State of our Schools

• Whitko Schools are doing great things and it's because of our amazing staff and what they do for children every day
• Academic Achievement is up! 
• Facility Projects are getting wrapped up for full use next year!
• Technology Integration (1-1) is going to be in place for all grades next year!
• The Whitko Community is continuing the caring, collaborative and committed drive to excellence.

For details read below

Whitko Schools are doing great things and it's because of our amazing staff and what they do for children every day. It was two years ago we posted our vision as see in the clip below. The progress on that vision has been nothing short of amazing. Remember we are only two years into this with three to go.

We have certainly attained the collaborative nature of our advanced and the shared leadership that comes with it. Whitko has people that just help out no matter what else happens. It is evidenced in our classrooms with teachers, assistants and volunteers all pulling together to help our kids. It is evidenced out side of the classroom as whenever something needs done, people rally together to get it done. It is evidenced in our leadership as administrators and teachers work collaboratively in getting people what they need. Let me give you simple example.

Last week we needed to move some rooms around at South Whitley Elementary School. If you we watching you would have seen custodians from other buildings helping, central office people helping and volunteers helping the people that needed to move. This happens all the time in Whitko. 

The vision also talked about things we wanted to see. Things like a technology rich environment; the elementary schools updated; students aware of what they needed to be able to do; of course there are a few things like music on Broadway, AG having manufactured fertilizers, and business interactions that we have not attained yet but are gaining on this. 

Our enrollment has dropped but seems to be leveling out.  The State of Indiana did change the Common Core to the Indiana Academic Standards. The changes in our own economy and funding did throw us some curves but let's see how we are doing with the 4 areas I mentioned as bites.

The first bite came from the 4 questions we ask ourselves about student learning. What is it we want children to know and do? How will we know if they know it or can do it? What will we do if they don't? And finally what will we do if they already know it? 

Now that the standards are in place buildings have done a good job of looking at core areas and determining if the learning targets have changed. Many formative assessments are being used or introduced to determine the daily learning and summative assessments exist now in almost every course so we can know if students know the standards and if they have grown through the year. We have many interventions in place for those students that don't know it but I think all would agree not enough and not for all subjects. The last area is beginning to be better addressed in broad strokes by our High Ability Program but the progress there is not consistent across the board. So 2 years in and well over 75% complete. Our achievement results shine brightly in comparison to many schools around us. I know we are not satisfied but we need to at least enjoy the work of figuring out the balance of this because we've done so well getting to this point! 

Bite two is all about technology integration. We are 1-1 in the high school and middle school already and will be next year in the elementary. So what does that mean? It means we have two pillars of the technology vision in place. Pillar one was getting our network updated to handle the gear. Pillar two was getting gear into everyone's hands. We have a good start at pillar three which is instructional processes. That is when and how to use the technology to improve achievement. Our focus through the next couple years will be on using the technology appropriately. This will include further discussions on eLearning and eLearning days for missed instructional days. We have come a long way already in making great use of the resources. The tools technology gives us will simply help the great instruction our teachers give daily. 

Bite three is all about renovating and replacing our two elementary buildings. South Whitley Elementary School in now in phase three (3) of their renovation. They have a new Art/Music area, four renovated classrooms, a learning commons (replacement for the media center) new entrances at both the North and South as well as new office areas. The next phase addresses the kindergarten rooms and the new project room. We then move to finish the classroom renovations. Pierceton Elementary has all the interior and exterior walls in, all the underground plumbing and sections A and C close to receiving finishes. All areas have the major plumbing and heating in place. The exterior is close to being finished as well and when the ground thaws we'll start landscaping.

Finally Bite 4. Whitko is community. It shows in how you attend events and help with various projects around the area. 

So the state of our schools is great! Of course we have work to do and challenges to meet but there is not better place to meet those challenges that here in Whitko.

Facility Project

Last night the Whitko Board accepted the recommendation of the 25 year Facility Goal Committee. Part of the committee recommendation was to renovate South Whitley Elementary and build a new Pierceton Elementary. Now starts the long process of getting firm ideas of what is feasible based on the principle we are not going to raise taxes to do this. We are blessed that the debt of the middle school is getting paid off so we can do this without raising taxes if the committee numbers are correct.

