Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation was named among the Best Communities for Music Education (​BCME) in the country by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation for the 10^th year in a row!

Now in its 24th year, the 2023 Best Communities for Music Education program has recognized 830 school districts and 78 schools across the country for the outstanding efforts by teachers, administrators, parents, students, and community leaders and their support for music education as part of a well-rounded education for all children. This year the NAMM Foundation celebrated and recognized K-12 music teachers in school districts who found creative ways for the “show to carry on” despite schools moving online or to in-person settings where masks were required not only for student musicians and instruments.

In our elementary schools, music class is part of the regular curriculum following state standards. Students are instructed in both vocal and instrument classes. Beginning in 6th grade, P-H-M students at our three middle schools (Discovery, Schmucker and Grissom) have the opportunity to choose choir, orchestra or band as their music elective. Students at Discovery also have the option of choosing Piano Lab. Schools from elementary all the way up to Penn High School also perform musicals.

Penn High School offers the Fine Arts & Communication Academy as part of its unique academy structure. The seven academy design provides Penn students with relevant and meaningful coursework taught in smaller, supportive environments where each student is known well by his teacher and peers. Nearly a third of Penn’s total 3,500 students are enrolled in the Fine Arts Academy with the majority being involved with music programs, either Choir, Orchestra, Band or another music program.

To qualify for the Best Communities designation, P-H-M answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program, and community music-making programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas. Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music.

In a series of landmark studies by scientists and researchers at Northwestern University a link was found between students in community music programs and life-long academic success, including higher high school graduation rates and college attendance. In another study from the University, it was discovered that the benefits of early exposure to music education improves how the brain processes and assimilates sounds, a trait that lasts well into adulthood. Beyond the Northwestern research, other studies have indicated that music education lays the foundation for individual excellence in group settings, creative problem solving and flexibility in work situations, as well learning how to give and receive constructive criticism to excel.

Penn High School’s Markus Burton carved his name into the Indiana Boys Basketball history books, as the 6-foot-1 point guard was named the 2023 Indiana Mr. Basketball in a vote by the state’s coaches and media!

The honor was announced at the Indiana High School Sports Awards Show, presented by the Indiana Pacers, at Butler University’s Clowes Memorial Hall on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. Click here to see the photo gallery on Penn’s website from the Indiana High School Sports Awards Show taken by Indy Star (Wed., April, 19, 2023).

Burton, a Notre Dame signee, is the first Mr. Basketball from Penn High School. He is only the third Boys Basketball player from St. Joseph County to win the coveted Mr. Basketball Award! David Magley of South Bend LaSalle was named Mr. Basketball in 1978, and John Coalman of South Bend Central was named Mr. Basketball in 1957.

“I’m humbled to be the first Mr. Basketball from Penn High School, and only the third Mr. Basketball from St. Joseph County,” Burton said. “Winning Mr. Basketball means a lot to me, knowing it’s been a long time since someone from South Bend brought Mr. Basketball back home. It means a lot to me, and I hope it means a lot to the community.”

Click below to read and watch the media coverage.

• Indy Star, “Penn guard Markus Burton wins 2023 Indiana Mr. Basketball in a runaway” April 19, 2023
• Indy Star, “Indiana High School Sports Awards honored state's best of the best. See who won” April 21, 2023
• South Bend Tribune, “Indiana Mr. Basketball goes to Penn High School standout and Notre Dame commit Markus Burton” April 19, 2023
• South Bend Tribune, “Mr. Basketball an honor for Penn's Markus Burton, a win for South Bend-Mishawaka area” April 20, 2023
• South Bend Tribune, Photos: 2023 Indiana Mr. Basketball Markus Burton through the years at Penn High School
• ABC 57, “Penn student, Notre Dame commit named 2023 Mr. Basketball” April 20, 2023
• WNDU, “Penn’s Markus Burton named 2023 Indiana Mr. Basketball” April 19, 2023
• WSBT, “Penn's Markus Burton wins 2023 Indiana Mr. Basketball award” April 19, 2023

Penn posted a 28-2 record in 2022-2023. The Kingsmen reached the Final Four of the Class 4-A state tournament, claiming Regional and Sectional Championships along the way. Penn also won the Northern Indiana Conference Championship in the regular season.

