TERRE HAUTE —
A project to design and build canopy entryways at 13 Vigo County School Corp. drew both criticism and praise during Monday’s School Board meeting.
As part of its consent agenda, the board approved a $78,000 contract with Majeur Won, an international design agency based in Paris, France, to design the 13 entryways.
During a public comment session, Leah Myers questioned whether the $78,000 expenditure of capital projects funds was the best use of taxpayer dollars.
“While I want to see students kept safe and warm, a canopy is a want. It is not a necessity,” she said. “We need to focus on our needs before our wants.”
Information about the canopy project was just made public last week, with the School Board approving the contract Monday, Myers said.
It appears the district is “rushing into it” and not giving citizens and taxpayers much of an opportunity to ask questions, she said.
Susan Ream and Tamera Rhodes, both education assistants at Deming Elementary, praised the project and said it will promote student safety and protect children from poor weather. Deming will benefit from the project.
Sharon Pitts, a Woodrow Wilson Middle School principal, said the school community is “thrilled to death” to benefit from the canopy entryway project, and that students will participate in planning and constructing it.
At Wilson, the entryway will extend from the older gym to where parents pick students up on the north side of the school. It will provide protection from inclement weather, particularly during the dark, winter months, Pitts said
The board approved the contact by a 6-0 vote with no discussion.
Matthew Won Piker, who attended Vigo County schools and graduated from Terre Haute South in 2004, began Majeur Won earlier this year. The project is a way to give back to the community, he said last week.
Majeur Won is partnering with three firms for the design and construction of the entryway project, and the companies are providing services that are deeply discounted or at-cost.
• In another matter, the board briefly discussed a new teacher evaluation tool, called RISE, that will be used to evaluate teachers starting this school year.
A new state law requires districts to evaluate their teachers annually, and teacher pay is to be linked to these evaluations. (In Vigo County, teacher pay will not be affected in 2012-13).
Each corporation must revise its evaluation system to include measures of student achievement and growth, such as scores on standardized tests.
The evaluation must consist of rigorous measures of teacher effectiveness and an annual designations in one of four rating categories: highly effective, effective, improvement necessary and ineffective.
Those in the lower two categories do not receive a pay increase, said Terry McDaniel, assistant professor of educational leadership at Indiana State University, in a prior interview.
The evaluations look at teacher planning, instruction, leadership and core professionalism.
The Vigo County School Corp. plans to use the RISE teacher evaluation instrument, which requires school board approval. Administrators will use it to evaluate teachers.
There are two versions, one for regular education teachers and the second for special education teachers.
One concern is that “it will be a very time-consuming tool” because there has to be a lot of documentation, Mick Newport, school district director of human resources, said prior to the meeting.
The administration has been in discussion with VCTA about the evaluation instrument since this spring, Newport said. Both felt that “if we work together, we can live with it,” he said.
The intent of the legislation is to improve instruction for students, Newport said.
Superintendent Dan Tanoos said that tying teacher pay to evaluations, as required by the law, is essentially merit pay, something he opposes for teachers.
His friends in business tell him merit pay might work for those in upper management, but for the average worker — in this case teachers — it’s going to “pit teacher against teacher. Everybody knows what the other person is getting,” Tanoos said.
The board is expected to act on the RISE evaluation tool at its Aug. 27 meeting.
• Also Monday, the board gave approval to advertise the proposed 2013 budget. The general fund budget would be advertised at $107 million; debt service fund, $8.6 million; capital projects fund, $19.1 million; school transportation fund, $6.7 millio; and bus replacement fund, $2.1 million.
The proposed general fund is consistent with this year’s but also includes corporation implementation of the full-day kindergarten program.
The district continues to maintain a strong cash balance and has adhered to an ongoing cost conservation plan to preserve educational programs and the employees that provide them, said Donna Wilson, chief financial officer.
The total for all proposed budgets, $143.5 million, is less than 1 percent more than the 2012 approved budget. The district typically advertises a higher levy than anticipated to insure the district receives adequate revenues to support programs.
The Department of Local Government Finance makes adjustments to levels allowed by statute. The board will conduct a hearing on the budget at its Aug. 27 meeting.
Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
Canopy plan gets board OK, schools' support
At least one patron believes other needs are more worth the money
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Illinois senator apologizes for Nazi remark
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Sen. Donne Trotter has apologized for remarks that compared a member of Gov. Pat Quinn’s cabinet to a Nazi.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 22, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Tuesday and Wednesday, based on jail records.
-
Rose-Hulman professor researching ways to make homes storm safe
Tornadoes produce greater uplift forces than hurricanes, which can flatten homes such as in Moore Okla., south of Oklahoma City.
-
Group wants to connect downtown Terre Haute with the Wabash River
Fairbanks Park is underutilized.
