Caledonia Argus

Extracurricular requests will have to wait a year

Posted: 11/25/03

By David Heiller
Argus News Editor

The Caledonia School Board decided not to fund several defunct extracurricular activities for this school year.

The decision came during a four-hour meeting at the Eitzen Community Center on November 17.

Proponents for cheerleading and danceline had requested funding at recent board meetings. Flag corps was also mentioned as something that students would like.

The board had put off making any decisions until it had all the costs figured out.

At last weekís meeting, a fourth group of students came forward with a request for funding for an activity called power lifting. (See related story on this page.)

After the discussion, the board decided by consensus not to fund any of the requested extracurriculars. Suzanne Roesler led the discussion. She said the board needs to see how this year shakes out, and to wait until June to do a budget and see what they can afford. Dave Klinski agreed with Roesler, and no one else objected.

This discussion led to another one on the agenda about a spring play, and whether to spend extra money on a musical.

A musical could also bring in more revenue, Tool said. Board member Charlie Wray said it would be a great way to showcase the new school and auditorium. Wray made a motion to provide $7,000 for the play, which is $4,700 more than the $2,300 that was budgeted for a regular play. It passed 4-2. Schulte, Klinski, and Mary Frank voted with him. Roesler and Naomi Fruechte voted no. Roesler repeated her budget concerns, and said the students and staff could be creative with ways to raise money for it.

Soccer group gets a field

Two items brought some heated and at times intense discussion to the meeting.

One centered on soccer and the other on tutoring elementary school students.

In the soccer discussion, a group of parents from the Caledonia Youth Soccer Association wanted to get assurance from the board that they could use the cityís Veteranís Field and also some of the fields around the new middle/high school.

Jeff Rud was upset because he had been told at one point that the group could not use some school fields, and then was later told that they could use the fields.

Klinski said the board had been acting on the advice of the groundskeeper that some of the school fields would not be ready for soccer. Now they feel the lower one to the southwest of the school is usable, so they have changed their mind, he said.

ìWe donít want to be fighting here,î soccer parent Mike Albert said. Their group had 24 teams last year that served 273 kids.

Tutoring issues raised

Title One teacher Sue Scobie and two parents addressed the board about possible tutoring changes in her program, which works with students who need extra help in reading and math.

The two parochial schools in Caledonia will be receiving part of the Title One budget after January 27. The schools had been entitled to participate in the federally-funded program, but had not done so before this year. The funds are based on the number of students who qualify for free and reduced lunches.

Title One teacher Sharon Tweten will deliver the services at the two schools in rooms that do not have any religious symbols in them.

Scobie told the board that this new scenario could change the teacher-student tutoring ratio at Caledonia Elementary School. She asked the board to try to keep the tutoring ratio low, because her students are benefiting from the way it is going now. Two parents told the board the same thing.

Board member Roesler said that administrators need time to come up with new solutions. She said it was an administrative matter at this point, and not a board one.

Teacher Sharon Tweten said she just wanted the board to be aware of the situation, and how it is about to change. Principal Connie Hesse said she is committed to helping at-risk children, but she couldnít guarantee there would be groups of two or less. It will depend on how many students at the parochial schools will qualify for Title One services. Testing for that is still going on.

Spending decisions questioned

In other business, the board unanimously approved a motion to pay $200 a month, retroactive to July, to Joel Hesse, the districtís buildings and grounds custodian. This is for the fact that he is using his own truck and ATV for things like hauling material and equipment for maintenance and between buildings.

After this discussion, Roesler questioned some recent expenditures and the fact that they were made without board approval. These included putting in decorative bricks in front of the middle/high school, and building the foundation for the baseball dugouts, both of which cost about $5,000.

Business manager Amy Schmidt said there was extra money in the building fund, and that they were trying to spend this down.

Roesler said the board should be making those decisions. Things need to be prioritized, and the need for a sign in front of the school is an important one, Roesler said. Schulte agreed with her.

The meeting ended with the board going into closed session to discuss teacher negotiations.

Tool said on November 20 that there are no major conflicts between the district and the teachers. They have had two mediation sessions so far. Another one is set for December 16.

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