Culver Community School Interim Superintendent Attends Last Board Meeting

Posted on Author Anita Goodan
Chuck Kitchell

Culver Community School Interim Superintendent Chuck Kitchell attended his last school board meeting Monday night.

Kitchell served the corporation in several different capacities from teacher to coach and from assistant principal to interim superintendent. He ended the school board meeting with just a few words.

“I’d like to thank the board members for your courage and your support especially for the last year-and-a-half ,” said Kitchell. “More importantly I’d like to thank the administration, the staff and the community for allowing to work with the students of this community for 28 years. That was never my plan when I came to town (laughs). Exactly 31 years ago I was a basketball coach at the time and I was going to coach three or four years and then I was moving on. As so many of you know, something happens when you come to Culver. You have a tendency to want to stay here.”

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Culver Community School Board Discusses Summer School Schedule

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Culver Community School Board discussed the summer school schedule to accommodate those students who will be taking courses.

Elementary Principal Erin Proskey explained that sixth graders will participate in summer school from June 5 to June 16 from 8 a.m. to noon each day. One week will be Math remediation and the other half will be for English/Language Arts. IREAD 3 remediation will be from June 5 to June 9 from 8 a.m. to noon with the test on the last day of summer school.

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Culver Community School Board Approves Cafeteria Prices

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

Prices for lunch will increase for all schools next year at the Culver Community School Corporation.

Food Services Director Carin Clifton said the lunch price variables were put into a calculator as part of the Indiana Department of Education paid equity requirements. It was determined this year that the price will go up another 10 cents. The statistic is based on students who are not on free and reduced lunch.

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Culver School Board Receives Update on Stellar Communities Project

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

Culver Town Manager Jonathan Leist presented an update on the Stellar Communities application to the Culver Community School Board that involves school grounds.

Improvements on a field behind the corporation office and improvements at the baseball fields are included in this year’s application. Leist said site control and which entity would be in charge of funding was brought up in last year’s process. Leist said he thinks he has found a solution and brought the idea to Interim Superintendent Chuck Kitchell.

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Culver School Board Approves Technology Contract

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

Students in the Culver Community School Corporation will be using Apple iPads in the sixth year of the One-to-One Computer Initiative.

Technology Director Daniel Medesi said students in grades seven through 12 will be able to take their computers home while the addition of users in the third through sixth grades will leave theirs at the school. Kindergarten through second grade students will get to use the 10 iPads available in each classroom.

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Culver School Board Hires New Dean of Students

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Culver Community School Board Monday night approved the hire of Mike Zehner as the new corporation Dean of Students.

Interim Superintendent Chuck Kitchell said that Zehner has been with the corporation for a year and feels that his move to administration is the best fit for the school as a whole. He will be taking the place of Julie Berndt who is moving to the North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation as the new elementary school principal.

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Culver Community School Board to Meet Tonight

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Culver Community School Board will have an update on the Stellar Communities designation program given by Culver Town Council President Ginny Bess Munroe when the school board meets tonight.

The board also plans to receive information from the BPA students on their recent appearance at the National Leadership Conference in Florida.

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Culver Building Trades Open House Scheduled

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Culver building trades class has scheduled an open house for their finished project.

Culver Community Interim Superintendent Chuck Kitchell told the school board this week that the students have completed a garage underneath a small house. The owners wanted a different concept for the project that was selected for this year. Kitchell said it was unique task and the students have done an excellent job in completing the work.

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Culver BPA Students to Participate in National Competition Next Week

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Culver Community School Board Monday night approved a field trip request for the BPA students to participate in the National Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida.

Five students qualified for the event, but due to funding restrictions only three will attend. Culver Middle/High School Principal Brett Berndt said only half of the needed $12,000 has been collected through fundraising efforts. He noted that only one student may get to go if the funds aren’t there.

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Culver Community School Board Accepts Berndt’s Resignation

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Culver Community School Board will be looking for a person to fill the position of middle/high school assistant principal and test coordinator.

