Local superintendents keep eye on grad proposal

The proposed diplomas look to place an emphasis on work-based learning, as well as an internship and getting students ready for workforce development. 

While the Indiana Department of Education looks at changing diploma requirements for high school students, it is business as usual for Putnam County superintendents. 

Greencastle superintendent Jeff Gibboney, Cloverdale superintendent Greg Linton and South Putnam superintendent Dr. Corey Smith all tackled the proposal recently while appearing on Putnam People on GIANT fm WREB. 

The appearance came on the heels of Purdue University President Mung Chiang announcing the new diplomas, which would go into effect for all students beginning with the class of 2029, would not meet Purdue's admission requirements. In addition to Purdue, both Indiana State and the University of Southern Indiana have also been harsh critics of the new proposal.

The proposed diplomas look to place an emphasis on work-based learning, as well as an internship and getting students ready for workforce development. 

Gibboney said his district is open to change and making things better, so long as they make outcomes better or provide additional opportunities for students. With that said, the timeline presents plenty of issues. 

"The timing of the timeline is the main concern.  There are a lot of unknowns and the current timeline provided to us gives a little unrest. We need to get our stakeholders together, share comments and feedback. The first feedback session is closed and I am interested to see if they propose a delayed timeline," Gibboney said. 

As for Smith, he said his district's motto is a simple one and the proposed diplomas are something that has generated a lot of talk around the state. 

"Our motto is to always stay ahead of the curve. Every Friday I am on a call with around 100 other superintendents from around the state, and this has been a topic of conversation. We've geared ourselves to work towards the goal, but we also know we need to hold onto what we currently do. What we do now and the opportunities we present now are amazing. I want to continue doing the great things we are doing and add these on, if needed," Smith said. 

When it comes to Cloverdale, Linton said it is "interesting" that a lot of universities have begun speaking out about the proposal.

The veteran superintendent said his focus is to ensure Cloverdale continues to provide the classes students need and maintaining those classes. 

"We will continue to monitor and make changes we can, but for the most part, our set of courses are in place and meet the current standards and we will stay on that boat for a while," Linton said.