After 19 years as P-H-M’s Director of Safety and Security and helping our district become recognized as among the safest in the nation, Mike Seger has retired. Click to see the photo gallery below.

The ESC staff, staff across the district, along with P-H-M vendors Gibson and Honeywell, all gathered Thursday afternoon (July 21, 2022) to wish Seger well and help him usher in his retirement. Thank you to Honeywell for sponsoring the retirement reception.

Not to worry the safety and security of P-H-M schools is great hands and protected. 30-year police veteran and new Safety and Security Director Tommy Teeter has been cross training with Seger for two months. Click to read more about Director Teeter’s law enforcement expertise, along with new Lead Safety Agent Antwon Jones. Mr. Jones joined P-H-M this month as a 22-year veteran police officer and SRO from South Bend Police Department. Jones also worked as South Bend John Adam’s High School Head Varsity Football and Unified Track Coach. 

After some much deserved rest and relaxation, Mr. Seger will be available to P-H-M’s Safety Team for ongoing consulting as needed.

WHAT:          Summer Learning Conference
WHEN:         August 2, 2022 from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
WHERE:       Penn High School
                    56100 Bittersweet Rd.

Technovation is part of the conference series “Summer of Learning” hosted by the Indiana Department of Education. Click for more details about the series. This event is open to ANY EDUCATIONAL STAFF MEMBER IN INDIANA.

THINGS TO KNOW:

• Click here to register. This event is FREE to P-H-M teachers. Please contact Technology at (574) 254-2829 for details.
• Lunch will be Italian style dishes provided by Automated Data Systems and catered by SweetLou’s in Westville, IN
• Snacks and beverages provided by our partners at Luma Audio & Visual
• Technovation is part of the conference series “Summer of Learning” hosted by the Indiana Dept. of Education. Click for more details about the series. 
• PGP points will be provided for each session attended.
• Click to see the full list of sessions available

• Click for more details about the conference and the full list of speakers on the P-H-M Technovation 2022 website

• Find us on Twitter: @phmtech or hashtag #Technovate

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Technovation 2022 is proud to announce that Carl Hooker will be our keynote speaker this year. Mr. Hooker has been a part of a strong educational shift with technology integration since becoming an educator.  From his start as a teacher to his role as a district technology leader, he’s always had one common belief – that kids need to drive their own learning. Carl has been an educator for the past 21 years. He has held a variety of positions in multiple districts from 1st grade teacher to Virtualization Coordinator. Mr. Hooker has published a 6 part book series titled “Mobile Learning Mindset” and has recently published a new book “Ready, Set Fail!” Aside from his speaking and consulting work, Carl also works as an influencer and advisor for multiple Ed Tech start-up companies. He’s also a national advisor for the Future Ready Schools Initiative. He blogs regularly at HookEDonInnovation.com and has written guest blogs for the Huffington Post and Edutopia.

Thank you to our Sponsors:

Interested in being a Substitute Teacher, or Substitute Teacher’s Aide, Substitute Exceptional Education Aide or a Substitute Office Aide for P-H-M?

Sub Teachers pay $100 day, Sub Aides and Sub Office Aides $14 an hour, & Sub EAs $85 a day. Check out the job descriptions at https://bit.ly/PHMWork.

Come out Wednesday, July 27, 2022, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.,  Schmucker Middle School, Door B.

Housekeepers and Custodians make great contributions to providing safe and nurturing learning environments for our students. When students feel emotionally, psychologically and physically safe, their academic performance is greatly enhanced. They love their students and the students love them. One of our beloved custodians, Mr. Scott Nate at Bittersweet Elementary School, was featured on WNDU-TV. Click here to watch the story.

Click to apply and join the P-H-M today!

Full-time housekeepers and custodians enjoy these benefits:

• Comprehensive Major Medical
• $30,000 Life Insurance
• Long Term Disability Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Opportunity to enroll in Section 125 plan
• P-H-M currently funds 14.2% of Public Employees Retirement Fund. Click here for an explanation of Indiana State Employee Pension Benefits
• 12 paid Sick days annually and accumulate without cap
•  3 paid Personal Business days annually
• 11.5 paid Holidays
• Vacation – 2 weeks after 1 year; 3 weeks after 7 years; 4 weeks after 15 years
• Longevity Bonuses
• Perfect Attendance Bonuses
• Shift differential pay for 2nd & 3rd shift
• Annual Clothing Allowance
• Opportunities for Advancement

Click to apply and join the P-H-M Family today!

