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SYRACUSE — A large turnout, interruptions and tense discussion occurred during public comment at Wawasee Community School Board’s Tuesday meeting, as several patrons pressed administrators for answers.
Superintendent Dr. Steve Troyer later used his report to respond to the some of the mounting criticism, pointing to declining enrollment and funding realities as the driving force behind many district decisions.
Kim Jones, co-president of the Wawasee Community Educators Association and a 33-year teacher, delivered a lengthy statement on behalf of local educators. She said poor communication from district leadership has created confusion and even safety risks.
She described a student safety issue last spring where “the lack of structure and communication delayed the response and ultimately created an unsafe environment for both students and staff.”
Jones said similar breakdowns in communication recently caused a veteran Syracuse Elementary teacher to quit.
“On Aug. 28, I brought several concerns to Central Office ... during a meeting (with Troyer and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Shelly Wilfong). I told Troyer I didn’t want to escalate the matter, but I might have to bring it to the school board. He responded he didn’t like to be threatened,” she said
Jones also criticized the district’s “Warrior Experience” initiative, which was rolled out this year to improve school culture. While she praised the intent, she said staff were excluded from shaping the program.
“Much of the initiative focuses on how staff present themselves to the public, when the reality is that the vast majority of our staff already lead with professionalism, integrity and kindness,” she said.
“Culture change must begin from the inside out, and it must be led by example, not just by slogans.”
She added teachers and support staff feel overworked while administrators receive raises and bonuses.
Jones requested private meetings with the school board members — two at a time, the maximum allowed — to further discuss matters she did not want to raise publicly.
When the board asked why specific issues could not be raised at the meeting, community member Rob Chalk, who also spoke at August’s meeting, spoke out from his chair that there was a real issue of retaliation.
“We have witnessed it ... we’ve tried to report it, but it’s like it just falls on deaf ears,” Chalk said, prompting applause from the public.
During his comments, Chalk pressed the board on enrollment figures and administrator pay.
He pointed out Troyer’s contract includes retirement contributions and other benefits, and used official documentation to show a 55% difference in contracted Wawasee administrator contracts and what is reported on their Form 100R, which includes all perks and benefits.
“We also pay the superintendent on four different retirement accounts: administration annuity, 403B, Teachers retirement fund and Indiana Public Retirement System,” Chalk said. “This all totals over $27,000 a year in just retirement benefits.”
He also said the district lacked a clear organizational chart, calling it “an extreme lack of transparency on responsibilities and job roles.”
He gave as an example Director of Operations, Food Service and Technology Wade Wirebaugh, who started in 2020 with a $60.4K contract that is now at $124K.
Resident Alex Yoder, a certified public accountant, urged the board to make budget presentations easier for non-financial professionals to follow.
“And Mr. Penrod,” she added, addressing the board’s director of finance, “your eight or so subs that you have under your LLCs ... how many of those are we paying to? How many contracts do we have through various subs?”
Penrod said “K12 Finance Lab,” one of eight sublets for his “Comprehensive Systems of Support For Schools” LLC, was the only one charging the district.
When Yoder inquired the purpose of another sublet, K12 Debt Lab, Penrod refused to answer.
Yoder also asked why Troyer was given an allowance for a cell phone and car instead of corporation-provided items, something Board President Don Bokhart maintained was not unusual.
“And (Troyer) gets a bonus!” she added. “What’s the return on investment?”
Board members pushed back at times, saying they had not been contacted directly before these public meetings.
Board Vice President Andy Cripe also objected to insinuations of corrupt intent and financial irresponsibility.
“Of course there’s a budget issue!” he said, referring to patron concerns about the district’s high debt compared to others. “There’s been a budget issue for how long? You’re right, the $200 million, I’ve been freaked out about that ever since I got on the board.”
“It hasn’t been $200 million this whole time,” countered Chalk.
Other issues raised were information and meeting livestreams not being posted online, as reported by residents Lissa Krull, Chalk and Kim Joyce.
At several points during the meeting, administrators and patrons spoke over each other to make their voices heard.
Residents also deferred their time to other speakers throughout the meeting, a tactic that came to a head when Wawasee Schools parent Tom Smith gave his minutes to his wife, Jadelyn Smith, who promptly gave them to Rob Chalk.
“We’re not transferring minutes on your behalf,” said Bokhart, which the Smiths and Chalk ignored.
Legal counsel to the Wawasee corporation Tim Shelley spoke at one point, advising the public attending the meeting that “this is not the most productive time to have these discussions,” advising residents to reach out one-on-one. Nevertheless, patrons continued giving public comment.
In his superintendent’s report, Troyer sought to address the criticisms by placing them in context. He pointed to a 20% drop in enrollment since 2016, from more than 3,100 students to about 2,530 projected this fall.
“We have lost 146 students over the last three years,” Troyer said. “That equates to approximately $1.42 million less revenue going into our education fund than what we had a few years ago.”
He said the district had implemented staff reductions and reorganizations to cut costs, saving an estimated $829,000 in the education fund and $345,000 in operations, and that fund transfers between the two were 0.57%, allegedly among the lowest in state.
“Cuts are not about who is more or less important,” Troyer said. “They’re about aligning the roles to our student enrollment, our operational necessities, and our long-term sustainability.”
Troyer added while reductions create anxiety, the district has avoided widespread layoffs.
“We were able to eliminate and garner over $800,000 in savings and only two teachers lost their jobs through that process,” he said.
On the subject of Penrod, Troyer said he was an outside consultant that “is here two days a week; does our budget, our bond work, some management with our projects, and other miscellaneous finance-related things.”
Penrod is paid through bonds, which, Troyer explained, allowed Penrod’s salary to have zero effect on Wawasee’s operations fund.
Despite the contentious meeting, Troyer said he was willing to meet publicly with staff and patrons in a separate work session.
“I would certainly be willing to do that and would welcome engaging in a dialogue … out in the open in front of anybody that wants to be there,” he said.
