Posted: 11/29/05
New math, Spanish classes will be required for 2006 CHS ninth graders
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Freshmen requirements at Caledonia High School will be changed next year to include Spanish, culture of language, or reading, and a full year of math.
That decision was announced and debated at the November 22 school board meeting.
High School principal Ron Helmers said the changes stem from changing graduation standards. Some electives will be dropped as a result.
ìWeíre going to have some fallout from that,î he said.
The freshman Spanish, world culture, and reading classes will be ìskinnies,î that is, hour-long classes as opposed to the regular two-hour-long classes in the block scheduling.
A math class will be offered to freshmen opposite those classes. Math had been offered to freshmen for only one semester, but the board approved offering it for both semesters last year.
Spanish is presently offered starting in 10th grade, and not all 10th graders can get into the classes, Helmers said.
Board member Mike Novak said he had a problem cutting electives to add a world language. He said it was not fair to require only one language, especially at a time of staff reductions. The board received criticism last year of not having enough electives, and the district should try to increase electives if possible, he said.
Superintendent Mike Moriarty said the administrators received direction from the board last December and January to add a math class, and they needed a class opposite it.
Novak said perhaps an English class with more writing would be a good option.
ìItís brand new territory,î Helmers said. ìWeíre exploring. I donít know how itís going to go over.î
Personnel items
The board accepted resignations from Scott Sorenson as assistant baseball coach and Luke Snell as the junior high baseball coach. Mike Novak abstained. He did not give a reason.
Four new people were hired:
ï Arnold Lundtvedt was hired as part-time middle/high school food services janitor at $8.18 per hour; Kevin Klug was hired as assistant baseball coach at $1,483;
ï Zach Hauser was hired as junior high baseball coach at $1,483;
Laura Eglinton was hired as speech advisor at $1,250.
The board also voted to eliminate three part-time janitorial positions in the elementary building and replaced them with two full-time janitors, Robert Benson at $9.76 per hour and Glenda Solberg at $8.67 per hour.
Administratorsí reports
Elementary principal Connie Hesse that the district had received a $3,000 grant from the Cross River History Consortium at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Teaching materials and a teacher in-service will be purchased with it.
Middle school principal Brian Doty said that enrollment in the schoolís career and technical education classes are will be reauthorized, with will bring in $3,500 in state money. He also said that the schoolís work study programs are down across all areas. Chuck Schulte asked him to bring back some numbers on where it is at. Doty said he would do that.
Ron Helmers said in his report that the schoolís FCCLA has been doing a good job raising money for cystic fibrosis as part of a state-wide campaign by the organization. They did an American Idol type program at the school on November 22.
The football teamís success has kept him busy, and has been a good thing for the school, he said.
Superintendent Michael Moriarty distributed a sheet that showed enrollment projections. He called the outlook ìdisturbing.î Current K-12 enrollment is 883. Projection for 2006 is 867, 2007 is 831, and 20087 is 795. Enrollment is holding pretty well for this year, he said.
Moriarty also said that he is still investigating why footings on the west side of the new middle/high school are heaving. One was dug up, and it was found to have been installed according to specifications. There was standing water in the holes, Moriarty said. The footings will be replaced with gravel until they can be properly fixed.
Discussion on signage
Chuck Schulte gave an update on meetings he has coordinated on putting signs inside and outside the middle-high school. No specific designs of an outside sign were presented. he said. The tentative idea was to have a sign 15-20-feet high and elevated about five feet.
Schulte and committee members Rocky Danielson and Betsy Pieper are suggesting that ìHome of the Warriorsî on the metal facing above the entrance of the school. They also would like lettering inside the building for middle school, high school, media center, main office, auditorium, gymnasium, and restrooms. The auditorium lettering should be different than the others, Schulte said, perhaps in neon.
Naomi Fruechte objected to the neon, and said all the lettering should be the same.
Schulte said he was planning to bring the plans to the board for review and approval in March of 2006. He said he hoped to have the funding lined up at that time too. Charlie Wray said that would not be a good idea, because if the board rejected the ideas, it would hurt the feelings of the donors, and hinder future donations. Schulte said he was fine with that.
Wind energy
Schulte also brought up the subject of wind energy. He said heís had several people ask him about the progress of getting a wind generator to help pay for the districtís electrical costs. It makes sense because the district has electricity-based geo-thermal units to heat and cool the new middle/high school building, and has an annual electric bill of $150,000-$200,000.
Schulte spearheaded some initial meetings on the subject of wind energy in February, 2004, but not much has happened since then.
Moriarty said that a company that had planned to put up a wind meter on a tower west of the school had not done so. He said there is a 236-foot height limit on school property because of its proximity to the Houston County Airport. That height would only generate about a quarter of the power needs of the building.
Wray suggested that the community members who are interested should form a committee. ìAre they that motivated?î he asked.
ìIím not involved with this,î Schulte said. ìItís out of my hands."
Mike Novak suggested that an ad hoc committee be formed to deal with it and report back to the board.
Moriarty said perhaps a joint venture with the city would be a good idea, since the school buys its electricity from the city. ìThey could benefit and the school district could benefit,î he said.
Schulte said he is frustrated that there is no energy policy in the United States and none in the Caledonia school district.
Wray then asked Schulte if was interested in being on a committee. Schulte responded that he was not sure. It was going to be a lot of work and involve a lot of people, he said.
Moriarty said a wind generator would be expensive.
ìYouíre looking at a million-and-a-half-dollar project,î Fruechte added.
School property is a marginal area for a wind generator, Moriarty said.
Thatís not necessarily true, because of more efficient generators, Schulte said.
Wray concluded the discussion by stating that the board would discuss it more at next monthís meeting.
Other business
ï Coaching policy: Moriarty updated the board on the policy it has with coaches. Coaches will meet with the high school principal at the start of the season and receive the districtís policy. He said the district also hopes to give head coaches a chance to attend clinics.
Mike Novak said the policy should include listing other standards such as winning and losing and community relations. He suggested including the middle and elementary school principal too.
Moriarty responded that he would make those changes.
ï Concession stand: The district has received $84,099 for the new restroom/concession stand building by the athletic fields. Mary Frank said inside work on the heating and plumbing systems is going on now. Nick King will do the finishing work. ìIt seems to be going well,î Frank said.
ï Early school dismissal: Schulte raised the question of why school is sometimes called off for athletic events. The most recent example of this came on November 4 when the football team had an afternoon playoff game. School was called off early that afternoon.
Schulte said that in the past, the administrators had said they would not call off school for athletic events, but would not penalize students who went to them.
Moriarty said he sometimes needs to make decisions as part of an administrative team, and that that is part of his job.
The board agreed that such decisions are best left to the discretion of the administrative team.
Barb Hurley was absent from the meeting.
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