Caledonia Argus

Board rethinking media center cut

Posted: 6/1/04

By David Heiller
Argus News Editor

The Caledonia School Board is considering not cutting a half-time media specialist after an hour-long discussion with teachers at the May 24 meeting.

The board eliminated the position at its March 29 meeting as part of $209,000 in budget cuts to balance the school budget.

The cut shifted part of Sherri Whiteís media specialist duties to the high school for 2004-05. White presently works fulltime at the elementary school as media specialist and enrichment teacher.

Ken Wright, who is retiring this year, had been approximately half-time media specialist in the high school. He and three other teachers lobbied for keeping the position as-is. They stressed the need for someone who knew the collection at the middle/high school library.

One person canít administer two systems and two buildings, Wright said. ìIt will be a simply impossible task.î The library was closed about one quarter of the day this year, he added.

White added that the elementary program would suffer if she had to divide her duties, and it would take a lot of time to get to know the collection.

ìWe may have the best collection of materials and the ëprettiestí library around,î retired media specialist Pam Griffith read in a statement to the board, ìbut unless we have someone working directly with students to locate, evaluate and communicate information the physical library is a waste of taxpayers money.î

English teacher Joanne Zard said she would like take on the job that Wright had been doing. Her principal, Cory Klabunde, said that might be possible since a new English teacher is going to be hired and there would be extra time available.

Superintendent Jim Tool said the library would not be closed next year as it was this year because a full-time aide, Jeanne Misch, has been assigned to work there. Plus five language arts teachers will have their daily supervisory time assigned to the media center, so two staff members would be in the media center most of the time, he said.

Board member Suzanne Roesler said maybe there could be a creative solution to restore Wrightís position. ìWeíre pulling all the knowledge out of the library,î she said

But thatís why language arts teachers have been put in the library during their supervision, Tool answered.

Board chairman Dave Klinski said that this is an on-going type of problem due to declining enrollment. If this position were restored, something else would have to be shaved , he said.

Board member Charlie Wray suggested that Tool work out a plan that is neutral as far as the budget.

Tool said he would work on it.

Fellow board member Chuck Schulte said that not hiring a principal would save the district $100,000 a year, a reference to the board replacing Cory Klalbunde as high school principal. Klabunde has resigned effective June 30.

Schulte said administrators have value, but he would rather see money spent in the library. The school district has millions of dollars in the media center and its books, he said, and an aide would not work on the substantial direction of the library.

Board member Mary Frank said that the library is the biggest ìbang for the buckî at the school.

Budget constraints will likely lead to some unpleasant decisions for the board in the coming years, Tool said. There is not likely to be any increase in state education funding for three years, he said.

ï Creative learning lab: In later discussion on how to trim the budget, Roesler asked if creative learning laboratory teacher Jennifer Snook could be teaching more. Snook has one fourth of her day open as a resource person in the laboratory.

The question prompted an enthusiastic defense of Snookís work by middle school principal Brian Doty, who said that students are excited about the creative projects that they do. ìItís some of the most exciting things Iíve ever watched,î he said.

He also pointed out that Snook helps maintain the school website, and did a middle school yearbook.

Klabunde added that cutting Snookís time in the lab would be detrimental to the purpose of the laboratory.

ï Resignations: The board accepted the resignations of Jennifer Snook as future problem solver advisor; Luke Miller as industrial technology instructor and ninth grade girls basketball coach;l and Matt Wallin as high school EBD teacher. They also placed physical education teacher and coach Cori Ronnenberg on unrequested leave of absence.

ï Closed session: The meeting ended with the board going into closed session to discuss transportation and support staff negotiations. Their contracts expire on June 30. This was the first negotiating session on their contracts, Klinski said before closing the meeting.

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