Penn-Harris-Madison made it a priority for the 2021-2022 school year for all students to be 100% in-person for the entire school year. In-person learning is the best learning environment for students. As such, P-H-M’s Return to In-Person Instruction plan follows the directive of Indiana Department of Health and the requirements and control measures outlined in the communicable disease laws. And under IDOH guidelines, students and staff do not have to quarantine, if identified as close contacts, as long as universal masking is in place in the classroom or if individuals are spaced at least 6 ft. a part.

In December 2021, the CDC and IDOH revised their guidelines again. For school districts, such as P-H-M, that have a mask requirement, the IDOH updated quarantine guidelines allow for students and staff identified as close contacts in the classroom setting do not have to quarantine, as long as they continue to be asymptomatic and continue to wear a mask properly at all times; getting a test on Day 5 is recommended.

Universal masking has greatly reduced the number of P-H-M students and staff identified as close contacts, reducing the number of people having to quarantine, thus missing school and work.

Below is a weekly breakdown of close contacts districtwide versus the number who had to quarantine (these include both students and staff in the total). We are sharing the statistics beginning November 2021. 

Please note that the numbers below are reflective of the date that the district received the data and made a record of it. This data is calculated weekly at the end of the day on Fridays (except for holidays and district recess breaks) and is shared on this webpage no later than Monday of the following week. In some cases, contact tracing and identification of close contacts continues after Friday’s calculation; however, this table will only reflect the data as of Friday of that week.

Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees Mrs. Jaye Galloway, representing Penn Township Seat #1, and Mr. Jamie Woods, representing Penn Township Seat #2, have both notified the St. Joseph County Office Clerk of the Circuit Court, P-H-M Board of School Trustees President Mr. Christopher Riley, and Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker of their resignations from the P-H-M Board of School Trustees effective Friday, November 5th, 2021. 

Mr. Jamie Woods has been appointed by Governor Eric Holcomb to the St. Joseph County Superior Court and Mrs. Jaye Galloway will now devote all of  her time as the Director of Media Operations at the University of Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish Media.

Mr. Woods has served on the P-H-M Board for 17 years and Mrs. Galloway for 13. Mr. Woods was elected to the Board in November 2004. He served as Board President for two terms during 2011 and 2012. The Board appointed Mrs. Galloway in March 2009 when Mr. Jim Burger resigned. Mrs. Galloway ran for reelection in 2010 for the 2011-2014 term and was reelected for two more terms. Mrs. Galloway served as Vice President for 2012 and 2014; in between, she served as President for a one year term in 2013. We thank Mr. Woods and Mrs. Galloway for their years of service and dedication to P-H-M. 

Per Indiana Code 20-23-4-30, school board members terms last four years. Mr. Woods term was set to expire at the end of 2024 and Mrs. Galloway’s term was set to expire at the end of 2022. Both were representing Penn Township.

Per Indiana Code 20-23-4-30, the remaining school board members must appoint an individual, in this case two, to fill the board vacancies within 30 days by a majority vote. The appointees must live within the boundaries of the school corporation and Penn Township and shall serve the balance of the term of the seat being vacated. The individuals appointed must possess the qualifications provided for a regularly elected or appointed governing body member filling the office. 

P-H-M bylaws po0142 lists the qualifications for P-H-M School Trustee appointees are the following:

• The appointees must be a resident of Penn Township and must also reside within P-H-M boundaries for at least two (2) years immediately preceding the date the appointment;
• must be at least 21 years of age per Indiana Code 20-26-4-9;
• and must also be registered voters.

Residency of Penn Township and the Corporation can be verified by clicking here to view the St. Joseph County township boundaries map. Applicants can check their voter registration status online at https://indianavoters.in.gov/ and print the page that shows their registration status.

Indiana Code 20-23-4-30 does not dictate the process by which the School Board fills vacancies, just that the vacated seats be filled within 30 days. It is at the Board’s discretion to choose the process by which they fill the vacant seats.

