The Knox Community School Board met for the first time this year on Monday night. Before the meeting convened, Superintendent A.J. Gappa said the elected school board members were sworn into office.
“City Judge Charlie Hasnerl came in and administered the oath of office to the four elected members,” said Gappa. “The returning members are Kirk Bennett and Jerry Fletcher and two new members to the school board are Wendy McIntire and Kurt Kemble.”
During their meeting this week, the Knox Community School Board took time to discuss the Newtown, Conn. elementary school shooting and safety procedures at the corporation.
Superintendent A.J. Gappa explained that the state is highly regarded in it school safety initiatives.
The Knox Community School Corporation will be implementing a new system to better keep parents and patrons aware of upcoming events or other important news concerning the corporation.
Superintendent A.J. Gappa said the School Messenger ties into the PowerSchool database.
The Knox Community School Board honored Board President Harold Welter and fellow board member Nathan Marcum Monday as they attended their last board meeting as members Monday night. Superintendent A.J. Gappa presented the pair with engraved clocks as a momentum of their time served on the board. Welter also received a plaque for serving as the Board’s President. Welter and Marcum were not re-elected to their positions in the November General Election.
The Knox Community School Board recognized a few eighth grade students during their meeting this week for their experiences at the Reality Store. Superintendent A.J. Gappa said Mrs. Ciboch, instructor of Family and Consumer Sciences at the middle school, brought in the students to make the report to the board.
The Knox Community School Board held a Project and Preliminary Determination Hearing Monday night prior to the regularly scheduled meeting.
Superintendent A.J. Gappa explained the need for the project construction. He said the Palmer Wing is 60 years old and is deteriorating. The structure needs to provide an adequate educational setting for the students and infrastructure to make that possible.
The Knox Community School Board will have a project hearing and a preliminary determination hearing regarding the elementary school project tonight at 6:30 p.m. CT in the Administration Office. During this hearing, public comments will be heard.
The board will be discussing a possible referendum for an elementary school building project during that meeting.
The Knox Community School Board graciously accepted a donation of memorabilia from the family of a Knox High School student who was killed in action in the Vietnam War. Superintendent A.J. Gappa said the presentation was done during the Spotlight on Success portion of the meeting last week.
“Mr. Bendicsen, the Assistant Principal at the high school, brought in some recent donations from Anne Howes, the sister-in-law of Andy Howes. Andy Howes was a 1968 graduate of Knox High School and he was missing in action in Vietnam. It was recently determined that Howes died in Vietnam. His remains were brought to the states just last year. They found a picture of Andy in uniform and had it framed. Also, a pencil sketching of his name on the Vietnam Wall Memorial in Washington, D.C. and proclamations from the City of Knox and the U.S. Congress were given to the school.”
The items will be put on display.
Knox Community School Superintendent A.J. Gappa reported that the school board approved the request to hold the Scholastic Book Fair at the elementary school.
“The Scholastic Book Fair will run Dec. 5–13 during the school day also during the evenings during the elementary Christmas programs,” said Gappa. “Proceeds from the book fair will be used for the student activity fund.”
Knox Community School Corporation Director of Curriculum and Instruction Peggy Shidaker and the assistant principals from all three schools provided the school board with information on the action plans implemented at the beginning of the year.
Superintendent A.J. Gappa said discussion was held concerning the results of the Fall NWEA test that was given to students in grades K-8.
The Knox Community School Board Monday night gave authorization for a project hearing and a preliminary determination hearing regarding the elementary school project. The hearing will be held on Monday, Dec. 3 during the regular meeting of the board. They will be discussing the possible referendum during that meeting.
As part of that discussion, Superintendent A.J. Gappa said Dr. Mike Trego, an expert in referendums from Indiana Wesleyan University, came back to the school corporation last week to discuss the referendum process with members of the school board and members of the public. The formation of a Political Action Committee (PAC) was done to work toward the success of that referendum.
