“Security” magazine has ranked Penn-Harris-Madison #6 safest school corporation for 2020 among all K-12 school districts in the nation.  This is the second consecutive year with a ranking in the top 10!  Click the image below to read the article. Click on “5. Education/K-12” listing to see P-H-M’s ranking.

Our congratulations to Director of Safety, Security & Student Services Mike Seger, all P-H-M Security staff, all P-H-M staff, students and patrons for contributing in the culture of safety within Penn-Harris-Madison Schools.

Tonight (Monday, November 9) Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation’s Board of School Trustees overwhelmingly approved the contract with the district’s teachers. Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker and P-H-M Administration presented the tentative agreement between the P-H-M Teachers Association (PHMTA) and the Corporation at tonight’s meeting.

Negotiations between PHMTA and district administration took place in September and October, and a tentative agreement was on Wednesday, October 7 and the PHMTA membership ratified the agreement by an overwhelming margin on Wednesday, October 21.

Under this agreement (effective retroactive to July 1, 2020 and running through June 30, 2021), P-H-M teachers’ starting salary will remain at a very competitive $41,000. The new salary range for P-H-M teachers will range from $41,000 to $71,048.

The agreement covers a one-year period from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. All teachers who have completed one or more years of experience will receive varying combinations of base salary increase and a one-time stipend shown in the following chart:

Teachers with more than one year of experience will receive salary increases ranging from $500 to $1,550, with an average increase of $1,140.  Additionally, all teachers, including those in their 1st year, will receive a one-time stipend ranging from $500 to $1,450.  Teachers with five or more years of experience, who comprise approximately 80% of our teaching staff, will receive a total of $2,350 between an increase in salary and the one-time stipend.

The P-H-M Board of School Trustees wanted to pay the one-time stipends out of the district’s Rainy Day Fund as a way to express the Board’s appreciation to the exemplar efforts of our teaching staff during these challenging times coping with COVID-19.

This agreement will continue to support P-H-M’s talent acquisition and retentions needs, and keeps the total compensation package as one of the premier offerings in our area.

There will also be a 3% increase in stipend amounts paid to all teachers who also hold Extracurricular and Co curricular coaching/sponsorship responsibilities.

In addition, the agreement includes changes to the Corporation’s health insurance plan. Employee contributions will also increase by a modest 3% starting in January of 2021.

Board Approves Hourly Rate for Substitute Teachers

Also at tonight’s Meeting, the Board of School Trustees approved an increase in the hourly rate paid to substitute teachers by $20 per day as shown below in order to retain and to attract more substitutes:

These changes will be made effective November 9th to coincide with the beginning of a payroll period. 

On Monday, September 14, we welcomed back our youngest students, PreK – 3rd graders who opted to return to school. We could see the smiles under their masks, and we hope they could see ours! We visited four of our 11 elementary schools–Bittersweet Elementary School, Walt Disney Elementary School, Northpoint & Prairie Vista–to get a socially distanced look at students' 2^nd First Day of School. Click to watch the video below …

On Tuesday, September 15, we visited dropped by Moran Elementary School to see how the PreK – 3^rd graders whose parents choose to stay virtual to see how they are interacting with their teachers. Click to watch the video below …

Monday, August 31 the P-H-M Board of School Trustees unanimously approved a “Return to Learn” plan to bring students back to the classroom in phases, for those families who want to return to in-person learning:

• Mon., Sept. 14, In-Person Learning for Elementary grades, PreK – grade 3
• Mon., Sept. 21, In-Person Learning for Elementary grades 4 & 5 
• Mon., Sept. 21, Hybrid model, a blend of In-Person and Virtual, for Middle and High School students (grades 6-12) 
• Parents at every grade level also have the option to keep their student(s) 100% Virtual.

Parents at every grade level expressed to have the Virtual option expanded. On Wednesday, September 9, principals sent parents more details and a breakdown of a student’s day who chose to stay 100% Virtual. Click below to see examples of each level:

• Elementary Virtual Day
• Middle School Virtual Day
• Penn High School Virtual Day

Parents are now being asked to submit their “Intent to Return” questionnaires to their student(s)’ principals by Friday, September 11.

If parents have students at more than one P-H-M school, they will need to complete a form for each student at each school. Parents should reference the emails sent by their students’ principals on Wednesday, Sept. 9 or check their schools’ websites. If parents have questions, they should contact their student’s school directly.

Other important “Return to Learn” information shared with parents:

• Transportation needs & a link to infoFinder to look up your child’s bus stop information if they will be riding the bus

• Before/after school childcare – Kids Club Registration

• "Return to Learn" District Overview for Parents

• Videos highlighting P-H-M’s COVID safety procedures and protocols:

  • Transportation cleaning & safety protocols

  • Cafeteria COVID safety precautions

  • Custodial COVID cleaning protocols 

Mr. Derrick White was named P-H-M’s new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at the August 10 Board Meeting.

Mr. White had been serving as Assistant Principal at Penn High School since the 2017-18 school year. Mr. White began his teaching career as a Special Education Teacher at Navarre Middle School in 1997. Before transferring to Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation, he had been an Assistant Principal at Riley High School. Mr. White received his Master of Arts in Secondary Education from Ball State University and completed his K-12 Administration Certification from Indiana University – South Bend. Mr. White participated in the Indiana Principals Leadership Academy in 2007 and was awarded the Martin Luther King Center Youth Mentor Award in 1995.

