Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
NORTH MANCHESTER - In searching for a new superintendent, University Superintendent's Selection Team is offering a chance for the Manchester community to share in the selection process.
The selection team has slated a schedule for focus groups on Tuesday beginning at 8 a.m. and stretching into an executive session at 6 p.m. Groups include community leaders, bus drivers, teachers, parents, custodians and others. Each meeting will last 30 minutes.
Community members' meetings are scheduled at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Parents and MCS community members are at 5:30 p.m. Student groups will be at 9:30 a.m.
The selection team will compile the gathered information to use in recruiting and choosing from candidates for the superintendent position.
All school patrons are encouraged to attend one of these open sessions. The meetings are open to the public. The board said no one should feel restricted to a particular time.
Acting superintendent Kim Thurston will field questions about the meetings at 982-7518.
In other business, the board:
• Hired Kristi Horner as freshman girls' basketball coach at the high school, Vicki Smith as student council sponsor, Jennifer Rice as mentor for Amber Gardner, sixth-grade teacher at Laketon Elementary School, and Jay Fawley as mentor for Josalyn Roth, Gemini II teacher at Laketon Elementary School.
• Heard reports from the four school principals about the recent parent-teacher conferences. The elementary schools had good attendance, while Manchester High School "was not terribly pleased" with their turnout.
Many high schools deal with the same lack of turnout to the conferences, said Nancy Alspaugh, Manchester High School principal. Grade-wise, the parents who did visit are not the students' parents that are needed to be visited with, she said.
"You can make it available to them, but you can't drag them in," said Kevin Trickle, board member.
• Ended the meeting with Thom Frantz's thanking Alspaugh for her letter to President Bush as well as $537 sent to the Afghan Children's Fund.
Manchester school board members are: president Sally Krouse, vice president Virginia Gunter, secretary Larry Miller, acting superintendent Kim Thurston, principal Nancy Alspaugh, Todd Speicher, Brad Perrott, Kevin Trickle and Thom Frantz.
