By HOLLY GASKILL
Southern Wells plans to accomplish multiple school improvement projects — including adding air conditioning to the Raider Dome — by issuing a $3 million bond.
The board of trustees for Southern Wells Community Schools approved issuing the bond, as well as several associated project resolutions, during their regular meeting Tuesday evening. According to Superintendent Trent Lehman, the bond will have a $0.06 impact on the district’s current debt service rate, $0.1244. However, with increased assessed value within the district, the total impact will be $0.02.
Lehman said repairing the high school’s roof will be the district’s priority, as leaks have increased. They also hope to add air conditioning to the Raider Dome and administrative offices, replace ceiling tiles on the Raider Dome, renovate the locker rooms, make sewage improvements, roof replacement of the agriculture building, replace loading dock doors, buy a mower, and potentially other items. No one gave public comment on the project or bond resolutions.
“We plan to pursue the construction replacement and our upgrade to these items as soon as possible after securing funding, and are seeking completion of all items in under two years,” Lehman said.
A new auxiliary gym was not included in the bond resolution, as had been originally discussed. Lehman said the district felt it was better to prioritize taking care of their current facilities rather than expanding. However, SWCS may still pursue the project in the future.
In the last month, all three Wells County districts have issued similar bonds for facility improvements — Bluffton-Harrison Metropolitan Schools approved a $1.1 million bond on Monday and Norwell Community Schools approved a $3.3 million bond in August.
Also Tuesday, Lehman told the board that SWCS families had surveyed overwhelmingly in favor of starting later in the 2025-26 calendar year, beginning school on Aug. 13 and ending May 28. Board member Delora Schneider asked if it correlated with other Wells County districts; Lehman said the superintendents had spoken about it. On Monday, BHMSD approved the same start and end dates.
The board did not approve the calendar on Tuesday to allow time for public feedback.
Elementary Principal Kristen Wall and Jr.-Sr. High School Principal Kim Conner also discussed their school improvement plans, which will be submitted to the Indiana Department of Education in early October. The schools largely track with or above state averages in student data; the principals want to continue to target growth, particularly in maintaining school attendance.
Schneider thanked the principals for how they spoke about the students’ growth, saying, “Thank you for supporting them as they are, not as we want them to be, because that’s what in the long run makes them successful.”
Lehman further noted how encouraging it has been to see the legacy the teachers leave with their students. “I’ve always heard that more is caught than taught, and living in the community, seeing teachers, staff, parents — people that have created a legacy here of the way to do life is such a big deal,” he said.
In a Spotlight on Raider Success, the Related Arts spoke about their programs and upcoming events, allowing the board to participate in a bucket drumming exercise to “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor. The district will offer a robotics club soon, in addition to its extremely popular clubs for archery, walking and others.
Also during the meeting, the board:
• Recognized the retirement of bus driver Christina Furnish, who has worked for the district for 29 years.
• Approved employment recommendations for Mark Gates and Michael Haigh to split the athletic event sponsor position, Greg Penrod to coach eighth grade girls’ basketball, Mike Carter and Caleb Sleppy to split elementary boys’ intermural basketball and Brett Vickery as a baseball assistant coach.
• Accepted a donation from Poneto Baptist Church for elementary library lost/damaged book fines.
• Approved the following fundraiser requests: jeans for teachers, girls’ basketball to sell a variety of food items at events during the fall season when other groups are not selling and host an annual pork chop dinner on Dec. 6, Business Professionals of America to sell suckers, Sunshine Society to sell caramel brownies and Southern Wells Jr./Sr. High School to sell Wick’s Pies and Nothing Bundt Cakes.
The board’s next meeting is 5:30 p.m. Oct. 15.
holly@news-banner.com