There is more documentation on our web page. As I said it will now be a long process. We need to find our architect, financial advisor and others that will make up our planning team. Once we get firmer ideas of specific needs, costs and possible layouts of facilities we will move into the design work. This is where we get more specific on exact site locations if we are to build a new Pierceton. The committee hoped it could be located on the existing campus. Below is a possible timeline. Please note the Board is very much interested in community input so you'll be hearing about meetings once we have something to present. I will be updating this timeline as we move forward.

A Possible Timeline for School Construction (It depends on when we feel the community, Board, and administration  have enough information to move to the next steps. The green is complete and you'll see there is a lot of work ahead.
2 – 3 months (July – Sept 2011)

Pre- A Determine the path to follow with the Board and administrative. (Board Goal)

2 – 4 Months (Sept – Dec 2011)
A. Preliminary Board Goal Planning:

1. Recognize and define present and long term needs.
2. Analyze existing buildings, site requirements, transportation needs, finances and budget, grade structure, joint use of facilities, etc.
3. Review School Building Guidelines
4. Develop broad goal recommendations with community committee input

1 – 2 Months (Jan – Feb 2012)

B. Program

1. Update philosophy and goals, prepare educational program.
2. Select architect
3. Translate to architectural program.
4. Define quality of construction and level of maintenance.
5. Review and approval by School Board.
6. Prepare timetable for planning and construction
7. Estimate cost/budget.
8. Some community input but mostly sharing of ideas

2 – 4 Months (March-April 2012)
C. Development of Preliminary Drawings

1. Prepare preliminary plans and specifications based on approved architectural program.
2. Estimate cost
3. Community input
4. Review and approval by School Board

6 months (May 2012 – November 2012)
D. The referendum process which would be either the primary election in May 2013, general election in November 2012 or a special election. We could start the process in May 2012 with what is called our 1028 hearing for a November 2012 election or in January 2013 for May 2013 election.
(Tons of community input!)
Presuming referendum passage …

6 – 8 Months (November 2012 – July 2013)(May 2013- July 2013)
E. Development of Contract Documents

1. Set timetable
2. Complete financial arrangements
3. Develop approved preliminary plans into final working drawings and specifications
4. Estimate cost
5. Review and approval by School Board

2 -3 Months (August – September 2013)
F. Contract Administration
1. Review State procurement requirements
2. Receive and analyze bids
3. Execute contract and bonds
4. Provide for adequate supervision of construction

18 – 24 Months (September 2013- September 2015)
G. Execution of Contract

TOTAL TIME

31 – 45 Months

We could make our first Debt service payment in 2015 the way our debt is structured right now. This would work out fine as we are renovating SWES. If we were to build a new PES we could not make a debt service payment on that part of the project until after occupancy.

Big enough to deliver and small enough to care.

People often ask me why Whitko? What makes you special as a school system? I must respond that our caring atmosphere of high expectations separates us from the crowd. While we can’t offer the exact experiences you may receive at a larger school system, through the use of technology, we can offer about any course a student would want. AP, yes we have that. Dual Credit courses, we have those, too! Ag or career preparation, you bet. We have the highest graduation rate in the area, yes that’s Whitko. Up to date secondary facilities, you bet! Our middle school is just 17 years young and has state of the art technology infrastructure, large classrooms for problem-based learning and the best outdoor facilities in the conference. Our high school was renovated only 5 years ago and, likewise, has state of the art technology infrastructure and almost a one-to-one student computer ratio.


One of the greatest strengths is students get known here and grown here. We know our kids and love them all, even those that for some reason are unsuccessful. This atmosphere of caring allows us to design instruction tailored to meet the needs of each student. We do this by differentiating the instruction within and between classes. We believe you take students from where they are to where they need to be and for some that may mean more time or a variation in assignment. For others, it may mean grouping them with peers to master materials. Whatever the strategy, we strive to meet the needs of the individual. Beyond the striving academically, we also strive to make our students great people.

