David Robertson
(Photo provided)

Dani Barkey
(Photo provided)

During a special meeting of the Warsaw Community School Board Tuesday evening, several administrative changes were made for the 2014-2015 school year.

In a unanimous vote from the board, Mr. David Robertson, current principal of Jefferson Elementary School was named as the new Warsaw Community Schools Chief Academic Officer. In addition, Ms. Dani Barkey, assistant principal at Warsaw Community High was named the new WCS Chief Accountability Officer. Robertson will replace David Hoffert, who is leaving that position for his new role as WCS Superintendent. Barkey will replace Amy Sively, who will now serve as the Director of Human Resources for WCS.

In addition, the school board also appointed Amy Hobbs, currently serving as the assistant director of special services, to replace Deb Blatz, WCS Director of Special Services, who is retiring.

Hoffert noted to the board that Barkey, Robertson and Hobbs’ former positions will be posted Wednesday and will be filled as soon as possible.

In other business, in her last meeting with the WCS school board, Blatz presented an option to the board that would allow more children both within and outside of WCS’s preschool program to be serviced.

According to Blatz, Kosciusko County was one of 18 counties in the state chosen for a possible preschool voucher program that would allow impoverished families to utilize vouchers at daycares throughout the county for their 4-year-old children.

Blatz explained that the vouchers would be for the parents to utilize, not the school, but suggested a collaboration of WCS and local preschool programs and the United Way to ensure the county has the opportunity to serve more children.

It was also noted that use of the voucher program could possibly be a pathway to serve students currently on the wait-list at both Leesburg and Claypool, as well as other areas where students are underserved. Blatz said the Indiana Family Social Services Agency is administering the pilot program and it requires matching funds through donations — not the use of state or federal funds. The vouchers would be distributed in either January or July of 2015. 

At the Monday, June 23, regular board meeting the WCS school board will vote on whether or not to be a part of a county collaboration to complete the readiness application that is due on June 30, to the FSSA.