The board and Dr. Steve Troyer honored their Wawasee School Corporation retirees, from left: Jim Likens, Ann Mangas, Johnnie Fick, Bill Lantz and Troyer. Photo by Marissa Sweatland.

By Marissa Sweatland
InkFreeNews

SYRACUSE — New school start times for 2023-2024 school year was announced by Dr. Steve Troyer, superintendent, during the Tuesday, June 13 Wawasee School Board meeting.

Elementary school students will start at 8:30 a.m. and release at 3 p.m. Elementary school teachers’ start time will begin at 7:20 a.m. and end at 3:15 p.m.

Wawasee Middle School will begin at 8:30 a.m. and release at 3:15 p.m. Middle school teachers’ start times will begin at 7:30 a.m. and end at 3:25 p.m.

Wawasee High School will begin at 8:05 a.m. and end at 3:05 p.m. High school teachers’ start times will begin at 7:15 a.m. and end at 3:10 p.m.

This new time schedule will eliminate later arrivals on Wednesday for students. Previously Wednesday start time was one-hour later.

Troyer mentioned, “This has been a collective effort of honing in on these start times.”

This new time schedule does put every Wawasee student over the federal daily minimum of school minutes. The minimum for elementary is 300 minutes, but Wawasee students will attend 330 minutes. The minimum for middle and high school are 360, but the middle and high school will attend 375 and 390 minutes respectively.

Board member, Andy Cripe, asked for clarification as to why the time schedule was designed to be over the minimum. Troyer responded, “This schedule allows us to keep Warrior Time and 45-minute classes. There is no other time we can cut.”

Warrior Time helps keep the academic gap closed, because it gives students extra time to seek extra instructional help from their teachers.

Troyer announced Wawasee Schools is getting ready to announce some projects he described as a “transformative legacy.” The project (s) have been funded without having to raise property taxes. Although Troyer did not officially announce what the projects are, the board did move to approve the architects for the project. The motion to hire Garmann Miller & Associates and Elevatus Architecture as architects and Weigend Construction and Michael Kinder & Sons, as construction managers as constructors was made by Mike Wilson, and seconded by Cripe.

Troyer announced that the project will be unveiled at the next regular school board meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 11.

In other matters, the board voted to change Milford School’s name to Milford Elementary School. The change of name, also brings a change in grade level configuration. Milford Elementary School will serve K-5 instead of K-8.

The board voted to approve administrative contract extensions.

Honors Given

The board committee also honored the school corporation’s retiring employees. Among them are Jim Likens, 30 years, WMS custodian; Vince Beasley, nine years, CTE director; Johnnie Fick, 13 years, WHS FACS teacher; Bill Lantz, 41 years, Syracuse Elementary School first grade teacher; and Ann Mangas, 31 years, Milford Elementary School second grade teacher.

Don Bokhart was honored to receive the Exemplary Governance Award. Wawasee Community Schools was also honored to receive the Exemplary Governance Award. The Exemplary Governance Award is the highest award a school board can earn. This award is earned by providing strong board leadership by showing evidence of governance effectiveness, student achievement initiatives, continuous improvement, strategic planning, and policy review.

During public comments, the board heard a request for an update about the Wawasee Veteran Memorial Wall. Rich Rhodes, Milford, brought this request to the board, stating, “with no urgency, this project will not just take a long time but forever.”

Troyer estimated this project will cost $250,000, and assures no dime will come from taxpayers.

“The update,” Troyer said, “is that there is no update.”

During the good news reports, congratulations were extended to the Girls Track and Field that had five girls compete at regionals and three placing in the top eight; Addison Ayres who was accepted into the ASSET Program, McKenna Clay who was accepted into the summer language study program in Spain, and FFA members Reagan Scott, David Anderson and Libby Haab for their recent accomplishments; and Wawasee FFA students and Rachel Platt working with the Knights of Columbus in a clean up along SR 13.

Donations were also recognized from the Knights of Columbus, Wawasee Boat Company, Joe and Myra Sands and Albert and Ann Schafer to Wawasee FFA and JN Thystrup LLC to the super mileage team. Additionally, a tree donation by Liana Butcher’s family in her memory was noted. The tree has been planted in the grass “island” in the back parking lot at Syracuse Elementary.

Board members approved the employment of Jill Hackleman, special education teacher, Sariah Morgan, mental health therapist, Jenna Risedorph, FACS teacher, Tina Schmucker, assistant CTE director; and the resignations of Emma Coppes, special education teacher; Liz Hardy, business teacher, Erica Huesman, fourth grade teacher and Rosalyn Schwartz, sixth/seventh grade science teacher.

Also accepted was a reduction in force letter for Krystalle Johnson, Milford teacher. Position changes were approved for Addison Ayres from temporary special education teacher to a full time teacher, and Christine Noel from an English teacher to FACS teacher.

Overnight trips were approved for Wawasee FFA, WHS Culinary Arts Students and WHS Spanish students.

The next school board meeting will beat 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 11, in the Warrior Room of Wawasee High School.