NAPPANEE, Ind — With “everything on the table” regarding what to cuts to make up for a $839,362 cut in funding for Wa-Nee schools, NorthWood High School Principal Dave Maugel made case for taking the trimester schedule off that cutting board.

“We can’t have a one-way system to prepare students for the future,” Maugel said.

Maugel gave a lengthy presentation Monday night to school board members explaining the need now and in the future for the flexibility a trimester schedule.

With the school system looking to make cuts in the general fund, 82 percent of which is made up in staff salaries and benefits, cutting positions is one thing on the table.

One of those proposed cuts, Maugel said, is to cut a business position, leaving that department at three teachers.

Maugel said that amounts to a $75,000 savings when salary and benefits are combined and keeping a trimester schedule.

NorthWood went to trimesters in 2000, which enables students to work toward an Academic Honors diploma, by taking Advanced Placement and other high- and college-level classes.

Maugel outlined the negatives and benefits to the semester vs. trimester schedule. With a semester schedule, Maugel said, students will not have the flexibility to fit in electives needed to participate in fine arts and academic honors. Teachers will no longer be able to have the “Meeting of the Mind” each week where they analyze student data for the purposes of judging curriculum and planning remediation.

“Whoever had this vision, kudos to them,” Maugel said of the “Meetings.” “This is a big piece for students to be successful and it becomes a more critical piece as challenges rise.”

Maugel said a semester schedule will have a financial impact on the school as well. The school system’s general fund receives $900 for each student earning an Academic Honors diploma. This year, 114 students earned AH diplomas, for a total of $102,600. Maugel estimated with a semester schedule that total will be down by $69,000 due to a lower number of students able to earn the diploma.

With fewer credits possible in a semester vs. a trimester, credit recovery during the school year will no longer be possible, he said, leaving summer school as the only option for students needing to make up classes and students wanting to take advanced classes. He said internships for students would also be almost impossible to do on a semester schedule.



Losses

Trimester “losses” include eight minutes of instruction per day and the loss of study hall.

In summation, Maugel said, he believes going back to a semester schedule will actually cost the school $5,700 when the lower AH graduation rates are figured in, even if a business position is cut.

During the time for public comment, English teacher Robin Belinski spoke up in support of the trimester schedule.

“Students have worked very diligently, whether in fine arts, band, music,” Belinski said. “If you go back to a semester, those die.” She said students will have to choose between striving for an AH diploma or participating in those fine arts programs. “These are their passion, for a lot of them, it is their career choice,” she said.

Superintendent Joe Sabo said Tuesday afternoon that switching to a semester schedule would cost more because of the need for summer school. The only potential savings would come from significantly cutting industrial tech, business, art or fine arts and elective subjects.

“I would not be comfortable doing that,”he said. “It would lessen the value of a NorthWood diploma.”

A Nappanee resident and business owner spoke during the meeting, asking board members to make their decision with the reality of the economic situation in mind.

Brian Williams, who also called Wa-Nee a great school and the district a great community, told the board that a lot of local business owners would be happy to be in their shoes regarding the amount of money they are being asked to cut.

“I lost 70 percent of my income and laid off every one of my production workers last year,” Williams said.

With three sons in or through the Wa-Nee system, he said it concerned him that his boys, who get good grades, did not have homework to do after school.

“That means their homework was done during instructional time,” he said. “You need to look under that rock.”

He also said his sons found math and science to be “a steep road” when they started college, with those subjects tougher than Wa-Nee’s training.

He asked the board to make their decisions using reason and logic.



Energy Management

Wa-Nee is also looking to save money in ways other than staff reductions. At Monday’s meeting, they approved an Energy Management Conservation Policy, which includes a contract with Energy Management company and hiring a 20-hour per week “energy specialist” at a salary of between $16,000 and $17,000 per year.

They approved the hiring of Lisa Streib for that position.

Energy Management makes assessments and sets out practices designed to save the school system $250,000 per year, directly off its utility bills, Sabo said. The energy specialist will help implement those policies and work with teachers and staff on conservation programs.

The project is expected to cost around $100,000 for the first four years, with that cost coming out of utility cost savings.

“After that, we are looking at saving $250,000 per year,” Sabo said. “We are looking at saving $50,000 this year when starting in February putting some of these things in place.”



Wind energy

Tony Kuykendall of Performance Services, a renewable energy company, brought two proposals relating to wind energy to the board for consideration.

The company is targeting school corporations and municipalities statewide to buy into wind turbine energy production. One proposal includes installing a wind turbine on the school’s property, which the school could use to power buildings or sell to utility companies. Wa-Nee’s wind production figures were a little below what is recommended for that type of project.

The second proposal involves a “wind farm” called Performance Park proposed for construction in the southern part of the state. The company plans to sell wind turbines to school systems — no matter their proximity to the site — for a guaranteed $7.2 million net income, per turbine over the 25-year contract. The net income is beyond the $3.4 million purchase and installation price, Kuykendall said. The energy is sold to utility companies at a locked-in rate. Performance Services can monetize tax credits to help schools pay for the project.

Kuykendall said his company is also looking at about three sites for potential wind farms in Elkhart County and would be working with county officials on the interest and feasibility for such a project.

Superintendent Sabo told Kuykendall he would make further contract with Performance Energy regarding the proposal.