With the Warsaw School Board's approval Monday night, the school corporation has a road map for the 2009-10 school year.
"Tonight," said Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz, "I'm proud and pleased to present our road map for the school year."
The road map is the School Corporation Priority Strategies and Action Plans for 2009-10. At the Aug. 11 school board work session, a draft of the document was presented for the board's consideration. The board approved it last night.
"If we don't know where we're going, then any road will lead us there," Hintz said.He said the corporation's work this year revolves around its mission statement. The WCS mission is "Warsaw Community Schools is dedicated to providing all students with an excellent education to enable them to be life-long learners and successful citizens."
Hintz said the word in the mission statement that resonates with him the most is the word "all."
The difference between a manager and a leader, Hintz said, is that a manager does everything right, but a leader does all the right things. WCS has an excellent system in place, he said, but he knows it can be better.
There are four strategies for the road map, including leadership, learning, policy and procedures and operations and facility. Each of the strategies then has several lesson plans under them to accomplish the strategies.
One of the lesson plans under Leadership is for the school corporation to organize and implement an accountability task force.
"I believe that this is something that must be done," said Hintz. He said the accountability plan will take a look at accountability across the entire school system.
Other studies the school corporation will undertake during the present school year, he said, will be a technology study and a human resources study.
While taking a look at operations and facilities, Hintz said they will take a look at extracurricular accounting practices. Extracurricular includes clubs, bands, choirs and sports activities.
"We have many, many clubs and many organizations and (we need to look at) how they are accounted for," Hintz said.
Also under operations and facilities, the school corporation will look at removal of the yellow barn, location and construction of cold storage facility and additional parking on the campus. Standards will be developed for the appearance and upkeep of buildings and grounds. Hintz said the grounds are in "very, very good shape," but the standards need to be looked at.
By the end of the calendar year, Hintz said, the school corporation will have a plan in place for redistricting grades kindergarten through eighth grade. "That's a real big rock," Hintz said.
The need for redistricting comes from the construction of new Madison and Leesburg elementary schools, renovation and improvement to Jefferson Elementary, and renovation and improvement and reopening of Claypool Elementary. Those four schools are scheduled to be opened for the 2010-11 school year.
When the school board made a decision on those building projects, there also was a Phase B, C and D. Hintz said the school corporation will take at look at those and determine if the corporation needs to move forward on them.
After Hintz reviewed all the points of the plan, Board Secretary Delores Hearn asked, "You say you're going to do all this in one year?"
"We're going to try. It's rigorous," said Hintz.
Board President Deb Wiggins said she hoped what Hintz presented is realistic because the board members know it needs to be done.
In other business:
n Kay Kelly, administrative secretary, reported WCS is in the process of signing up for the We Are Closed Today System, designed on behalf of public schools in Northern Indiana by Northern Indiana Educational Services Center.
Under the system, Kelly said, parents can register with the company. Then when there's a school cancellation, delay or early dismissal, the company will send out texts or e-mails to parents to let them know. Kelly said the service is free of charge through Region 8.
She said the company automatically also contacts all the participating radio and television stations about the delays or cancellations. WCS will still manage the information on their own Web site and information phone line.
n The regular school board meetings are on the fourth Monday of every month at 7 p.m. However, the September meeting will change from Sept. 28 to Sept. 21, and the December meeting will change from Dec. 28 to Dec. 17.
n Tom Ray, summer school coordinator, said 1,652 students participated in summer school this year. There were 81 classes offered.
n Marci Franks, director of food services, provided the school board with a report on the Summer Feeding Program.
Locations for the feeding program included Washington Elementary, Edgewood Middle School, Warsaw Community High School, Baker Youth Club, Lucerne Park and Center Lake.
A total of 14,109 meals were served in addition to 13,555 snacks. All meals and snacks were provided for free to any child under age 18. Adults could purchase a meal to eat with their child for $3. A total of $699 was collected in adult meals.
School Board Vice President Dan Robinson asked how the feeding program came to be. Franks said it is a federally funded program through the USDA. The federal government looks at pockets of poverty, and then asks organizations and school corporations within those areas to host the program.
n The school board approved the graduation recognition proposal. Along with the cum laud system, the valedictorian and salutatorian also will be recognized.
