Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
NORTH MANCHESTER - Manchester Community School Trustees discussed the possibility of bond refinance Tuesday for Manchester Elementary and Laketon Elementary schools. The bonds were set up for the elementary schools project when the two new schools were built more than 10 years ago.
Damien Maggos, City Securities Corp., Fort Wayne, presented information and options to board members on refinancing the bonds. Maggos said the original bond issue was done in 1988, and in the summer of 1991 he worked to reform the 1988 bond issue. Maggos said the bond issue expires in July and can be refinanced in April. He said all costs and fees will be paid out of the bond issue and not from the school corporation. Some fees include title fees and printing and recording of the bond.
Board president Kent Trickle asked Maggos if the decision was made to "bring our payments down and to give our taxpayers a break," could a construction map be set up? Maggos said yes.
Maggos said he will continue to work with superintendent Connie Curry and assistant superintendent Kim Thurston on refinancing the bond. He also said he would be back before the board in mid-January with real numbers.
In other business:
• Thurston briefly discussed natural gas prices through NIPSCO. He said prices could be 75 cents per thermal unit by January. Thurston said the school corporation is "locked in at 47 cents" per thermal unit. He said if prices rise to 75 cents, then the school corporation would save nearly $38,000 over a 12-month period.
• Board members approved the following field trips: MHS science teacher Jabin Burnworth and 20 biology III students to travel to the Everglades National Park, Fla., March 21-26, and eight MHS FFA students and Gwen Mize, MHS teacher of vocational agriculture, to attend an FFA National Convention in Louisville, Ky., Oct. 22-28.
• Granted permission for MJHS teacher Bill McNeeley to promote and chaperone a trip for junior high students to Washington, D.C., April 2-4.
• Granted professional leave for the following: MJHS Principal Randy Gratz to attend Indiana Principal Leadership Academy for 18 days of professional development over a two-year period; Suzan Skaar to attend the Association for Indiana Media Educators 2000 fall conference in Indianapolis Oct. 16-17; Keith Metzger and Kristi Horner to attend the business and marketing education conference in Indianapolis Nov. 17-18; Bobbi Lautzenheiser to attend the 2000 Indiana Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance conference in Indianapolis Nov. 16-18; and Barb Ihnen, Michele Rose and Kay Spangle to attend the Indiana Association for the Gifted Annual Conference in Indianapolis March 1-2.
• Approved consideration of a Community Foundation of Wabash County grant for the CLASS (Connecting Learning Assures Successful Students) program at Laketon Elementary School in the amount of $16,800.
• Accepted the resignation of Linda Christie-Watkins as second grade teacher at Manchester Elementary School.
• Approved Janelle McLaughlin as a second grade teacher at MES, Heidi Yoder as assistant swim coach at MHS, C.J. Brown as a volunteer assistant wrestling coach at MHS, Nichole Ringen as girls' junior-varsity basketball coach at MHS, Dennis Unger as set/stage manager for the MHS musical, "The Secret Garden," and Heather Stone as student council co-sponsor at MES.
• Approved the following re-appointments for the MHS musical, "The Secret Garden": Mark McKee as technical director, Diana Bucher as rehearsal pianist and Janet Ireland as choreographer.
• Approved contract revisions for the following: Bill Leonhard as music/band teacher at MES, MJHS and MHS; Brenda Ramseier as a half-time art teacher at LES; and Steve Shumaker as athletic director at MHS.
• Curry said the school board will have a retreat Oct. 24 at 5 p.m. to discuss goal-setting and evaluation. The retreat will begin in the banquet room of the Main View Inn, North Manchester, and reconvene in the president's dining room of Manchester College.
• Virginia Gunter, school board vice president, said GQE Quest Days' activities, which took place over three days last month, went very well. Quest Days included three days of activities for MHS freshmen, juniors and seniors through the Northwest Education Association. Activities took place while sophomores were taking the ISTEPs.
Manchester Community Schools Board of Trustees includes: president Kent Trickle, vice president Virginia Gunter, secretary Larry Miller, Todd Speicher, Sally Krouse, Brad Perrott and Thom Frantz. Superintendent is Connie Curry and MHS principal is Nancy Alspaugh.
