Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
LARWILL - Whitko Community School Board was presented with an award, held the first public bond hearing and heard reports from faculty and staff during a meeting on Monday, Aug. 17.
OrthoWorx President and CEO Ryan Christner presented the board with a duplicate of an award from the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. Christner stated the “Community of the Year Award was presented to Kosciusko County, which is the first time in the history of the award that it was given to a county.” He noted this award showed the hard work of people who show up, lead and take risks.
“Tonight is not about celebrating an award, but about what the award represents … This is more than a symbol, it’s a reminder … that the work still continues. This is the call to go further,” said Christner.
Christner has presented this award to all Kosciusko County schools, because “we know we couldn’t do it alone.”
In other business, the board held a preliminary determination hearing, which is required by law. Whitko Business Manager Lynn Leininger stated this was brought about because of “the significant challenges as a result of Senate Enrolled Act 1,” and the bond is for the purchase of new school buses, “as school buses are required to be replaced per state requirements every 12 years.”
Whitko’s municipal advisor, Mike Therber of Therber and Brock, showed how the proposed project will be financed, as well as information about the effect on the typical property taxpayer. Therber showed that the total project cost will be about $3 million, with the estimated maximum total interest cost to be $341,800, stating the interest was projected on the high end.
This hearing is the first of two, with the second hearing to take place during the September meeting.
Reports
Faculty and staff reported on a "great start" to the year, with several new staff members joining Whitko Community Schools. Liz Riggers, principal of Pierceton Elementary School; JD Maurer, principal of Whitko Junior High School; and Trenton Osborn, dean of students for Whitko Junior/Senior High School, all noted how great it is to see students back in the halls.
Maurer noted the new math and English language arts labs, which Faith Erexson, director of curriculum, is helping with. Osborn said he and Kathy Longenbaugh, principal of WSHS, explained the cell phone law to students, which “has been going great.”
Chris Benedict, director of Whitko Career Academy, shared 11 students have enrolled in the new Vet Technician program, with 64 students coming from other Whitley County schools, and five homeschoolers joining WCA this year.
Kari Walmer, director of special services, noted her group is working on getting students more involved and the initiatives they are focusing on include “defining expectations and procedures, strengthening parent partnership and building staff capacity through professional development training."
Athletic Director Drew Benedict told the board about the Huddle Cameras, which will be installed per Indiana High School Athletic Association regulation, implementing and utilizing ParentSquare for all athletes, and the concession changes for this year, where athletes will be required to work a minimum of two days on the off-season of their sport. He also welcomed four new head coaches and the two new student interns.
Rhonda Snavley, director of transportation, welcomed a new full-time bus driver, and “we had zero missed students on the first day.” She also talked about routing software updates and the breakdown of longer routes for drivers in order to make it more manageable.
Joe Jackson, director of operations, gave an update on the roofing projects and the parking lot repaving done at SWES, PES and WJSHS. He noted the custodians are down a full-time and part-time worker and that he would love to have those positions filled.
Sieara Arnett, director of Whitko Little Cats, stated there were "no hiccups" on the first day, and her group is working on the Early Childhood Conference that will be taking place next month. Matt Buchanan, director of technology, noted that the Chromebooks that went home during the summer have come back with no problems, and they are able to extend the lives of the laptops for at least one more year to five, “which will allow us to reuse the ones that are able.”
WCS Superintendent Dr. Amy Korus welcomed students back and implored everyone to join in on the Friday night football game versus Caston.
The board also:
• Approved extracurricular reports for PES, SWES, and WJSHS.
• Approved several personnel actions.
Approved Friday, June 4, 2027, as the Class of 2027’s graduation date.
• Approved field trips.
The next school board meeting is at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 21 in the Whitko Career Academy lecture room.
