Back to school dates put to the ballot at Northeast School Corporation

School's in - but when? Now, staff, students and teachers will have a greater say in when classes start, courtesy of an Internet poll initiated by Northeast School Corp.

NESC Superintendent Mark Baker received permission from the board of school trustees Monday to post three proposed schedules on the school corporation's website beginning Wednesday. Visitors can then vote on their preferred calendar through March 26.

Whichever schedule receives the most votes will be submitted to school trustees for formal adoption in their April session.

"I think this is just one more way we can let teachers, students, staff and parents have some say in things," Baker said. "This way, everybody at least has some say in when we go to school. We tried to create a variety of different calendars."

The schedules offer three different starting times in August: Aug. 12, Aug. 16, or Aug. 23.

Some dates remain consistent, regardless of when school starts. Winter break always begins Dec. 21, and school resumes Jan. 3.

Spring break falls during the third week of March, "just like it always has," Baker said.

"It just depends on when we start as to when we will have snow days, and things like that."

The on-line poll, available at www.nesc.k12.in.us, employs an updated version of Survey Monkey software, which will limit those who might seek to stuff the ballot box, Baker said.

However, it won't eliminate the problem completely, he admitted.

"The new software only lets you vote one time, per computer," Baker said. "I suppose if you had access to a computer lab and got there early enough, you could vote 30 times. Or you could vote at home, at work, and at your parents' house."

Trustees also approved Union High School's prom proposal, slated for April 17. The Grand March will begin at 6 p.m. with dinner and a dance at the high school.

Students will then travel to the Vincennes University Sportsplex for Post-Prom activities.

Also Monday, school trustees sought more information from members of the North Central Junior-Senior High School students who aim to attend a Students Against Drunken Driving national seminar in Florida this June.

The trip, which is slated to include a dozen students accompanied by around three chaperones, occurs over summer break.

The measure was one of four field trips proposed to the trustees Monday, and the sole one tabled.

The other three, all granted, were a Union High School science team's field trip to the Southwest Regionals March 16; the Dugger kindergarten's trek to the Dobbs Park Nature Center; and a trip by Hymera 2nd graders to attend a live performance of "Schoolhouse Rock" the musical at the Indiana Civic Theatre.

However, trustee Dane Strahle sought additional information on the SADD trip, noting that the travel's out of state and "that just seems like a big trip for a bunch of junior high school kids."

Trustee Angela Grove said she'd given her son permission to attend.

"I don't have any problem with my son going," she said. "I don't have any problem going home and telling my son no, either."

In other business, school trustees approved the resignation of Kyle McCammon as North Central High School's boys tennis coach, and hired Josh LeDune as Union High School's boys golf coach and Craig Klitz as Union's assistant boys baseball coach.