Enderlin Area School..... End of year housekeeping meeting
The Enderlin Area School Board is moving into end of school housekeeping which includes the announcement that all the teacher contracts have been signed and returned except for Leon Thielges’ and Linda Lues-sen’s.
Luessen has been the school’s art teacher since August of 1997 and has decided to retire. She taught kindergarten through senior art three days per week. The board voted to accept Luessen’s resignation and advertise to hire a half time art teacher.
Thielges, who has been teaching half time, has requested that he be rehired to teach full time for the 2008-09 school year.
Superintendent Pat Feist explained to the board, which included chairman Cyndee Chesley, Leo Bartholomay, Sandy Bartholomay, Georgia Olson, Roland Schroeder, and Rick Gillund, that if Thielges were to go full time, the class could be called Consumer Math and add another section of 8th grade science. It was Feist’s recommendation that the curriculum stay the way is has been in 2007-08 because classes are fairly small.
If Thielges is hired full time, said Feist, it would cost the district an additional $24,199.33. During discussion Schroeder said that the state legislature has moved to require more math for students before they graduate and felt that possibly this would allow the school to offer more math choices.
Olson asked why pre-algebra is not offered before algebra. She felt it would make it easier for those students who find it more difficult.
The board voted to hire Thielges full time next school year.
Feist informed the board that Vaughn and Dorinda Zacharias have asked to purchase a 50’x188’ piece of property (.2 acres) in East-edge, which the records show has never been changed from ownership by the Nome Special School District. The law allows schools to sell property at the fair market value. The board voted to sell the property to the Zacharias’ for $300.
Feist reported that he had only received one quote to fix the school’s roof above the Students Services Office area. It was decided to put the awarding of the job on hold until the next meeting.
Because the school’s newly approved policy concerning students attending national competition reads that only grades 5-7 would be allowed to attend, parents of the Destination Imagi-Nation “The Myth Experts That Eat Crackers” team that qualified to go to Global Finals in Knoxville, TN and has one of the students in the fourth grade, attended the meeting.
Mrs. Sonja Hurlburt, whose son Graham is in the fourth grade, told the board that she feels he is mature enough to handle going on this trip. She said that the DI program has helped him develop creativity and feels the experience would be with him forever. She also presented the board with a letter from his teacher, Mrs. Baarstad, stating that Gra-ham demonstrates good judgement and felt he was mature enough. DI leader, Lollie Adair, supported approval of the young boy attending the national competition.
Following discussion, Schroeder made the motion to allow Graham to go, saying that the policy was designed to approve exceptions, when needed. The board approved the motion with Olson voting no.
On second reading, the board approved the Extracurricular Participa-tion guidelines concerning tobacco, alcohol and other drugs. The policy deals with the penalties of each offense. The changes on the policy is to treat violations to the policy during the summer with a suspension for two weeks or two contests, whichever is greater.
The board found the statements from Feist and principals Tim Michaelson and Brian Midthun concerning the guidelines for penalties unsettling. Only drug use is required to be reported to the school, while a student could be guilty of another crime and the school not even hear from law enforcement. The law is not required to report any other offenses.
Midthun said that the school, upon hearing a rumor, can request more information, but will not necessarily receive it. The law reads that the report may be given.
The board also approved the Enderlin Area Athletic Rules.
The summer school classes including Remedial Math and Reading, Drivers Education, Theater and Spanish were approved by the board.
Feist told the board that there is something wrong with the exhaust system in the school kitchen and that approving the purchase of an air conditioner would not help until the problem is solved.
The board also approved the sale of the old gym bleachers to Glen Bartholomay for $50. Bartholomay must have the bleachers removed before work begins in the gym.
The board was presented with the school’s strategic planning plans. They included plans for all of the school’s extracurricular activities. The plans included the purpose, strengths, concerns, plans to address them, effects of declining enrollment and what the school needs to do.
The board reviewed the principal’s reports, the School Improvement Program (SIP) report, commended Midthun for being named the Region I Athletic Director, and heard a report from the school’s four Close Up students who qualified for State competition.
The board was reminded that the school board election filing deadline was Friday, April 11th.
Feist provided the board with copies of the preliminary 2008-09 budget.