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The state's error in calculating school funding is having a mixed impact on local school corporations, with three not affected, one wounded and one unsure of whether it is affected or not.
Because of an error in the state's school funding formula, 129 school corporations will receive less than expected. One of those is Whitko Schools, according to finance manager Phil Menzie.
"We have heard that we're going to be down about $182,000," Menzie said Wednesday. "However, we haven't received any official notification of that yet."
Menzie said he is unsure how the shortfall, which is approximately 1.6 percent of the corporation's $15-million budget for 2001, will affect Whitko's plans for 2001, but they will be affected.
"We'll just have to deal with it," he said. "We'll have to make some cuts at the end of this year or the beginning of next year."
He also said the assessed property valuation in Whitley and Kosciusko counties, on which property taxes are based, will make a difference, but that valuation is not final yet.
Indiana's Superintendent of Public Instruction, Suellen Reed, admitted the Department of Education made the mistake and misinterpreted a portion of the school funding formula. State Rep. B. Patrick Bauer, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said the Legislature will "do everything we can to restore (the funding) ..." but did not say how or when.
Warsaw, Triton and Tippecanoe Valley reported that they are unaffected by the Department of Education's error.
Jim Evans, director of support services for Wawasee Schools, said he thinks Wawasee will lose some funding but he didn't know how much or how it would affect the district's schools.
"We will lose some money, but I'm not exactly sure at this point" how much, he said. "You don't want to lose any money at all, but it won't affect any of our operations at all. ... It's hard to determine what kind of impact it's going to have."
DOE representatives did not return calls by this morning.
