Western Wayne receives 2 grants

Western Wayne School Corporation has been notified that it will receive two funding grants.

One, for $150,000, is a Healthy Meals Incentive Grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The second, $22,000, is from the Wayne County Foundation to support the local cost of Communities in Schools, which provides student assistance aides for local schools.

Superintendent Andy Stover reported on the grant funding during the school board’s Aug. 9 meeting.

He also told the board that no major changes are expected in the 2024 budget, capital projects fund and bus replacement fund.

The school board is expected to take public comments on the proposals during its Sept. 13 meeting and adopt it on Oct. 11. The proposals will be advertised on a state website, budgetnotices.in.gov.

The board also approved a calendar change, making April 8, 2024, an e-learning day rather than a regular school attendance day. That is the date of a solar eclipse. Wayne County is in the path of totality and tens of thousands of people are expected to be visiting the area for viewing.

The board affirmed the following personnel actions.

• Certified personnel employment: Matt Green, special education compliance officer; Nanette Merida, middle school counselor; Yvonne Swafford, special education coach/coordinator; Kelly DeVaughn, middle school special education teacher; Lauren Warner, high school English teacher; Amber Jones, middle school English teacher; Daria Sturgis, transfer to high school math.
• Noncertified personnel: Donna Melton, high school special education aide; Lori Newton, Nicole Kapp and Kayla McFarland, elementary instructional aides; Julie Baker, elementary school cafeteria; Kristi Lambert, middle/high school cafeteria; Kim Heigle, high school special education aide.
• Coaching: Morgan St. John, seventh grade volleyball coach; Wyatt St. John, eighth grade volleyball coach; Emily Webb, middle school cheer coach; Kaitlyn Ooten, middle school golf coach; Dylan Miller, middle school assistant track coach; Ross Ferguson and Tyler Klein, athletic supervisors.
• Resignations: Payton Swift, middle school English teacher; Meghan Scales, middle school RTI teacher; Daniel Addington, high school math teacher; Maranda Ladd, high school English teacher; Belinda Reece, high school instructional aide.

The board’s next regular meeting will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13, in Lincoln Middle/Senior High School room 80, 205 Parkway Drive. The public may attend.