Posted: 5/2/06
School board eliminates four teaching positions
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
The Caledonia School Board put two tenured teachers on unrequested leave and did not renew the contracts of two non-tenured ones at its April 24 meeting.
The cuts are due to declining enrollment, superintendent Michael Moriarty said on April 26.
Cori Ronnenberg and Sally Mensink were put on unrequested leave. Mensink, who teaches family and consumer science classes, will be offered a part-time position. Ronnenberg teaches developmentally adaptive physical education.
High school special education teacher Tricia Troge and English teacher Conan Kmiecik will not have their contracts renewed.
The board also approved hiring Courtney Novak as a .83-time Spanish teacher for the 2006-2007 school year at a salary of $30,392.94.
Other personnel business
The board signed contracts with three employees:
ï A two year contract for head custodian/maintenance director William Wooley. He will receive a three percent salary increase for 2006-2007 at $34,789.16 and three percent for 2007-2008 at $35,832.83.
ï A two year contract for network administrator John Lukach. He will receive a three percent salary increase for 2006-2007 at $48,410 and three percent for 2007-2008 at $49,862.30.
ï A two year contract for accountant controller Amy Schmidt. She will receive a three percent salary increase for 2006-2007 at $48,410 and three percent for 2007-2008 at $49,862.30.
Four teachers were given tenure: agriculture teacher Brad Harguth, music teacher Eliott Kranz, special education teacher Lindsey Meyer, and CLS lab teacher Jennifer Snook. The board granted third year probationary teaching status to music teacher Dustin Moburg and counselor Gale Peter, and granted second year probationary teaching status to music teacher Carrie Erickson and Kimberly Kranz.
Other business
ï New board member: The board appointed Joyce Knutson to the board. She is replacing Mike Novak, who resigned in March. An election will be held this fall to fill the position for its duration, which is for two years.
ï Signage: The board tabled a motion for an outdoor sign. Chuck Schulte said he wanted to work more on the location for the sign at the entrance of the school parking lot.
ï Insurance increase: Moriarty informed the board that health insurance rates will increase by 18 percent in 2006-2007. ìItís high, itís really high,î he told The Argus. ìWeíre 18 percent on top of a lot.î
ï Wind energy: The board voted not to approve a proposal from Johnson Controls to apply for part of $2 million in Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREB). The bonds are being used to help finance a wind farm in western Minnesota. Revenue from the sale of the power generated by the turbine will be split between the contributing entities.
Moriarty said the board felt there was a financial risk to the district, and that it did not have enough time to study the proposal, which was presented to the wind energy committee by Mike Pieper of Johnson Controls on April 21.
ï Erosion plan approved: The board voted to pay for half of the cost of constructing a waterway on the Hilary Allen property west of the new middle/high school. Water run off during the construction phase of the school may have contributed to an erosion problem on Allenís land. Moriarty said the total cost of the plan would be about $3,000, with the districtís cost would be about $1,500. The Natural Resources Conservation Service is designing the waterway.
Mary Frank and Barb Hurley were absent from the meeting, which lasted 3-1/2 hours.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com