The Warsaw School Board met Monday to discuss bonds, policy and the heroics of students.
Todd Samuelson from Umbaugh and Associates spoke to the board about cash advisory services and the second set of bond issuances for 2008.
Samuelson acknowledged that the current economic crisis is affecting municipal bonds but said there is still a market for them, albeit a buyer's market.Samuelson assured the public that what Umbaugh and Associates told the public will still take place.
"I don't want to give the impression that anything was different than from what we told the public," said Samuelson. "The maximum interest rate was set at 6 percent."
Samuelson didn't have the exact numbers with him but said he believed the first series of bonds issued were done at an interest rate of around 4.5 percent.
According to the board, a doctor from Muncie is interested in purchasing the land where the closed Silver Lake Elementary School is.
The issue has not been settled yet due to some legal entanglements, though the corporation's attorney Max Revere assured the board that everything will be "in line legally."
School board member Deb Wiggins read a motion during the board policy portion of the meeting.
Wiggins motion read in part "from this date forward, all individuals being recommended for new or renewed employment with the Warsaw Community School Corporation shall have completed by the human resources director and have on file with the school corporation a Personnel Information/Authorization Form."
When Harrison Elementary Principal Randy Polston asked, as an example, if a teacher who heads up a technology club has to be renewed yearly.
Wiggins responded by saying the point of the motion was to create better oversight by principals and administrators.
The motion read by Wiggins was passed 7-0 by the board.
Harrison Elementary students Cara Schue, Kaitlyn Bell, Anthony Bass, Hanna Leach, Ryan Cultice and Ophelia Luu along with bus driver Brian Walsh were recognized for their help with a student who suffered a seizure on a bus in Sept.
A feature story about the students and Walsh will appear in Wednesday's edition of the Times-Union.
Warsaw Community High School Theatre Department's Jean Beeson thanked Zimmer for a donation for advertising. The donation will be used to advertise the department's production of West Side Story playing Nov. 14, 15 and 16.
An anonymous donor was recognized for making a donation to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
An education summit will be held Nov. 20 from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Lakeland Christian Academy.
Bill Kovach, director of career and technical education at the high school, said the summit will focus on cultural diversity in the community.
Kovach also gave a presentation to the board concerning programs at the high school's career center.
Kovach, a former english teacher at the high school, said the career center is working towards all of its 18 programs earning dual credit for both high school and college.
Kovach said that a class such as Introduction to Health Care can earn students up to 12 college credits.
College credits were earned by 140 students through career center programs last year.
Kovach said that the career center has earned more than $2.1 million in grants in three years.
Kovach said that working with career center programs has changed how he would teach English.
"If I were to go back and teach english," said Kovach. "I'd teach it in a whole different way to make it more relevant."
Kovach was recognized for being give an Award of Merit from the Indiana Association of Career and Technical Education.
Diana Yarian, program specialist at the Warsaw High School Career Center was also recognized for receiving the Indiana Association of Career and Technical Education Outstanding Career and Technical Educator Award.
WalMart store manager Gary Elders presented Harrison Elementary teacher Katie Maile for being WalMart's Teacher Of The Year.
Eisenhower Elementary was recognized as being a four-star school.
Warsaw Community Schools bus driver Jim Neiderhouser was recognized for handling a situation where a bottle was thrown at the bus he was driving while students were on the bus.
WCS Interim Superintendent Ralph Bailey went over an enrollment report. Bailey said there are 3,833 students in the corporation's seven elementary schools while there are 1,117 students in the two middle schools and 2,004 students at WCHS for a total of 6,954 students.
The board also approved minutes from its Sept. 15 meeting along with claims and personnel recommendations.
All seven board members were present at the meeting.
