The school board established its meeting times and dates for the 2025 calendar year for 7:30 p.m., the first Thursday of each month; except the July meeting will be held on the 10th. The Jan. 1 (2026) meeting will be Jan. 8.
In other business, Superintendent Dr. Cathy Rowe presented information to the board and public concerning the bid process which will start Jan. 16 for construction bids for the upcoming project. The board will meet Jan. 23 to accept bids. She also explained there may be some air conditioning interruptions this summer and fall as contractors secure a new chiller for the middle school portion of the building, but the architects are working on a solution to minimize disruptions. The bids were pushed out to accommodate slower holiday work days and chiller piping design work that needs to be considered.
The superintendent also reported:
- The district will need to continue to refine bus routes for next year, consolidating when necessary to reduce smaller student ridership on some routes.
- 24 is the next early release for professional development.
- 31 is a snow make-up day.
- 3 is the spring count day.
- The school corporation will encumber 2024 monies going into 2025 as it has in the past.
- Emergency Go Bags (a kit of emergency supplies) have been placed in all classrooms and public spaces, with the hope that they never need to be used.
Personnel items
Employment was approved for the following, as presented:
- Katie Richardson - Cafeteria Staff
- Natalie Crosby - Cafeteria Staff
- Ana Prokopos - Instructional Assistant
Leave of absence requests were approved for Gwen Messman (CSS) Jan. 6-7, and for . Kristie Baer Jan. 6-10.
The board approved an out-of-state field trip for fourth-grade students to attend the Chicago Wolves Hockey game Dec. 18, 2024 (retroactively).
Action items
The school board approved the Early Literacy Achievement Grant amounts as presented.
Approval was given to the West Central bus rental by LifeWise, as presented.
The board voted to approve the administrative approval process for Youth League requests as presented.
The second reading and adoption of West Central School Board polities was approved.
The board approved a list of items to be declared as surplus equipment, as presented.The board also voted to donate the surplus scoreboards to the West Central Youth League program.
Principal reports
Middle/high school principal Mike Carlson shared that the schools ended the semester well.
The high school participated in the “Play for Xavier” volleyball tournament. All the proceeds went to Xavier to help with treatment expenses.
The band and choir put on another great performance for the winter concert which was well attended.
The new diploma requirements were approved for the current eighth grade students. School staff are looking at what classes can be used to meet all the areas.
Mid-year reading and math benchmarking will finish after classes resume.
Financial Aid Night and Freshman Orientation are planned for January.
The middle school held its carnival the day before break. A record 90 percent of students met the behavior and grade goals for the second nine weeks to be eligible.
Elementary school principal Toni Blaszczyk reported that West Central Elementary students finished the middle of the year assessments for NWEA Reading and iREADY Math. The NWEA assessment measures a student's reading achievement and growth in comprehension, vocabulary and foundational reading skills. The iREADY Math diagnostic identifies specific skills each student needs to develop and measure academic growth throughout the school year. The building average growth points score for September through December on the NWEA Reading Assessment is 7.32. The building average growth points for September through December on iREADY Math is 14.19. Principal Blaszczyk will continue to collaborate monthly with all grade level teams to analyze student data and discuss student interventions.
West Central Board of Finance
The West Central School Board met in a board of finance session Thursday,Jan. 2 to reorganize for the calendar year.
Jeff Lowry was elected president of the board of finance. Jonathan Gutwein was elected secretary. Shannon Fritz, treasurer, was designated as the investing officer.
The board approved a motion to designate Lake City Bank, Medaryville branch, and Alliance Bank, Francesville branch, as the depositories for the year.
Superintendent Cathy Rowe reviewed the current accounts, including checking, savings and certificates of deposit. She also reviewed the report of the district’s financial condition as well as the fiscal and qualitative indicators dashboard, per Indiana Code 5-13-7-8.
