The three school districts serving Fulton County students - Caston, Rochester and Tippecanoe Valley - were awarded a grant by the Indiana Department of Education to investigate ways they might work together to better serve students.The grant also promotes being more fiscally efficient through the sharing of curriculum/programs, facilities, operations, personnel and other areas.
On Nov. 6, members of the Merging of Services Oversight Committee, consisting of six members from each school district, listened to presentations by four vendors who previously submitted proposals to conduct a Merging of Services Study. After meeting with each of the four vendors, it was the consensus of the group to recommend to each school corporation's Board of School Trustees that Administrator Assistance be approved to conduct the Merging of Services Study.
Each school board now has approved Administrator Assistance and they will begin work immediately, meeting with superintendents and school boards while collecting data and conducting interviews with a variety of groups within each school corporation, including community members and business leaders.
Within the next two months, individuals may be contacted by a representative of the Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. or Administrator Assistance to request their participation.
Individuals contacted are not required to participate and may decline. However, the more varying thoughts, suggestions, or concerns that are shared, the better the study will be.
Progress reports will be made to the superintendents in March and April with a final report to be delivered in May.
The purpose of the Merging of Services Study is to seek ways the three school corporations may be able to collaborate or partner to save money in providing student programs, transportation services, building maintenance, facilities management or office support functions.
By redirecting the money saved to other cost centers, it will be used to enhance and support the education of students in a variety of ways.
