Board Highlights

The Board met in regular session last evening. After approving minutes, claims and personnel recommendations, the board discussed spending reduction strategies for the next two years. Several considerations were made as the board studied strategies.

1) Preliminary steps toward grade reorganization in 2006 were considered.

2) The Board considered resolving scheduling issues in the district. Among those are the sharing of music staff at the high school/junior, and junior high/elementaries. Changes in the schedule at one building impacts instruction in other buildings.

Changing enrollment patterns at Plymouth High School were a factor as strategies were considered. Core 40 requirements are causing enrollment shifts which result in increases in some areas and decreases in others.

Parents have expressed concern about the schedule at Lincoln Junior High. Their child’s’ entire schedule is driven by choices in enrollment in band or choir.

During this current year, the elementaries and junior high share art teachers. The unavailability of art teachers from the junior high at a consistent time has caused constant changing of schedules at the elementaries.

The size of the ELL staff at Lincoln Junior High does not meet the needs of those students.

3) The third factor considered when developing the spending reduction strategy was finances. The 2005 budget has been cut $117,000. The district is receiving an additional shortfall due to the lack of state appropriations.

The Board approved a spending reduction strategy which includes the following adjustments:
· There will only be one prep period for each staff member at Lincoln Junior High next year.
· Foreign language instruction will be postponed until the 9th grade.
· Mrs. Baldwin will become a full-time ELL teacher at Lincoln Junior High.
· The assignments of the music staff will be arranged so that three music teachers are assigned to the elementaries, two music teachers are assigned to Lincoln Junior High, and two music teachers are assigned to Plymouth High School.
· Mrs. Mercer will be transferred to Plymouth High School to cover French and English classes.
· Mr. Isenbarger will be transferred to Plymouth High School to cover PE, health and social studies classes.
· Ms. Young will be transferred to Lincoln Junior High to cover health classes.
· Mr. Skirvin will teach both business and PE classes.
· Ms. Lange will be transferred from Lincoln Junior High to Webster Elementary to cover an elementary class.
· Mr. Wenino will be available first and second periods all year for elementary art.
· Through utilization of current staff, the PE position at the high school will not be filled.
· Mr. Benedict will become a ½ time social studies teacher.
· One FACS position at the high school will be reduced to ½.
· Mrs. Freidhoff will be replaced through a transfer instead of hiring a new person.
· Through attrition and elimination of some positions, the total number of assistants in the district will be reduced by eight.
· The extra contract days for the Ag teacher will be reduced by 20 days.
· The extended contract of a music teacher will be reduced by 10 days.
· The extracurricular positions of pool director, girls basketball program director, boys basketball program director, debate coach, 13-15 year old baseball coach, 8th grade assistant boys basketball coach, 8th grade assistant girls basketball coach, team leaders at Lincoln Junior high will not be filled.
· We will reduce the losses in the textbook fund by $40,000.

Total savings to the district for calendar year 2005: $163,018
Total savings to the district for calendar year 2006: $326,691

In other business, the Board heard a report on the NCA documentation visit at Jefferson Elementary and donated property behind Menominee Elementary to the park department for the city Greenway Project.

The next board meeting will be May 12, 2005 at 5:00 o’clock p.m. at the Administration office.