Whitko High School always has students in various clubs excel in community service. Last year, the SADD organization held huge drives and events to benefit the community. The National Honor Society has students active in community projects. Our middle school Clean World Association does more than monitor the environment, they also do food drives and community outreach. The Peacekeepers group trains students to intercede with their peers that may be having some type of problem. Our elementary schools have Bulldog and Cubs awards to encourage students caught doing good to continue that behavior in and out of school.

I could and will later go on and on about things like these. Truly, Whitko is big enough to deliver and small enough to care. Keep checking back to hear more examples of our schools’ success.

Whitko Studies Facilities

The Board of Education recently adopted the following Goal:

In order to provide the most appropriate, well maintained, and effective educational environment for our students, and do it in the most fiscally appropriate manner, the Board will, by the end of the 2011-2012 school year, have in place a 25 year Facilities Plan that includes the maintenance, renovations and anticipated new facilities that are necessary to carry out the instructional programs for our children.

A community and school committee of 25 members is working up a recommended plan to present to the Board for their review. The committee has met 3 times already reviewing the current status of our facilities and will meet at least a few more times to develop the plan. The idea is to have a short range 3-5 year part of the plan, a 5-15 year part of the plan and a long range part of the plan that may go beyond the 25 years. We want to make sure we proactively provide what our community needs for the education of the children.

Why the goal?

Schools have only 2 sources of funds for maintaining schools.

 One, like a home owner, is a mortgage or home equity loan. In the schools case it is called a bond sale. Those bonds are then paid off with property tax collections over a number of years. That is how large projects are funded like Whitko Middle School 17 years ago and the Whitko High School 4 years ago.

The other fund is called Capital Projects. This fund pays for maintaining the buildings but over the years as the state has provided less money to send to school for buying technology, or paying utilities, these costs have shifted to the Capital Projects fund and have decreased the funds available for maintenance. Capital Projects now is barely keeping up with roof replacement, driveway sealing and technology. We fear as the middle and high school begin to need more maintenance the fund will not be able to keep up.

Additionally our elementary buildings have not been substantially renovated since the 1980s and are showing their age.

Rather than wait the Board wants a plan to address the issue of keeping appropriate educational facilities for our kids.

Grading Changes at Grades 3-5

The change to assessing student work both by a standards based rubric of 1-4 and a letter grade has begun. This undoubtedly will be confusing for a little while as the two systems are not alike. The standards based score states if a student has mastered the work at a particular time. The grade letter score indicates the overall average work presented over time.

Okay that’s confusing and I wrote it. Here is an example.

Student 1 received a standard grade of "2" based on the rubric below.

1. The student’s work does not demonstrate mastery of the standards.

2. The student’s work demonstrates partial mastery of the standards.

3. The student’s work demonstrates adequate mastery of the standards.

4. The student’s work demonstrates superior mastery of the standards.



The same student received a "C" letter grade indicating their body of work on the assignment or course met between 70% and 80% of the criteria for that work based on the scale below.

90 – 100 A

80 - 89 B

70 - 79 C

60 - 69 D

59 or below F



It could be possible that over a grading period or project a student masters the standard at the very end but did not do well during the grading period or unit. In that case a student could see a final standard score of "3" and yet have a letter grade of "D" for the bulk of the work was not satisfactory. Likewise a student could grasp the standard early on in the grading period or unit and do well on all the assigned work. Their standard grade could also be a 3 but their letter grade could be a B or higher.



Again I realize this is a bit confusing, we are trying to indicate to everyone both does the student understand the standard and do they indicate appropriate work along the way to that understanding.

Assessment Program

The Assessment Committee met today and refined our district wide assessment program. The following assessments will be given with some questions remaining on the transition to these for some building from existing assessments.

