Partners In Excellence

A quick update from Monday's NACS Board Meeting:

🎓Launch of the NACS Education Foundation; visit nacseducationfoundation.org to donate or apply to serve. Please congratulate our friend and frequent collaborator, Amber Toole, on the launch of this incredible organization!

🚌Approval for Bus Surplus Auction (will allow NACS to auction retired busses rather than scrap)

🗄️Approval for Maple Creek Locker Purchase (replacing current lockers with full-sized ones to bring parity with Carroll Middle and Willow Creek; these were purchased at a discount of approximately $400,000 through Pulver Cove with leftover funds)

🦺Capital Improvement Projects for Summer 2026:
- Arcola Roof Replacement
- Carroll Middle School Roof (start of phase 1)
- Huntertown Electrical Project (so HVAC can be replaced)
- Hickory Center Pavement
- Cedar Canyon Pavement
- Perry Hill/Oak View Entrance Pavement
- Maple Creek Pavement

☎️ Call your state reps to voice opposition to HB1210; this bill would make cuts from SEA1 *retroactive*, removing $1.2 MILLION from the NACS Operating Budget already approved by the board for 2026.

📅The next board meeting is Monday, Feb 23rd.

Send a message to learn more

💙Teachers: We. See. You. 💙

We are thrilled to see our friend and colleague, Amber Toole, launch the NACS Education Foundation! Amber is a tireless advocate for public education and has been developing this foundation for more than 18 months and will continue to center our students and staff in NACS as her role as the volunteer Executive Director of the NACS Education Foundation.

Every dollar donated goes directly to support teachers and students. No amount is too small and no idea too big for this vital program.

We are excited for our referendum supporters to now have a way to give directly to teachers and students. Teachers can apply directly to the foundation for program support, classroom supplies, and continuing education sponsorship.

Please visit NACSEducationFoundation.org to see the impact of local giving, programming opportunities, or apply to be a board member, and share your support of our schools. Give them a follow to stay up-to-date on all the wonderful things happening in our community.

Strong sSchools = Strong Communities.

Perry Hill Elementary School PTO is looking to raise funds for their music room. Please join us in supporting these efforts by attending their Battle of the Bands or making a direct donation.

“Funds raised will help purchase new instruments—including much-needed string instruments—allowing our school to meet the state’s minimum requirements for elementary music education. At this time, the absence of string instruments prevents us from meeting that standard.”

We appreciate the work of all of our PTOs across the district to fill in the funding gaps so our students are able to get the education they deserve.

🔥 🎸 I WANNA ROCK 🎸🔥

🤘🏼Get ready for an electrifying night of music and community!⚡️
🎟️ Tickets are on sale and they will go fast!!

For $10 or less you will see four acts comprised of student performers from the Fort Wayne School of Rock AND our headliner The Hubie Ashcraft Trio!

🎶 Support Perry Hill Music Education and enjoy a high-energy, unforgettable evening! 🎹
💻You are only a click away! See you there! 🎤

https://www.perryhillpto.com/battle-of-the-bands

Now is your chance to tell Rep. Carbaugh what you told us on Nov 4th: 🚨FIX THE FORMULA🚨

Growing districts like NACS face severe funding gaps that limit the services we can provide to teachers, students, and our community.

A legislative fix might look like: a carve-out for districts that exceed average growth for consecutive years, a one time reset to raise the funding floor, or even something as simple as using real-time data instead of numbers that are already outdated at more than two years old.

There are real solutions here for elected officials who understand the stakes.

Link to the survey in the comments 👇

“Why are you still here?”
“Didn’t the referendum fail?”
“Why not just move on?”

We hear it. Sometimes quietly. Sometimes not.

Here’s why we’re still here — and why we’re not going anywhere.

We love our schools. Full stop.
They are the heart of this community. They are where kids are known, supported, challenged, and celebrated. Our teachers are heroes — not in the abstract, but in the everyday, human moments: rib-cracking hugs from fourth graders, the accidental “Hey, mom” followed by instant horror 😟, the inside jokes you’re definitely not cool enough to understand yet (six - seeevvin)🙄, and the pure joy when a lightbulb finally clicks . These moments matter. These people matter.

And so does the reality we’re facing.

The chart you see here tells a story that’s been true for years — and is getting worse. Our district’s Operations Fund (which pays for transportation, utilities, building maintenance, and insurance) is funded significantly lower per student than our peer districts across Allen County. This gap didn’t start yesterday. But it is growing.

That means our district starts every year behind — not because of mismanagement, not because of lack of effort, but because of how funding works. Our administrators and school board are doing everything they can to stretch dollars and soften the impact, but you can’t out-budget a structural disadvantage forever.

So no — this isn’t about refusing to “accept” a referendum result.
It’s about refusing to accept INEQUITY.

We are still advocating because:
• Teachers deserve competitive compensation and classrooms with the supplies they need.
• Students deserve opportunities that prepare them for whatever future they choose — college, trades, military, entrepreneurship, leadership.
• A strong school district strengthens the entire community.

We will keep showing up.
We will keep sharing the data.
We will keep explaining why this matters — even when it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient.

Because loving our schools means fighting for them.
And we’re not done yet.

— Partners in Excellence