Burton, who attended Meadow’s Edge Elementary and Grissom Middle School, expressed his gratitude to the many people he said have helped him on his basketball journey.

“I especially want to thank my Mom and Dad for all of their love and support,” Burton said. “Coach (Al) Rhodes for believing in me, even as a freshman. Thank you to the Penn Coaching Staff and all of my teammates. I also want to thank the Penn community for all of the love and support.”

Penn Boys Basketball Head Coach Al Rhodes, who announced his retirement earlier this week, said that Burton deserves the state’s top honor for a Boys Basketball player.

“Markus Burton is the best high school basketball player in Indiana!” Rhodes said. “It is so fitting that he has been chosen Mr. Basketball. No other player has put in the work that he has. Great things are ahead for Markus as he heads to Notre Dame.”

Rhodes owns the rare distinction of coaching three players who won the Mr. Basketball Award – Burton (2023), Kevin Ault of Warsaw (1996) and Jeff Grose of Warsaw (1985).

Burton owns the Penn career scoring record (2,273 points) and the single-season Penn record (909 points this season). He ranks No. 20 on the all-time Indiana high school boys basketball scoring list. Burton scored in double figures in 57 consecutive games in his career. He scored a career-high 47 points in an 85-51 victory against South Bend Washington on Feb. 10, 2023.

This season, Burton led the state with a scoring average of 30.3 points a game. The Kingsmen Senior ignited a high-flying attack as Penn led the state with an average of 77.9 points a game. Penn also led the state with a 30.0 point average margin of victory.

“I’m grateful to the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association and the Indianapolis Star for this incredible honor,” Burton said. “I want to thank everyone who voted for me. Props to the other candidates – I’m honored to be in their company. I know they worked hard and sacrificed and pursued their dreams.”

Burton won the award over a star-studded list of finalists that included Xavier Booker of Indianapolis Cathedral (Michigan State recruit), Myles Colvin of Heritage Christian (Purdue recruit), Zane Doughty of Indianapolis Ben Davis (Ball State recruit), Joey Hart of Linton-Stockton (Central Florida recruit) and Mason Jones of Valparaiso (Ball State recruit).

Named the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Most Complete Player, Burton led Penn this season in scoring (30.3 points a game), rebounding (5.7 rebounds a game), assists (5.1 assists a game), and steals (3.6 steals a game).

Burton also earned an IHSAA Sportsmanship Award in the 2022-2023 season, and he is a two-time winner of the Northern Indiana Conference Most Valuable Player Award.

Former Purdue standout and Indiana All-Star Brandon McKnight, who played his high school basketball at South Bend LaSalle and has mentored Burton, said that Burton stood above the state’s greatest players this season.

“Markus deserves Mr. Basketball because he has been the most consistent player in the state of Indiana,” McKnight said. “There is not another player who can impact the game with offense, defense, passing like him.”

In an interview with Kyle Neddenriep of the Indianapolis Star prior to the state finals, Head Coach John Peckinpaugh of state runner-up Kokomo said of Burton, “He’s the best guard I’ve seen in this state in a while. His ability to make tough shots is unreal and he does a great job of making teammates better.”

Burton, the first Penn Boys Basketball player named to the Indiana All-Star Team, will lead the 2023 Hoosier contingent in their two games against the Kentucky All-Stars. The Indiana All-Stars play Kentucky in Owensboro, Ky., on June 9. Indiana hosts the historic All-Star contest on June 10 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the home of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers. Penn’s Kristi Ulrich is the head coach of the Indiana Girls All-Star Team.

At the Monday, March 27, Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees meeting, the Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker and P-H-M Administration submitted several administration staffing changes for Board approval.

Dr. Thomas Keeley is the new Executive Business Manager replacing Jerry Hawkins who will be retiring effective June 30. Jerry joined P-H-M in 2017 from Goshen Community Schools. Jerry has been an asset to the district and his extensive experience spanning 33 years in education and finance will be missed. We wish Jerry the best in his upcoming retirement. Dr. Keeley has a total of 29 years of experience in public education. Dr. Keeley is currently serving as Director of Operations for Rush County Schools, before that he served 14 years as Assistant Superintendent of Beech Grove City Schools. Since 2011 he’s served as an Indiana State University Adjunct Professor/Lecturer on School Business Finance, School Facilities Planning, and the Politics and Role of the Public Superintendent. He is a member of IASBO and previously served as Chairman of INASPA. Dr. Keeley has a Doctorate of Philosophy Education Leadership and his Superintendent Licensure from Indiana State University. Dr. Keeley will begin working with Jerry to ensure a smooth transition. 

