Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
MILFORD -ÊFunding for schools is an issue nationwide, not just Indiana.
Tuesday, Wawasee Community School Corp. Superintendent Dr. Mark Stock discussed the issue in Indiana and how it affects Wawasee. Figures he used were compiled by the Educational Services Co. in 2001.
Money the school corporation receives goes into five separate funds, the general fund (salaries, benefits, etc.) and the capital projects fund (construction, building repairs, etc.) being the biggest.
Stock said Wawasee is second to last compared to five other area school corporations when it comes to percentage of general fund expenditures for building administration. Wawasee is last when it comes to percentage of general fund expenditures for central office staff; first for percentage of general fund expenditures for certified staff; and first for expenditures for employee benefits. For percentage of general fund expenditures for instruction and benefits, Wawasee is first.
Stock said Wawasee schools have 220 certified staff members.
If Wawasee received the same number of dollars as some other schools get, he said, Wawasee would get more with their own enrollment based on the other schools' per-pupil dollars.
Stock then compared Wawasee to the other six schools in the Northern Lakes Conference. In those comparisons, Wawasee is sixth in expenditures for building administration; last for expenditures for central office staff; highest for expenditures for certified staff; second in expenditures for employee benefits; and highest for expenditures for instruction and benefits.
"The money at Wawasee," Stock said, "the priority of our board over our history has been to place money where it best affects children."
Salary-wise, however, Stock said, they are still struggling to compete.
In ranking on dollars per pupil, Wawasee ranks 260th out of 294 school districts, he said. But Wawasee has no control over the amount of money it receives as that is based on a state formula and is politically driven. That formula has been in place since 1973 and an inequity across the state has been growing since for funding for schools.
"Several of the Kosciusko County school corporations have been trying to get the word out on this," said Stock.
Summarizing, Stock said there are 21 schools closest to Wawasee in size and Wawasee is ranked 20th in general fund revenue. If Wawasee's general fund was on average with the rest of the schools, the school corporation would have approximately $1.3 million more in revenue (or 33 new teachers). If Wawasee was the highest of those 21 schools, Wawasee would have approximately $4.3 million in additional revenue (or 107 new teachers). As for student poverty, Wawasee ranks seventh out of those 21.
He said school funding is so inequitable, there is almost a $4,000 difference in funding per student between the highest and lowest school districts in the state. Based on Wawasee's average daily membership of 3,492 students, that difference is approximately more than $13 million per year, or 349 additional teachers.
With the information presented, Stock said, they are not necessarily advocating additional dollars for statewide educational issues, but a more equitable distribution of state dollars.
In other business, the school board:
• Approved a resolution to transfer $244,441 from capital projects fund to general fund and a resolution to reduce appropriations by $244,441.
• Approved the joint service agreement and resolution to approve an addendum of the North Central Indiana Interlocal Agreement.
• Approved the 2003-04 school handbooks.
• Approved the summer school courses and instructors.
• Approved the following donations for the Wawasee summer swim program: Bart's Water Sports, $240; Rinker Boat Co. Inc., $500; R&R Body Works, $1,000; Resia L. Rinker, $1,000; Beverly Rinker, $1,000; and American Red Cross, $1,000.
• Approved the resignation of WHS Spanish teacher Kimberly Neill; retirement of Linda Stookey, Syracuse School grade three teacher; employment of Wade Jagger and Robyn Valdizon as WHS Spanish teachers.
• Approved the reappointment of Shirley Bobeck to the Syracuse-Turkey Creek Township Public Library Board of Trustees.
• Approved a request for a full-band Christmas trip to Florida during the 2003-04 school year.
• Heard a report on Wawasee's special education program.