The Knox Community School Board will be meeting in a special work session tonight with those who are part of a study committee to discuss a possible upcoming elementary building project.
The board and the Facility Study Committee have been looking at the 60-year-old Palmer Wing and after much discussion and public opinion, it was decided that the Palmer Wing needs new construction. To help pay for that new construction, the corporation may include a referendum on the ballot in the spring to ask voters to approve funding for the project.
During the last Knox Community School Board meeting, Superintendent A.J. Gappa said the undefeated seventh grade football team was highlighted.
“According to Mr. Miller who has been at the middle school for a long time, that’s the first time in his memory, and they checked back, that any of the football teams in that building had gone undefeated so that was quite an honor. All six junior high coaches showed up at the meeting and they brought in five of their players,” stated Gappa.
A short season highlight video was also presented to the board.
Knox Community School Superintendent A.J. Gappa told the Knox Community School Board this week that Dr. Mike Trego, an expert in school referendums from Indiana Wesleyan University, will be back in Knox on Tuesday, Nov. 13 for a work session with the board and members of the public to discuss the possible elementary school project.
“We’ll have people come in who are interested in being on an action committee to move forward with an elementary project,” said Gappa. “Dr. Trego, at an open board meeting on Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. CT, will be the consultant giving out that information to the community members that show up.”
The Department of Education released every school corporation’s report card this week for the 2011-2012 school year and at the Knox Community School Corporation, the Knox Community High School received an A, the middle school got an F, and the elementary school received a C.
Superintendent A.J. Gappa explains how each school got their grade.
The Knox Community School Board was given information about a recent outing by the advanced science classes to the Tippecanoe River State Park. Superintendent A.J. Gappa said science teachers Laurie Simmons and Marge Wood take the students on this rafting trip every year.
“It’s kind of a fun trip but it’s also educational,” explained Gappa. “They studied the environment, the ecology of the river and they did testing of water samples as they moved down the river to different stations. Different rangers were there to give demonstrations and lectures on different parts of the river.”
Three students gave a presentation to the board and gave praise to the teachers and for the opportunity to participate in this trip.
The Knox Community School Board approved a request made by Washington Township Trustee Shelly Kemble. Superintendent A.J. Gappa says the request was to make some changes on the property where the old school is located.
“At a previous meeting, the trustee from Washington Township was in to ask the board’s permission and approval to do some logging out at the woods at the east end of the property and to use some of that money to help pay for the demolition of the old school in Washington Township. At this last meeting, the board did approve that request of the Washington Township trustee,” Gappa explained.
The Knox Community School Board members formally adopted a superintendent evaluation process at their recent meeting. Superintendent A.J. Gappa said that the adoption needed to be done per state law.
“I attended a meeting last summer with three of our board members to talk about the Indiana Superintendent Evaluation Process,” said Gappa. “The Indiana School Boards Association (ISBA), in conjunction with the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents (IAPSS), put together a process that’s very similar to the new RISE evaluation process that is used for teachers and principals in the schools. Our board, following that presentation, adopted the Indiana Superintendents evaluation process that was put together by the ISBA and the IAPSS.”
The Knox Community School Board recently worked with Mike Adamson from the Indiana School Boards Association to update the mission and vision statements. Superintendent A.J. Gappa said the new mission statement is, “Whatever it takes, Knox students are worth it.”
“We also have a longer vision statement, a number of belief statements and some goals and objectives,” commented Gappa.
Those revised statements will be uploaded soon on the corporation’s website.
Washington Township Trustee Shelly Kemble appeared before the Knox Community School Board last week to discuss the demolition of the old Washington Township School. Superintendent A.J. Gappa said Kemble relayed plans on how they are going to move forward with the project.
Kemble also asked the board’s permission to cut down some trees on the property east of the building.
“The idea there is to try and get some money to help pay for a demolition,” stated Gappa.
Gappa says the school board is expected to act on that request at the next board meeting on Monday, Oct. 15.