Walt Disney Principal Ryan Towner will transition into a new role in the district as the New Literacy Director on July 1. Ryan joined P-H-M as a fifth grade elementary teacher at Prairie Vista in Fall 2011. In his 12 years with the district, he’s also served as Assistant to the Principal at Walt Disney and Principal of Madison Elementary. He’s served as Walt Disney Principal since 2017. Ryan was named a Milken Award winner in 2021. He also presented on P-H-M’s Tiered Literacy practices at IASP and recently Indiana State Literacy Association virtual workshop series. He received both his undergraduate and Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from IUSB.

Replacing Ryan as Walt Disney principal is Dr. Melinda Higginson joining us from Elkhart Community Schools where she currently serves as Director of Elementary Curriculum and Instruction. In this role, Dr. Higginson has supervised the leadership and daily operations of 13 elementary schools. She has also served as Principal of Eastwood Elementary (Elkhart Community Schools), LaSalle Intermediate Academy and Tarkington Traditional School (South Bend Community School Corporation). Prior to going into administration, Dr. Higginson was a teacher for 13 years. She has also served as adjunct professor at IUSB and Andrews University. Dr. Higginson received her B.S. from DePaul University (Chicago), Master’s from IUSB, and Doctorate from Purdue University. 

Judith Dahlstrom has announced her retirement effective June 30th. Judith has worked as the Director of Transportation for P-H-M for nine years, but has a total of 54 years total experience in public school transportation. Judith has been recognized and has participated at the state and national levels as a leader in school transportation. She has mentored and developed our bus operators, office staff, mechanics, and assistant directors. Most importantly, she has positively impacted the lives of thousands of P-H-M students and families providing safe transportation to and from school.

Dr. Thacker and the Board of School Trustees welcome our newest members of the P-H-M family; we congratulate our current members on their new roles, and we thank our dedicated colleagues for their many years of service.

Due to inclement weather all activities for Friday 3/3/23 have been cancelled.

Friday, January 20, 2023 will go down in “Penn History Books.” It was a sell-out crowd at the Palace, all there to for two reasons:

1. to see the Kingsmen (No. 2 in 4A) beat rival, No. 1 (Class 3-A) ranked Marian; and
2. to see senior point guard Markus Burton beat Penn’s All-time Scoring Record.

The atmosphere was electrifying! Watch the video below of the starting line up.

The anticipation had been building for a few weeks as Markus was hitting bucket after bucket, averaging  29.7 points a game (the State leader according to MaxPreps). And Markus and his fellow Kingsmen teammates lived up to the hype!

Going into the game, the Notre Dame commit needed just 11 points to tie (12 to break) Noah Applegate’s All-time Scoring Record of 1,709 points set in 2019 (the previous scoring record of 1,413 points set in 1964 by Keith Berkey). The packed student section, a couple hundred students deep, were on the their feet from before the beginning of the game anxiously counting down each shot Markus made until he broke the record. The students erupted in cheers as Markus came closer and closer to breaking the record with each shot. 
 

Finally the big moment happened in the second quarter. Markus stole the ball, drove the court and swooped in for a lay-up for the record-setting basket giving him points 11 and 12 pushing him into the Penn Athletic record books as Penn’s All-time Scoring Leader. Click the image below to watch the video of the record-breaking shot.

After that, the Palace (at least Penn fans) took a collective sigh of relief—for at least that milestone portion of the game. The stakes were still high. Coach Rhodes, the senior Kingsmen players, heck all the players, students, parents, and Penn fans wanted to beat Marian, who have beaten Penn the last eight times. All of Kingsmen Nation wanted the win, and the Kingsmen didn’t disappoint.

The Kingsmen took command early and kept up the attack. Markus proved once again why he’s a top candidate for Indy Star’s Mr. Basketball! Markus eventually racked up a total of 32 points, five assists and four steals, finishing the January 20^th game with a  total of 1,730 points.

