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One Warsaw school board member joined the board Monday, while another submitted his resignation.
Charles Sauders was sworn in by school board attorney Max Reed Monday as the District 4 representative. Sauders won the special election Feb. 8 in a contested race with Sterling Watkins.
Resigning was Larry Chamberlain, District 5 representative. Chamberlain said he is moving to the LaFountaine area to be closer to family members. He will continue to work with Grace Brethren Missions in Winona Lake.
The board will appoint a new member for District 5, and asked for interested persons to apply for the position by March 11 so the new member can be seated at the March 21 meeting. Applicants must live in the district and meet other requirements. For more information, call the WCS central office at 267-3238.
The board also discussed two proposals by board president Ron Yeiter - forming a committee to study the status of elementary schools and conducting a survey of teachers.
The elementary study, Yeiter said, is necessary because "we're positioned for growth in the community," and we need to know where we stand with the elementary schools.
"I see a need for direction," Yeiter said. "At present I think we are floundering when it comes to our elementary school system."
The proposed committee would study the status of the elementary schools, future needs, housing trends, etc., and report back to the school board. The committee would be composed of former school board members who have been off the board for at least six years.
Board members Cathy Folk and Larry Chamberlain objected to the composition of the proposed committee, saying it needs to include members of the public, school administration and school faculty, as well as representation from the area business community.
"I don't think you want to limit comment from your parents or anybody," Folk said.
Folk also thought the focus should be the entire corporation, not just elementary schools.
In response to Yeiter's question to the board on whether or not there is a need for such a study, Chamberlain said, "I see a lot of micromanagement. ... I see potential for micromanagement here, Ron, I'm just trying to protect you."
Sauders suggested the board wait until they have decided what to do with the three closed elementary buildings.
"We need a plan," he said. "We need to decide what we're going to do in the future."
Terry Sims, president of the Warsaw Community Education Association, said, "I can tell you right now that there are three schools with four sections coming up that are going to be out of room next year." Sections are classrooms per grade level.
Those schools, he said later, are Eisenhower, Madison and Leesburg elementaries.
School superintendent Dr. Dave McGuire said to deal with overcrowding, the board could make Edgewood a sixth-grade school and move all seventh- and eighth-graders to Lakeview, or put sixth-graders in the middle schools.
"Both can be done quickly," he said.
The board agreed for Yeiter to draft another proposal by the next meeting.
The board also agreed to investigate the possibility of conducting an employee survey.
The leadership team is looking at the public perspective of education in Warsaw, Yeiter said. "We need to look within to find out what's happening in your school corporation."
Board member Gene England will work with Yeiter on developing a survey and investigating the costs.
The board also:
• Agreed to advertise bids for a Madison Elementary air conditioning system.
• Heard a report on ISTEP results from assistant superintendent Sandra Hess.
• Heard from Lincoln Elementary faculty on the school's philosophy of "diversity is the key to success"; and from Edgewood students on the "Future City" project in which they worked with DePuy engineers to design a future city, making a model using only recycled materials and spending only $100.
• Agreed for McGuire to research the cost of microphones and audiotaping equipment for taping board meetings.
• Heard that Concerned Citizens for Quality Education has developed a Golden Peer Award for one elementary student in grades three through six from each school. Students would be nominated by their peers or teachers. An award of a $100 savings bond and a plaque would be presented to the seven winners.
• Heard that enrollment at all schools is 6,607 students, up 131 students from the same time last year.
Warsaw School Board members are: Larry Chamberlain, Gene England, Cathy Folk, Dan Robinson, Charles Sauders, Deb Wiggins and Ron Yeiter. The board meets at 7 p.m. on the third Monday of each month.