Primary-


• Running Records – A measure of reading skills is an addition to SWES (PES end of September and end of May official collection, 4 data points per child per year) (SWES—materials, training and data collection done by February 2012, data collection May 2012, fully implemented by 2012-2013 school year)

• Primary MAP – Is an achievement test that measures growth this is an addition to PES (August 23 , January 9, May 14) – Kdg Winter/Spring only

• Writing Prompts – As named this is a writing assessment modeled after the state test and rubric based. This is an addition to SWES (need training to learn how to score them, need prompts and rubrics, training and data collection done by February 2012, data collection May 2012, fully implemented by 2012-2013 school year)

• DIBELS – A reading assessment will no long be administered

• COGAT – HA identification in K-2--October

• Coming IREAD (spring)

• Kingore – formerly used in HA identification will no long be administered
• Standford 10 — formerly used in HA identification will no long be administered
• SIGs – A HA identification test is given to the pool of nominated HA students –January

Intermediate

• ISTEP - Our State achievement test is given March 5-14, April 30-May 9

• MAP - Is an achievement test that measures growth given three times a year. August 23 , January 9, May 14

• Running Records – A measure of reading skills is an addition to SWES (SWES—materials, training and data collection done by February 2012, data collection May 2012, fully implemented by 2012-2013 school year)

• Writing Prompts – As named this is a writing assessment modeled after the state test and rubric based. This is an addition to SWES (need training to learn how to score them, need prompts and rubrics, training and data collection done by February 2012, data collection May 2012, fully implemented by 2012-2013 school year)

• OLSAT— HA identification - October

• SIGs – Administered to a pool of nominated HA students in 3rd and 5th –January

Middle School

• ISTEP — Our State achievement test is given March 5-14, April 30-May 9

• MAP — Is an achievement test that measures growth given three times a year. August 23 , January 9, May 9

• OLSAT— HA identification - October

• SIGs – Administered to a pool of nominated HA students in 7th –January



High School

• Practice SAT – An achievement test given to students in Grade 9 in October
• PSAT – An achievement test given to students in Grade10 & some 11 in October
• ASVAB – An aptitude test given to Grade 11 during October

• ECAs—Course specific achievement tests given the 2nd week of May to beginning of June

• Success Tracker with Math series is a formatitive assessment to assist instructional decisions given throughout the school year

Report Card Revisions

The Report Card Committee met July 7, 2011. The past year we have been discussing needed changes to help parents have better information about their student's progress. Our meeting today led to some changes in our report cards. There will be letter grades included with standards grades on the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade report cards. (New examples coming soon!) The Kindergarten will have the new core standards in place of the Indiana Academic Standards. We rewrote the four point teacher rubric to be clearer and the 4 point parent rubric on the report card to be friendly.

Our group also talked about how to communicate this well with parents and staff. We will launch a campaign to educate about grades and grading for the elementary groups as school starts in August. Look for more details soon.

Legislative Actions

Well the legislature is creating to a flurry of activity during these last days as you might expect. Several bills are very disappointing and it feels like we in public education are the whipping boys once again. Great news about increased funding is overshadowed by the stripping of teacher rights in bargaining, the transfers of public funds to cover vouchers, teacher evaluation processes changing and more red tape for our business offices and administrators. All these well intentioned efforts to help us restructure public education and improve student achievement really miss the Whitko mark of “Excellence for All.”


Remember most of these things are only aimed at teachers and administrators. How support staff salaries and benefits are determined has not changed. The attempt from down state is to have us tie negotiations, evaluation and student achievement into one package. I have told many people if education knew how to do this they would have done it 100 years ago.

SB575

I’ll start my reflections around SB 575 the teacher bargaining bill. This bill was intended to help corporations that had complex teacher contracts get flexibility from their agreements. I guess there must be places these changes need made but not at Whitko Community Schools. I reviewed our contract in light of the legislation and can say there are only a few items that are not already state law. Changing what we can print in the book won’t change how we do business. The recall language and the hours as discussable rather than negotiable are two somewhat big issues. The other big issue is evaluation and it has a bill of its own.

