The Whitley County Consolidated Schools Board of Trustees met on August 17, 2026, to review the strong start of the new school year and address several administrative and financial items.
School leaders shared celebrations from across the district, including an update from Lori Heuer, WCCS CTE Director, that CTE programs have 137 students currently participating in work-based learning experiences. Of those students, 96 are participating in independently arranged experiences and 41 are completing work-based learning embedded within coursework. District CTE programming now includes 97 courses representing 13 of Indiana’s 14 career clusters.
Wes Mullett, Indian Springs Middle School Principal, also presented the newly implemented Multi-Tiered Support Systems (MTSS) process at Indian Springs Middle School. Through a daily 30-minute “Flight Time,” students receive targeted academic intervention in mathematics or English language arts based on identified needs. The process incorporates regular progress monitoring, teacher collaboration, and flexible student groupings, while preserving students’ regular core and related arts courses.
The Board unanimously authorized the district to begin the project financing process and proceed with the required public hearing timeline for planned facility improvements. The action does not authorize the issuance of bonds; rather, it allows the administration and the district’s financial and bond counsel to continue the process, with additional Board action required later. The preliminary financing timeline anticipates purchase agreements in early November and a potential bond sale before the end of 2026. The proposed financing is part of WCCS’s long-term strategy for maintaining and improving its school facilities while responsibly managing existing debt. The district anticipates that the plan will allow WCCS to continue addressing facility needs while reducing the district’s tax levy and tax rate for the upcoming budget year, continuing a strategy of maintaining school facilities without increasing the burden on local taxpayers. Board members specifically recognized the district’s ability to continue investing in its facilities while lowering the tax rate.
The Board also unanimously approved a naming-rights memorandum with Steel Dynamics’ Structural and Rail Division (SDI) in recognition of a $500,000 commitment to the new CTE building. The donation may be used for equipment, upgrades, furniture, and other needs supporting the building and the CTE programs housed there. The naming agreement covers a five-year renewable term, with SDI receiving the first right of refusal for renewal. Representatives emphasized SDI’s longstanding commitment to Whitley County and described the contribution as an investment in local students, education, and the future workforce.
Additional action items included edits to the transportation handbook and a change to the Transportation and Student Services and Safety Director rate.
The meeting concluded with interviews of Katherine Richards and Madeline Grable for an open Peabody Public Library Board position and an update celebrating continued improvement in IREAD-3 achievement.
WCCS third-grade proficiency increased from 86% in 2023 to 88% in 2024, 92.4% in 2025, and 93.7% in 2026, leaving the district only a few students short of Indiana’s 95% benchmark. For the second consecutive year, 100% of third-grade students not identified for special education passed IREAD-3, while the number of special education students not passing has fallen from nearly 50 in 2023 to 16 this year.
The 93.7% district-wide pass rate is the highest in WCCS history, including pre-COVID results. District leaders credited the sustained work of elementary teachers, literacy coaches, and the district’s implementation of Science of Reading practices, with literacy coaching now expanding beyond the foundational K-2 grades into grades 3-5. Individual schools also demonstrated significant success, including Mary Raber Elementary, which improved from approximately 73% to 97.3% over four years, and Northern Heights Elementary, which has exceeded the state’s 95% benchmark for three consecutive years.