Posted: 3/29/05
School board cutting six positions
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
The board of ISD #299 voted 5-1 at its March 21 meeting to cut four fulltime and two part-time teaching positions for the 2005-2006 school year.
The reductions are part of $373,000 in total reductions needed to balance next yearís budget. They are based on projections of declining enrollment.
The cuts involve two K-5 teaching positions, one full time business education teacher, one full-time secondary math teacher, and two part-time special education and English positions.
The math and business reductions are being accomplished through the retirement of teachers Keith Hollatz and Betty DeWitz. A middle school math teacher will be moved up to replace Hollatz. DeWittís position will be partially replaced, superintendent Michael Moriarty said after the meeting.
Following this resolution, the board voted 5-1 to place kindergarten teacher Becky Newgard and part-time Title 1 teacher Greta Mierau on unrequested leaves. Moriarty said both teachers will like be offered contracts next year, although Mierauís contract length will depend on Title I money available.
The staff that will ultimately be effected by the reductions will be announced at the April meeting, Moriarty said. Teachers have bumping rights based on seniority and licensure.
Board member Mike Novak voted in the minority on the staff reductions. He said that he is opposed to reducing the upcoming fifth grade class from three sections to two, which could result in class sizes of 30 students or more. He said that $50,000 in staff development money could be reallocated to pay for a teacher. ìWe have the money, it just means we shift,î Novak said. ìSometimes we need to be proactive to look at the kids and what we can do for them.î
Naomi Fruechte asked Novak what would happen if the school district didnít get money from the governor.
Novak responded that everyone at the legislature had signed off verbally on a two percent increase in funds, which would bring about $100,000 to the district.
Charlie Wray said that Moriarty and elementary principal Connie Hesse have said they would look at reinstating the position if money becomes available. ìJust hoping for the best is a road map to going back where we were three years ago,î he said, referring to the district being in statutory operating debt.
Wray said he was also concerned with paying for any new mandates that the state could impose.
ìI donít want to see 30 kids in the fifth grade class either,î Chuck Schulte said. He urged people to call legislators. The state needs to provide adequate funding, Schulte said. He added that he is comfortable that the fifth grade class situation will be revisited.
It is important to let people know that if there is money, the board will go back at look at the cuts, Barb Hurley said.
Regarding state funding, Moriarty told the board that legislators seem to have a different tone this year. Both parties seem to be trying to out-do each other to get increased funding proposals passed, he said, but they donít know where they will get the money. He said it makes a difference when people march on the state capitol and write letters.
Work experience report
At the request of the board, middle school principal Brian Doty gave a report on the work experience business placements. Doty said there are 14 sites this year, and 14 students taking part for a portion or all of the year. Those numbers donít include the fourth quarter.
ìThe program is growing, in a nutshell, in terms of the number of students and number of businesses,î Doty said.
Most of the students find the jobs on their own, he said. ìFrom one year to the next itís going to be different people, because they know different people,î he said.
Happy with tech college
Community education director Nancy Runningen reported on two recent meetings with representatives of Southeast Technical College in Winona. Both she and Superintendent Moriarty said they were pleased with the positive reception the college is giving them.
Runningen said community education will start offering college courses from SE Tech in the fall.
Moriarty said the high school will offer on-line honors courses with the college in 2005-06, and perhaps college-level courses at the high school using present school staff as teachers starting in 2006-07.
ìI think they really want to be a partner,î Moriarty said.
Runningen said the cost of gas and the distance to Winona makes it an attractive program. ìIt just seems like the moons are aligning, like this is the time to do this,î she said.
Chuck Schulte said he highly supports the idea. The people who planned the new school had a vision of expanding to the community like this he said.
Registration underway
High School principal Ron Helmers reported that registration is underway. Next yearís seniors were able to design their own schedules starting on March 21. Students were frustrated at first and had to look at all their options. But they worked through it and came out saying, ìThis is good, I like this,î Helmers said.
He also gave a report on hallway supervision requested by Novak last month. Faculty members are assigned near their classrooms before and after school in between classes, which Helmers feels works well. Teachers are also assigned 45 minutes of supervision per day in hallways, the media center, the computer lab, the lunch room, the study hall, and the modified learning center, he said.
Coaches, trainer approved
The board approved coachesí contracts for spring sports. Baseball: Scott Sorenson, head coach, $2,924; Eliott Kranz, assistant, $1,673; Luke Snell, junior high, $1,633. Boysí golf: Mitch Mullins, head, $2,924; Jennifer Snook, assistant boys and girls, $1,673. Girls golf: Ken VanDenBoom, head, $2,924. Boys track: Carl Fruechte, head, $2,744; Reese Wait, assistant boys and girls, $1,673. Girls track: Paul Stevens, head, $2,924.
The board also approved a new contract for sports medicine with Gundersen Lutheran in La Crosse, Wisconsin, for $1,850 for 650 hours. Any additional time would be at$25 an hour.
New web site coming
The meeting ended with Schulte expressing his disappointment in the schoolís web site. He said that it is not current. Moriarty said that he had seen a preview of the new website that is being designed by an outside company. It is excellent and will be up soon, he said.
Board member Mary Frank was absent from the meeting, which lasted two hours in the elementary school cafeteria.
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