Warsaw Community School Corporation hosted its monthly regular board meeting on Wednesday instead of its usual Monday date due to inclement weather earlier this week. During the meeting, WCS Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz provided board members with an in-depth look at the state of the school corporation and the many advancements the corporation has made throughout the past year.

According to Hintz, WCS has seen improvement in several areas. The 35-page slideshow detailed the numerous strides the school system has made throughout the past year. Achievements included the second consecutive year of receiving an “A” letter grade as a corporation from the state and a significant rise in enrollment numbers through the district. Hintz noted that a total of 215 students have enrolled in the system as out of district transfers throughout the past year.

Enrollment numbers were not the only thing on the rise. Warsaw boasted a total of 1,217 students who are learning English as a Second Language students. According to Hintz, these students represent a total of 27 countries represented throughout the school corporation. Schools that ranked the highest in terms of the number of “diverse” students included Warsaw Community High School, Harrison Elementary School, Leesburg Elementary School and Lakeview Middle School.

Though the school corporation boasted numerous successes throughout the past year, Hintz was certain to note the many people and financial gifts that made the successes possible. Among those noted were numerous local organizations who have partnered with the school corporation including the Warsaw Police Department, the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department, Pay Pro Media, The Bowen Center, United Way, Grace College, Biomet, Zimmer, the Warsaw Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce and many others.

Hintz also praised the work done by members within the district, such as the Food and Nutrition Services Department and the Transportation Department. Hintz stated over 1 million meals are served by 90 employees in the food department district-wide throughout a year. In addition, the transportation department, which boats a total of 89 employees, drive 220 routes daily. On average, a total of 886,184 miles are driven each school year by 72 buses and 5 mini buses.

Hintz also noted the work of students, teachers, administrators and parents in creating a successful year for WCS. Other key topics discussed during Hintz’s presentation included new course offerings, the successful and growing implementation of professional learning communities amongst staff, improvements in student’s testing scores and participation in the JROTC program.

In other news, Hintz also provided an update on the Long Term Facilities plan. The plan would include four major construction projects in the district. Buildings up for renovation include Washington Elementary School, Edgewood Middle School as well as Warsaw Community High and the Warsaw Area Career Center, which will also see additions to the buildings. Lincoln Elementary School will be rebuilt as a “new” school as well.

Hintz said the cost estimate for the projects is less than the original quote provided by Kovert Hawkins of $110 million. Currently, Hintz said the Facility Committee and Board of School Trustees are continuing to investigate construction options. One point he stressed was that the facility improvements would require tax increases for community members and that the school corporation is seeking public opinion on the construction projects. The project may see a possible referendum in May 2015.

“The cost related to the project will be less than the $110 million estimate, I think by quite a bit,” said Hintz. “Any improvements of any of those suggested activities will result in a tax increase for community member property owners. This is a key initiative that we continue this study and help form a recommendation that we believe will be best for the community… I do want to reiterate we are really giving the community an opportunity to vote up or down whether they support the projects or not.”

To view the State Of The Corporation slideshow, click here.