Considering Void in Whitko Building Board

LARWILL-Wednesday afternoon’s Whitko School Board Work Session had all board members in attendance, though there were several incidences of people being locked out of the building and experiencing challenges in being let in. No printed agenda was provided to the public, though it was reportedly posted online.

Photo byMelany Love

Angie Yorg and Matt Shipman of Bloom Gates Shipman & Whiteleather, the legal office that represents Whitko and Columbia City school districts, were present as well. As one who worked for John Whiteleather for 48 years, Yorg spoke about his recent passing and how that affects Whitko now; In addition to his legal representation duties, Whiteleather had been the president of the Building Corporation Board at Whitko for some time. Yorg shared that Whiteleather had forced her into the position of secretary there, and that now both the president and secretary positions will be open, as she desires to no longer continue the obligation. Others on the board consist of Joe Grant, Sam St. Clair, and Theresa Carrano, whose current jobs include Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent Departments at Whitko and Secretary of the South Whitley Redevelopment Commission. Carrano also previously served on the South Whitley Park Board for eight years and ran for Town Council last year. According to Yorg, the Building Corporation (which covers the middle and the high school) signs paperwork dealing with any bond issues, and she believes there may be an issue in the next year or so that will require their involvement and necessitate the replacement of the two vacant positions. Additionally, a document needing filed in October will not be able to be filed under the old president’s name. Yorg explained that either new people would need added to the board, or the current board members would need promoted. She said that it should not be someone from the school board, an administrator, or a teacher from the school, as that would create a conflict of interest, but she suggested that it should be someone passionate about Whitko. Board involvement is an unpaid position. 

Several questions followed about the purpose of the Building Corporation and other details, including how positions were filled (through election, application, appointment, etc.), to which Yorg replied, “In the past, it was whoever John said,” which was how Carrano came into the position. She said that the school attorney being on the board was not a conflict of interest and made the paperwork easier. In response to how long terms lasted, Yorg replied that she didn’t know but thought she’d done it for about forty years and that it was “nothing very official.” She shared that meetings were only held when there was a building issue that involved a bond and that meetings did not last long. Interim Superintendent Dr. Tom Edington asked if the board had ownership or decided anything, and Yorg replied that they could make suggestions, but that everything was already planned, saying it was more, “This was what the money was going to be used for; it was just a formality.” Carrano added that she felt like the board is just a preliminary review that was required by law and that no one on the board was going to argue with the next steps. Shipman added that while they could just promote the existing board members, they wanted to give the option for new additions if the school board members had anyone in mind. Dr. Edington asked if there were districts, as with school board positions, and Yorg responded that there were none and that she and Whiteleather had not been in the Whitko school district. There was some question about whether this meant Whitko did not own their own buildings, so here is what I found:  Here is the public notice with information about Whitko High School’s lease, which is held by the Building Corporation and was executed April 17, 2023 with an end date of June 30, 2025, or completion of the addition to the high school, whichever is later, and here is a map where the public can view property ownership and transfers.

Photo byMelany Love

Lynn Leininger then discussed the 2007 buyout, where the state became involved in retirement funds for various employees within Indiana’s schools to try to correct an unfunded liability situation. At that time, some Whitko individuals opted to join that buyout. According to that language, if one of those individuals fulfills the requirements (including working for Whitko for fifteen years and retiring at the age of 65), they can claim their money, but if they fail, they forfeit the money, and their portion is divided between the remaining individuals. One individual left in August of 2022, causing their $33,000 to be allocated to the remaining 23 members of the group. Three others have also left, so Leininger is working on checking to see if their funds need to be paid out to them because they have completed the requirements, or reallocated to remaining members if they have not. 

There was a great deal of discussion about the many personnel losses and changes, and Board Member Lynn Studebaker asked if all the administration and teaching positions had been filled, as there had been some vacancies. Dr. Edington responded that a fully licensed counselor is working at the career academy and said “there are extra people out there,” to cover things as needed. Studebaker then asked about the recent hiring of a new Assistant Athletic Director. Apparently he retired as a substitute and changed position to be the new Assistant Athletic Director and Dean of Students. Dr. Edington mentioned that a couple of years ago there had been separate athletic directors for the middle and high schools, but that titles have changed recently. There was no clear explanation given over which titles will handle which duties, but Dr. Edington speculates that the people in those positions will work it out. 

Dr. Edington said that although South Whitley has a full-time substitute teacher, the other buildings do not; he hopes “someone will step up.” Studebaker questioned an “Advisor Teacher” position, and Dr. Edginton said he believed it was a mentor teaching position for new teachers, saying that the state at one time paid for that, but upon discussing with Leininger, it appears the state no longer pays for that, and there is only a $500 stipend available for such things. Some typos and a change in how agenda items were listed also added to the board’s questions, as where an “Assistant and Coach” position existed, rather than “Assistant Coach,” but Carrano explained the errors and the new system in listing personnel changes. Studebaker questioned the pay for full-time substitutes, pointing out that $40,000 a year is significantly higher than the maximum of $21,275 that an on-call substitute teacher could potentially make, and she and Board President Annette Arnold discussed eliminating the position altogether to save on costs, especially as Whitko has reportedly been doing better at having substitutes available when needed. 

Board Member Georgia Tenney mentioned that the Whitko Choir Director is discontinuing her duties as Concert Director and Gospel Choir Sponsor and asked, “then what is she doing?” Others questioned whether the teacher had the authority to make that decision or if her contract outlined specific roles she needed to undertake, and Studebaker said that the principal ought to be checking on these things before allowing it to get this far. Dr. Edington said he would check on that further.

A latecomer to the meeting was unable to get in the locked school doors, sparking another frustrated discussion on the subject. While Tenney and Studebaker suggested leaving the doors unlocked, Arnold argued that the locked doors provided safety, and Studebaker and a public attendee pointed out that locked doors could be seen as preventing public attendance, which is illegal. Someone asked what the difference is between leaving the doors unlocked for a sporting event and leaving them unlocked for public meetings, and Arnold said she had no control over it because the doors automatically relock at 4:15. An attendee protested that the doors weren’t even unlocked at 3:47, and Arnold asked if that was an IT issue, which Carrano confirmed, and then Dr. Edington agreed to check on that as well. 

The next School Board meeting is Monday, August 19 at 6:30 in the WCA Lecture Room, and the next Work Session is Wednesday, September 11 in the High School Media Room. An Executive Session followed the Work Session, at 5pm, and another Executive Session is scheduled for this Monday at 5pm,  prior to the regular meeting. Hopes were expressed for an update from the architect and a tour of the remodeled area of the high school prior to the September 11 meeting. The meeting ended at 4:44.