Regular Board Meeting Recap (August 18, 2025)
Board of Trustees Meeting Recap
Regular Meeting – August 18, 2025
Community Highlight
WCS Welcome Center Update
Tracey Akers, WCS Welcome Center Coordinator, gave an update to the board. The Welcome Center was created in July 2024 through a grant from Health First Indiana and Health First Kosciusko, in partnership with the Kosciusko County Health Department.
The Welcome Center is located at the Health Services Pavilion, along with other local support programs that serve Kosciusko County. This project has been a goal of Tracey's for several years, so she has been thrilled to see it come to life. She works with families in many ways, including at Tools for School, the annual Welcome Center open house and Kosciusko County Coalition. She also works closely with the WCS school nurses across the district.
So far this school year, Tracey has already assisted 139 new students, which is ahead of last year's numbers at this time. In the 2024–25 school year, the Welcome Center supported 207 new students total. Tracey helps families connect with local services such as Strengthening Families, Baker Youth Club, KABS, Joe's Kids, help with medicine and dental care, The Foster Closet, Brightpoint, the Bowen Health Clinic and many more.
She shared stories with the board that showed how the Welcome Center is making a real difference for WCS families. At the end of last year, she also helped provide 20 new AEDs for secondary school buildings using leftover grant funds.
Tracey closed by thanking the board for their continued support of both the Welcome Center and her role.
Academic Spotlight
RAMP Program at WACC
Ben Barkey, Principal of the Warsaw Area Career Center (WACC) provided a detailed update on the Regional Advanced Manufacturing Pathway (RAMP) program, which is continuing to grow and expand to meet the needs of WACC students and the Kosciusko County community.
RAMP supports high school juniors and seniors who are interested in careers in engineering or manufacturing. Students learn technical skills through hands-on classes, site visits and internships with local companies. The program is a partnership with OrthoWorx and four main industry partners: Zimmer Biomet, Medartis, Precision Medical and IMD. Two additional partners, Arch Medical and Slate, plan to join in the near future.
The program also includes an advisory board that meets every other month. This helps keep the curriculum connected to industry needs. Students take part in regular learning sessions that include presentations, facility tours and small group activities led by professionals from each partner company. The program also includes a hiring fair and ends with a signing day to celebrate students’ next steps.
Student Leadership Update
Student Council Report
Kristina Kolembe, Student Council President, provided a brief update to the board. She shared that the homecoming theme was voted on earlier today and will be officially announced tomorrow.
Kristina also reported a strong start to the school year, with over 70 students attending the Student Council callout meeting. This is a significant increase from last year’s turnout and shows growing student interest in leadership and school events.
Facility Update and Bond Hearing
Project Hearing and Preliminary Determination for 2025 GO Bonds
Chief Financial Officer Steven Boyer, Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert presented information regarding the 2025 General Obligation (GO) Bond issue and plans for the future of Lakeview Middle School.
Lakeview Middle School was originally built in 1962 as a high school and was converted into a middle school in the early 1990s. Over the past three years, WCS has carefully studied the facility’s infrastructure needs and evaluated possible options for the future.
Current options include:
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Building a new Lakeview Middle School at a different location
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Renovating the existing Lakeview building on its current campus
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Consolidating the middle schools at either the Edgewood or Lakeview site
In addition to addressing building needs, the district is also reviewing academic and programmatic goals, as well as long-term staffing efficiency. These considerations are essential in identifying the most effective and sustainable plan for students, staff, and the community.
As part of the review process, WCS leaders have conducted site visits to several other districts with recent facility projects, including Plainfield Middle School, LaPorte Middle School, Goshen Intermediate School, and Plymouth Middle School.
Additional factors being considered include declining birth rates in Kosciusko County, steady enrollment projections, and the potential for future growth due to local economic development.
The bond process is the first step in addressing general project needs and energy-saving improvements. Planned uses of the bond funds include roofing and HVAC upgrades, site improvements, deferred maintenance, and the purchase of technology, vehicles, and equipment.
Matt Schumaker of Stifel presented details of the bond structure and financing. He confirmed that this GO Bond issue will have no tax impact on local residents.
As part of the meeting, the board held both the legally required Project Hearing and the Second Preliminary Determination Hearing to move forward with planning related to the 2025 GO Bonds. The projected timeline for the project is 2026.