Trey Miller scored 11 points for the Kingsmen against Marian.

Joe Smith scored eight points and had five assists.

Dominic Bonner scored six points, Joey Garwood scored five points.

Penn outrebounded Marian 32-13 and owned an 11-2 edge in second-chance points.

Penn pounced on Marian early, taking a 16-7 lead after the first quarter. Penn’s biggest lead was a 17-point margin, 53-36.

PENN 66: Joey Garwood 5, Markus Burton 32, Joe Smith 8, Josh Gatete 2, Dylan Derda 2, Trey Miller 11, Dominic Bonner 6, Ethan Good 0, Mookie Ward 0, Maverick Brown 0.

Marian 52: Deaglan Sullivan 15, Dareon Thornton 7, Paxan Sullivan 0, Zion Rhoades 0, William Oweens 10, Jackson Price 11, Jackson Horvath 0, Ben Warnell 2, Thomas Murphy 0, Jordan Maust 0, Grant Mishler 0, Elias Norgaard 7.

PENN             16        15        22        13 – 66

Marian            7          15        16        14 – 52

Three-pointers: PENN 7 (Markus Burton 3, Trey Miller 2, Joey Garwood 1, Joe Smith 1), Marian 4 (Price 3, Thornton 1).

Penn’s student section went wild, albeit somewhat constrained. The students held off storming the court until Penn Principal Sean Galiher gave the students the final OK. Once on the court, the students celebrated with the each other and the team, hoisting Markus onto their shoulders chanting MVP, MVP, MVP! Watch the videos below of the different perspectives of this memorable night.

Click the image below to watch the aerial view of the students storming the court.

So if you missed this monumental night, don’t despair you’ll probably get at least another chance, maybe a couple … Markus isn’t done yet! After Penn’s win over St. Joseph Tuesday, Jan. 24 (where he was recognized with his parent’s before the start of the game as Penn’s new All-time Leading Scorer), Markus now sits at 1,809 points!

Markus is on track now to become All-time Leading Scorer for St. Joseph County beating out his soon-to-be Notre Dame teammate, former St. Joseph player J.R. Konieczny. His record of 1,996 points was set between 2017-2021. Markus is 188 points away from breaking this record, and 191 points shy of the 2,000-mark, which has never been achieved by a St. Joseph County Boys Basketball Player—that includes athletes selected in last year's NBA Draft, Jaden Ivey (Pistons) and Blake Wesley (Spurs).

At his current pace and averaging 29.7 points a game, it's very possible Markus could set both records at Elkhart (Feb. 17), or at home against Mishawaka (Feb. 21). 

It could happen sooner, Markus scored 44 points on Jan. 24^th against St. Joe, Penn winning 86-69. That shooting record just projected Markus into first in the state in scoring.

Penn students and fans, you’ll want to make sure to catch as many games as you can if you want to continue to watch history! And hopefully, Markus Burton will become Penn’s first Mr. Basketball and the second in South Bend area’s history. Dave Magley, LaSalle High School, won in 1978, who went on to play for Kansas and was a 2^nd round draft pick in 1982 for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Save the date for the P-H-M’s Young Authors’ Conference:

Saturday, March 4

8:30 – 11:00 a.m.

Schmucker Middle School

P-H-M Elementary students, grades K-5

FREE! 

Space is limited. Online Registration opens Monday, Jan. 30 & closes Friday, Feb. 17.

The Young Authors’ Conference is for P-H-M students in grades K-5. The event, sponsored by the P-H-M Education Foundation, provides an opportunity for students and their parents to meet and learn from a well-known children’s authors. Click here to view the photo gallery of the 2022 event.

This year students and their parents will meet and work with former Notre Dame Leprechaun mascot turned children’s author Mike Brown. Brown’s first book Little Netta’s Gift is the touching story of a “Little Netta’s” compassion to share the gifts of Christmas with other children. Brown is the founder and CEO of SOULSTIR, a social enterprise with a mission of enriching lives by creating “soul-stirring experiences that inspire empowerment and action.” Under SOULSTIR Books, the publishing division of the company, Brown co-authored his second book with Cara Krenn The Leprechaun’s Game Day at Notre Dame. The delightful story describes the family, fun-filled experiences of a Notre Dame home football game told through the eyes of Notre Dame’s first Black student to play the mascot, Brown himself. 

