This blog printed on 100% recycled electrons.
Lots on the agenda for tonight's school board meeting. Among the highlights:
--The board may non-renew six teachers. This one isn't the board's fault or the teachers' fault: the six teachers to be let go are all special ed teachers, funded through Title I, Head Start, and Title IIA. Evidently there is some uncertainty about the funds Washington is going to make available. Thus, the board may have to drop six employees: Tamara Jung, Kim Seitz, and Lonna Hanson, Title I teachers; Kelli Olson, Head Start teacher; Laura Howard and Tammy Selgestad, Title IIA funded teacher. Ouch.
--The board will approve its request for Neumann Monson Wictor Architects to study what improvements the high school needs. The board is asking the architects to look at everything, inside and out: roof, insulation, ADA compliance, fire alarms, plumbing, communications, parking, drainage, the works! And tacked on at the end of the to-do list, in a different font even, is this final item: "Feasibility Study: Related to expansion of seating in the new gym."
I suppose there's no harm in looking at the gym, but the long list of building priorities above should make clear how much more important things we have to take care of before we start spending tax dollars to knock out walls and put in more bleachers. Ron Barthel, Kevin Jaspers, start rousting up those private donors....
--The board will consider approval of renewing the contract of Lunchtime Solutions to handle food service for the district. Just wondering: is hiring an outside, for-profit contractor really cheaper than hiring our own cooks and baking our own vats of tater-nugget casserole? Lunchtime Solutions argues that it does: they serve 33 schools, can buy in bulk, and deal with all the hiring and lunch tickets and such so the school adminstrators can focus on education. Opinions, anyone?
--The board will also certify the election results from last week. Hey, check it out: I got second in the rural precinct! Yahoo! Ward 3 was hard on me, though -- I finished dead last there. Ward 3, expect more door-knocking from me next time! (By the way, I've been trying to find the map showing the exact ward boundaries. Anyone have a link to that?)
Meeting starts at 6:30 p.m., Middle School lunchroom.
The Year in Review, oh, and Merry Christmas!
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I used to be against Winter Wonderland at Falls Park but I have to admit,
the pics on my bike this year have been good, so I guess I am okay with the
city ...
2 days ago
Notifying Special Ed teaching staff of non-renewal is something that happens every year because Federal Funding has not yet been approved for next year and won't be until after the final date of notification required by the District has passed. It is really a technicality. All you can do is cross your fingers and so far those positions have been funded each budget year, but it is scary for the staff members and for the District. Unfortunately, it is the nature of the fiscal beast where those six positions are concerned.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should run as an Independent for Lake County Commission if rural is your strength.
ReplyDeleteJust wondering . . . how do you get this information before it is made public at a public board meeting? Is this insiders information?
ReplyDeleteMe, an insider -- if only! Actually, the school district posts the agenda online, with links to the various documents to be discussed -- good idea!
ReplyDelete