News

P-H-M Students Excel on Spring 2025 ILEARN
Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation (P-H-M) proudly shares the outstanding performance of its students on the Spring 2025 ILEARN assessment, as released by the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE). P-H-M students once again outperformed the state average by an impressive 20 percentage points in the percentage of students passing both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. This achievement places P-H-M in the top 4% of public school ...

Board Approves Matt Garber as Walt Disney’s New Principal
At Monday night's P-H-M Board of School Trustees meeting retiring Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker, on behalf of incoming Superintendent Dr. Heather Short, presented three current P-H-M administrators for promotion. Dr. Short's term as Penn-Harris-Madison's new Superintendent begins July 1st. Ahead of her official start she recommended for Matt Garber to be named Walt Disney's new principal! Mr. Garber recently completed his second year as an ...

Class of 2025 Graduates Reflect on Transformative Experience, Thanks to Walt Disney 4th gr. Teacher
Here's a heartwarming story of #PHMExcellence that's come full circle ... Eight years ago, 4th grade Walt Disney Elementary teacher Jodi Cramer-Berry nicknamed her students "Team Cramer," modeling them after the Chicago Cubs. When the Cubs defied all the odds winning the 2017 World Series, Mrs. Cramer-Berry told her students that they too could do anything, from passing ISTEP, doing well in school, going to ...

Charlis Cunningham Wins Teacher IMPACT Award
Retiring P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker, incoming Superintendent Dr. Heather Short, Principal Dr. Mindy Higginson, incoming Assistant Superintendent Dr. Lavon Dean-Null, and Literacy Director Ryan Towner stopped by Walt Disney to surprise Mrs. Charlis Cunningham with a big honor before the end of the school year. Fifth grade teacher Mrs. Cunningham earned an IMPACT award for having the highest academic growth on ILEARN Math when ...

Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker Receives Several Honors Upon Retirement
In March, Superintendent of Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation Dr. Jerry Thacker announced his retirement after 19 years. Under Dr. Thacker’s leadership, P-H-M has achieved extraordinary milestones, including raising the graduation rate from 79% to 98%, ranking in the top 4% of the state academically, and helping students earn more than $200 million in scholarships. He also prioritized school safety, leading P-H-M to be ranked sixth in ...