Participants and parents will also enjoy an interactive experience with local illustrator Corey Mann.   As part of the morning activities, students will share their own writing piece in small group sessions with students from other P-H-M elementary schools. (Note:  Students should bring a piece of their writing with them that morning.)  While students are meeting with their peers, parents will join Dr. Michelle Fish, as she explores promoting writing through children’s literature. 

This year, thanks to P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker and other generous #GivingTuesday donors this year’s Young Authors’ Conference is FREE OF CHARGE to all attendees!

Please note, one parent only must accompany the student attendees. However, keep in mind that students and parents will separate for a portion of the day. This experience is for your young author and parent. However, we’ve found the attendance of younger siblings is not encouraged.

ONLINE REGISTRATION: Registration will open January 30, 2023. Click here to access the form.

CONFIRMATION: Participating students will receive additional information prior to the conference through their home school at the beginning of March.

QUESTIONS: If you have any questions, please contact Candace Cussen at ccussen@phm.k12.in.us.

Monday, January 9, 2023 was the first Penn-Harris-Madison School Board of Trustees Meeting of the new year and following the November 2022 elections.

Former P-H-M Trustee, now Superior Court Judge Jamie Woods swore in new board members Matt Chaffee (Seat 1 – Penn Twp.) and Dana Sullivan (Seat 7 – At Large), along with existing and re-elected members Chris Riley (Seat 6 – Harris Twp.) and Larry Beehler (Seat 5 – Madison Twp.). To see the names of the full Board and their terms, please click here.

The new Trustees were then recognized with their families.

The election of new officers of the Board also took place. In a 5-1 vote, Chris Riley was re-elected President, Ryan McCullough was elected Vice President, and Clare Roach was elected Secretary. Board Member Jim Garrett was not present at the meeting.

Penn-Harris-Madison schools are focused on continuous academic improvement that results in academic success for all students.

Standardized testing, or summative assessment, is one measure of academic success, but it is not the only measure.

In pursuit of providing more comprehensive analysis and to expand upon the data provided by state standardized tests, the Indiana Department of Education publicly launched this week (Tuesday, December 13, 2022) the first iteration of the Indiana Graduates Prepared to Succeed dashboard, or Indiana GPS (click here to view the State Indiana profile).

The description of the Indiana GPS dashboard on the IDOE website states “Together, our mission is to empower Indiana’s educators, families, communities, and employers with a learner-centered, future-focused dashboard that displays how our students are building the necessary knowledge and skills—in all grades and in all schools— through the Indiana Graduates Prepared to Succeed dashboard, or Indiana GPS.”

The IDOE’s goal is to support Indiana’s goal to educate and graduate Hoosier students who can compete in the global economy. P-H-M supports this goal. Students whether they are going on into higher education, directly into the workforce or enlisting in our nation’s military must be prepared to be successful in life beyond high school. Strong and valuable education of today’s youth results in a knowledgeable and skilled adult Indiana workforce for tomorrow.

A student’s access to early education is an essential first step in their academic and overall development. Measuring kindergarten readiness, as well as a student’s PreK-2 literacy progress can provide key indicators of future success across the K-12 continuum.

We know that effective literacy skills play a vital role in helping students gain a deeper understanding of the world, explore topics in-depth, and seek credible information. At Penn-Harris-Madison, we have a well-articulated approach to teaching literacy based on the five critical pillars: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. 

All of these components woven together help create a skilled reader. Our daily literacy block incorporates whole-group instruction, small-group (leveled) instruction, explicit phonics instruction, and vocabulary building. 

Our teachers have been trained in order to deliver high-quality instruction that is supported through curriculum resources to meet the needs of all learners. Teachers are in regular contact with parents regarding their student’s progress and instructional goals.

At the elementary level, a couple of the indicators the GPS dashboard measures are early literacy and math growth. See some of P-H-M’s highlights are below; click here to view the full P-H-M GPS profile.

