The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1042910
A-4 Local Wednesday, October 24, 2018 The Press-Dispatch YOUR AUDITOR QUESTIONS ANSWERED GUMBEL For Pike County Auditor Judy Kinman Wood Pike County is moving forward. We are positioned for economic growth. County leaders must have accurate financial information in a timely manner to make the hard decisions that growth will demand. PAID FOR BY JUDY GUMBEL FOR AUDITOR So, "What does a county auditor do?" "Skills don't really matter, do they?" "Aren't the only important positions the county council and commissioners?" The auditor is the county's "Chief Financial Officer." Make your voting decision on the facts. Who has experience managing the big bucks? You are deciding for your future and the future of Pike County. Find me on Facebook https://goo.gl/CMib28 RANDY Harris County Council for District 1 BUSINESS I would appreciate your vote and support. EXPERIENCED IN Paid for by Randy Harris for County Council, Denise Harris Treasurer MARRIAGE LICENSES Joshua V. Hopf, 35, of 1454 W. CR125S, Peters- burg, son of Mark H. Hopf and Debra K. Phillips Hopf, to Jennifer Lynn Shepherd, 40, of 9559 E. Main St., Mackey, daugher of Jeffrey L. Phillips and Julia A. Tyree Burlison. David N. Barclay, 49, of 11521 S. SR61, Spurgeon, son of Thomas Barclay and Sharon Williams Bar- clay, to RobynLee Luthe, 50, of 11521 S. SR 61, Spur- geon, daughter of Paul Donald Williams and Bev- erly Roth Koressel. Forrest Stephen Hunter Price, 25, of 8756 S. CR350E, Stendal, son of Forrest Price and Tracy Taylor Price, to Nicole Denise Van Meter, 23, of 8756 S. CR3530E, Stendla, daughter of Rickey Van- Meter and Melinda Collins VanMeter. Willis-Ferrier Roger Dale Willis and Dawn Renee Lough (Fer- rier) married on Octo- ber 13, 2018, at the resi- dence of Larry R. Willis. The bride's sister, Kelly L. Mabrey stood as matron of honor and the groom's son, Noah J. Willis was best man. Kyle G. Ferri- er and Samuel Q. Ferrier escorted their mother on their special day. With This Ring... OMA's Quality Counts grant not funded By Ed Cahill Otwell Miller Academy's second bid for a $753,000 Quality Counts Charter School Grant fared no bet- ter than its first one. On Thursday, Oct. 18, the Indiana Department of Edu- cation announced that 16 out of 19 applications for Qual- ity Counts Charter School Program Grant had been approved. The application submit- ted by Otwell Miller Acad- emy, which scored an aver- age of 41.6 out of 71 possible points, was one of the three that were not approved, along with those submitted by Excel Center-Hammond (45.9 points) and Level Up Learning of Goshen (23.3 points). "The scoring came out this week, but we have known for several weeks that we did not make the cut," Otwell Miller Academy director Rich Padgett said on Friday, Oct. 19. "This was no surprise to us." In January, Otwell Miller Academy was one of 14 ap- plicants that were not fund- ed when the first round of grants were announced, af- ter its application received an average score of 32 out of a possible 57 points. Applications were subse- quently accepted through the end of July for a second round, during which approx- imately $14.4 million was up for grabs. "The goal in submit- ting this summer was to get our foot in the door and see where we stacked up in this competitive process," Padgett said. "The deadline was shortly after I had been hired and...the application was only partly completed." "A fter discussion with the IDOE office and talking to some of the other schools and feedback from the group I learned that by submitting, you can request a sit-down meeting to go over your ap- plication's strengths and weaknesses with the folks in Indianapolis and plan how to be successful in the next round of awards," Padgett added. "It was communicat- ed to me that there would be a third round of submis- sions for this grant opportu- nity, likely after the first of the year." According to the grant application, Otwell Mill- er Academy requested $753,388.40 over a 44-month period, with $400,000 be- ing spent in Year One, $115,431.90 in Year Two, $127,799.50 in Year Three and $110,157 in Year Four. Otwell Miller Acade- my's application states that the CSP funds, if awarded, would be used to pay for pro- fessional development for its staff, purchase new technol- ogy such as Chromebooks, iPads and Smartboards to supplement classroom learning, and purchase new curricular materials – in- cluding textbooks – and classroom supplies. In Year One, according to the application, spending of CSP funds would be focused on new curricular supplies and technology for all stu- dents. "Currently, the school has purchased Chromebooks for grades 3, 4, and 5, but de- sires to move toward a 1:1 ratio by purchasing iPads for kindergarten through 2nd graders," the applica- tion states. "Year One will also consist of purchasing new curricular materials and classroom supplies, in- cluding new textbooks." "Since the CSP grant bud- get is designed