Written By: TVSC Superintendent Brett Boggs
In the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation, providing attractive, efficient, and modern school 
facilities is a priority. Our community expects – and our students, staff, and parents – deserve educational facilities that are safe and designed to meet the educational needs of twenty-first century learners.
Tippecanoe Valley serves almost 2,000 children in preschool through twelfth grade in our elementary schools in Akron and Mentone, Tippecanoe Valley Middle School, Tippecanoe Valley High School, and the Burket Educational Center. In addition we have several auxiliary facilities such as the bus garage, administration office, wastewater treatment plant, and wind turbine. Providing quality school facilities is vital to fulfilling our commitment to student success today, tomorrow, and beyond.
The challenge is in how to provide such facilities while maintaining a reasonable and consistent tax rate. This has been accomplished at Tippecanoe Valley by looking forward and prioritizing our facility needs. When the debt for a facility is paid off, we have already planned to move into a new commitment that will keep the tax rate at a consistent and reasonable level.
The best way to illustrate this concept is with a brief history of the major construction projects that have taken place in the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation since Tippecanoe Valley High School opened in January 1975.
- A new junior high school was constructed at Akron in 1987. At the same time, six new classrooms, restrooms, and dressing rooms were added at Mentone. A new multipurpose room/library/cafeteria was added at Burket.
- In 1989-90 a new administrative office complex, new boiler rooms and boilers were added at Mentone.
- In 1993 a new auxiliary gym, classrooms, and locker rooms were added at Tippecanoe Valley High School.
- The new Tippecanoe Valley Middle School was opened for the 1995-96 school year.
- A new bus garage was built and opened in 1998.
- Mentone Elementary School underwent a major renovation of existing areas and over 62,000 square feet of new construction for the 1999-2000 school year.
- A major renovation and construction project took place at Tippecanoe Valley High School during the 2005-2006 school year. Ten new classrooms, new office spaces, a new receiving area, restrooms, and a weight room were added. There were extensive renovations to the existing building and systems.
- A new wastewater treatment plant that serves the middle school and high school was built in 2006-2007.
- In 2007 a new multi-purpose facility – concession area, ticket booth, and restrooms – was constructed at the main entrance to the TVHS Football Field and Track.
- In 2009 a Guaranteed Energy Savings Project was completed at the Burket Educational Center. This included a new geothermal heating and cooling system, renovation of restroom areas, a new roof, and new energy efficient doors and windows.
- A 900 kWh wind turbine was built on the TVMS/TVHS campus in 2011.
- December 2017 is the anticipated completion date of the current renovation and construction project at Akron Elementary School.
The Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation is blessed with excellent educational facilities, thanks to our taxpayers and leaders who have continually looked ahead in determining our facility needs. History shows that in a district the size of Tippecanoe Valley multiple facility needs must be addressed each decade so our school facilities continue to serve the growing and changing needs of our students, staff, and the community.
Valley Insight is a recurring monthly article written by administrators on a variety of topics related to education and the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation. Articles will be posted to the district’s website and also shared with the local media.
