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 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.
A spokesperson with the Central Time Coalition from Carmel, Indiana presented the Knox Community School Board with a resolution. Superintendent A.J. Gappa said the organization is gathering support from many school corporations to get the state on one time zone.
“And the reason for wanting Central Time is that they believe during the school year that it would be a safety issue,” explained Gappa. “The sun would come up later and rise at 7:15 a.m. every morning so you wouldn’t have kids standing out in the dark waiting for buses to come. It would be easier to schedule events when all of the schools and other community groups are on the same time zone.”
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 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.
On Sept. 5 and 10 of this year, news stories were aired on WKVI and posted on wkvi.com concerning the Knox Community School Board race and candidate Harold Welter in particular. It has since been learned that certain parts of those stories were inaccurate. In the story from Sept. 5, entitled, “Harold Welter withdraws Knox School Board candidacy,” a description of FCC guidelines concerning equal time was given, along with how they relate to the local school board race and a description of the waiver of equal time opportunities which would allow Welter to continue his duties as a sports announcer through the election season.
During their meeting this week, the Knox Community School Board spotlighted the welding program. The newly-designed program is being taught in the Knox Middle School.
Superintendent A.J. Gappa said Jerry Gurrado from the SCILL Center gave a report on the program which is getting off to a good start.
The Knox Community School Board recently held a work session with Dr. Mike Trego, a professor at Indiana-Wesleyan University and who is also an expert in school referendums.
Superintendent A.J. Gappa reviewed that work session during the school board meeting Monday night.
“We had Dr. Trego come in and give a report to the board and the board felt very positive about the information that Dr. Trego presented and they anticipate bringing him back to have a meeting with community members who are interested on being on an action committee, moving forward with an elementary project,” stated Gappa.
The Knox Community School Board and the Facility Study Committee will be meeting with Dr. Mike Trego this evening to discuss the referendum process.
Dr. Trego, a professor at Indiana State University and an expert on how to successfully get a referendum to pass, will meet with the Board in a special work session tonight in place of their regular board meeting.
Since announcing his withdrawal from the Knox School Board race because of the unwillingness of other candidates to sign a waiver of equal-time rights so he could continue to broadcast ball games on WKVI, Harold Welter has been informed by Starke County Clerk Evelyn Skronski that she was unable to get his name removed from the ballot. WKVI then contacted the FCC and were informed that even though Welter had withdrawn, the equal-time provision would still apply to WKVI because his name will remain on the ballot.
Welter offered the other candidates not to serve if elected in order to get their cooperation, but that offer was also rejected. Therefore, he’s decided that for the first time in 48 years, he will not broadcast sports for the required 60 days before the election.
The Knox Community School Board and the Facility Study Committee have been working on a solution to address the needs at the Palmer Wing at the Knox Elementary School. A recent public meeting was held in which Superintendent A.J. Gappa reported that it was an overwhelming consensus that a new Palmer Wing needs to be constructed.
A construction referendum could be featured in the May Primary Election and the board is in the process of deciding if that’s the route they want to take. Gappa said that the board will be holding a special work session on Sept. 17 in place of their regular meeting to discuss the referendum process with a consultant.
The Knox Community School Board formally acted on Todd Boldry’s teaching position at the Knox Middle School. Superintendent A.J. Gappa said that substitute teachers are currently filling the position.
“The school board did approve the suspension of middle school math teacher, Todd Boldry,” stated Gappa. “The suspension is effective beginning Aug. 24. That suspension is with pay, pending the outcome of an investigation.”
The longest-serving member of the Knox Community School Board has withdrawn his candidacy for re-election.
Harold Welter, who is the President of the School Board, explained his decision to withdraw.
“The reason is that Federal Communications Commission guidelines would require that WKVI Radio give equal air time to the other seven candidates from Center Township to match the time I am on the air broadcasting sports,” Welter explained. “In past elections, other candidates have been willing to waive their equal-time rights so that I could continue to broadcast ball games. In this election, however, some candidates don’t feel comfortable with allowing that to happen, and therefore have declined to give WKVI a waiver.”