The timeline and the process is as follows:

• Monday, Nov. 8, 2021 at the conclusion of the Board Meeting this information was posted to P-H-M’s website outlining the process to be considered a Board appointee to one of the two Penn Township vacated seats:
  • Interested appointee applicants must provide the following:
    • ​A letter of interest addressed to the P-H-M Board of School Trustees and Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker
      • Full home address, personal phone number, and email address must be provided as part of the letter.
    • ​Recent resume
    • Copy of proof of age (copy of Passport, Indiana issued ID or Driver’s License)
    • Copy of proof of voter registration in St. Joseph County (applicants can check their voter registration status online at  https://indianavoters.in.gov/https://indianavoters.in.gov/ and print the page that shows their registration status)
    • Copies of two proofs of Penn Township residency for at least two years prior (proofs of residency must be tied to the home location, such as property tax statement, dated mortgage closing documents, apartment lease, current utility bill). Click this link to view the St. Joseph County township boundaries map to help determine Penn Township and Corporation residency eligibility. 
    • Other supporting documents, such as reference letters, are optional
    • When applicants submit their application materials, they will be provided with an Applicant Information Packet. It can also be accessed by clicking here.

*Please note a preliminary background check will be conducted on all applicants followed by a more comprehensive one once the finalists are chosen.

• Wednesday, November 17
  • ​4:30 p.m. – Deadline to have all materials listed above submitted to the Educational Services Center (55900 Bittersweet Road, Mishawaka, IN  46545) either in hard copy form or emailed to Administrative Assistant to the Board Rachelle Bradbury at RBradbury@phm.k12.in.us.
    • All eligible appointee applicants should note that letters of interest and resumes will be placed on P-H-M website’s after the submission deadline. Letters of recommendation and items that disclose personal information (such as voter registration, driver’s license, proof of residency) will not be posted or disclosed.
  • 6:00 p.m. – The Board of School Trustees meet in an Executive Session to review and discuss the applicant pool and make the final selection of at least three appointee candidates.
• Thursday, November 18
  • 9:00 a.m. – Letters of intent and resumes of all applicants will be placed on P-H-M’s website.
• Thursday, November 18 – Finalists are contacted (via phone and/or email) to schedule an interview date/time.
• Monday, November 29, 6:00 p.m. – The Board of School Trustees holds a Special Board Meeting in the public to interview the final appointee candidates. 
• Tuesday, November 30, 6:00 p.m. – The Board of School Trustees holds a Special Board Meeting in the public to interview the final appointee candidates. 
• Wednesday, December 1, 8:00 a.m. – The Board of School Trustees holds a Special Board Meeting in the public to vote to fill the two vacant Penn Township Board positions.  
• Monday, December 13, 7:00 p.m. – The Board of School Trustees holds the regularly scheduled Board Meeting. The administration of the Oath of Office of the newest P-H-M School Trustees will take place at the beginning of this meeting. 

All meetings will take place at the Educational Services Center (55900 Bittersweet Road, Mishawaka). While the meetings are being conducted in the public and the public is welcome to attend and observe, public comment will not be part of the Special Board Meeting format.

Per Indiana Code 20-23-4-30, school board members terms last four years. Mr. Woods term was set to expire at the end of 2024 and Mrs. Galloway’s term was set to expire at the end of 2022. Both were representing Penn Township. The newly appointed trustees will complete these terms through December of the respective years. The appointees may choose to run for election for the ensuing four-year term with elections taking place in November 2022 for Seat 1 and November 2024 for Seat 2.

The P-H-M Board of School Trustees is a governing body of Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation. School Trustees are elected by members of Penn, Harris and Madison Townships unless otherwise appointed as outlined by Indiana Code. School Boards conduct the business operations of the school district in view of the public. 

We know there will be public interest in this process. We ask that all members of the public familiarize themselves with Indiana Code 20-23-4-30. In the case of Board vacancies when a board member leaves prior to the expiration of their term, there is not a public election process. The Board chooses and names the appointees to fill these vacancies. Indiana Code charges the Board to be thorough in their process, act swiftly, and to conduct the interview process in a format that the public can view. 

If you have any questions on Indiana Code or how this process works, please visit the Indiana General Assembly website or the website for Indiana’s Public Access Counselor.

Tonight (Monday, October 18) 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 the Penn-Harris-Madison Teachers’ Association (the PHMTA) and the Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation took place in late September of 2021. A tentative agreement was reached on Thursday, September 30 and the PHMTA membership ratified the Agreement by an overwhelming margin on Monday, October 11. 