Early Literacy Measures

• Percentage of PHM 3rd graders showing proficiency on IREAD-3: 88.3%
  • • State Goal: 95% by 2027
    • Current State Status: 81.6%, 1 out of every 5 third graders in Indiana is not proficient in key literacy skills

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? 
Students who pass the IREAD-3 assessment by grade three are roughly 35% more likely to graduate high school (as referenced on the GPS information webpage).

Math Growth

• Percentage of PHM 6th graders meeting their individual growth targets on the math ILEARN: 41.9%
  • State Goal: 45.8% by 2030
  • Current State Status: 34.1% of Indiana sixth graders are meeting their math growth goals

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
Early mathematics instruction focuses on concrete concepts before transitioning to more complex ideas after grade six. Students who are meeting growth goals at this critical juncture have a leg up on future math and science learning.

Graduation Pathways Completion

While still in its first iteration, the goal of the GPS is to examine Indiana high school’s graduation and post-graduation data with the goal to ultimately measure long-term success of each Hoosier.
 

• Percentage of Penn Students who complete graduation requirements: 97.3%
  • State Goal: 95% by 2030
  • Current State Status: 86.4% of Indiana students complete their graduation requirements

• Percentage of Penn Seniors who completed advanced coursework (Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or Dual Credit) during high school: 75.4%
  • Current State Status: 59.5% of Indiana students complete advanced coursework

• Percentage of Penn Seniors earning Indiana Diplomas above a General designation (Core 40 or higher): 98.3%
  • Current State Status: 90.1% of Indiana students earn Core 40 diplomas or higher

• Percentage of Penn Seniors earning high quality college and career credentials: 11.3%.
  Members of the Class of 2021 who earned either an Indiana College Core (ICC) or an Associates Degree was 11.3%–the graduates who completed one or two years of college were members of Penn’s Early College Academy. In 2021, Penn High School ranked FIRST in the state with the highest number of students earning the Indiana College Core (ICC)! Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, non-Early College students will also be able to pursue an ICC Certificate.
  • State Goal: 60% by 2030
  • Current State Status: 5% of Indiana students earn a college or career credential before graduation, opening doors of future opportunity

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
Increased education levels are positively correlated to labor participation, wages, and overall net worth.

COMING SOON:

The second iteration of the Indiana GPS dashboard – which will display all local data, including longitudinal and disaggregated data – is coming soon. Later in 2023, schools will be able to use the dashboard to view authenticated student-level data (not available to the public). 

• PreK-Grade 2 Literacy – Percentage of PreK-Grade 2 students demonstrating progress in essential early reading skills from one year to the next.
• Kindergarten Readiness – Percentage of students demonstrating the skills necessary to be considered ready to start kindergarten.
• Employment & Enrollment – Percentage of high school graduates employed or enrolled 1 year after their expected graduation year. Goal TBD.

Click here to learn more about the Indiana Graduates Prepared to Succeed dashboard.

Click here to view the full P-H-M GPS profile (scroll to the bottom of the webpage to find links to all 15 P-H-M schools–11 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and Penn High School).

Tonight, Monday, November 14, the P-H-M Board of School Trustees approved 7% increases for the district’s hourly and salary employees. This comes after the Board unanimously voted at the October 10 meeting to approve an overall 7% increase to P-H-M teachers’ base salaries (click here to read more).

Annually, P-H-M Administration works with the teachers’ association to negotiate and finalize teachers’ contracts first before negotiating contracts for the other employee groups. P-H-M employs nearly 1,500 employees. Contracts for the following employee groups were approved at this evening’s meeting: Custodians, ESP, Exceptional Education Professionals, Food Service, Kids Club, Service Technicians and Maintenance, Food Distributors, and Administrators. P-H-M Bus Operators are in the second year of a two-year agreement, thus this group’s pay raise for 2023 was negotiated last year. 

P-H-M Administration and the Board of School Trustees mindful that Exceptional Educational Assistants are some of the hardest positions to fill and retain are providing this group the opportunity to be eligible for benefits. EAs work with students with special needs. In order to reward and retain these employees, they will now be able to increase their hours from 29 to 32.5, thus making them eligible for medical, vision, and dental benefits. 

Other notable increases for other groups include increasing the annual clothing allowance for Service Technicians and Maintenance employees from o115 to $325.

All personnel currently eligible for the insurance program will see a five percent (5%) increase to their contribution levels. A vision plan for all P-H-M employees has also been added.