In his new role of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Mr. White will help promote and sustain a culture, consistent with the School Corporation’s mission to create a positive, healthy learning environment that embraces and celebrates diversity, equity, equality & inclusion of all students and staff. Mr. White will assist in the identification of practices & procedures that perpetuate any achievement gaps or discipline practices in minority students. He will partner with the Learning Division to ensure that the Corporation’s curriculum reflects the diversity of our student population, including the introduction of more diverse literature at all levels while also evaluating and identifying ways to increase the recognition and celebration of diversity in all forms in our classrooms and schools. Mr. White will also collaborate with Talent Acquisition and Development to provide ongoing professional development to ensure the cultural proficiency of staff, promotes diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism. Working with Human Resources, he will work to help attract and retain a culturally diverse teaching staff. 

Thursday, August 13, 2020 was a big day for the P-H-M New Teacher Class of 2020!

Penn-Harris-Madison welcomed 36 new certified employees at Orientation yesterday for the 2020-21 school year. This will be a unique school year in many ways, so our new hires spent yesterday getting up to speed on all the health and safety protocols that we are implementing.

It is going to be a different year but we are so glad to have these new faces to help us maintain our standard of #PHMExcellence!

Check out the photo galleries below of our new teachers, broken down by building and group, so that you can help welcome these new faces into the P-H-M Family!

The communication below was emailed to staff and parents today:

August 4, 2020

Dear P-H-M Families:

Thank you for your suggestions, concerns, and support offered after my July 30, 2020 communication regarding all students starting school in virtual learning. As you may remember, the St. Joseph County Department of Health medical professionals recommend a virtual start for all county school districts. Your correspondence and communication led to an amended recommendation. Please accept my deepest gratitude for your commitment to the students of the Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation.  

Last night, the Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees held a special meeting to discuss and vote on students returning in the fall. The Board approved a plan to begin the school year virtually for the first four weeks of the 2020-2021 school year. P-H-M students will attend school virtually from August 19-September 11. (Please click here to view a recording of the August 3, 2020 meeting and click here for the Virtual Learning Presentation.)

While we want our students to return to in-person instruction as soon as possible, safety is our highest priority for our students, faculty, and staff. We will assess the data daily and the metrics that are provided by the St. Joseph County Department of Health will guide a safe return to in-person learning. We will notify parents no less than 10 business days prior to advancing from virtual learning to in-person learning. Students who have selected the option of virtual learning only will continue in the virtual learning format.

Additional information regarding the virtual learning process, pickup of student materials, schedules, and other pertinent information will be shared by principals soon. Questions regarding the start of the year can be directed to your building principal or by emailing returntolearn@phm.k12.in.us

Thank you for your continued support and partnership!

Stay healthy and safe,

Dr. Jerry Thacker

Superintendent of Schools

The communication below was emailed to staff and parents today:

July 30, 2020

Dear P-H-M Families, 

We have been communicating regularly with medical professionals at the St. Joseph County Department of Health (SJCDH) and receiving guidance regarding the status of coronavirus activity and community transmission in making decisions regarding the safest model for curriculum delivery. The current thresholds for consideration by SJCDH strongly recommend that St. Joseph County Schools open in a virtual learning environment.

They also provided guidance on extracurricular and co-curricular activities. Those programs are being monitored and are under review.

The administration will recommend to the P-H-M Board of School Trustees at a School Board meeting on August 3, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. that all students participate in a virtual learning environment from the first day of school, August 19 through October 22. During the established virtual learning period, we will continue to collaborate with the SJCDH regarding further discussions and recommendations.

Prior to October 22, and the decision to return students to in-person instruction, we will ask parents which option they will be choosing by providing a parent survey. Parents will not be bound by their previous choice.

When we return, we will continue to offer two options: in-person or virtual instruction. 

• On October 27 (or when the SJCDH deems it appropriate) students who are enrolled in the in-person program will return to school.

• On October 27 students who are enrolled in the virtual learning program will continue with virtual learning.

Established metrics, provided by the SJCDH, will determine when it is safe to return to in-person learning. Families will be given a two week notice of any changes to return to in-person learning.

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership. 

Please stay safe and healthy!

Dr. Jerry Thacker

Superintendent

The communication below was emailed to staff and parents today:

July 21, 2020

Good Afternoon.

At last evening’s Board of School Trustees meeting, we shared additional information on the district’s overview on safety, the learning environment, and procedures for our return to learn in the fall. 

Our focus is to provide you and your student(s) with an excellent education in a safe, supportive, and positive learning environment. In order to achieve at the highest levels, we must continue to work toward our goal, doing what is best for our students, staff, and families. Our Triangle of Success supports our vision of Excellence in Education, and you are an important part of our Triangle.

In today’s communication, I share with you several guiding documents:

• Return to Learn: Safety Protocols Presentation
• Updated Return to Learn: District Overview Document
• 7/20/20 Board Presentation (video)
• Individual School Return to Learn Plans

I hope that this information is helpful to you in making your decision on whether your student(s) will attend school in person or virtually. We are providing the link for the parent survey here and ask that you please complete it by July 27.

We will continue to collaborate with our parents, staff, and state and local health partners as we work to provide a safe and positive learning environment for our students. Thank you for your continued support.

Stay healthy and safe!

Dr. Jerry Thacker

Superintendent of Schools