The Wabash River is peaceful and inviting, but there is some concern about its cleanliness as well as pollution levels. Also, people can’t get on the river unless they have a boat. -
New conservancy district appoints first directors
Members of the first board of directors of a new lake conservancy district were appointed Tuesday by the Vigo County Board of Commissioners.
-
Vigo law enforcement signs Triad charter to protect seniors
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller joined Vigo County law enforcement and community activists Tuesday to sign the county’s first Triad charter, becoming the 22nd Triad in Indiana.
-
Wabash Valley Red Cross wraps up Save the Day Campaign
The American Red Cross Wabash Valley Chapter’s 2013 annual meeting concluded the 17th annual Save the Day Campaign, and the results lifted the spirits of all who were involved.
-
Some Vigo roads washed out
Spring storms resulted in $250,000 in damages to roads in southern Vigo County, with costs including sand and labor to save homes near river bottoms, said county highway Assistant Superintendent Dan Bennett.
-
County Council votes $78K toward rail spur
County officials voted Tuesday night to make good on a 2011 promise to help improve a railroad spur just north of Terre Haute for Menard Inc.
-
Spring flooding damages future CSO holding lagoon
Flood waters from the Wabash River have done costly damage to one of the city-owned “lagoons” on former International Paper property.
-
Vigo tops state average for IREAD-3 scores
The Vigo County School Corp. exceeded the state average in the percentage of students passing the state’s mandatory Grade 3 reading test, IREAD-3.
-
Storms cause minor damage in Valley
Tuesday morning storms in the Wabash Valley caused thousands of Duke Energy customers to lose power.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 21, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Monday and Tuesday, based on jail records.
-
UPDATE: Damage surveys show 2 weak tornadoes hit near Indy
INDIANAPOLIS — The National Weather Service says storm surveys show two weak tornadoes struck central Indiana.
-
Storm causes scattered Indiana power outages
INDIANAPOLIS — A line of thunderstorms that moved across Indiana caused scattered building damage and power outages for several thousand homes and businesses.
-
Kindergartner diagnosed with MD treated to a day with the fire department
“He’ll just never forget this day,” Stacey Manley said, a little bit tearfully, as she watched her smiling 6-year-old son Carter sitting happily in the captain’s seat of Fire Engine 2.
-
Casey, Illinois aims for another world record
The town of Casey, Ill., may soon weave its way into the record books as the small town with the most world records. After setting records for the world’s largest wind chimes and the world’s largest golf tee, Casey is now looking to become home to the world’s largest knitting needles and crochet hook.
-
Rose-Hulman projects will promote growth, learning for people with physical challenges
Life changed dramatically for college engineering student Drew Christy on Feb. 22, 2008 when he was involved in an auto accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury.
-
‘500’ gas stations being sold to Speedway LLC
After several decades in business, the area’s familiar “500” gasoline stations and convenience stores will soon be missing from the roadsides of Vigo and Sullivan counties.
-
Terre Haute woman faces 14 charges
A Terre Haute woman faces 14 criminal counts after her arrest Friday on drug-related charges.
-
Two adults injured in ATV accident
Two adults were injured Sunday evening while riding an all-terrain vehicle near Lexington Farms Subdivision off Moyer Drive in southern Vigo County.
-
Vigo schools’ medical claims down 4 percent
The Vigo County School Corp.’s medical claims were about $13 million over the last 12 months, down 4 percent from the prior year, said Diane Titchenell, an Anthem account manager that works with the school district.
-
2013 Government Directory now available
The 2013 Government Directory is now available.
-
UPDATE: 5 killed, 6 injured in I-70 van crash in Illinois
ST. LOUIS — A van carrying church members returning from a California gathering careened off of a southern Illinois freeway and overturned several times today, killing five people and sending six others to hospitals, authorities said.
-
2 children reported dead from Indianapolis fire
INDIANAPOLIS — Authorities say some autistic children lived in the Indianapolis condominium unit where a fire has killed two children.
-
Tighter Indiana drunken driving law seems unlikely
INDIANAPOLIS — Some key Indiana legislators say it’s unlikely that the state will any time soon go along with a federal safety board’s recommendation that the threshold for drunken driving be cut nearly in half.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 20, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, based on jail records.
-
Life-Size Ping Pong: Valley pickleball tourney draws large crowd to Brittlebank Park
It’s been described as “ping pong on steroids.”
Some people call it “life-size ping pong where you stand on the table.” -
Boat trip aims to raise awareness about Lewy Body Dementia
In 2013, the Year of the River, it makes sense to link a grand adventure on the Wabash River with a good cause.
-
Legislature had little taste for alcohol bills
When it comes to alcohol, the 2013 legislative session may be marked more by what it didn’t do to boost booze sales than what it did.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
Illinois senator apologizes for Nazi remark




