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Parents from Silver Lake attended the Warsaw school board meeting Monday to quiz board members about issues involving the possible renovation, replacement or closing of Silver Lake Elementary.
Lisa McCoy, affiliated with Save Our School organization in Silver Lake, said a study of past records showed that a previous feasibility study of the school had been done by the same firm (Odle, McGuire and Shook Corp.) that is inspecting the school this year, and the previous study recommended the school be torn down.
McCoy asked the board why the same company is doing the study again.
"Because they have done work for the district in the recent past and they are a known entity," Superintendent Dr. Lee Harman said. Odle, McGuire and Shook also do quality work, he said, and in their recommendation they gave other options besides tearing down the school.
McCoy also pointed out that the 1985 school board entered into an agreement to build a new school at Silver Lake, but nothing was done.
Harman responded that many changes have taken place since 1985, especially in technology. "The needs may have changed in 15 years," he said.
SOS last fall gave the school board a letter that asked many questions about the school, the decision-making process and options for Silver Lake School, and McCoy asked Monday when they could expect a reply to the letter.
Harman said the board will reply at a public meeting after the facility study is done.
Odle, McGuire and Shook have done their inspection of the school and will issue their report sometime in June, Harman said. The board expects to make its decision on the school by fall, after several public meetings on the issue.
The school board also heard a report from Edgewood Middle School teacher Dick Rooker, who will be taking a four-year leave from teaching to work on the TIME project (Technology Integration Made Effective).
TIME will focus on long-term student projects that will help students with in-depth planning, deep research and collaboration, and will give them the opportunity to present their projects in public, Rooker said.
His role, he said, will be to work with teachers so they can develop the projects and teach the technology.
Rooker's position will be funded by grants from the Dekko Foundation and the Indiana Department of Education.
In other business:
• Six student members of Future Business Leaders of America qualified for national competition in Orlando this summer. They are: Rosalyn Nguyen, Sean Brady, Mark Grossnickle, Adam Reed, Liz Wiggins and Kyle Masur. This also marks the sixth consecutive year that Nguyen and Brady have won the "battle of the chapters."
• The board received the preliminary school calendar for the 2001-02 school year. Tentative dates are: First day of school, Aug. 21; Christmas break, Dec. 22 through Jan. 6; last student day of school (if all snow days are used), June 5. If no snow days are used, the last day would be May 31.
• The board approved a contract for $289,035 with Ideal Consolidated Inc., South Bend, for the second phase of the air conditioning project at Edgewood Middle School.
• The board preliminarily approved six early release dates in the 2001-02 school year to allow for staff development.
Warsaw school board members are: Craig Allebach, Brad Brail, Larry Chamberlain, Cathy Folk, James Folk, Charles Sauders and Roy Szymanski. They meet at 7 p.m. in the administration building on the third Monday of each month.
