The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/120907
A-4 Wednesday, April 10, 2013 News Briefs Kindergarten Roundup Kindergarten round up and preschool registration begins next week in Pike County. Petersburg pre-school registration is set for Friday, April 26. Kindergarten round-up at Otwell is set for April 11 and at Winslow on Friday, April 12. Kindergarten round-up will take place on both April 11 and 12 at Petersburg. New Liberty spaghetti dinner for youth group The New Liberty General Baptist Church is sponsoring a spaghetti supper on Saturday, April 13, 2013 at Jordan Memorial Park in Spurgeon. It begins at 4 p.m. and will run through the evening. It will feature spaghetti, salad, breadsticks, dessert and a drink. They will collect a free will donation, with proceeds going to the youth fund. Kindergarten immunization clinic April 11-12 The Pike County Health Department will be conducting kindergarten immunization clinics on Thursday, April 11 and Friday, April 12 for students who will be entering kindergarten next school year. Due to insurance billing, appointments are recommended for these clinics. Parents of children who have health insurance need to call their insurance company to see if they cover immunizations prior to calling the health department for an appointment. Most major insurances are accepted. Children with no health insurance are still eligible to receive vaccines for $8 per vaccine. There is no charge for children who have Hoosier Healthwise(Medicaid). Parents are encouraged to begin making appointments for these immunizations now, rather than waiting until summer, when schedules fill up quickly. Call 354-8797 to schedule an appointment. The Press-Dispatch PCSC approves additional staff cuts, changes By Mike Johansen There was good news and some additional cuts approved by the Pike County School Corporation Board of Education at their regular April meeting Monday night. The good news is that the school corporation is receiving a monthly payment from the Pike County Treasurer for property taxes collected on its behalf. That resulted in an extra $78,000 coming to the school corporation this month from Pike County. That amount helps all but the general fund as general fund money comes from the state and is received when the state sends its payments out. The general fund currently has $543,204.12 in it, according to Superintendent Suzanne Blake. The not so good news came in the next move by the Board of Education. They approved cutting non-certified library staff members for grades K-12 to five hour positions and the schedules will be adjusted accordingly, cutting down hours for library helpers. They eliminated the high school locker room assistant���s position for the coming year. They also approved reducing the IMS (computer techs) positions at the high school and middle school to one position from two. The vote also reduced the special education preschool, currently at Winslow Elementary, to a half day position, contingent on enrollment numbers. The other item approved is for the superintendent to transfer staff within the school corporation to fill open positions with people already hired by the corporation, rather than hiring new people to fill some positions. All the moves were passed unanimously and made to cut costs for at least the coming year, and probably beyond, as an attempt to help make up the $6 million budget shortfall. The school board did approve one new coach. Jessica Manges was hired as the boys��� and girls��� head cross country coach for the next school year. She had helped former Coach Randy Graham with the program and had run for Coach Graham dur- ing her high school years at Pike Central. The school board approved the early graduation policy that will allow some students to finish classes in December of their senior year and move on to college for the spring semester. They will be able to participate in the May graduation ceremonies. Applications have to be in accordance with state requirements and the request must be made by the end of the student���s junior year. The second policy approved by the board will allow a weighted grading system at Pike Central High School for students taking AP courses, dual credit (with a college) courses and honor courses to recognize academic achievement in those courses. It allows them to received an additional half point on their grade point emerge, up to 4.5, for some courses and up to 5.0 for another set of courses. The school board also approved several other coaching contracts for the coming year including Billy Hewig as wrestling coach, with Rick Cannon and Chad Tharp as paid assistants, Hunter Manning and Billy Hewig Sr. as volunteer assistants and Dr. Mark Campbell as team physician; John Mokris as head boys��� basketball coach, with assistants Steve Barrett and Shawn Warner, along with freshman basketball coach Hunter Elliott, if there are enough freshmen; Swimming Head Coach Jason McKinney and Mike Bohnert as an assistant; middle school volunteer golf coaches including Beth Bohnert, Joe Burkhardt, Jim Hess, Jason DeWeese and Barry Welch; Randy Graham as head girls��� basketball coach, with Brent Beck and Tim Crow as assistants. The board took no action on a request by the Midwest Wrestling Championship to use Old Petersburg