A lot of work has taken place at I.S.D. 166 this summer. A new roof was put on the Arrowhead Center for the Arts (ACA) and new flooring has been put in throughout the hallways and in the ACA. Rooms have been painted and deep cleaning is ongoing as the hard-working maintenance crew gets the facility ready for the first day of school, which according to many children is too fast approaching. Staff photo/Brian Larsen
Some new teachers will be in I.S.D. 166 classrooms this fall to greet multitudes of excited children who will be eagerly returning from summer vacations revived and ready to exuberantly dive head first into their studies.
Well, that’s the hope anyway.
Steven Anderson was hired as the new middle school English language arts teacher. He has previous experience teaching middle school math and elementary education.
Erin Petz was hired to teach middle school and high school Spanish.
Teresa Shannon will instruct elementary students in Spanish and English as a second language. She was hired at a .51 full-time equivalent (FTE).
Lynn Sheils, who worked at the school district last year, will be the full-time all day pre-school teacher and Jaye Clearwater will return to work .51 FTE hours as the ECFE preschool teacher. Amanda Carlson will also work in the mornings with the 3- and 4-year-olds in preschool at .51 FTE.
Sawtooth Mountain elementary school teacher Stephanie Lindstrom was hired to work on the academic side of the K-8 Alternative Delivery of Specialized Instructional Services (ADSIS) program for the 2019-2020 school year. “This would be a voluntary FTE reduction for this year,” Stephanie wrote in her request to the school board, adding, “I plan to resume my 1.0 FTE in 2020-2021.”
Lindstrom will work mostly with students on improving their math and reading.
ADSIS is an intervention program for students who are below grade level standards in math, reading and/ or behavior, with the goal of getting those students back to grade-level standards without having to consider special education as a first alternative.
Meanwhile, the school district is still looking to hire someone to work on the behavioral side of the ADSIS program.
At the I.S.D. 166 school board’s June meeting the board approved Cindy Johnson as the K-12 choir/ music teacher; she will work .45 full-time equivalent (FTE).
Thomas Nalezny is the new culinary arts instructor. He replaces Jason Gesch who resigned at the end of this school year. Jason thanked the school and fellow staff members for a good five-year run. Nalezny’s contract calls for him to work .56 (FTE) through the year.
Kasha Hansen was re-hired to teach physical education.
Following the birth of her baby E.C.S.E. teacher Jodi Roberts tendered her resignation. In her letter to the board she said, “I want to thank you for the support you provided during my time at E.C.S.E., and I look forward to working with the team from a parent perspective.”
Her E.C.S.E. position will be advertised.
Mila Horak, who has been working as an art instructor under a variance, received her teaching degree and will remain full-time.
The board also approved the resignation of Mark Abrahamson, who was teaching a First Responder class. Mark retired from his interim director of nursing position at North Shore Health in July 2019, and in order for him to get his P.E.R.A. pension, he can’t be working at any public service job.
Meanwhile, for the coming school year the school district needs more school bus drivers, an occupational therapist, physical therapist, and is still developing an early family education program where parents and caregivers can be taught parenting techniques.
Highlights of the July 25 meeting
. The Arrowhead Center for the Arts roof project is complete and much better soundproofed than in the past. No longer will a heavy rain interrupt a play or performance in the ACA.
A renewal and updating of the ACA lease is still being worked on, with plans to complete it before the school year starts. . School board members adopted a long-term facilities maintenance program. This program is funded through the levy to maintain the building (windows, pipes, flooring, painting, tuck pointing, etc.), and is a way to plan for future, deferred, or preventative maintenance.
As part of the long-term facilities maintenance plan, this summer new flooring was installed throughout the high school, hallways and classrooms, and many areas were painted. Plans are to do similar upgrades to Sawtooth Elementary School next summer. . Tom Nelson, school district maintenance supervisor, sold a vehicle and the school board used money from that sale, as well as other funds, to purchase a nine-passenger vehicle that can be used to take smaller groups of kids to competitions like Knowledge Bowl, robotics, choir, etc. instead of using a large school bus for transportation. . I.S.D. 166 adopted the following school goals at the July meeting:
1) The Cook County Schools will build a positive school-community climate conductive for student learning, effective teaching and community pride for all students. Objective: Address school wide positive cultural change to include racial awareness inclusive to all students.
2) The Cook County Schools will increase academic achievement for all students throughout the school district.
3) The Cook County
Schools will effectively manage the school district’s resources and ensure fiscal responsibility when implementing school district expenditures and allocation of resources. . The school board approved the propane bid of .790 fixed rate per gallon of propane from Superior Fuel for up to 115,000 gallons through June 30, 2020. Como Oil bid .792 per gallon for up to 120,000 gallons through April 30, 2020. . Also approved was the annual renewal to the Minnesota State High School League at a cost of $220 as was renewal to the membership of the Minnesota Rural Education Association (MREA) with Lake County public schools at a cost of $22,225.
The MREA advocates for Greater Minnesota students, school, and districts with the state legislature. In a letter to the school board from the MREA it states, “With your uninterrupted membership we’ll continue advocating for policy changes to reduce paperwork, unfunded mandates, and inequities in education financing…” . Following a new law passed this spring by the Minnesota Legislature, the board adopted a resolution regarding board control of extra curricular activities.
School districts are now required to make changes in the accounting for student activity funds and school boards “must take charge of and control all student activities of the pubic schools in the district and all money received or expended for extra curricular activities shall be recorded in the same manner as other revenues and expenditures of the district.” . The school board approved the 2019-2020 Cook County schools handbooks. . Principal Megan Myers reported that the attendance for summer school Jr. Vikings has been consistent with an average of 30 students taught by Mr. Steinbach, Mrs. Barras, and Lynn Sheils. Students have been working on math, English, arts and social emotional skills.
Attendance at middle school summer school has been consistent, said Myers, and Mrs. Oberg, “continues to provide a strong program.”
Mr. Dorr has led the high school summer school credit recovery program using Odysseyware program. Some concern has been raised about attendance with phone calls and even some visits to kids’ homes to encourage the students to complete their work. . Fall pre-school is full and the school district is looking for ways to accommodate additional students and families. If 10 or more pre-school students enroll, the school district could potentially open an afternoon section.
The cutoff date for that decision is August 16.
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