Knox Community School Board Spotlights Wilson Reading System

  
 
The Knox Community School Board highlighted the efforts of the students in the Wilson Reading System and the program’s instructor, Kyle McCann.

He helps second, third and fourth grade students who struggle with reading and reading comprehension, sounds and word structure. The program helps students who have difficulty in reading fluency, spelling and students who have not shown growth in NWEA and ISTEP testing.

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Knox Community School Board to Meet Tonight

 
 

The Knox Community School Board will be meeting tonight for the first time after the school’s proposed referendum failed in a special election held May 7.

Plans as to how the board will move forward are not on tonight’s agenda, but the board members will be discussing the employment of summer school paraprofessionals, make a library board appointment and get an update on graduation activities.

A representative was present at the last board meeting to discuss a Roth 403(B) ING retirement option and the board will delve more into that discussion during tonight’s meeting. The board will also discuss a payment for special education.

The meeting begins tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the administrative office.

Knox Community School Board Commends Envirothon Team

Back left to right: Benjamin Darda, Austin Heise, Colton Skidmore  Front: Marge Wood, Nikole Scheib, Julia Markovitz, Laurie Simmons.
Back left to right: Benjamin Darda, Austin Heise, Colton Skidmore Front: Marge Wood, Nikole Scheib, Julia Markovitz, Laurie Simmons.

The Knox Community School Board members recognized the Knox High School Envirothon team during the Spotlight on Success portion of their meeting Monday night.

The team had gone to the state competition on April 30 and placed 13th out of 17 teams. Coaches Laurie Simmons and Marge Wood told the board they were proud of the effort of the students and competed well at Washington High School.

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State Education Officials Urges Schools To Try Referendums Again

Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz
Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz

Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz says school districts will have to continue to conduct referendums to seek tax increases until the Indiana Legislature changes the school funding formula. She made the comments during several stops in Lake and Porter Counties. Ritz told educators at the Hammond Area Career Center that “you have to spend money to get money.” She thinks that many voters in areas where school district referendums failed may not have been aware of the issue. The state school superintendent says she encourages the school districts whose referendums did not pass, to try again during the next election. Knox was one such school. Local voters rejected a property tax increase to pay for construction of a new $16 million elementary school wing. The Knox Community School Board has not indicated whether they plan to pursue the issue again during next year’s regular election cycle. In the meantime, Ritz says she will help the schools in any way she can. Ritz addressed members of the Professional Educators Partnership at Valparaiso University.

Knox Community School Board Hires Summer School Staff

Superintendent A.J. Gappa
Superintendent A.J. Gappa
The Knox Community School Board approved the hire of several teachers for summer school instruction during their meeting Monday night.

Most of the staff hired will be at the elementary school level while others were hired for English, Algebra, World Literature/Spanish, Social Studies, P.E., Graphics, and Economics at the middle and high school levels. Superintendent A.J. Gappa said some of the teachers will not be needed as it depends on training and enrollment for certain classes.

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Knox Community School Board Approves K-6 Reading Textbooks

 
 

The Knox Community School Board heard a presentation on reading textbooks from the Director of Curriculum and Instruction Peggy Shidaker, and Lori White, a third grade teacher last night.

They explained that every six years, a new textbook is needed for Kindergarten through the sixth grade level. Administrators, teachers and reading coaches on the textbook committee dissected five different companies for the right curriculum for the needs of the students.

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Absentee Voting Going Strong in Special Election

  
 
There is still time to vote absentee in the special election in Starke County.

Voters in California, Center and Washington townships are eligible to vote on a public question offered by the Knox Community School Board concerning a construction and remodeling project in the Palmer Wing at the elementary school.

Absentee voting is available today and tomorrow from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Starke County Courthouse. The last day to vote absentee in-office is Monday from 8 a.m. to noon. The polls will be open on Election Day Tuesday, May 7 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A total of 207 in-office absentee ballots have been cast, 32 mail-in ballots received and 8 travel board votes collected.

Open House Tomorrow at Knox Elementary School

 
 

An opportunity is available for you to see what the Knox Community School Board is looking to do in terms of renovation and construction at the Knox Elementary School if the voters approve a public question that will be offered on the May 7 ballot.

