Burton named HMS principal; Yoder goes to elementary
Two teachers nonrenewed in special school board meeting
Two teachers have been released and four more staffers will have different jobs after a special USD 410 board of education meeting Wednesday night.
The meeting was scheduled to discuss staff changes in light of the current budget crunch.
After an executive session more than an hour and a half long, the board unanimously voted to nonrenew the teaching contracts of half-time third-grade teacher Sharon Jost and half-time kindergarten teacher Michelle Faul.
The board also unanimously agreed to move Hillsboro Middle School principal Evan Yoder to the principal's job at Hillsboro Elementary School.
Taking over Yoder's current job will be Hillsboro High School teacher Corey Burton. He has been offered a two-year contract for the HMS job, starting in the 2003-04 school year.
Also during the evening's meeting, two district staffers had their jobs altered.
The biggest change was the elimination of the curriculum coordinator's position. That position is currently held by Joyce Loewen.
Since Loewen has tenure, she will still be employed by the district as a teacher. To accomplish this, Loewen handed in her resignation as curriculum coordinator on the condition that if the board accepted it, they would hire her as a full-time teacher.
The board unanimously approved the decision. Loewen has not yet been assigned a specific teaching job for next year.
HHS band director Gregg Walker also had his position affected. The board wanted to reduce the number of summer band days — for lessons and marching band practice — from 30 to 20. In order to do that, Walker's contract would have to be altered.
To accomplish this, Walker submitted a letter of resignation for the contract with 30 summer days, contingent on his immediately receiving a contract with 20 summer days — much like Joyce Loewen's situation. The board unanimously approved the change.
Reducing the curriculum position, Faul's position, and the 10 band days will save the district nearly $50,000.
According to new district figures, if the current base budget per pupil stays the same for next year and the district grants its staff a two percent raise, USD 410 will need $168,800 for next year. Subtract $50,000 from that and the district still needs $119,800.
The May board meeting will look more closely at options for covering this deficit, said Superintendent Gordon Mohn. Some of the district's high priorities include charging a $75 fee for driver's education classes, eliminating custodial pay for spring break, increasing the textbook fee by $5, and reducing building budgets.
But the option that would make the biggest difference is this: increasing the LOB to its maximum limit.
If that were done, the LOB mill levy would go up by 5.75, Mohn said. That would give the district approximately $147,000, depending on property valuations.
But if the district decided to do this, it would simultaneously lower the capital outlay mill levy by two mills, Mohn said. That would make the overall mill levy increase just 3.75.
