Posted: 4/26/05
Board cuts four teachers, unnamed teacher fired
Touchdown Club wants to put up banners at field
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
The board of ISD #299 discharged one teacher and terminated the contracts of three others at its April 18 meeting.
The board terminated the contract of Title I teachers Tina Beckman and Laura Eglinton, and high school learning disabilities teacher Emilee Freed. All are probationary teachers. All the votes were unanimous except for Eglintonís, on which Mike Novak abstained because she is married to his nephew.
A teacher, who the board would not identify, was discharged by a 6-1 vote. (See sidebar with this story for more on this.)
The staff reductions are part of $373,000 in total reductions needed to balance next yearís budget. They are based on projections of declining enrollment.
Three resignations were also accepted: Keith Hilson, high school band instructor; Amanda Roiger, high school English teacher; and Lola Guillien as assistant boysí soccer coach.
Math and business reductions are being accomplished through the retirement of teachers Keith Hollatz and Betty DeWitz. This was announced at a March 28 board meeting. A middle school math teacher will be moved up to replace Hollatz. DeWitzís position will be partially replaced.
Touchdown club request tabled
Also at last weekís meeting, five members of the Caledonia Touchdown Club asked the board for permission to help them promote their sponsors.
Spokesman Ken Frank began by touting the football program and its benefits to athletes and the community. He said that the club would like to be able to announce sponsorsí names at games, put their names on programs, and hang banners on the fence around the field.
ìWeíre not looking at being tacky,î Frank said of the banners, which would measure 3-feet-by-eight-feet. ìI know that they would look nice.î
Board member Chuck Schulte said the school board had concluded when the new school was built that no advertising would go in the new building. But having banners outside is different, he said, and he had no problem with it. He praised the parental involvement of the Touchdown Club. Every other board member echoed that comment.
Board member Jean Meyer asked for a more concrete proposal from the group that would spell out the size and type of banners and where they would go.
Board member Naomi Fruechte said she was hesitant about banners. She said the board would have to be fair to other groups that want something similar. She also hoped that people making donations would view it as such and not as advertising.
Frank then asked for a trial run of a year. Several board members liked that notion. Board president Charlie Wray said the board still needed to decide on how to proceed with the trial period. He said he didnít see much difference between having banners outside versus inside the school.
The discussion ended with a request from the board that the Touchdown Club bring a proposal to the board at its May 17 meeting.
Other business
ï Elementary school principal Connie Hesse said that 43 students had registered at kindergarten round-up, with three more potential students likely to attend. That would bring enrollment to 45 students in kindergarten next year, which is good, she said.
ï Community education director Nancy Runningen handed out results of eighth grade basic skills tests. They showed that 74 percent of Caledonia students passed the math portion, compared to 90 percent last year; 83 percent passed reading compared to 91 percent in 2004. Runningen said that Caledoniaís numbers could be down due to increases in state averages.
ï Barb Hurley gave an update on the concession stand. She said a committee will be meeting with parental groups on how to run the stand, then will report back to the board. About $52,000 has been raised for the $90,000 project, she said. Organizers will now see how much volunteer labor will be donated to the project, and that information will be put together with the money that is already raised, Hurley said.
ï Superintendent Michael Moriarty updated the board on how the district is dealing with an erosion problem from water runoff behind the school. He said there could be cost sharing money from the Root River SWCD to fix the problem. There isnít much erosion on school property, but there is more on property that adjoins the district owned by Hilary Allen, Moriarty said.
ï The board discussed its evaluation process for Moriarty. It will take place in closed session at the next board meeting, which is Tuesday, May 17.
ï Mary Serres was hired as a part-time middle/high school cook for the remaining school year at III/P at $8.50 per hour.
ï The meeting, which lasted two hours in the elementary school cafeteria, ended with the board going into closed discussion to discuss teacher negotiations.
Unnamed teacher fired
The Caledonia School Board voted 6-1 to discharge a teacher at its April 18 meeting.
The name of the teacher will not be revealed until his/her 60 day appeal period has passed, superintendent Mike Moriarty said. School attorney Pat Maloney advised him to wait for this length of time so that the period for challenging the firing with a lawsuit has passed.
Mark Anfinson, an attorney for the Minnesota Newspaper Association, said not releasing the name at this point is illegal. ìThatís just dead wrong. Theyíre not supposed to do that. Youíre entitled to the name. Theyíre breaking the law by waiting 60 days.î
Maloney did not return phone calls from The Argus.
Board member Mike Novak voted against the motion, saying that he wasnít sure about the legal process, and that there had been too much ìcloak and daggerî in the case.
Both last weekís motion and a proposal to fire the teacher on March 21 came with no discussion. Board member Mary Frank said the termination had been part of a long process. It had been discussed in closed session, she said in answer to a question from The Caledonia Argus.
ìIn 60 days, it will make more sense,î board member Hurley said.
Moriarty told The Argus that the teacher had been on extended leave and would either had to have been hired back or terminated. He said the situation had been on-going for a long time, and that he had updated board members of it in weekly e-mails. No secret meetings had taken place regarding the firing, he said.
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