Valparaiso Community Schools

Valparaiso Community Schools' superintendent is promising improvements to special education. Dr. Jim McCall presented the findings of a third-party review of the Porter County Education Services (PCES) cooperative, during Thursday's school board meeting.

Two Valparaiso School Board candidates made their case to the city council Monday. They were asked to weigh in on the recent property tax referendum and the potential breakup of Porter County's special education cooperative, among other issues.

The Valparaiso City Council has three candidates to choose from for a seat on the Valparaiso School Board.

Valparaiso High School is offering STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education opportunities that aren't even available at many colleges, according to teacher Tarik El-Naggar.

Valparaiso Community Schools is making the final push for its operating referendum. Superintendent Dr. Jim McCall says the district has a tremendous amount of support heading into the May 3 ballot.

Officials at Valparaiso Community Schools say they're addressing some of the barriers to students' education through social emotional learning. Director of Social Emotional Learning Dr. Erin Hawkins told the school board Thursday that SEL is about more than just mental health but also about taking care of the whole child.

Advocates are urging Valparaiso Community Schools to take concrete steps to combat racism. A group called Allies Against Racism presented a Change.org petition to the school board last week.

Advocates are calling on Valparaiso Community Schools to examine its policies, after a transgender student said school leaders denied his requests to use the men's restrooms and locker room. The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of high school senior Jasper Wisecarver, alleging the school corporation violated Title IX of the Education Amendments Act and the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Valparaiso Community Schools' property tax referendum has gotten the city council's support. On May 3, voters will be asked to renew the school district's 2015 referendum for another eight years but at a lower maximum rate, going from more than 20 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to less than 15 cents. A resolution supporting that effort was unanimously approved during Monday's council meeting.

Voters in the Valparaiso school district will consider a property tax referendum this spring. The school board Monday agreed to put an operating referendum on the May 3 ballot.