School board cuts seven instructors

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May 4, 2010 - 12:00 AM

USD 257 board members voted unanimously Monday night not to renew contracts of seven teachers.
Six of the teachers let go are on the Iola High staff. They are Mike Delange, social studies, Deedre Fraiser and Michael Shuman, English instructors, Steve Taylor, physical education and IHS boys basketball coach, Laura Schinstock, business, and Scot Yarnell, math. The seventh is Bruce Jacobs, middle school technology lab instructor. Also at the middle school, Elisha Baker, tech lab paraprofessional, and Rhonda Hunt, library para, were cut.
Dr. Craig Neuenswander, superintendent of schools, told the Register this morning that two of the terminated teachers likely would be replaced and otherwise students would be absorbed into other classes.
Three of the teachers are tenured, which means board members had to justify not renewing their contracts. In each case declining enrollment was cited. Schinstock and Jacobs are in their seventh years with the district, Yarnell his sixth. All three are entitled to due process, including a hearing before board members.
The personnel action occurred following two executive sessions, one to deal with a student matter and the other for personnel, that totaled 30 minutes.
Board members accepted the resignation of Jim Harris, Lincoln Elementary music instructor, and retirements of cooks Stella Higinbotham and Peggy Bain.
Three staff members were hired: Heather Maley, preschool teacher, Krystal Henderson, family and consumer science teacher, and Brett Linn, technology director.
The contracts of all administrators were renewed.

EARLIER in the year Neuenswander had told board members that it appeared state aid for next year might not be cut as drastically as had been feared.
Then came Friday’s announcement that state tax revenue fell $65 million short of estimates for April, which puts the shortfall for the fiscal 2011 state budget at about $575 million.
“The latest House bill had per-pupil state aid at $3,881,” $155 more than had been painted as a worse-case scenario, Neuenswander said.
At that level, he figured USD 257’s revenue loss for 2010-11 at $670,000, an improvement of $235,000 over earlier estimates.
“The state department (of education) thinks we’ll have a decision from the Legislature in about two weeks,” Neuenswander said, noting that the district would adopt its new budget in mid-August.
Regardless where state aid settles out, the district will have to deal with a revenue loss of $257,000 from loss of enrollment and estimated increased costs of $154,000. Neuenswander thinks fuel and utility costs will increase $66,000 and “the health insurance industry trend is for premium increases of 9 to 11 percent,” which would increase district costs by $88,000.

THE ONLY program cuts board members discussed had to do with use of the Bowlus Fine Arts Center, where music, art and drama classes are taught for middle and high school students, and the Crossroads alternative school.
The vote not to renew the contract of the middle school tech lab director and his paraprofessional was significant to clearing the way for use of the middle school by classes now held at the Bowlus.
A proposal floated has been to refit the tech lab and move middle school vocal and instrumental music there. The majority of the savings comes from the elimination of the technology program. The lab director and his para cost the district $61,000. About $23,000 in costs is incurred by use of the Bowlus and the daily busing of students there for the classes.
School board members, which under the will of Thomas H. Bowlus serve as stewards to the fine arts center, approved $129,000 this year for use of Bowlus classrooms and its main auditorium. Of that, $10,640 went in user fees for the auditorium which help cover the operational costs of the 752-seat facility. The school district used the auditorium for performances and programs 41 days this school year. Its rent of the classrooms helps cover the facility’s utilities, insurance, maintenance and depreciation costs.
Board members Tony Leavitt and Deanne Burris, along with Supt. Neuenswander and David Grover, high school principal, are scheduled to meet with representatives of the Bowlus Commission and of the Friends of the Bowlus to discuss somehow helping the district ease its financial pain.
That is not without precedent. Several years ago Friends of the Bowlus paid $25,000 of the district’s costs when its budget tightened, much as it has now.
Some board members mentioned the possibility of also moving high school music classes to the middle school tech lab, which would be occupied only a portion of the day by IMS students.
“Let’s look at the middle school first,” said Mary Apt, board president.
Leavitt asked for direction — which he never fully got — and whether discussions with the Friends should be just for next year or for a longer term or for a shift of financial responsibility.
He also expressed concern about liability issues, physically and educationally, of having students go from the high school to the Bowlus Center each day.
In an interview this morning, Leavitt said, “We (the district) continue to stick our heads in the sand. What happens, what liability do we have, if a kid gets hit crossing the street or kidnapped while walking to the Bowlus? The money isn’t as big a concern to me as that issue, that’s what I want to find out about.
“Also, there are educational challenges from students having to go back and forth and losing five minutes from each end (of a class). If the Bowlus were across the street from the high school, it would be a non-issue. But it isn’t.
“We may have to start busing the high school students so we have some supervision,” he said.
Currently, several programs have the students away from district campuses, including building trades classes and all of its sporting activities. Monday, for example, 70 students were away for the day participating in a track meet in Burlington while the golf team began play at 1 p.m. at Allen County Country Club.
No mention was made of curbing those activities.
As for Crossroads, Neuenswander said his recommendation was to keep it in place in the old Gas Elementary School, although moving the alternative classes to the high school could save an estimated $65,000. The school has 31 students this year, including 12 seniors. They are assigned to Crossroads because of difficulties at the high school.
Neuenswander allowed that it was not effective or as efficient to have the Crossroads staff and students 2 1/2 miles away from the IHS, but “I think some would drop out if it were moved to the high school.”

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