Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
SYRACUSE - Election is Nov. 7 and Tuesday, patron Derk Kuhn reminded the Wawasee School Board how the school board is elected.
In the last two elections, he said, there was always a controversy on how many candidates to vote for on the ballot. As a reminder, Kuhn said, vote for no more than two candidates and no more than one from each district.
Kuhn also said he had a problem with the water main breakage at the high school recently. He said the breakage caused damage to the school corporation because school was canceled and they had to buy bottled water for the school.
"Maybe we should go after the contractors ... or whoever," Kuhn said.
On one of the days school let out early due to the water main breakage, he said, band stayed later than the rest of the student body. If the school wasn't safe, why did the band stay longer, he asked.
"It's unfortunate when the water main breaks," said board president Jeffrey Wells. As for the band students staying longer, he said, a few students staying a few hours longer is better than a lot of students staying a lot of hours.
Superintendent Mark Stock presented the school board with the 2000-01 enrollment figures.
At the beginning of enrollment period for this year, Wawasee Schools had 3,529 students. At the end of the official enrollment period, their total is 3,622.
"It's not as high as it was, but it's better than we expected," said Stock.
Early enrollment for 1999-00 was 3,576.
In other business, the school board:
• Approved a request to advertise for bids for five standard 66- passenger school buses. The first advertisement will be Oct. 25 and the second one will be on Nov. 1. The bid opening will be Nov. 29 at the administration office.
Director of Support Services Jim Evans said he anticipates bringing a recommendation to the board at its December meeting.
• Don Huber, director of finance, gave an update on the construction of the new North Webster School. He said the building pad was completed last week. Footers and walls are going up.
"This building is moving," he said. "We're pretty well on schedule and ahead of schedule."
The maintenance building will be built before the bad weather hits, he said, so equipment can be stored in the building.
Brick for the building was ordered and City Roofers is doing the roof work.
• Approved three resignations, four employments and four transfers for support service personnel.
• Approved the resignation of Jeremy Lea as a fourth-grade teacher at North Webster School effective Sept. 15.
• Approved Edward Phillip on a regular teaching contract as a Wawasee High School science teacher beginning on or about Nov. 6.
• Approved Kimberly Jones on a regular teaching contract as a fourth-grade teacher at North Webster School to replace Lea.
Members of the Wawasee School Board are president Jeffrey Wells, vice president Carol Swartzendruber, secretary Marion Acton and members David Carey and Brian Dawes.
They meet at 7 p.m. in the board meeting room in Wawasee High School on the second Tuesday of every month.
