The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1054616
A-6 Local Wednesday, November 21, 2018 The Press-Dispatch ISTEP+ Continued from page 1 Samaritan's Purse collections White River Chapel United Methodist Church has collected nearly 700 shoe- boxes to be donated to Samaritan's Purse. White River Chapel has been a col- lection site for the shoeboxes filled with items that are gender and age specif- ic. Included are small toys and personal hygiene items. Samaritan's Purse is a Christian-based charity headed up by Franklin Graham, who is the son of evangelist Billy Graham. Above: Danny Leslie, Denny Weitkamp, Alivia Weitkamp and Debbie Les- lie stand in front of the wall of shoeboxes they have collected, which is only half of the collected amount. the area of significance was our growth points, which were in the 93-103 range," Blake added. "This repre- sents a tremendous amount of work by our students, teachers and instructional assistants." Statewide, roughly 22 percent of schools improved one or more letter grades with nearly nine percent improving their letter grade to an A. Overall, close to 64 percent of schools received an A or B. Among traditional public schools statewide, 63.8 per- cent received a state school grade of A or B. Among charter public schools statewide, 38.8 percent re- ceived a state school grade of A or B. Among non-public schools statewide, 70.9 per- cent received a state school grade of A or B. In addition, 14.1 percent of traditional public schools statewide received a state school grade of D or F; 27 percent of public charter schools statewide received a state school grade of D or F; and 8.6 percent of non- public schools statewide re- ceived a state school grade of D or F. "Our current account- ability grades are an indica- tion of the great education Indiana students are receiv- ing," said Dr. Jennifer Mc- Cormick, Indiana Superin- tendent of Public Instruc- tion. "Our work is paying off and as a Department, we will continue to partner with dedicated stakehold- ers to ensure every school and every student is suc- cessful." In addition, due to differ- ences between federal and state accountability equa- tions and standards, IDOE released federal account- ability grades for the 2016 - 2017 school year. • Pike Central High School received a feder- al school grade of B after compiling an overall school score of 83.1 points. PCHS recorded 66.6 academ- ic achievement points in grade 10, 82.6 graduation rate points and 100 college and career readiness points. • Pike Central Mid- dle School received a fed- eral school grade of C af- ter compiling an overall school score of 72.0 points. PCMS recorded 51.5 aca- demic achievement points in grades 6 -8, 91.4 academ- ic progress points in grades 6 -8 and 81.4 addressing chronic absenteeism points in grades 6 -8. • Petersburg Elemen- tary School received a fed- eral school grade of C af- ter compiling an overall school score of 71.5 points. PES recorded 53.1 aca- demic achievement points in grades 3-5, 88.7 academ- ic progress points in grades 4-5 and 81.9 addressing chronic absenteeism points in grades K-5. • Winslow Elementa- ry School received a fed- eral school grade of C af- ter compiling an overall school score of 76.4 points. WES recorded 53.0 aca- demic achievement points in grades 3-5, 98.9 academ- ic progress points in grades 4-5 and 84.5 addressing chronic absenteeism points in grades K-5. "This was the first year for schools to receive both state and federal letter grades," Blake noted. "PC- SC was among 25 percent of the schools that received a B from both. Only 11 per- cent received an A on both reports. Obviously, it is our goal to be in that group for 2018 -2019." Otwell Miller Academy – a public charter school which did not receive a state grade – received a federal school grade of F after compiling an overall school score of 54.5 points. OMA recorded 52.1 aca- demic achievement points in grades 3-5 and 100 ad- dressing chronic absentee- ism points in grades K-5. "We received an F," OMA director Rich Padgett told members of the OMA school board during their regular monthly meeting on Monday, Nov. 19. "And we will receive an F probably for the next two years from the federal report card, be- cause the data that is used to get the points not to be an F are not reported when you are a new school." "The federal govern- ment, in its wisdom, says you don't have anything to report there, we count that as zero, so it counts against you," Padgett add- ed. "The state of Indiana ... we received no grade, be- cause they say it was your first year, you have no da- ta. So, from the state level, our school grade will evolve over the next four years." Padgett noted that OMA's total of 52.1 aca- demic achievement points was comparable to Peters- burg Elementary School's 53.1 academic achievement points and Winslow Ele- mentary School's 