We are now restricted to salary, insurance, leaves, and retirement. The other items will still need to be discussed but can’t be in future contracts. (Depending on who says that it means after July1, after it passes the Senate or after the current contract expires) This either gives administration greater flexibility, greater accountability or greater confusion depending on the issue. I am glad we are a group that talks things through and we will continue those efforts as we move forward.

SB001

Then there is this new teacher preparation, licensing and evaluation bill. It starts by adding a part to the business office that requires us to get trained in operational efficiencies and that be reported on the state website.

This bill makes everyone either a probationary or professional teacher rather than the non-permanent, semi-permanent or permanent. The intent is to get away from perceived tenure rulings from the courts and IEERB in the past. Again this won’t really impact how we do business. What does is the new evaluation language.

The new evaluation language ties student achievement and to salary adjustments. The idea was taken from business that if your students perform well you get more money! The problem is the lack of clear definitions of performs. The greater issue is linking that to the teacher evaluation. The bill is clear if you teach a subject tested by a state test that must impact your evaluation. Beyond that it is up to us to figure out what rubric to rate folks on and how that translates to pay increases. Again like business we have flexibility to reward the best performing teachers. Unlike business we work with people not widgets. I am sure working together we can form a plan that will be manageable and fair to all involved. The state will be developing their model but based on what we’ve seen thus far it will need a good deal of revising to work for us.

So where do we go from here? Like we do every day we go to work. We make the education and the lives of our children the top priority. We continue to work through the details of the requirements set upon us by the state and do what is best for kids. Most importantly we strive for “Excellence for All” by improving our practice and working like the Whitko family always does. Like any family we will come through this stronger and better. It just feels real messy now and downright annoying that we can’t just be left to do the good work we do every day for our kids.

Snow Days

We have certainly had an unusual winter. Earlier today, I closed school for the 8th time this year on top of several 2-hour delays. Today, we closed because of near blizzard conditions during the early morning. Other days we closed because the county had not plowed the roads in time for the buses to run. I firmly believe that if the roads had been treated before 8:00 a.m. that we could have attended school on some days this week after a two-hour delay. I believe the same would have been true about 4 other closing days this year. After speaking with county officials, I was notified that the county budgets, primarily strained due to property tax caps, could not afford the overtime it would take to treat roads beyond normal work hours. As a result, we have lost two school attendance days this week and I can remember at least two other time this winter where clearing and treatment of the county roads could have resulted in a different decision regarding the closing of school. This is a major concern given that another winter storm is set to arrive Sunday, and based on forecasts, we will likely delay or closed again Monday. Additionally, Monday's forecast indicates that we may receive more rain, snow, ice, or all of the above.


Since budget solutions to help the county's ability to prepare roads cannot be implemented to change the results that have occurred thus far, would you please consider contacting your legislator regarding this? School budgets are certainly strained but so our are counties. Contacting our state and local officials will help.

I like you hope we do not need to have further delays or cancellations but the safety of our students may make those things necessary.

Come on Spring!

Thanks for Voting

Thanks to all who voted in Tuesday’s election regarding the Whitko Referendum Question. While of course the school system wanted the issue to pass. We much more wanted the public to have the chance to vote on the direction we should take. We understand the times we live in and the financial situations of our families. We believe the safety net is needed for schools but recognize the need to live within our budgets.


The initial question everyone is asking is, now that the referendum question did not pass, now what? The answer is like we’ve said all along. We wait and see what funding is in the next couple years. The whole idea from the start is to have the referendum pass as an additional safety net.


There are NO current plans for reductions, consolidations or closings of anything. We have a balanced budget for next year, we have the availability of the Jobs Bill funds, and we have a small cash balance. Those items should carry us through the next year or two. The only factor out of our control is what the state may due in reductions or during the upcoming legislative session.


I am proud of our community and their participation in the electoral process and now we must turn our attention to making sure the state legislature meets their responsibility in wise use of the tax dollars we send them.

November 2nd

Vote your conscious


Vote your heart

Vote informed

But most importantly VOTE!



