Elkhart Community Schools

The school board voted Tuesday to freeze pay rates for many support staff members and make official the closure of four school buildings.

WVPE's Kent Fulmer talks with Michele Riise, superintendent of Elkhart Community Schools.

The Elkhart School Board will consider an agreement Tuesday to transfer the former Osolo Elementary School to Premier Arts Academy for a dollar.

Elkhart County Prosecutor Vicki Becker says Elkhart Community Schools officials waited too long to report the incident and failed to properly test a bus driver suspected of driving while impaired by alcohol in January.

Elkhart Community Schools hasn't announced when their board will vote on whether to transfer Osolo Elementary to Premiere Arts Academy for a charter school, but Premiere has told their parents the vote will happen July 14, and they're urging them to attend in full force.

Elkhart High School government teacher Linda Fine says letting Premiere Arts Academy use the newly closed Osolo Elementary property would let Elkhart Community Schools retain some of the new charter school's per-pupil state funding. But the district could still have to pay to maintain the building and would have no say over how the school is run.

Under a new law taking effect July 1, schools must either prohibit students from bringing wireless communication devices to school – or require them to be stored and inaccessible throughout the school day, with few exceptions.

“Unfortunately, to right the ship, to have a cost reduction, the option really is in wages and benefits,” said April Fitterling with Policy Analytics.

Elkhart Community Schools Supt. Michele Wiise says staff had already started moving things out of Mary Beck Elementary but reversed course this week after the school board decided to send Monger students to Mary Beck this fall because of water damage at Monger.

The former Hawthorne Elementary building, the Elkhart Community Schools' oldest elementary building, built in 1929, is one of five closing this year because of declining enrollment.