Under this agreement (effective retroactive to July 1, 2021 and running through June 30, 2022), P-H-M teachers’ starting salary will move from $41,000 to a very competitive $42,000. State law requires a minimum of $40,000. The new salary range for P-H-M teachers will now be from $42,000 to $72,348.

The agreement covers a one-year period from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022. 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:

All Teachers will receive salary increases ranging from $1000 to $2,500, with an average increase of $1,650. Additionally, teachers with more than one year of experience will receive a one-time stipend ranging from $500 to $1,700. Teachers with five or more years of experience, who comprise approximately 77% of our teaching staff, will receive a total of $3,000 between an increase in salary and the one-time stipend.

There will also be a 2% increase in amounts paid to all Athletic and Extracurricular positions.

We are confident that this agreement will continue to support our talent acquisition and retention needs, and that our total compensation package remains a premier offering in our area.

About

The Arthur M. Klinger Planetarium, named after long time P-H-M educator and administrator Mr. Art Klinger, is an outstanding educational resource to P-H-M schools and the greater St. Joseph County community, supporting learning across the curriculum and at all grade levels.

Open during the P-H-M School year. It provides “digital” lessons projected in the state-of-the-art dome to P-H-M students and teachers, as well as hundreds of students and educators from neighboring districts who also visit for scheduled field trips. 

Additionally, the facility hosts nearly 50 informative and entertaining public shows each year, with topics ranging from Astronomy to Rock & Roll.  These shows are offered at a nominal cost and are also open to members of the general public. 

The Arthur M. Klinger Planetarium also includes an air and space museum that contains artifacts donated by astronauts and some which are on loan from the Johnson Space Center and the Smithsonian. Some artifacts have actually traveled to space and been on or come from the Moon! So plan on arriving for your show a bit early to take time to look around.

P-H-M Teachers visit the Arthur M. Klinger Planetarium website for more details on:

• The list of shows available or recommended for classroom visits
• How P-H-M teachers should schedule their classroom visits
• Frequently asked questions about visiting thePlanetarium
• Links to recommended astronomy and “sky events” websites

For the second year in a row due to the pandemic, P-H-M staff were not able to gather together in person to honor and celebrate retirees, Classified Employee of the Year, Teachers of the Year, and the dedicated employees for their years of dedicated service. But everyone deserves to be honored.

Therefore the Employee Recognition Dinner Committee Members worked with the Communications Department to create a video recognizing this year's class of  Service Award Winners & Retirees. Before he retired Human Resources Director Mike Lureman and P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker recorded the video. P-H-M also thanks Teachers Credit Union, who sponsors the annual dinner, for covering the cost of the Teacher of the Year and Employee of the Year plaques among other costs.

Please click to watch the video of the 30^th annual celebration of honoring our employees who’ve achieved these important milestones. And if you see a co-worker celebrating their retirement or their 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, or 40 years of service with the School Corporation, please congratulate them.

With the announcement that Tuesday, March 30, 2021 will be an eLearning day, the meal plan for March 30th is as follows:

Elementary:

• Every elementary student in school on Monday, March 29th will receive a meal for Tuesday, March 30th as they leave. 
• Breakfast AND lunch will be included for students who attend Bittersweet, Elm Road, Elsie Rogers, Horizon, Mary Frank, Meadow’s Edge, Walt Disney, Moran & Madison.
• Lunch only will be provided for students who attend Northpoint & Prairie Vista
• Elementary School Menu

Middle:

• When students leave school on Friday, March 26th, they will receive 2 days worth of meals. Those meals will cover Monday, March 29th and Tuesday March 30th.
• Students at Grissom and Schmucker will receive pre-packaged breakfast and lunch.
• Students at Discovery will receive pre-packaged lunches.
• Middle School Menu

High School

• When students leave school on Friday, March 26th, they will receive 2 days worth of meals. Those meals will cover Monday, March 29th and Tuesday March 30th.

• High School Menu

Meals for 100% Virtual Learners:

• Pick up meals at Door K at Penn High School
• Day & Time: Monday, March 29, 1-3 p.m.
• Students will receive a refrigerated box and a frozen bag with four (4) breakfasts and four (4) lunches since Friday, April 2nd is a recess day.

Additional Information

• Students do not need to be present for the parent or guardian to pick up meals.
• Student ID’s WILL NOT be required.

*Meals will not be provided on Recess Days.

Menus for all schools and virtual learners can be found here.