This Tuesday many important considerations are up for decision. I would ask if you've not stopped and reviewed things that you do prior to Tuesday. One example is tax caps in the Indiana Constitution. We have seen how capping funding has impacted schools. The reductions we've suffered are not from tax caps but legislating away a source of revenue for the future generations does not make sense to me. It is the law now. Legislators can change it as needed if other revenue sources improve. I just can't wrap my head around deciding someone else’s future.



Another item is our referendum. I honestly believe this will be common in Indiana as the local residents will once again be asked to fund their own services from local funds and not state revenues. Cities and towns will continue to look for ways to provide services to residents. I have to stop and think like everyone else. What services do I want to not have? No snow removal, no fire protections, no road repairs, no police protection or something else. I believe we should pay for the services we are asking our governments to provide. I hope we all pay attention to what our elected representatives do with the funds they have and let them know when they are off base.



I really want to encourage you to get involved in the political process and understand this is from someone who does not like politics.



I hope you support the referendum question and Vote Yes for Whitko on Tuesday.

How did the $1.25 million in reductions last year affect our community?

How did the $1.25 million in reductions last year affect our community?


These are ballpark numbers since we can’t know each person’s individual finances but some things we know are:

• About $70,000 less in state sales tax and $30,000 less in state income tax. This adds to the state deficit and that has caused our deficit.

• About $1 million less in income that would have fed into the area economy.

• 26 fewer people stopping in for gas, groceries and other services since individuals no longer drive to work here.

In the school it has meant:

• larger class sizes;

• staff working longer to get the tasks complete;

• offices having a harder time responding to needs; and

• changes in instructional practices some good but most just to be able to manage more students per staff member.

The same can be said for any business that has had to let staff go. One difference is we will still have the 1800 students show up tomorrow no matter how many adults are here to work with them. We want to do our best and are committed to doing so even with the economic conditions. I just thought it was interesting how the broader economy is affected as we often think only how the school was affected.

Thanks for the continued support as we strive for Excellence for All.

Referendum Update

These are some comments/rumors we’ve heard regarding the referendum. Yes, it is a small sampling, but I wanted to share what is really happening. Here are some facts as of today:


• We still need the referendum question to pass but are not in crisis mode.

• We project the 2010 budget to end where we did in 2009, which is great!

• The 2011 budget is balanced. (That only means our reductions were accurate, not that we don’t need some people and resources to perform better.)

• The current plans are not to raise tax money from the referendum this year if passed (pending state reductions to our funding).

• We are not close to closing or consolidating.

• We may need to make facility renovations sometime, but closing South Whitley Elementary is just way down the line if ever

• There is a public meeting October 5th at 6:30 pm at Whitko High School in the Auditorium (child care provided) to try to share the following:

     o What the referendum question means

           No taxes if the budget is balanced without them

           No current property tax supports salaries or benefits

    o Where we have been financially and programmatically

    o Where we are now

    o Where we’d like to be

    o Where we could potentially be

• There is an options committee looking at how to provide services more effectively or efficiently, increase revenue through other means, and/or provide additional resources to assist the schools.

• The amount of funding we received from the federal government Jobs Bill is 27% of the $1.25 million we reduced…or looking at it another way, 2/3 of one year’s reduction. So, if the State reduces us a similar amount to last year, we would need to make up another $150,000 or so.

• We need people to vote yes

• From an email yesterday: Dr. Bennett still advises districts to plan for the worst case scenario as the fiscal indicators are not positive as of today.

• From 9/9/10 Indianapolis Business Journal: Report: State must cut spending, hike taxes or both

Not trying to be Chicken Little but it may sound like the sky is falling


“Gentlemen, we have run out of money. It is time to start thinking. ”Sir Ernest Rutherford, Nobel Laureate (Physics)

• We need the Referendum to pass November 2nd

• As of September 27th Dr Bennett was still saying expect a similar cut (half a million)

• As of September 27th Dr. Larry DeBoer Economics professor indicates 1.2 Billion shortfall for 2012 and 2013 for Indiana

• As of September 30 our Options Committee agreed we can’t cut people’s jobs to get out of the problem we are as thin as we can get.

