With the absence of Board Members Deb White and Sissy Lunde as well as board commitments following the assembly, the Cook County Schools – ISD 166 school board held an abbreviated meeting April 21, 2016. The gathering was attended by Board Chair Jeanne Anderson and Board Members Terry Collins and Chris Goettl.
Community member Myron Bursheim spoke on the subject of the continuing administration restructuring being considered by the board. With the hiring of Dr. Bill Crandall to fill the superintendent position, the question of how to assemble the elementary principal duties still remains. Options range from leaving the elementary duties with current kindergarten through grade 12 Principal Adam Nelson, to hiring a part time elementary principal.
Bursheim is a regular audience member of the local school board meetings. He has a background of 35 years as a teacher and principal with the Anoka- Hennepin School District (AHSD). Bursheim related a period of administrative cuts that AHSD enacted some time ago. In all AHSD at that time decreased their administrative payroll by 17 percent. Even without any reductions in principal positions, AHSD discovered a year later that the cuts were having an adverse effect on classroom performance.
Bursheim compared that to what he says is a 67 percent reduction in administration, including the loss of a principal, by ISD 166. He noted that although small class sizes are important, school leadership is important also. He presented a handout from the Center for Public Education on the principal perspective. The document details how effective principals impact classroom outcomes through teacher development. The board will consider his input in their upcoming work session scheduled for April 28.
Tenure and terminations
School board and union representatives of the Cook County Education Association have agreed to terms for teacher contracts. The education association unanimously approved the agreement April 20. The school board likewise accepted the arrangement.
Tenure was approved by the board for the following teachers: Melissa Steele – Mathematics, Julie Bishop, Louise Abelon and Melissa Oberg – Special Education, Anna Sandstrom – Social Work and Lacey Smith – birth to grade six. Collins asked Principal Adam Nelson to provide paperwork at a future meeting of what is involved in the process for recommending a teacher for tenure.
Nine teachers who have been working under variances in a probationary capacity were released. Probationary positions are normally terminated on a yearly basis to allow the school to advertise for licensed teachers for those positions. Those affected by the release were aware of this process and it is likely that many of them will be rehired for the same positions.
Kindergarten and preschool planning
Kindergarten teachers Lacey Smith and Stephanie Lindstrom gave a presentation on events they have hosted for next year’s kindergarten students and parents. A school tour and parent information meeting took place March 24. A parent visit night also concluded just prior to the start of the school board meeting with 15 to 20 families attending. A Kindergarten Round Up Day will be held for just the students on May 6. The goal of the sessions is to help parents and the new students become familiar and comfortable with their transition into kindergarten and elementary. Smith added, “Families are not just choosing a kindergarten, they are choosing a school.”
Greg Gentz, who has been working with a parent group concerning preschool, presented a projection of tuition paid for preschool students based on a breakdown compiled using this past year’s tuition figures. During the 2015-2016 school year 57 percent of students were charged full tuition, 15 percent half tuition, and the remaining no tuition because of the sliding fee and Head Start funding. Based on these numbers he projected the preschool program to have excess revenue of $20,000 versus the $7,000 excess currently expected.
Gentz proposed decreasing the $235 per month tuition to $176 for the shorter afternoon session students. He suggested that this would still leave an excess of $14,000 revenue. Superintendent Beth Schwarz agreed that the proposal could be supported if the money is there.
Trail system planning expands
Grand Marais City Administrator Mike Roth received the support of the school board for a proposed trail system known as the Sawtooth Bluff Project Area. The 638-acre area owned by the city and county is in the Old Ski Hill area just north of the city. The area would encompass school property currently being worked on by the Superior Cycling Association (SCA) for bike trails. Anderson indicated that she had spoken with Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux of the SCA and this proposal would not interfere with those plans.
A grant through Greater Minnesota Parks and Trails, which distributes Legacy Fund dollars, is being pursued. Roth stated that City Councilor Tim Kennedy is spearheading the effort. By including the school property it would give the district input into the master plan which is still in the concept phase. The school board would retain full say regarding what happens on the school-owned portion of the plan.
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