Also at its November meeting, the board voted to approve the benefits adjustments for eligible classified staff, as presented.
In other business, Superintendent Dan Zylstra shared that many schools and local units of government have been subject to hacking and ransomware. He reported he is working with information technology director Kris Aschbrenner who has looked into some programs to mitigate against these threats at West Central.
The school board discussed the progress on efforts to make safer the US 421 and SR 14 intersection, located adjacent to the school, and the proposed traffic study yet to be conducted.
Zylstra discussed with the board the number of students in third grade. As more students have enrolled in the last month, he and principal Mike Carlson are looking to add a third section to decrease the number of students in each section.
Personnel
The board accepted the resignations of corporation treasurer Bonnie Koebcke, and cafeteria employee Brittany Goodman.
The board approved the retirement of teacher Lorie Zellers.
Personal leave requests were approved for Kristen Mellon and Rebecca Reed.
Employment was approved for the following individuals:
- Dr. Kelly Grillo - Cooperative School Services special education coordinator
- Zephaniah Conley – 8th grade boys basketball coach
- Justin Clark – 6th grade boys basketball coach
- Corey Howat - assistant boys varsity basketball coach
- Jezreel Santillana - 4th grade maternity leave
- Pam Antrim - cafeteria
A field trip request was approved for the student council to visit Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis.
Conference requests were approved for Mike Carlson, Scott Ritchie and Angie Radtke to attend the Fall Principals Conference; and for Cathie Risner to attend the Indiana School Nutrition annual conference.
Other Business
Student of the Month certificates were presented to Makylah Holle at the elementary level, Alexa Schultz at the middle school level, and Tamea Rowe at the high school level.
Zylstra reported the discussion committee will look to finalize and present school calendars for the next two years at the next board meeting.
Bus bids for next year will take place soon, and different warranty options are being considered this year due to the increasing complexity of bus engines and recent repair costs.
The board was informed that the state board of education has not approved the assigned letter grades for schools as of Nov. 6, and has given guidance to complete 2018-19 evaluations based on letter grades from 2017-18.
High school science teacher Jon Pilarski gave a presentation on the use of Nearpod, a new and innovative instructional technology at West Central Schools.
Teacher Brad Odom shared with the board the work of the West Central Comfort Closet, its inception, and how it will continue to meet some of the physical needs of students at West Central. The program works to boost student self-esteem. The board thanked the teachers and other volunteers for their efforts on behalf of students.
A proposal for LED lights was reviewed by the school board, and members will be looking into LED options for future capital projects.
The board voted to disburse the state’s teacher appreciation grant monies to teachers as per the board policy approved Sept. 5, and to pay eligible counselors the same amount as a stipend from the Educational Fund.
The board approved a resolution to deposit all future earned interest income from checking, savings, and other short-term principal-maintaining accounts, into the Operation Fund.
The board approved a motion to deposit the remaining funds from the Ad Valorem Property Tax first Mortgage Bonds, Series 2005, into the Operation Fund.
Principal Reports
Elementary school principal Mike Carlson reported:
Family Literacy Night was a success. A lot of work went into this event and the school looked great. The school received positive feedback on the activities, the decorations, and dinner. A total of 301 people attended.
Parent/Teacher conferences were held before break. Carlson thanked PTC for dinner on Monday. The school had 84% participation rate.
The edging around the new playground equipment was put in Oct. 26. A small group volunteered their time before the rain came.
NWEA was given for the first time. First and second grade are doing a pilot this year. After training with the MS/HS on Oct. 24, the school is excited for what this has to offer.
Carlson said the school has been very fortunate with the support of outside groups coming to extend student learning. Firefighters, REMC, Pulaski County Farm Bureau, and Purdue have come to do lessons with different grade levels.
The PTC and Student Council have had some fun activities. There was the pumpkin decorating contest and the Turkey Twist dance is coming up.
Middle/high school principal Scott Ritchie reported:
The month of November has seen the end of fall sports and the start of the winter season.
One new item is The Trojan Grind coffee bar, which debuted Nov. 7. It was received very well. The enterprise sold about 50 cups of coffee at its opening.
Ritchie said Mrs. Radtke has been a “bulldog” with the after school tutoring. The program started half way through October and in the first two weeks, the efforts have recovered 30 of 59 Fs in the high school and 26 of 93 in the middle school. Ritchie added the schools are also in the thick of the new Vimme math program with 6th-9th grades. He said teachers are starting to see some very positive data come rolling in.
