A newsletter from Vigo County School Corporation Business Office
Volume 1 February 2005 Number 1
A Majority of Hoosiers Are Pleased With Their Public Schools
In 2004, a Public Opinion Survey on Education in Indiana was conducted by the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy at Indiana University. The survey was conducted in November 2004 before funding for public schools became a hot issue.
The survey found 65% of Hoosiers reported their schools were excellent or good. This is up from 62% in the 2003-benchmark survey. Hoosiers continue to express positive feelings about their schools, especially their local schools.
Highlights of the survey include the following:
- 58% stated they were willing to pay higher taxes to increase school funding and this response did not differ greatly for parents of students and those without children in school.
- 64% believe that public schools are unfunded.
- 90% said they believe that school funding levels affect the quality of education to some extent.
- 72% reported teachers were excellent or good.
- 75% reported knowing a little or a lot about No Child Left Behind while 40% stated they knew nothing about the law.
- 61% responded they would pay more taxes, if necessary, to fund a statewide full-day kindergarten program up from 46% in the 2003 survey.
- 60% indicated they would not support school funding reductions.
While all of the responses are positive about public schools, Hoosiers also see areas in need of improvement.
What does this mean for those of us who work in the Vigo County School Corporation? It means our work has not gone unnoticed. It means our hard work day after day has meaning with our fellow residents. But it also means that our work is never finished and that
while we may celebrate our successes we cannot believe we don’t need to look for ways to improve.
We also need to become active advocates for public education. We need to be our own cheerleaders. It will be our work that will continue to convince fellow Hoosiers that their financial support of public education is a good value and a sound investment. It is during these tough financial times that our voices need to be heard. The employees of the VCSC have gone “the extra mile” during the past several years. We have made cuts, have made sacrifices and continue to “do more with less”. Our 2004 year-end financial position is evidence of this extraordinary effort. However, the job isn’t finished as funding for schools is under additional scrutiny.
We need to be the voice for public education – our children are depending on us. I recently read somewhere that the vitality of schools and communities is inseparable and that a community’s strength begins with the ability to provide a quality education. It is up to us to convince other Hoosiers including our elected officials that public schools deserve continued support as a priority.
The Business Office wishes to thank you for your hard work and the sacrifices you make for our students. We are proud to work with you.
Did You Know?
Most schools spend more money on energy than on books and supplies. In fact, the cost of energy is second only to salaries and benefits. According to the U.S. Department of Education, school energy costs average $176 per student per year. For 2004 in the VCSC, energy costs averaged $218 per student, while books and supplies averaged $76.44 per student.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE EXTRA-CURRICULAR TREASURERS OF THE VIGO COUNTY SCHOOL CORPORATION FOR A JOB WELL DONE!
The State Board of Accounts recently concluded the financial and compliance audit of the school corporation. As part of that process, the extra-curricular treasurers were required to submit all of their records for review. Their records were scrutinizedfor accuracy, completeness, and compliance with State regulations. Onceagain, your extra-curricular treasurers did a tremendous job and were wonderful representatives of the school!
As many of you know, in the recent past we converted all the extra-curricular records over to our corporation-wide computer system. This was a huge undertaking and we commend all of the building treasurers for the efforts they made to make that transition. We recognize that multi-tasking is the key to working in our school offices and we congratulate you on your efforts!
Corporation-wide we have more than $1.2 million accounted for at the individual school level in various extra-curricular funds. These monies represent the hard work of our students, staff, and family members. We are fortunate to have successful athletic programs, fundraising activities, and community support to provide additional funds that support our extra-curricular programs. You can rest assured that your funds are being accounted for properly by hard-working and conscientious staff members.
Please take time to recognize the efforts of your extra-curricular treasurers and give them a ‘pat on the back’ for another job well done!
LORI PETERS JOINS PAYROLL OFFICE
Lori joined the Payroll Office on December 13, 2004 taking the place of Martha Cornelison who retired at Thanksgiving. Lori comes to us from the GED Office.
Lori says she is proud to say she started working for the Vigo County School Corporation in August of 1991 at DeVaney Elementary School as their Secretary/Treasurer. She then had the opportunity to join the Adult Ed/GED Program and has now entered the wonderful world of Payroll.
She has been married to her husband Gary for 19 years and they have one daughter, Ashley. Ashley graduated from South Vigo High School, as did both of her parents. Ashley was recently married and they
are very proud of her accomplishments since graduation.
She enjoys walking for exercise and taking her dog “Tiger” on weekend camping and fishing trips to the local state parks.
We are happy to have Lori in our department and hope she has many productive and happy years with us.
PURCHASING OFFICE NEWS
The start of every new budget year is always a busy time in the Purchasing Office, and this year is no exception. Among the numerous purchase orders that we send out daily, we are also quite busy with our annual bid schedule, as well as summer works projects. In order to help the Purchasing Office run more efficiently and communicate effectively, we have put together a bid calendar, bid timeline, and a bid information checklist that is available upon request from the Purchasing Office.
The Purchasing Office has also been involved in the bidding process for the renovation of Meadows Elementary School. This project is scheduled to begin this spring and provide more space and update the facility. The contractors that will be working with the Vigo County School Corporation on this project will be N.R.K. Electrical Contracting, Hannig Construction, and Sycamore Engineering. Hannum, Wagle and Cline will be the construction managers for this project.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
February 14Board Meeting
February 16Claims Cut Off
February 18Payday
February 21President’s Day
February 28Board Meeting
March 1Board Payment
March 4Payday
March 14Board Meeting
March 16Claim Cut Off
March 18Payday
March 25Good Friday
March 28 – April 1Spring Break
March 29Board Payment