budget of $29,121,579 breaks down to: $14,449,058 in the education fund; $4,333,000 in the debt service fund; and $10,339,521 in the operations fund.
People may also see a breakdown of the budget on Indiana Gateway by going to budgetnotices.in.gov/unit_lookup.aspx, selecting Kosciusko as the county and then scrolling down and selecting the Tippecanoe Valley School Corp.
In other business, the board:
• Heard from Adam Weesner with Barton-Coe-Vilamaa Architects and Engineers in Fort Wayne that a proposed new corporation administration building and day care facility has been redesigned to allow several lanes for drop-off and pickup of children. The lanes are for safety reasons, moving traffic away from the general traffic of the TVHS parking lot. No final decisions have been made regarding construction of the building.
• Heard that the corporation received a $70,875 Indiana Department of Homeland Security Secured School Safety grant, which will be used to pay the salary of TVSC School Resource Officer and Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputy Shaun Mudd.
• Approved the hiring of route bus driver Amy Lozano; Valley Early Learning Academy Lead Infant Instructor Jerrica Marshall; Tippecanoe Valley Middle School yearbook advisor Kelly Kerr; Akron Elementary School evening custodian Marilu Flores; and TVSC Network Administrator Deana Roe.
• Accepted the resignation of TVMS yearbook advisor April Stiles.