By DANIELLE RUSH
Tribune staff writer
Sat, May 17 2008
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BUNKER HILL — Maconaquah School Corp. Superintendent Debra Jones had hoped to hire a new principal for Pipe Creek Elementary School at Wednesday’s meeting.
Instead, she said, the hiring committee will have to regroup and decide what to do next, after the selected candidate, Barbara Ihnen, withdrew her application Monday.
Jones hopes to hire a principal for Maconaquah Elementary at the board’s April 30 meeting, but said by Wednesday’s deadline, there were only two applicants. When she investigated, she learned the job had not been posted on the Indiana Department of Education Web site, so she had it posted with new dates.
Applications are now due April 16, with interviews scheduled for April 21 to 28, with hopes to have a recommendation for the April 30 meeting.
In regards to a report that a board member had wanted his or her spouse hired as a principal and was upset when the spouse was not chosen, all questions were referred to Seamus Boyce, school corporation attorney.
Boyce said no decision has been made regarding a principalship, and Jones will follow the selection process to present a recommendation at a future board meeting.
Jones addressed some other complaints brought up by school patrons during the visitor’s comment portion of Wednesday’s meeting.
She confirmed that she is investigating withdrawing from the Kokomo Area Special Education Cooperative to participate in the Wabash Miami County Special Education Cooperative, based in Peru.
She said right now, 12 Maconaquah students attend six schools in Howard County, but in Peru they would be among three schools. She said she’s visited the special education cooperative in Kokomo in all six schools and has seen the paperwork issues Maconaquah’s special education teachers have with the cooperative. She said in one classroom, the teacher did not know the child’s disability or even his last name.
Jones said she has also visited the Peru-based cooperative and met with the director, but will not make a change for the 2008-09 school year. She added that Maconaquah could save “an inordinate amount of money” by changing cooperative.
She added that she has not investigated or heard complaints about participating in the Kokomo Area Career Center.
More school board news:
Reading recovery program
Addressing the issue of ending the reading recovery program, Maconaquah School Corp. Superintendent Debra Jones said the decision was made quickly and without enough input, calling it “a major flaw” in her first year as a superintendent.
She said she does not regret the decision, but does regret the manner in which it was made and the input she did not get.
School uniform survey
Jones said, however, the recently administered school uniform survey was not her idea and she is not part of the uniform committee.
Board member Mimi Berkshire said she is on the uniform committee, and said a former board member had asked for the study. She said results are being compiled for a report to be presented at the April 30 meeting, but preliminary results do not show support for school uniforms.
“I think everyone should just relax about the uniforms,” she said, adding that it was an opportunity to talk about student dress.
New courses offered
The board also approved new courses to be offered in the 2008-09 school year, including Project Lead the Way pre-engineering classes at the middle and high school, expanded art offerings and an exploratory teaching class to replace the student internship program.
Cafeteria balances
The board approved plans to inform parents of cafeteria balances in May, and to allow parents to request checks for credits of more than $10, to be picked up in the corporation office after school ends for the year. The new policy also does not allow any meals to be charged for the last two weeks of the school year.
Staff reassignment
The board also reassigned Maconaquah Elementary Principal Randy Baldwin to be Maconaquah Middle School assistant principal and athletic director.
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