53.0 aca- demic achievement points. However, the federal school grade also took in- to account the academic progress points for Peters- burg and Winslow elemen- tary schools, while OMA had no academic progress points due to it being a new school during the 2016 -17 school year. "If we had similar data based on those two schools on the federal report card, we would have been at least at a C, where they're at, if not a little bit higher," Padgett said. "I just think it's unfair the F is what's published, but it's part of being a start-up. Any school that's less than four years old is going to have some of those problems." According to an IDOE press release, roughly 67 percent of public schools received the same letter grade for both state and fed- eral accountability systems, with 31 percent of schools receiving a higher letter grade on the state account- ability system. Septic permit fees, material bids discussed during Monday's Commissioners meeting By Andy Heuring Pike County Commis- sioner decided to not cre- ate a $50 fee to apply for a septic permit. They accept- ed the low bids for materials at the Highway Department for 2019 during the Monday evening meeting. Commissioners Brian Da- vis and Jeff Nelson both said they didn't want to create a new application fee for a sep- tic permit. Health Nurse Amy Glad- ish told the commissioners in a previous meeting the county now has a $50 sep- tic permit fee. She said this is lower than most surround- ing counties. She said they wanted to create an appli- cation fee, because several people were applying for a permit, which requires Sani- tarian Amanda Howald to do quite a bit of leg work. But then for whatever reason they were completing the permits so the county was receiving no money despite a lot time being expended by Howald. Commissioner Jeff Nelson asked, "Are we going in the hole on this? " Both Gladish and Howald said they were not. "I just don't want to fee people to death. A lot of places are coming up with ways to charge fees on ev- erything. I don't want to dis- courage people from build- ing," said Nelson. Howald said the county had already eliminated the building permit and those fees and Pike County's sep- tic permits were less than most counties. Gladish said the fees would only raise a couple thousand dollars a year, so it wasn't going to make much difference on the revenue side. She said they were just trying to get it set up so the county was receiving some- thing for the time and effort Howald had to go to, just to get the applications started. "I get that . . . I don't want you spinning your wheels." Commissioner Davis said, "No more revenue than it is going to be, I don't see it be- ing a problem." He added, "I want to encourage them to build here and we get the tax rate off of that house from here on in." He and Nelson asked if they could make it a $50 fee to just get the application and then it would include the permit. Howald said she didn't want to do that because she feared people would pay the application fee and then not complete the process to get the permit. "The decision is complete- ly up to you," said Gladish. "We are just trying to get us more in line with other coun- ties around us." SUN ENERGY ASKS TO RELOCATE ROAD Sun Energy Group LLC showed the commissioners a map of a road they would like to relocate. A represen- tative of Sun Energy said they had moved out of that area and were now able to start putting the road back. She said they would like to put it back in more of a straight line of sight than the original road. He was talking about CR1100E just south of Lake Helmerich that originally had a dogleg, and went over to the Pike-Dubois County line near Zoar. Sun is proposing vacat- ing about a quarter-mile por- tion of the road on the coun- ty line and replacing it will a new section that goes more directly south of CR1100E to Old State Road 64. County Attorney Val Fleig told Sun Energy they would have to notify all the abut- ted landowners and adver- tise the propose road vaca- tion in The Press-Dispatch. Then a hearing on the vaca- tion could be scheduled. MATERIAL BIDS FOR 2019 ACCEPTED Commissioners voted 2-0 to accept all the low bids ex- cept for Metal Culverts bids. County Attorney Fleig told the commissioners Metal Culverts had included a es- calation clause in their bids, which was not responsive to Pike County's bid specifica- tions. Crushed stone bids from for rock delivered to Pike County for all sizes went to Cave Quarters and range between $ 3 to $7 less than Rogers Group and Mulzer Crushed Stone. Rogers Group had the low bids on pea gravel, dry sand, washed sand, and pea grav- el mix. Cave Quarries had the on- ly bids on rock picked up at their plant. Their bids were accepted. Hot mix bids went to Cave Quarries for # 9 binder, #11 binder, # 9 surface and #11 surface picked up at the plant. While the #5 bind- er