[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 54 (Thursday, April 26, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3988-S3989]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 PIKE COUNTY INDIANA SCHOOL CORPORATION

 Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I am delighted to rise today with my 
colleague Senator Bayh to congratulate the Pike County School 
Corporation located in Petersburg, IN on being named ``One of the Best 
100 School Districts in the United States'' for the year 2000 by the 
Wall Street Journal and Offspring magazine. The Pike Country school 
administrators, teachers, and students should take great pride in this 
outstanding accomplishment. This award is based on academic excellence 
in standardized testing such as the SAT, ACT, Indiana's ISTEP+ test, 
the number of National Merit Scholars produced by the district, 
community living costs, and dollar expenditures per student.
  In October 1996, I had the distinct honor of meeting with the student 
body at Pike Central Middle High School. I was able to address the 
student body and saw first hand the hard work and dedication of the 
school's administrators and teachers. After addressing the student body 
I had the pleasure of going for a run with a group of Pike County 
students. It's a high honor to be standing on the floor of the Senate 
today reflecting on that visit and recognizing Pike County schools for 
their outstanding achievements.

[[Page S3989]]

  National recognition of Pike County's educational accomplishments is 
particularly timely as the Senate commences debate on President Bush's 
Education program. The schools of Pike County have set standards that 
all school districts across this great nation should strive to emulate. 
Five years ago, Pike County School Corporation developed and 
implemented a district- wide plan to improve scores at all grade 
levels. They aggressively used standardized tests at all grade levels 
to ensure classroom standards were being met and student weaknesses 
were being addressed. Their efforts resulted in a significant increase 
in the percentage of students from Pike County meeting Indiana's 
academic standards. Also, the number of students attending college 
after high school graduation nearly doubled during the 1998-99 school 
year, the year that was used for the national study conducted by 
Offspring Magazine.
  Using Title 1 funds, the Pike County School Corporation developed an 
early-childhood program that targeted pre-school and kindergarten 
children. Using a corporation-developed assessment process, four-year-
old students were placed into the county's three elementary schools for 
half-day pre-school classes, with five-year-olds invited to participate 
in extended-day kindergarten. This program has played an important role 
in the dramatic rise of Pike County ISTEP+ test scores at the third 
grade level.
  Additionally, and of particular note, Pike County School Corporation 
was able to accomplish these goals while spending approximately $6,500 
per student year, one of the lowest spending rates per student in the 
country. As quoted from Offspring magazine, ``the hallmark of a top-
rated school district isn't necessarily how much money it has to spend, 
but how it spends the money it has.''
  This great recognition is a tribute to the superlative efforts of the 
members of the local school board, the school administration, teachers, 
and support staff of the PCSC. I congratulate Pike County School 
Corporation and the Pike County community, and wish them continued 
academic success.

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