The Knox and Oregon-Davis School Boards could vote tonight to adopt a balanced school calendar for the 2015-2016 school year, and the North Judson-San Pierre School Board will consider one when they meet tomorrow. A balanced calendar still features the state-mandated 180 classroom days. The school year starts earlier in August and includes longer breaks in the fall and spring. They can be used for either remediation for students who are struggling or enrichment for higher-achieving pupils. Continue reading
North Judson-San Pierre School Board Celebrates Improved Test Scores
Marsha Reimbold and Patricia Goin
The effort teachers at North Judson-San Pierre schools have put into preparing students to take ISTEP tests is paying off. Superintendent Lynn Johnson says test scores from 2009 to 2014 reflect steady gains. Math scores have gone from 62-percent proficiency in 2009 to 81 percent in 2014 for grades 3 through 8. During that same time period English/Language Arts scores have improved from 66 to 77 percent. Continue reading
North Judson-San Pierre Board Approves Updated Test Security Protocol
Marsha Reimbold and Patricia Goin
The standardized tests given to North Judson-San Pierre students are locked in a room that cannot be accessed by anyone else during the school day. That is one of the 17 state-mandated safety protocols the corporation is required to follow to ensure the integrity of the tests they administer. The school board this week approved an amended test security policy. Continue reading
North Judson School Photos Find New Home
The class composite and group photos of North Judson and North Judson-San Pierre High School graduates will soon have a new home. They were recently displaced from Grand Central Station in downtown North Judson after a church took over that space. North Judson-San Pierre Superintendent Lynn Johnson told the school board this week those photos will be on display at the new North Judson Town Hall when it opens later this year. Continue reading
North Judson-San Pierre Schools Brace for More Budget Cuts
Marsha Reimbold and Patricia Goin
North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation officials are bracing for more budget cuts. Superintendent Lynn Johnson says enrollment is down 40 students from last year.
“We have made a lot of cuts already, but obviously we need to make more and look at future plans,” Johnson told the school board Tuesday night. “One of the major expenditures we have is special education, which keeps growing and growing and growing. I would say we probably spend $1 million a year on special education.” Continue reading
North Judson-San Pierre Board Questions Balanced Calendar Alignment
Marsha Reimbold and Patricia Goin
North Judson-San Pierre School Board members raised a question about the balanced calendar during their meeting last night. The proposed calendar moves the start of school to the first of August, adds longer breaks in the fall and spring that can be used for remediation if necessary and ends the school year the first of June. The first semester would still end in December before the two week Christmas break as it presently does.
Board members wondered what the earlier start to the school year would do to high school students who work for Pioneer detassling corn during their summer vacations. Continue reading
North Judson-San Pierre Agenda Includes Balanced Calendar Discussion
Marsha Reimbold and Patricia Goin
The North Judson-San Pierre School Board will consider adoption of a balanced calendar for the 2015-2016 school year when they meet this evening. They are one of several area corporations considering the approach. School would start earlier in August and get out the first of June. Continue reading
Starke County Commissioners Seeking Health Board Nominee
Commissioners Prepare Packets for Park Board Members
The five members of the Starke County Park Board will have plenty of reading material prior to their first meeting. The Starke County Commissioners are sending them welcome packets, which will include copies of the state statute under which the board was formed and the state law pertaining to camping on public properties. One of their first challenges will be to decide whether to allow year-round camping at Bass Lake Beach and Campground. The park board members will also get a copy of the management lease between the county and Richard Callahan. The board is charged with oversight and management of the Starke County Forest and other county-owned public lands.
Starke County Highway Department Sets Road Improvement Record
The Starke County Highway Department is wrapping up road improvements for the year. Superintendent Rik Ritzler says they’ve improved more than 120 miles of roads through a combination of chip and fog sealing, asphalt paving and wedging and crack sealing. That’s the most road miles improved in a single year by the Starke County Highway Department. Continue reading
Voter Registration Ends Monday
The General Election is Tuesday, Nov. 4 and in order to cast your important vote you need to be properly registered.