The board members on Monday night accepted the resignation of Julie Berndt who occupied those roles at the school corporation. During her career at Culver Community Schools, Berndt served as assistant principal at Culver Elementary, principal at Culver Middle School and principal at Monterey Elementary.

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Culver Community School Corporation Hires New Superintendent

Posted on Author Anita Goodan
Karen Shuman signs her contract as the new superintendent of the Culver Community School Corporation

The Culver Community School Corporation has a new superintendent. The school board members last night unanimously approved the new superintendent’s contract during their meeting.

Karen Shuman was one of 15 applicants for the superintendent’s position being vacated by Interim Superintendent Chuck Kitchell who is retiring on June 30. Board member Jack Jones spoke on behalf of the superintendent search committee who said the selection took about three months to complete as there is a lot to the process. Jones thanked all involved for their time and effort.

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Culver School Board to Approve Superintendent’s Contract

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Culver Community School Board members are expected to approve the new superintendent’s contract when they meet tonight.

The board held a public hearing on the proposed superintendent’s contact on April 17 where no comments were heard. The annual salary of $105,000 was proposed along with insurance and benefits. The contract is valid from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2020.

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Culver School Board to Consider Purchasing Corporation Vehicle

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Culver Community School Board will consider the purchase of a vehicle for use by members of the administration and faculty when going to training or conferences.

Interim Superintendent Chuck Kitchell said that some teachers won’t go to some conferences because the corporation does not reimburse for mileage. He also noted that he’s put on a lot of miles on his personal vehicle going to required meetings and conferences and it would be more convenient to have a vehicle for corporation use.

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Culver School Board Receives Update on Funding

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Culver Community School Board received an update on the funding projection for the next school year. Corporation Treasurer Casey Howard said Monday night that solid numbers are elusive as figures constantly change from information given by the state.

Howard said that the corporation will see a reduction in grants and the February ADM count will cause a reduction in funding.

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Culver School Board Holds Public Hearing on New Superintendent Contract

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Culver Community School Board opened the floor to members of the public to voice opinions on the proposed contract for a new superintendent.

The three-year contract begins in July of this year and ends June 30, 2020 with a salary of $105,000 during the school year which encompasses 260 days. According to the contract, “the board will pay for a family plan of the medical and prescription insurance, family plan of the dental and vision insurance, long term disability insurance and $100,000 term life insurance” for the duration of the contract. The superintendent will pay $4.00 toward the cost. No insurance or retirement benefits will be given once the superintendent retires.

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Proposed Culver Superintendent’s Contract Up for Discussion Tonight

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Culver Community School Board will hold a public hearing tonight to hear comments on the proposed superintendent’s contract. That hearing will be tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET in the administration office on the school’s campus.

Interim Superintendent Chuck Kitchell will be retiring at the end of June. He has been with the Culver Community School Corporation for 28 years. Kitchell assumed the interim superintendent’s position at the end of December in 2015.

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Culver School Board Moves Forward in Superintendent Search

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Culver Community School Board is moving ahead with finding another superintendent.

Interim Superintendent Chuck Kitchell is leaving the corporation and entering retirement on June 30. He has been with the Culver Community School Corporation for 28 years in various roles: teaching, coach, assistant principal, principal, and director of operations. Kitchell assumed the interim superintendent’s position at the end of December 2015 when then-superintendent Vicki McGuire resigned to fill a similar position at a different school corporation.

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Culver Boys and Girls Club Going Strong

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Culver Community School Board received an update on programs offered with the Culver Boys and Girls Club.

Club Director Jessye Gilley said the club started in 2007 with 35 kids a day while today there are 92 students who attend activities as an average daily membership. The total active enrollment is 219. The club welcomes Culver students and many other students in the area to attend the available after school programs.

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Culver School Board to Meet Tonight

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Culver Community School Board will meet in regular session tonight with a light agenda.

The Culver Boys and Girls Club will have a presentation to the board. The board will also approve elementary, middle and high school intersession teachers. The Science and Health Textbook Adoption Committee have made their recommendations and they will be reviewed by the board.

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