Milford Principal Keeps Her Job

SYRACUSE - In a surprising move, the Wawasee School Board voted to renew the administrative contract of Milford School Principal Cindy Kaiser.

The board voted 4 to 1 to renew her contract for one year.

At the November meeting, the board gave Kaiser notice of nonrenewal of her contract.

At that time, the board said public input would be taken during the December meeting and a final decision on Kaiser's contract would be made in January.

School board president Dallas Winchester said, the board had all the information it needed to make a decision Tuesday night.

The board voted on Kaiser's contract as the first order of business, even before any members of the public spoke.

"The board has done extensive research on the educational position and improvements that have been made at Milford School while under the direction of Mrs. Kaiser's leadership. I have spoken with patrons that support, patrons that do not support, as well as those with their own personal agendas. This board feels it has had adequate time to complete their findings objectively," Winchester said.

Patrons of the school corporation nearly filled the Wawasee High School auditorium to support Kaiser. In the end, only four people read statements that had been prepared prior to the meeting.

But by the time the statments were read, the decision to renew Kaiser's contract was already made.

Following the meeting, Kaiser was upbeat and spoke with and thanked many of her supporters. "My attorney has said from the beginning that the community would have to win this," Kaiser said. "I really appreciate everyone's support."

Still at issue is the length of administors' contracts.

The board had voted in the November meeting to extend those contracts for one year. Winchester noted that the board will continue to research the contract issue.

While much of the attention was focused on the Kaiser contract issue, the board still had other items on its agenda.

Board members recognized the accomplishments of several athletes and were presented a plaque in honor of the Wawasee football team's runner-up finish at the state finals.

In the ISTEP report they heard that the corporation had improved its scores in 14 of 16 categories.

They also received a report on the corporation's plan to improve writing skills.

Wawasee School Board members are Mary Lou Dixon, Dallas Winchester, Marion Acton, Brian Dawes and George Gilbert.