A 500 Partner:
Elkhart Community Schools committed
to advancing our community
By Robert Haworth, Ph.D.
Superintendent, Elkhart Community Schools
Growing communities rely on educated citizens, and
growing companies rely on educated workers. This is the
cornerstone of Elkhart Community School’s new action
plan – a plan we believe passes the Chamber’s test of “Will
this entice 500 families to move here?”
In the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” there is a scene in which Jimmy Stewart’s
character, George Bailey, is trying to stop a run on his savings and loan.
George explains to his patrons,
“You’re thinking of this place all wrong. As if I had the money back in
a safe. The money’s not here. Your money’s in Joe’s house...right next to
yours, and in the Kennedy house, and Mrs. Macklin’s house, and a hundred
others. Why, you’re lending them the money to build, and then, they’re
going to pay it back to you as best they can.”
Such is true for Elkhart Community Schools.
Our tax dollars are an investment; the money is not kept in a safe, but is
found in our children, our grandchildren and the children down the street.
It’s an investment past Elkhart residents made in order for our community
to prosper, and it’s an investment we make today to insure a strong, growing
community.
The metrics of 500 Families
This investment powers our new action plan which establishes the following
goals for each of four age categories:
The Greater Elkhart Chamber has identified some starting points
for measuring the success of the “500 Families” campaign. For
Elkhart’s greater success, we need to make a difference in:
Birth to kindergarten: Students will be ready to learn when entering kindergarten.
Kindergarten to sixth grade: Students will be proficient in basic reading and math skills.
Seventh grade through high school: Students will be engaged in an educational
approach which links student achievement to college/career readiness.
Graduation: Students will be ready to earn with their high school degree, or pursue a
four-year college degree or other career-ready credential upon graduation.
INCREASING per capita income
$30,064/61st in the state (2012)
INCREASING educational attainment
25.13% with education beyond high school (2013)
INCREASING median price of homes sold
$47,500 (2012)
DECREASING free and reduced lunch
67.4% of Elkhart students (2012)
DECREASING the poverty rate for children
26.8%/14th in the state (2012)
This action plan ensures every young person has the skills needed to learn by
kindergarten and a transcript to pursue full employment or pursue postsecondary credentials by graduation. The investment in this effort is critical to
develop the human capital needed for economic growth and bring 500 new
families to Elkhart, where it truly is a wonderful life.