At the final meeting of 2023, the Washington Community School Board passed a resolution confirming and reiterating the school system’s commitment to having 95% or more of the system’s third graders pass the IREAD-3 exam. The State of Indiana recently set a state-wide goal of having 95% of the state’s students pass the state’s third-grade reading proficiency test.
In regular business, the board approved hiring Austin Ghirardelli as the Jr. High art teacher, Kaylyn Stowell as a high school math teacher, and Matt Riney as the College and Career Academy Director. The Board also appointed Laitlyn McKinney as an assistant with Upper Elementaet Robotics, Jamee McMurray and Danielle Niehaus as primary STEM coordinators, Omar Mora-Lopez as a wrestling volunteer coach, Dean Lengacher as a soccer volunteer, Brandon Garland as a football weight room volunteer, and Larry Cochran as varsity girls tennis coach. The Board also approved a request from Beta Club sponsor Cindy Wilson to allow Washington Beta Club’s three Indiana State Beta officers to attend four out-of-state Beta Conventions that have invited Indiana’s state officers. In other business, the board agreed to declare the old, unused gym floor tarp as surplus and approved the bid from First Federal for temporary loans if needed. The Board also approved TAG Grant stipends for counselors, administrators, and other teachers not covered by the TAG Grant. The Board also heard a report on curriculum development and professional development from TRZ Grant Director Cody Chapman. The board will hold its annual reorganization on January 9th. The next regular meeting will be on January 18.