to cover the initial, one-time costs, the basic school sustainability budget post-grant is small enough to be covered by Average Daily Membership (ADM) funding and regu- lar state education grants received by Otwell Miller Academy," the application adds. The CSP funding, the ap- plication states, would be used to achieve overall goals addressing the academic outcomes of all students, in- cluding: • Eighty percent of stu- dents will pass state exams with proficient or superior scores by year three of the Quality Counts CSP Grant; • Overall discipline refer- rals will decrease by 10 per- cent each consecutive year of the grant; and • Maintain a 90 percent student retention rate by year three. "Being successful with this grant would add a great deal of flexibility to our long- range plans for growth and expansion," Padgett said. "However, we are not count- ing on this opportunity as the only means to accom- plish our goals." County Council Dist. 1 Randy Harris (R) Daren Cook (D) County Council Dist. 2 Jon W. Craig (R) County Council Dist. 3 Max Elliott (R) County Council Dist. 4 Travis C. Troutman (R) Clay Twp. Trustee John B. Davidson (R) Jefferson Twp. Trustee Danielle Houtsch (R) Cynthia Ridao (D) Jefferson Twp. Advisory Bd. Chris Burkhart (D) Jerry Traylor (D) Linda Teague (D) Lockhart Twp. Trustee Angela O'Neal (D) Lockhart Twp. Advisory Bd. Jace A. Houchin (R) William Caldemeyer (D) Berniece Luker (D) Charles Mike Meyer (D) Logan Twp. Trustee Shirley Ann Shafer (D) Madison Twp. Trustee Carol Sue Sutton (R) Madison Advisory Bd. Jeff Davis, Sr. (R) David W. Ice (R) Jeff Davis II (R) Marion Twp. Trustee Becky Steinhart (R) Marion Advisory Bd. Tracy Evans (R) Rich Bush (D) Gregory Gray (D) Monroe Twp. Trustee Sandra K. Barrett (D) Monroe Advisory Bd. Elaine Barrett (D) Ivan Mason (D) Rita L. Williams (D) Patoka Twp. Trustee Joe Melhiser (R) Patoka Advisory Board Rodney L. Dixon, Sr. (R) Danny B. DeJarnett (R) Richard A. Tisdale (D) Washington Twp. Trustee Marie N. Boyd (R) Washington Advisory Board Susan Flint (R) Angie Harting (R) Angie Davis (R) US Senator Mike Braun (R) Joe Donnelly (D) US Representative Dist. 8 Larry D. Bucshon (R) Wiliima Tanoos (D) State Senator Dist. 48 Mark Messmer (R) State Rep. District 63 Shane M. Lindauer (R) Joseph Lannan(D) State Rep. District 64 Matt Hostettler (R) State Rep. Dist. 75 Ron Bacon (R) John Hurley (D) Judge of 83rd Circuit Court Jeff Biesterveld (D) Prosecutor 83rd Circuit Court Darrin E. McDonald (R) WINSLOW TOWN COUNCIL (elect three) Greg Simmons Debra Lamb Kavin "Squeak" Gayhart Joshua Popp Melvin Decisto Terry Strobel Michael Truitt George Fred Fiscus Richard Brewster Rick Mathias ELECTION Continued from page 1 Tips for sharing the road with cyclists and pedestrians The country's roadways are for all to enjoy. Tens of millions of cars take to the highways every day, but they're not the only mode of transportation allowed on the road. Cyclists and pedestri- ans also make use of streets when sidewalks or biking paths are unavailable. Did you know that bicy- clists accounted for 2.2 per- cent of all traffic deaths in the United States in 2016? In ad- dition, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says nearly 15 pedestrians per day lose their lives when struck by motor vehicles, and there were 5,376 pedestrian deaths in 2015. Although biking and walk- ing are inherently safe activi- ties for millions of people per year, motorists, cyclists and pedestrians can all take steps to make roads safer for every- one. • Follow the rules of the road. Whether you're riding a bike or driving a motor ve- hicle, the rules of the road are the same. That means heed- ing traffic signals, signage, right-of-way, speed limits, and much more. • Avoid alcohol use. Al- cohol impairs motor skills, which are necessary to walk and operate cars and bicycles safely. Many accidents and fa- talities on the roads can be traced to alcohol consump- tion. Do not drink and drive or drink and ride. Pedestri- ans who need to walk heav- ily trafficked areas would be smart to limit their alcohol consumption as well. • Make yourself more vis- ible. Pedestrians and cyclists can make themselves more visible to motorists in vari- ous ways. Wear bright-col- ored, reflective gear when walking or riding, and install reflective lights on bicycles. • Remain alert at all times when behind the wheel. Mo- torists should be focused on the road at all times, avoiding distractions such as smart- phones and in-vehicle enter- tainment systems. Such de- vices can dramatically reduce motorists' reaction times, greatly increasing the risk of accident. Slow down when cy- clists, runners and other pe- destrians are nearby. • Pass safely and give room. Do not pass too close- ly when driving near cyclists and pedestrians. Always yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. Whether driving, riding a bicycle or walking, everyone should work together to share roads safely. For more infor- mation, visit www.nhtsa.gov.