• As of October 1st our former State Senator indicates a 1.1 Billion shortfall for Indiana

• We are protecting our students from the impending further reductions in state support.

o More reductions mean cuts in staff or programs

• The figures haven’t changed we are still balanced on paper for 2011 and 2012. The problem is the unknown state support.

What can you do?

     • Talk it up!

     • Hold a coffee time for a board member, Tom or Steve to talk to a few folks.

     • Place a sign!

     • Help the Referendum Committee (Contact Georgia Tenney at WMS or Jorell Tucker Board member)

o Call

o Canvas

• Vote!

SO is it as bad as all that? Yes. We can make more adjustments but nothing that doesn’t hurt students and staff. We will stay open and will endure these hard times but I must be honest things will not go back to normal (whatever that is) soon.

Recent News - State Health Coverage

Much press has been made lately about schools saving dollars by switching to the State Health Insurance Program. WNDU Recently stated “A new study shows that public schools in Indiana would save an estimated $297-million by making health insurance changes”. Obviously it depends how you do your figures. That $297 million was extrapolated from looking at schools that did participate and saved money. They had extremely high costs for their insurance and the state plan was a good move for them. It is not necessarily a good move for everyone.


Whitko has reviewed the current state health insurance program. The program would cost us more and our employees would have reduced benefits. If you did a state wide review you would find about 260 districts are like ours and would spend more by participating in the State Health Plan while about 50 would save using the plan.

We will continue to analyze our insurance premiums and benefits. The state plan is not what is right for us now.

Results from Past Referendum at WHS

During our recent discussions some patrons asked about the things they were told regarding the high school renovation. Apparently the previous administration indicated renovating the high school would improve achievement. Here are a few samples of how the tax dollars you invested paid off.



• The 4 year Graduation Rate increased 3.88% and is now above the state average by more than 3%

• The number of students pursuing post secondary education went up 10.4% and is now at the state average.

• SAT Scores went up by an average of 15.75 points. The most recent scores were above the state average. (This is amazing considering more students are taking the tests)

• We now have certificated programs in welding and culinary arts.

• Art awards have even increased but we were great before.

• The number of students taking and passing Advanced Placement courses went up.

I was very pleased to see how the work paid off and I hope you are as well.

Recent News - Govenor Daniel's Statement

The following comments were from Governor Daniels last night according to the Channel 15 (Fort Wayne) web site:



“School districts on the other hand are pleased to get some relief. Many of them had to cut teachers and close schools during the 2009-2010 school year. The Indiana public education budget was cut by $300 million last year, and there are rumors there will be an equal or greater cut in the middle of this school year. Governor Daniels said Wednesday he doesn't expect to cut public education again to stay in the black.”


"I think we can do that without asking anymore from any of the places including schools," said Daniels.


If this comes true it further reduces the amount of funding we may need from the referendum measure. That would be terrific! We must remember however that one part of the referendum is to have adequate funding available for seven years not just one year. That being said hooray if the State of Indiana does not need to make further education funding cuts.

Recent events - Jobs Bill Impact

Please understand this is conjecture on our part at this time.
Based on what we know today and looking at how things went with the last stimulus funding it appears the $207 million that Indiana will get from the Jobs Bill translates to 2.7% of the State’s K-12 educational budget. That 2.7% should be between $250 and $290 thousand for Whitko depending on what % the state retains for administrative costs. If the rumors are accurate that the State was expecting to reduce K-12 funding by 5%, I believe what will happen is we will just get a smaller reduction. We had estimated our need (possible reduction) at $500,000 so if we are guessing correct the bill funding will cut our reduction about in half.

We are Whitko

Whenever issues regarding funding come up in our current Indiana economic climate, individuals begin to speculate and rumors start flying. Let me answer a couple of those rumors.

Whitko is closing its doors!

This simple answer in no we are not. We are far from that. If we talk about the maximum amount of the referendum we are only talking about 12% of what it takes in general fund to run our schools. Yes, we need to address the funding shortfall created during this economic downturn. Yes it is serious but the sky is not falling and we are Whitko so we will figure out what we need to do in solving this issue.



