Dr. Jim McCall

"It seems to me like we only have part of the picture right now, with the information given to us, but our job is to see where taxpayer funds are going and make sure that they're needed," council member Emilie Hunt said during Monday's meeting.

The removal of a Progress Pride flag from a Valparaiso High School classroom drew a number of impassioned comments during Thursday's school board meeting.

Valparaiso continues to attract young families, judging by the latest school enrollment data. The September count showed that Valparaiso Community Schools had about 6,471 students, 64 more than last September.

The Valparaiso School Board has finalized the 2023-2024 teacher contract. It raises the starting salary to $53,100, a $2,100 increase. Returning teachers get a $2,800 raise, plus a one-percent, referendum-funded retention stipend at the end of this semester.

Valparaiso Community Schools teachers can expect another pay raise this year.

Valparaiso Community Schools is adding propane school buses to its fleet. The school board Thursday approved the purchase of four propane buses from MacAllister Power Systems for $593,196 or $587,196 after trade-in.

Valparaiso Community Schools may soon be adding propane school buses to its fleet. Chief Financial Officer Jim Holifield discussed the possibility during the school board's hearing on the bus replacement plan last week.

Energy savings projects are moving forward at Valparaiso Community Schools. The school board Thursday approved various agreements for a $5.8 million guaranteed savings contract.

Leaders at Valparaiso Community Schools are welcoming the elimination of textbook rental fees, as part of the state budget. Chief Financial Officer Jim Holifield says the fee often surprised families moving to Indiana from other states.

Valparaiso Community Schools is already seeing success with its special education restructuring. Currently, special ed teachers are employed by the Porter County Education Services cooperative. Starting this fall, they'll be employed directly by the school districts where they work.