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Two teachers placed on unrequested leave regain status BRAINERD SCHOOL BOARD Staff Writer Two of the five Brainerd teachers placed on unrequested leave were recalled at Monday's school board meeting, bringing the total number of teachers who will lose their jobs next school year to 60. Fifty-seven probationary teachers earlier were cut, due to budget reductions.
The board approved unrequested leaves for certified teachers Elizabeth Aulie, Brainerd High School French teacher; Dea Eschenbacher-Hondl, BHS marketing teacher; and Mike Reeser, BHS agriculture teacher.
However, BHS choral instructor Brian Stubbs and Elizabeth Santi, a Forestview family and consumer science teacher whose contract was to be reduced from full time to a .6 full-time-equivalent position, were called back to full-time status.
Assistant Superintendent Steve Razidlo said the district feels confident that Music Matters, which is attempting to raise $100,000 to rehire probationary teachers Stubbs and BHS band director Richard Berggren for one year, has met its goal to at least hire Stubbs back. According to the Music Matters Web site, brainerdmusicmatters.org, the nonprofit group has raised $54,159 so far as of April 3.
Razidlo said Santi, who will continue to teach in a .6 FTE position at Forestview, will retain her full-time teaching position by splitting her time between Forestview and teaching parenting classes as a .4 FTE at the Alternative Education Center. The position was open due to a retirement, he said.
Razidlo told school board members that Forestview students will now be able to choose to take two of the three music programs offered at the middle school, rather than only taking one next fall. Several parents and community members were upset when students were told they would have to choose between band, choir and orchestra.
He said another change to the music program is that Teresa Kingsley, a kindergarten through fourth-grade music specialist at Nisswa School, who asked for a one-year leave next fall, would not be replaced and her duties would be absorbed by other teachers.
On Friday Brainerd teachers are expected to vote on whether to waive 2 percent of allocated staff development reserve funds next fall in order to hire back additional teachers as requested by the school board. Superintendent Jerry Walseth clarified Monday how the $803,000 in projected staff development reserve funds would be used.
Walseth said state statute requires the funds to be spent in a specific way with 25 percent set aside for districtwide use, 25 percent for best practices and 50 percent allocated out to the school sites.
If teachers approve the request for the funds, the district could hire back about five to six teachers at a cost of $300,000, including salary and benefits. The district would use the remaining funds as it has in previous years, which is to fund a curriculum director position, including a staff support position, at $130,000; a Reading Recovery teacher at $73,000; and fund two staff development days at a cost of $330,000 for a total cost of $833,000.
Razidlo said if teachers approve the request, it will allow the district to have more flexibility for how the percentages of staff development reserve funds are spent.
The board approved a recommendation to remain with Blue Cross Blue Shield next year for the district's self-insured plan.
The board approved a new 10-year lease for the BHS farm site for $25 per year. If the district failed to operate the farm site for two consecutive years, the lease will be canceled.
The board approved a recommendation to invite representatives from Virchow Krause, a consulting firm, to a finance committee meeting in the near future. The firm would assist the district with future budget reduction ideas. Members of the Community Budget Committee suggested using a consulting firm.
The board approved a 2008-09 school calendar revision, which would change the end of first semester from Jan. 16 to Jan. 22, 2009.
The board approved the new fee structure for activities and athletics, along with new event ticket prices. Warrior Way Inc. has met its minimum goal of raising $220,000 to help fund athletics and activities for students who cannot afford the higher participation fees. The group is continuing to raise funds in order to maintain the new funding model for the district.
The board approved dropping the BHS graduation requirement for career and technical education courses from three credits to two.
The board determined that the two snow days of Jan. 30 and Feb. 20 will be made up by certified staff on June 2-3 as non-student days. Walseth said it hasn't yet been determined how Friday's snow day will be made up.
The board approved the following certified staff resignation: Jerilyn Wentzel, BHS South Campus language arts instructor, effective at the end of the school year.
The board also recognized the retirement of Carolyn Johnson, district office secretary for the past 29 years, effective Sept. 2. Johnson has worked as the secretary for the past three superintendents.
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