If this referendum passes we'll just create a budget that uses the maximum amount.

If the administration was so inclined the Board you elected would never allow that. In fact the draft budget we are working on is balanced for 2011, meaning that no additional tax would be levied in 2011. That balance would only be changed if the state further reduced what they said they are going to fund. The Board and administration are committed to balanced budgets. Our problem continues to be the politics of when the state will say you are reduced by a certain amount. We simply, by law, cannot reduce significant amounts once the school year starts. I hate to be pessimistic but I must say that politically I do not expect any reductions to be announced until after the November elections. The timing if that occurs will make it extremely difficult to make expenditure changes on the fly.

I obviously hope you will support our referendum and vote YES on the question in November but I also realize you may choose not to support the referendum. My desire is simply that you consider the facts shared previously on this blog and that will appear as we look at various options. I only want you to make an informed choice. These are your Whitko Schools help us make them what you want them to be.

Referendum

Did you every have one of those tasks you did not want to do but knew it was the right thing?


The School Board and I are faced with just that situation. We do not want to ask for a tax increase but yet we know we must for the good of all our children and the community they will grow up in.


Last year we reduced our general fund budget by more than 10%. This was due to state funding shortfalls and we all know the economy is just not doing great right now. That 10% means when school opens next fall we will have 26 fewer adults trying to do the same or even better at providing the quality education and services our students deserve.

Now the state hints they may reduce us another 5 to 10%. We simply cannot provide what our children deserve with that hanging over our heads. Of course we will continue to look for further savings but there comes a point where we simply need more funding to be able to “Keep our Schools Excellent for All”.


That is why I recommended to the Board a referendum that would provide a property tax option to make up what the state shorts us in the funding. More details will be shared in public meetings and mailing but until then I have attached a couple items that will answer some questions regarding the upcoming referendum.

Please support our kids and help us provide the education they need for their futures.


Email questions or comments to steve.clason@whitko.org

Questions and Answers About the Referendum

How we got here and what we've done.  Watch for this to be updated!

Board Meeting and Reductions

The May Board meeting was a particularly difficult one as we had to take the final vote that eliminated 13 certified and an equal number of non-certified positions. State reductions have created a situation where, even with those reductions, we estimate our budget has a $1,775 cushion. We can run school, but we are not able to supply the same attention to children that we all want.


The state has suggested they may be having a similar reduction next year. There is no place in our budget that we can do that and have a reasonable educational program for students. The Board is going to look at a possible referendum to create local revenue from property taxes. We know this is not popular with anyone, but we also know our children are worth it. Keep checking this blog for updates on what this means. Right now, it is an idea - nothing more. But, we are in high gear trying to figure out what it will mean for everyone.

The news just keeps being negative when we look at the state funding. Three of four months, the state has received revenue below budget estimates. They, too, are taking actions to stretch their fund, but unfortunately, those actions hurt our efforts. One example is the federal grant money that flows through the Department of Education. It used to flow to us prior to our expending it. Now all grant funds are reimbursable, which means we must pay the bill from our General Fund (that was cut) and then turn in a claim for the state to reimburse. This will, in the long run, not impact budget but increases both our management overhead and our cash flow. We may have to borrow while waiting for them to pay what they owe.

Speaking of the federal level, we learned last week that our Title 1 allocation was decreased by over $40,000. I know - it seems strange to us that as our families are having a tougher time (meaning more are in need of assistance), this program (that is supposed to be based on assistance need) is reduced. I think that tells us that from the local and state perspective, the recession impact is definitely not over.

In other action, the Board passed the pay to participate in athletics proposal. That means a high school student they would pay $80 to participate in sports, a middle school student $50, and an elementary student $30. This was the initial proposal and we will be adjusting this on the fly as revenue to athletics increases and individual sports are reviewed in more detail.

I share all this to let you know we are not out of the financial woods yet and are continuing to look at every avenue to make Whitko Schools the best place for all our children. I continue to ask anyone with ideas to share them.