Whitko Special Session Accepts Settlement, Considering Construction Cost Cuts

LARWILL-Whitko School Board pushed back Wednesday’s regularly scheduled work session to 4:15 in order to allow time for both an executive session and a special session prior. According to the literature posted on the door of the Whitko Career Academy, the reason for the executive session was to discuss pending litigation, and the special session would consider a settlement agreement.

Photo byMelany Love

Upon calling the special session to order, board members voted to “accept what was discussed during the executive session,” which passed unanimously with no further discussion, and the meeting was adjourned.

Photo byMelany Love

At the work session meeting, the lowest bid for the Whitko Jr./Sr. High School D-wing renovation and addition project was discussed. Schenkel Construction, out of Fort Wayne, gave the project a $6,660,000 price tag, with some options for cutting costs down, including using PVC for under-school pipes instead of cast iron. Board President Annette Arnold asked how soon construction would begin and was told as soon as the contract is signed. Superintendent Tim Pavarnik questioned the presenter’s opinion on whether PVC pipe would be a wise decision or not, as it can crack, and having to tear up a floor to do repairs later could cost a great deal more than the savings in using it now. The presenter said it just depended on the uses of the pipes in a specific building, and Pavarnik said he’d have to look into it more.

A statement was made to bring awareness of the existence of the January 10 Board of Finance, Reorganization Meeting and work session; the time and location were not said, though presumably it will be available for viewing on the school’s website.

School Board Member Georgia Tenney mentioned a parent reaching out to her to express frustration that her freshman student was not being allowed by Band Director Mr. VanPatten to participate in concert band because her son had not participated in marching band. Apparently she had been told that participation in concert band required a single year of marching band enrollment, but the specification had not been made that marching band had to take place in the first year of high school. In anticipation of better scheduling options over the next three years of high school, her son had postponed his marching band year, only to now be unable to join concert band. Pavarnik said that he had also spoken to that parent and the school principal and hoped that there might be an arrangement that could work next semester. He also said that the hiring of elementary band teachers will provide more options for band class at the upper levels, though he did not explain how. High school band has been the first hour of the day for the last two decades in order to allow a 2-hour practice window (1 hour before school and 1 hour of the first class of the day) each day during marching band season. Moving from then would create a loss of practice time, as it takes between 2 and 15 minutes at the start of each practice to put together instruments and move equipment outside to the practice area, as well as the same amount of time to move back inside and put things away at the end of practice. Marching band moved from class during the last hour of school (combined with after school practices) in the late 1990s to allow students to more easily do sports and band, if they so choose.

Though other emails have reportedly been sent to school board members complaining of issues involving teachers at WJSHS, they were not brought up at the meeting.

Discussions were also had about the procedures for removing books from the library, should anyone complain about them. Pavarnik said Whitko libraries only contain books from the “State-allowed list,” and Tenney said that in all her years, she’s not heard of anyone complaining about the books.

The Winter Band concert is Thursday, Dec. 14, at 6:30pm in the WJSHS auditorium, and the next school board meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 18, at 6:30pm in the WCA lecture room.