You will be able to tour the Palmer Wing of the Knox Elementary School tomorrow from 6–7 p.m. CT. Your tour will begin in the old all-purpose room at the east end of the elementary building.

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Knox Community School Board Approves Purchase of Mini-Bus

Superintendent A.J. Gappa
Superintendent A.J. Gappa
The Knox Community School Board approved the purchase of a mini-bus that came from the recommendation of the transportation director.

Superintendent A.J. Gappa said a 14-passenger mini-bus will be purchased.

“This bus will be wheelchair-equipped,” explained Gappa. “The reason we wanted to move now was because the price of mini-buses will increase next month so we did beat the price increase. The recommendation was for a Collins mini-bus.”

The bus will be delivered this summer.

Knox Community School Board Approves 2013-2014 School Calendar

Superintendent A.J. Gappa
Superintendent A.J. Gappa
The Knox Community School Board approved the 2013-2014 school calendar during their recent meeting. Superintendent A.J. Gappa said it is similar to this year’s calendar.

“Teachers will return Aug. 12 and students will return on Aug. 13 which is a Tuesday,” explained Gappa. “The last day of school, if everything goes according to plan, would be May 29 with the records day on May 30. Commencement would be Friday, June 6, 2014. There would be two weeks off at Christmastime and three days off for Thanksgiving break. Good Friday next year will fall on April 18 so that is not part of spring break. We also have three contingency days built into the calendar for snow days.”

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Deadline Approaching to Register to Vote in May Special Election

 
 

This year may be an off-year for elections, but there will be a special election in Starke County this May.

The Knox Community School Board is offering a public question on the May ballot that concerns a construction and rehabilitation project at the Palmer Wing section of the Knox Elementary School. The school board has conducted studies and received public input about the need to reconstruct a portion of the building and remodel another section in order to move forward with education needs at the facility.

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Starke County Election Board Approves Public Question for Special Election

  The Starke County Election Board has formally approved a public question presented by the Knox Community School Board to be placed on a ballot for a special election set for May 7.

The question pertains to the proposed Knox Elementary School renovation and construction project. The Department of Local Government Finance has approved the wording of the question to be placed on the ballot and it has been certified by the Starke County auditor.

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DLGF Requests Readvertisement of Changes Made to Public Question Information

Superintendent A.J. Gappa
Superintendent A.J. Gappa
The Knox Community School Board received notice that the Department of Local Government Finance has requested a change in the notice of adoption of the preliminary determination that was recently published.

Superintendent A.J. Gappa explained that the issue surrounded the public question that will be offered to voters in the Knox school district in May.

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Knox School Board Hires Teacher for New Program at Elementary School

Superintendent A.J. Gappa
Superintendent A.J. Gappa
A new teaching position is being created at the Knox Community Elementary School and Superintendent A.J. Gappa said the school board hired a teacher for that position Monday night.

“We’re creating a Title One Preschool program at the Knox Elementary School, so the board did approve the transfer of kindergarten teacher, Jana Hazelton, to become the preschool teacher. They also approved the hire of Robyn Griffith to be the preschool paraprofessional in that classroom. Marla Krulik was hired to be the kindergarten teacher to replace Jana Hazelton for the rest of the current school year,” stated Gappa.

We’ll have more on the upcoming preschool program in a future newscast.

Knox Community School Board Discusses Update on Referendum

Superintendent A.J. Gappa

The Knox Community School Board was updated on the public question that will be presented to voters in the school district on May 7. Superintendent A.J. Gappa gave this status to the school board members.

“The DLGF did approve the ballot language to be placed on the referendum ballot so that information now goes to the local county election board who will have a meeting to adopt that resolution and move forward from there,” said Gappa.

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Starke County Election Board to Review Public Question Proposed by Knox School Corporation

Starke County Clerk Evelyn Skronski

The Starke County Election Board will be meeting Thursday, Jan. 31 to discuss the public question to be presented to the Knox Community School District voters in a special election on May 7. The meeting will be held in the 2nd floor meeting room in the Starke County Courthouse.

The election board must approve the school board’s request to have the public question on the ballot. Starke County Clerk Evelyn Skronski said this is the first time in a non-election year that a special election has been requested in many, many years. She added that only voters in the six Center Township precincts, California Township 1 and 2, and Washington Township 1 and 2 will be able to vote on the public question.

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