By Angel Perkins Editor
On Dec. 12, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce acknowledged three area schools as being names on the Chamber's "Best Buys" list for offering the highest levels of academic achievement for he lowest amount of tax dollars. Argos Community Jr. Sr. High School, Bremen Senior High School and Triton Jr. Sr. High School were of the 350 schools examined and using ratings from ISTEP+, Pass+ and graduation rates,  AP (Advanced Placement) and the average composite scores to develop a total school performance index.
This index, the quality index, was then compared to the total expenditures per student to determine "Best Buy" status and was also compared to the schools' at-risk, student poverty rate to determine "Honor Roll" schools.
Honors were determined two ways: if the school had a quality index  above the state median and expenditures below the state median ($10,196 per student) or, if he quality index rating was 20 percent higher than the school's expenditures rating.

This is the second consecutive year Triton Jr.-Sr. High School was also considered a ICOC Best Buys school. Triton Schools Superintendent Ted Chittum said, "We have made this list every year from 1999 thru 2007 except for 2005. We made it by being above the median state wide quality index of .079294 (Triton's is .4921) and our expenditures are less than the state's median of $10,196 per student (Triton's is $8,922.11)."
“The Indiana’s Best Buys report is about celebrating excellence and encouraging improvement. Indiana high schools have the necessary resources to be among the best in the world. However, to be the best, everyone must work at continuously analyzing, reforming and/or maintaining quality instructional programs.  Those schools on this list are doing just that, and their communities are reaping the benefits,” states Indiana Chamber President Kevin Brinegar.
Chittum added, "We work hard at making sure we operate within our budget. We can't control the amount of money we get per student." He explained that the state has a formula that drives the state money per each student with the local property tax figured in.  
"As your state dollars increase your local dollars decline," Chittum said. "There is never a windfall. Our dollars from the state has been declining, which has lead to our amount generated by property taxes to increase."
Of the honor Chittum is proud of the outcome but the timing of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce's report was not lost on him. “I think it is ironic that yesterday (Dec. 12— the same day as the Chamber of Commerce’s Best Buy press release) a report came out stating in part that schools of less than 2,000 students should consolidate," he said. "The three Marshall county schools named as a "Best Buy" are all under 2000 students as some of the "head of the class schools"...go figure.”

Information gathered for this article include the press release from the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.