Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
MENTONE - Burket Elementary School principal Mary Ann Irwin resigned her position Monday the Tippecanoe Valley school board approved her leaving.
Irwin accepted a position as assistant superintendent at North Newton School Corp., according to Valley's superintendent's administrative assistant Sherri Adamson.
Her former position of principal is likely to remain open when school starts.
Superintendent Dr. Karen S. Boling and the school board will discuss Burket Elementary's future at the next meeting Aug. 12.
The Burket facility hosts a single class for each grade, kindergarten through the fifth grade.
Boling and the board will examine several options for the facility's future use. They will consider using the school for "at-risk" students or those in need of special services.
Boling has developed several ideas for the building's use. She will bring those ideas to the board in August.
Boling said 80 to 82 percent of Tippecanoe Valley's dropouts transfer into the middle and high school. She suggested helping those students with a transfer program for the middle and high school transfer students.
In an unrelated matter, the school board approved the teaching staff for the 2002-03 school year and salaries for support staff and bus drivers for the 2002-03 school year.
The board also reorganized, naming Tom Weaver as president.
"I really don't desire to do this ... but we'll do our best ... to understand the problems and bring back honesty and integrity to this school corporation," Weaver said, holding the gavel.
Weaver lost his board seat in the May elections to Bryan D. Murphy.
Hal Hoffman was named vice president and Mark Wise was named secretary.
The Tippecanoe Valley School Board members are president Tom Weaver, vice president Hal Hoffman, secretary Mark Wise, David O'Brien and Rod Eaton. Superintendent is Dr. Karen S. Boling.