bid went to E&B Paving, which was the only company to bid that size paving. Cave Quarries also got the bid for cold mix with a price of $72, the other low bid was $120 a ton from E&B Paving. The only bidder for liquid asphalt was Asphalt Materi- als. The county accepted all their bids for liquid asphalt. Southern Indiana Sup- ply received all the bids for polyethylene pipe except for 42, 48 and 60 inch diam- eter. The 42 inch went to 37 Pipe and Supply, while the 48 and 60 inch went to Civ- il Con Inc. In other business the commissioners approved the paid holiday schedule for 2019. It includes: New Year's Day, Tuesday, Jan. 1, MLK Day, Monday, Jan. 21; President's Day, Monday, Feb. 18; Good Friday, April 19; Memorial Day, Monday, May 27; Independence Day, Thursday, July 4; Labor Day, Monday, Sep- tember 2; Columbus Day, Monday, October 14; Veterans Day, Monday, Nov. 11; Thanksgiving, Thursday and Friday, Nov. 28 and 29; Christmas Eve, Wednes- day, Dec. 24; Christmas Day, Thursday, Dec. 25; New Years Eve, Tuesday, Dec. 31. The next commissioners meeting is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 3. Two arrested on OVWI, drug charges By Andy Heuring Two people were arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and possession of meth after traffic stops in separate incidents over the weekend. A Washington man was ar- rested Saturday night after police stopped him for not using a turn signal at 8:14 p.m. David Vickers, 58, of 401 E. Hefron St., Washington, was arrested by Petersburg Police Cpl. Jared Simmons. Cpl. Simmons said he was notified by Indiana State Trooper Chase Eaton that he was behind a vehicle whose registered owner had an ex- pired driver's license. Cpl. Simmons located the vehi- cle and began following it as it criss-crossed Peters- burg back streets. Simmons stopped Vickers and verified his driver's license had ex- pired in August. Vickers failed field sobri- ety tests, but tested negative for alcohol. Vickers denied having an illegal substances in his truck, but admitted he had taken meth in the last 72 hours, according to Cpl. Simmons report. Troop- er Chase Eaton and Depu- ty Buck Seger assisted with the arrest. Vickers refused a chemi- cal test saying he knew he would test positive for meth, according to Simmons' re- port. Simmons said while put- ting Vickers in his patrol car, Vickers said he wanted his money from his car. He said he had cash in the vehicle with which he was going to purchase a car. Police located an envelope in his glove box with $ 6,000 and another $1,510 in $100 and $20 bills in the console. Vickers was transport- ed to the Pike County Jail, where police searched his billfold and found a small clear corner of a baggie with a crystal-like substance and one dollar bill with a crystal- like substance folded up in it. Both field tested positive for meth. Vickers was preliminarily arrested on charges of oper- ating a vehicle while intoxi- cated (refusal), possession of meth and maintaining a common nuisance. A rural Winslow man was arrested on similar charges early Sunday evening after police stopped him for not signaling a turn. Heath Gamble, 43, of 6253 S. Old State Road 64, Win- slow, was arrested at about 5 p.m. Sunday by Sgt. Dal- las Killian. Sgt. Killian said he saw Gamble drive by south of Winslow on Highway 61 and had received informa- tion Gamble was involved in methamphetamine and her- oin activity, so he pulled out to follow Gamble. When he did, Gamble immediately turned into a private drive- way. Killian said he pulled over at the next county road and waited a few minutes, then saw Gamble driving south on Highway 61. Killian said he stopped Gamble after he turned on- to County Road 400 N. with- out signaling. When he talked with Gamble, Killian said he no- ticed a rifle and handgun within reach of Gamble. He had Gamble exit the vehicle and while talking to him, noticed he couldn't stand still and his eyes were glassy and constricted. Gamble failed field sobri- ety tests but tested negative for alcohol. Gamble said he was refus- ing a chemical test because he felt like he was being ha- rassed. He said his gun per- mit was a lifetime permit. However, Sgt. Killian said when he checked with cen- tral dispatch, they said Gam- ble's gun permit was ex- pired, While searching Gamble's personal items, Sgt. Killian said he located the corner of a plastic bag containing a while crystal substance that Killian identified as meth. Police also located a Springfield Armory Model 1911 semi-auto pistol that was loaded with a round in the chamber and an Arma- Light 7.62 model AR-10 rifle and a Savage model 11 .338 rifle. Sgt. Killian said the crys- tal-like substance field test- ed positive for meth and weighed 3.8 grams. Gamble was arrested on preliminary charges of oper- ating a vehicle while intoxi- cated (refusal) and posses- sion of meth, a Level 6 felony.