The first of two August Wawasee Community School Corp. meetings was held Tuesday evening at Wawasee High School. The meeting addressed new teacher hirings, ISTEP+ results and summer school progress, among other topics.
The corporation has hired eight new teachers as of Tuesday. Dr. Tom Edington, Wawasee superintendent, said that finding teachers to hire has become more difficult in the last five years. Several other hires include paraprofessionals, Title 1 workers, cafeteria workers and Don Ritter as the director of corporation facilities.
Ritter, a 1987 Wawasee High School grad, will oversee the building of the new Syracuse Elementary School. Ritter has worked for Warsaw Community Schools for 24 years as the heating and air specialist. He will receive a $65,000 salary and begin Aug. 24.
Director of instruction and curriculum Joy Goshert announced that cut scores – the pass/fail determinant – for 2014-15 ISTEP+ will not be assessed until October. Final results and letter grades will not be available until “December at the earliest,” Goshert said.
Goshert also shared that 284 students participated in summer school programs. Wawasee High School had 91 students in the Center for Academic Progress doing credit recovery or taking additional classes and 29 students in the ECO Challenge.
Milford School had 31 students in grades 1 to 3 in classes and 15 students in IREAD-3 Remediation. North Webster School had 25 students in grades 1 to 3 in classes and 14 students in IREAD-3 Remediation. Syracuse School had 42 students in grades 1 to 3 in classes, seven students in IREAD-3 Remediation and 30 students in the first Kindergarten Countdown program. United Way of Kosciusko County funded teachers, paraprofessionals and materials.
Other topics covered include:
• Higher scores in Geometry in Construction classes.
• Shopko donated $149.27 to WHS.
• Wawasee Elementary School is partering with Parkview to start college savings plans for students in kindergarten through second grade. Parkview will donate $50 to each participant and WCSC will donate $25.
A second meeting will take place Aug. 25 to confirm and publish the budget for 2015-16
(Story By The Times Union)
