West Central to Host 17th Annual Veterans Day Program on Friday

West Central Schools will host their 17th Annual Veterans Day program at 11 a.m. on Friday, November 10th. The ceremony is open to the public and local veterans are encouraged to attend.

Former West Central student Eric Rodriguez will be the guest speaker. He is enlisted in the U.S. Navy and his current rank is Senior Chief Petty Officer. Rodriguez started his naval career in May of 1995. Continue reading

West Central School Board Awaits State for High Ability Grants

West Central School CorporationThe West Central School Board has decided to table further consideration of an Indiana Department of Education grant.

IDOE’s High Ability grants are distributed every year to the state’s school corporations. West Central has, in the past, used the monies for things like calculators or other classroom materials to help “high ability” students with the learning process.

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Local Schools Report Low ISTEP Scores

 
 

ISTEP scores released today by the state indicate a double-digit decline in the passing percentage over last year. In 2013-14, 74 percent of public school students across Indiana passed both the English/Language Arts and Math standardized tests. The 2014-15 scores indicate only 52-percent of public school students made the grade on both tests. Both percentages are slightly higher when private and charter school students are factored in. Continue reading

West Central Superintendent Voices Support for Medaryville Library

The Pulaski County Public Library Board is closing the Medaryville branch at the end of the year.
The Pulaski County Public Library Board is closing the Medaryville branch at the end of the year.

Community support for maintaining the Pulaski County Public Library Medaryville branch is growing. West Central Superintendent Don Street is writing a letter in support of the facility to the Pulaski County Public Library Board of Directors. He says the library is critical for students from Medaryville and White Post Township. He says libraries are extremely important to a child’s development.  Continue reading

School Officials Weigh in on ISTEP Tests

 
 

The superintendents of both Pulaski County school corporations have sent a letter to community members expressing their concerns over the latest ISTEP test scores. West Central Superintendent Don Street says several factors contributed to the drop in scores indicated by the embargoed test results.

“We had a change in the standards, we had a change in the test format. It’s becoming more challenging, but we — our children, our students — just need time to adjust to what is expected of them and the type of test that they are to take.” Continue reading

West Central School Board Braces for Budget Hit

west central logoThe West Central School Corporation is anticipating a $385,000 reduction in general fund revenues in the coming year. Superintendent Don Street says that’s due to several factors.

“Our enrollment is at currently 818 students. The complexity index that we have talked about before has changed with different laws with the state legislature, and many small, rural schools are being hurt by that complexity index change.” Continue reading

More Than 1600 Hoosier Students Benefit from Field Trip Grant Program

ftThanks to the Discovering the Outdoors Field Trip Grant Program, students at 22 Indiana schools will learn about nature by visiting Indiana state parks and reservoirs this school year. The grants are open to public, private, religious and home-school educators and are administered through the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation, the supporting non-profit of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Continue reading