PIERCETON - Whitko School Board hired an interim schools superintendent Monday.
The board hired Dr. Bruce Hippensteel, of LaGrange County, to serve until they hire a permanent replacement for Dr. Jeff Hendrix. Hendrix resigned in June to take a superintendent position in Marion.
Hippensteel, a native of Huntington County, has worked in education in Indiana for 44 years. He began his career as a teacher in Huntington County. He served as superintendent of West Noble School Corp., in Noble County, from 1980 to 2004, when he retired.Hippensteel will begin work at Whitko July 12.
Board member Dave Tranter said the board chose Hippensteel from a competitive list of candidates. "We had a list of people and we went through it very thoroughly," Tranter said.
"It will be great to have Bruce with our school district," said board member Pete Mitchell.
In other news, the board reorganized for the 2007-2008 school year. The board elected Mitchell to serve as president, Deborah Collier to serve as vice president and Michael Braddock to serve as secretary.
The board also:
n Approved a mileage rate of 40 cents per mile for the 2007-2008 school year.
n Approved a board salary of $2,000 per year, with an additional $25.75 per diem for all scheduled and additional meetings during the 2007-2008 school year. The per diem represents a 1 percent salary raise for board members.
n Approved a tuition rate of $12 per day for transfer students in grades 1-12 and full-day kindergarten; and $6 per day for half-day kindergarten students.
n Appointed Philip Menzie as school corporation treasurer and Tony Huff as deputy treasurer.
n Appointed Menzie as purchasing agent.
n Appointed John Whiteleather as board attorney, with a retainer free of $1,000 for the 2007-2008 school year.
n Appointed Braddock as liaison to the Indiana School Boards Association.
n Authorized Mitchell, board president, to appoint individual board members as representatives to committees or organizations during the school year.