Voter registration is open this week at all county clerk’s offices. The last day to register to vote is Monday, Oct. 6. You must be registered by the end of the business day on Oct. 6 in order to vote in the November election.
If you need to register to vote or have questions about your current registration, call the Starke County clerk’s office at (574) 772-9160, the Pulaski County clerk’s office at (574) 946-3313 or the Marshall County Clerk’s office at (574) 936-8922. Election and registration information can also be found on the state’s website.
Absentee voting in all three counties begins Tuesday, Oct. 7.
Three Starke County Schools to Take Part in Manufacturer’s Day
The Knox Middle School is hosting Manufacturer’s Day tomorrow. A total of 15 local companies will have booths set up for 7th graders from Knox, Oregon-Davis and North Judson-San Pierre to visit and learn about what they do. Students will also learn what qualifications are necessary to work there. Knox Middle School Principal Joshua Pugh says hands-on learning like this really helps students think about their futures.
Schricker Award Nominations Due Today
Today is the deadline to submit your nominations for the Henry F. Schricker award.
The award is given to a Starke County resident who has shown that he or she has put “service before self”. That was the motto of former governor Henry F. Schricker who exemplified that action while he served in office and as a resident of Starke County.
The Starke County Chamber of Commerce will review all submissions and a committee of former award winners will select this year’s recipient. A nomination form is available on the Starke County Chamber’s website at www.starkecountychamber.com. Include the qualities and deeds of your nominee. The entry should include the person’s voluntary contributions and benefits to Starke County.
City of Knox Receives Thanks from WoodStarke Representatives
The Knox City Council members received praise from the WoodStarke representatives this week for their support of the first festival of its kind on Sept. 13.
The city was presented a thank you note for their efforts. The festival featured local artists, local music, HealthLinc’s mobile dental unit, a cornhole tournament, dance and exercise classes, a Moving Starke County Forward One Mile at a Time walk and a county-wide scavenger hunt.
Jefferson Jackson Dinner Scheduled in Starke County Tomorrow
Starke County’s Jefferson Jackson Dinner will be held tomorrow afternoon at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center in Knox.
Joe Bock, the Democratic candidate for the Second District Congressional seat in November’s General Election, will speak along with Richard W. “Rich” Ludington who is running for the seat in the Indiana House of Representatives in District 16.
Social hour will begin at 3 p.m. with dinner following an hour later. Route 10 Bar and Grill is catering the meal.
North Judson Fire Under Investigation
Firefighters from the North Judson-Wayne Township and San Pierre Fire Departments spent about two hours extinguishing a trailer full of tires that caught fire last evening in North Judson. They were dispatched to the fire at the end of Sheridan Avenue at the old Cravens factory around 5:30 p.m. Fire Chief Joe Leszek tells WKVI news the cause has not yet been determined. No injuries were reported.
Candidates: Watch Sign Placement
IU Health Starke President Discusses Strategic Partner Search
IU Health Starke and LaPorte Hospitals are in search of health care delivery partners to provide the best care possible to the residents they serve. IU Health Starke President Craig Felty says they’ve sent out requests for proposals and are keeping their options open.
“Our goal would really be to maintain a relationship with IU Health,” Felty said last week during an interview at WKVI. “We cherish that relationship, but we also just identify that over the years as health care has changed we need to look for somebody additional who might be able to help us meet that need.” Continue reading
Final Members Named to Starke County Park Board
Starke County’s Park Board is now fully populated. Judge Kim Hall named Mike Meadows and Skyler Ellinger to the five-member panel. They join Starke County Council appointees Debbie Mix and Rosemary Rose and Starke County Commissioners appointee Marsha Bedrock. Continue reading
HealthLinc Takes Medical Care on the Road
HealthLinc is offering a new service to area schools this year. They got a federal grant for a mobile, school-based health center. This mobile unit will go to schools during the day to offer dental and medical care such as school physicals, checkups, immunizations and more. You can check this link right here now to understand more about how they are going to go about the process of providing healthcare services. Continue reading
