AKRON - For the 2007-08 school year, the Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. Board of School Trustees approved the calendar Monday night.
The first all-day student day of school will be Aug. 17. On Oct. 24, there will be parent-teacher conferences; early dismissal on Oct. 25; and fall break on Oct. 26. Thanksgiving vacation will be Nov. 22-23.
On Dec. 21, Christmas vacation begins, with school resuming Jan. 3. The end of the first semester will be Jan. 11.
Spring vacation begins at the close of the school day April 4, 2008, with school resuming April 14, 2008.
The last student day will be May 28, 2008, with high school graduation set for June 1, 2008.
Superintendent Dr. Daniel Kramer requested the board allow the administration the authority to adjust the March parent-teacher conferences if needed. The calendar approved sets the conferences for March 6.
Kramer also said the 2007 Valley budget is not finalized at this point. Valley School Corp. includes areas in Fulton and Kosciusko County.
Kramer said Fulton County may have its assessed values by August, with only one collection in November. Meanwhile, Kosciusko County is working to have a spring collection, though it may only be provisional billing at 90 percent of last year's billing. If Kosciusko County does a provisional billing, Kramer said Valley may get some distribution money by June 30. However, Valley may have to borrow some money until it gets its distribution money. Kramer said he'll keep an eye on it.
Board member Hal Hoffman asked if there was no reason Fulton County couldn't do a provisional billing like Kosciusko County. Kramer said he would ask.
Shirley Minnick was approved by the school board to serve as the Tippecanoe Valley High School softball assistant coach, but not unanimously.
School board member Mark Wise said Valley had Minnick as an assistant coach last year and there was "difficulty" between her and several of the girls on the team. He said he could not support hiring her again.
David O'Brien, board president, said the head coach didn't have a problem with her. And this late into the year, O'Brien said it would be difficult to find someone now for the position.
The board's vice president, Bryan Murphy, said he talked to a few of the softball girls about Minnick and they liked her. He made the motion to approve Minnick, with Hoffman providing the second to the motion. The vote was 3-2, with O'Brien, Murphy and Hoffman voting to approve her; Wise and board secretary Rod Eaton voted against Minnick for the position.
O'Brien said he's had several patrons ask him about all-day kindergarten and whether Tippecanoe Valley Schools would be able to handle it if it was required. Akron and Mentone elementary schools will have enough space to handle all-day kindergarten without any problems, O'Brien said.
In other business, the school board:
•Approved the resignation of Shirley Gackenheimer as Tippecanoe Valley High School Media Center media assistant.
• Approved the appointment of Honey Kuhn to the Mentone Bell Memorial Library Board.
• Approved Tracy Murphy as a special education instructional assistant at Akron Elementary School.
• Approved a request for Angie Miller to attend an out-of-state conference in Grapevine, Texas.
• Announced the next meetings as: March 12, at Tippecanoe Valley High School, 7:30 p.m.; April 16, Akron Elementary School, 7:30 p.m.; and May 14, Mentone Elementary School, 7:30 p.m.
