SACS recently reduced $1,300,000 from its budget. Just as many of you have experienced shrinking revenues, so has our school district.  These reductions were painful, but necessary, due to shrinking state support. Further reductions will significantly affect educational programs.

The community will be voting on SACS $3,500,000 SCHOOL REFERENDUM RENEWAL on Tuesday, April 21. If the community chooses not to support the REFERENDUM RENEWAL, SACS will need to reduce up to 47 teachers. Class sizes will increase significantly and curricular offerings will be reduced.

With the budget cuts that have already been made, why does SACS need a SCHOOL REFERENDUM? Unequal school funding! What does unequal school funding look like? Look at the list of schools below:

                               2010 Inc.      $/child   
East Chicago    0.5%    $9,182
Wabash City    4.1%    $8,183
Timothy L. Johnson Academy    0.0%    $8,099
Hamilton Community     0.1%    $7,610
Prairie Heights Community     0.9%    $7,346
MSD Bluffton-Harrison     1.1%    $7,217
Manchester Community     4.5%    $6,982
West Noble     3.7%    $6,976
Fort Wayne Community     3.4%    $6,925
South Adams    5.1%    $6,852
Central Noble Community     2.0%    $6,827
DeKalb County Eastern    2.2%    $6,745
Smith-Green Community     1.1%    $6,679
Fremont Community     1.4%    $6,536
North Adams Community    0.6%    $6,483
Tippecanoe Valley    2.1%    $6,413
Whitley County Consolidated    -0.5%    $6,395
East Noble    2.6%    $6,367
Garrett-Keyser-Butler    4.4%    $6,356
Southern Wells Community     2.4%    $6,343
MSD Steuben County     4.2%    $6,320
Wawasee Community     1.4%    $6,307
Westview    0.5%    $6,281
Warsaw Community     4.0%    $6,272
Northern Wells Community     1.2%    $6,256
Whitko Community    0.4%    $6,240
Huntington County Community    0.7%    $6,160
East Allen County    2.2%    $6,143
MSD Wabash County    0.0%    $6,134
DeKalb County Central     1.6%    $6,088
Adams Central Community     0.2%    $5,983
Southwest Allen County    0.2%    $5,587
Northwest Allen County    1.5%    $5,562

Why is there such an inequity? Simply put, the average income of parents in our school district is higher than in most others. Therefore, our legislators reason that it does not cost as much to educate SACS students.

The truth is all students can benefit from small class sizes, having great teachers, and offering a broad and rigorous curriculum. The problem is we don’t receive adequate funding to support all these things…without community support (i.e. SCHOOL REFERENDUM). 

Is it fair? Probably not. Regardless, it’s an unfortunate reality that our community faces. A REFERENDUM is one of the few ways the community can maintain educational excellence in our schools.

As mentioned earlier, the REFERENDUM RENEWAL vote date is Tuesday, April 21. The polls will open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

For most, the polling location will be the same as where they voted in either the primary or general election. There will be two exceptions. First, the Preston Point Apartments poll will be closed. The new polling location for those voters will be at the Westview Alliance Church at 9804 Illinois Road (just East of the Scott road intersection).  Second, the Saint Elizabeth Church poll will also be closed. The new polling location for those voters will be at three new locations depending on the voter’s home address.

If your usual polling place is at Preston Pointe Apartments or Saint Elizabeth Church, you will receive a post card from the Allen County Election Board describing where your new voting location will be. You are always welcome to verify your voting location at the Indiana voter registration web site (www.indianavoters. com) or by calling 449-7154 (Allen County Election Board).

Where can you get more information about the SACS SCHOOL REFERENDUM RENEWAL initiative? The best source is the SACS website at www.sacs.k12.in.us. Click on the REFERENDUM RENEWAL banner.  Other alternatives for REFERENDUM RENEWAL information include talking to a SACS teacher, administrator, or calling the superintendent’s office at 431-2010.

This is truly your opportunity “to make a difference” for our children.

 

Dear Indiana business: 
 
I am writing to alert you of a continuing scam being perpetrated on Indiana businesses. Several businesses have reported receiving a deceptive letter that would appear to come from an official government source. The letter solicits an annual fee of $125 or $150 and claims it will be used for record keeping and processing of a company's annual minutes. It gives the appearance of coming from a legitimate government agency and cites fictitious state law. 
 
Specifically, copies of the letter that have been forwarded to my office appear to come from the "Indiana Corporate Compliance Business Division." They include a return by date to give the false impression that action is necessary on your part. 
 
This letter is NOT an official correspondence from my Business Services Division or any other Indiana state agency. Investigators from my office are working with federal law enforcement to determine who is responsible for these letters and ensure they are stopped. If you received one of these solicitations, ignore it!  If you have already responded to such a letters and believe you are a victim of this scam, please call the Business Services Division at (317) 232-6576. 
 
Please also remember you can securely comply with your legitimate business entity reporting requirements to the state securely online through the INBiz portal found on my Web page at www.sos.in.gov/business . As always, my office will provide you with a courtesy reminder when your report is due to be filed. Legitimate notices from my office include the state seal of Indiana and my name.  
 
Best Regards,

Todd Rokita
Indiana Secretary of State

Whether you’re watching network news, reading a hometown newspaper or visiting with a colleague at the proverbial water cooler, one topic trumps all others these days—THE ECONOMY. And more times than not, the tone skews toward the negative.

Here’s a positive twist to “the topic of the day.” It’s not going to save our automakers or reverse the direction of the NYSE. But it is a practical way for you and your family to enjoy an evening of entertainment at a price most families can afford, even in today’s coupon-clipping world.

This Friday or Saturday night, take your family to a boys’ or girls’ high school basketball game. Tickets at most Indiana high schools are only $5.00 each. Parking is free. And the hot, freshly popped popcorn costs about a dollar a bag.

So a family of four can enjoy an entertaining night out for less than $30.00, depending on the choices you make at the concession stand.

There are other positives, too. In most cases you’ll be able to sit in unreserved, floor level seats on a first-come, first-served basis. The kind of front row seats that usually sell for hundreds of dollars at most professional sports venues. There’s nothing as much fun or engaging as being close to the action, especially if you have children in your family.

You won’t have to wonder if you are attending a G, PG, or NC17-rated event. High school basketball in Indiana is pure, unadulterated, wholesome family entertainment.

And for most of us, the high school in our community is located just minutes from home. So it won’t take much time or cost much money to get there.

In reality, the modest sum of money your family spends to attend a high school sporting event is more of an investment than an expense. That’s because high school ticket revenue is used to pay for team uniforms, upgrade equipment and help support sports like cross country, swimming & diving, tennis and track & field; sports that do not typically generate enough revenue to be self-sustaining.

It’s also an investment in the young men and women who are learning that being a representative of their school means they also are representatives of their community. By supporting them now, we are affirming the importance of citizenship, sportsmanship and community service in years to come.

Most importantly, attending a high school sporting event is an investment in the children in your own family. They will see firsthand how attributes such as dedication, hard work, persistence and teamwork have their just reward. And their role models are likely to become the high school players they watch perform; young men and women who are physically fit and mentally prepared.

These are tough times for many of us living in Indiana. But as it’s been said, with adversity comes opportunity. And the opportunity to introduce your family to Indiana high school basketball (or any other high school sport) not only will be welcome from an entertainment standpoint, it also will prove to be a wise investment in your family, your high school and your community,

In short, buying a ticket to an Indiana high school basketball game is the best $5.00 you could possibly spend.

(Blake Ress is a former high school teacher, coach, referee, athletic director and principal. He currently is the commissioner of the Indiana High School Athletic Association.)