Gym on April 13, because an insurance form had not been submitted, thus not approving the use. The Pike County Board of Education also approved: ������ Transferring $600,000 from the Capital Projects Fund and $400,000 from the Transportation Fund to the Rainy Day Fund. ������ Fuel escalation costs totaling $4,050.82, after some adjustments for April. The board also received some preliminary information on contracting for fuel on a bulk basis. The item is still under study. ������ Accepting a grant from Toyota Manufacturing for $2,000 to Angie Williams to purchase Ipads. ������ The Use of Facilities Agreement Form. ������ The high school girls��� basketball team attending a camp at Middle Tennessee State University in June. ������ A Pike Central Middle School reward trip to St. Louis. ������ Family medical leave for an employee. ������ Homebound instruction for two students by Ryne Biesterveld, Tina Vinnedge, Adam Blair, Kyle Brames, Dana Deffendoll and Shawn Warner. ������ A fundraiser of selling Schwans items for the PCMS Academic Team to go to Nashville in June. ������ Rick Fears attending the Indiana School Safety Academy in Indianapolis April 22-23; Suzanne Blake and Krista Halbrader attending the IASBO Conference in Fort Wayne on May 9-10; and Mike Hildebrand attending the Indiana Transportation Association Annual Conference in French Lick June 19-21. ������ Middle School Principal Chad Whitehead making changes in the middle school schedule to move PE and health to full semester and aligning some courses with the high school for advanced credit. ������ A volunteer providing driving for athletic teams for six trips and Academic Team trips. ������ Pursuing information about a portable classroom being purchased from the school corporation. ������ The resignations of Jeremy Howald as a Homebound instructor, with Tina Vinnedge to fill that position; Judy Griffith from the cafeteria; Holly Collins from a helper position at Pampered Chargers Day Care; and Lisa Godwin as a cafeteria worker, with Misty Gray to fill the position. ������ The Pike County 4-H borrowing the portable bleachers for fair week. The superintendent recognized the accomplishments of the Winter Percussion Group winning a state championship and the Winter Guard group���s accomplishments. Retired Teachers Assc. will meet April 11 The Pike-Gibson Retired Teachers Association will meet Thursday, April 11, at the Bower-Suhrheinrich Student Life Center at Oakland City University. This building is at 720 W. Sherman Street. The meeting begins with lunch at 12:30 EDT. The cost is $7. This united group of retirees meets three times a year. Dues are $6 for this next year, which corresponds with the school year. An attempt is being made to contact all retired teachers in the two counties. Help pass the word about this meeting to retired teachers that you know, and help us to build our list of addresses. Wrestling coming to Winslow Community Center On April 13, Tri-State Wrestling will be at the Winslow Community Center. The doors will open at 6 p.m., with bell time at 7 p.m. Admission is $5. All proceeds from the event will go to the Winslow Volunteer Fire Department . Food handler certification classes set for May 16, 23 Pike County Extension is hosting ServSafe Certification Training for those that need to be certified. Every food establishment needs to have at least one person certified in ServSafe. The training will be a two day training on May 16 and 23 in the Petersburg Senior Center located in the Courthouse basement. Registration is from 8 to 8:30 a.m. To register, go online at www.indianarestaurants.org and look for training. There are registration forms at the Pike County Extension Office that need to be mailed or faxed to the Indiana Restaurant Association. For more information, contact Darlene Decker at 812-354-6838 or ddecker@purdue.edu. Gardening season Gerald Williams, of Glezen, took advantage of the warm weather Saturday to plow his garden plot. ���It is still a little wet,��� said Williams, but after the long winter that seems to be turning to spring, Williams couldn���t resist getting started on his garden. Haspe arrested on meth, alcohol charges A Petersburg woman was arrested for drunken driving and possession of meth after motorists reported a possible drunken driver late last Tuesday night. Tamara L Haspe, 21, of 1879 CR50N, Petersburg, was arrested at about 11 p.m. by Petersburg Officer Chad Tharp. Tharp said he was advised by central dispatch of a possible drunken driver, going only about 15 mph and driving all over the road, headed north on Highway 61 near the I-69 overpass. Tharp said he located the car and saw it go left of center twice and just stop in the middle of Highway 61 at Walnut St. He turned on his lights to stop the car and it drove away before it turned into the parking lot of HLS Home Medical. Tharp said as he talked with Haspe, he immediately noticed smell of alcohol. She failed four of five field sobriety tests and was taken to the Pike County Jail, where she tested 0.11 percent for blood alcohol content. The legal limit is 0.08 percent in Indiana. Officer Tharp said when police inventoried Haspe���s vehicle, they found a clear plastic baggie with a white powder inside it. The powder field tested positive for methamphetamine.