Friday, December 17, 2010

ISD #2142 School District News: Dec. 16th, 2010: Tower-Soudan High School Closure Finalized

Article from the Cook News Herald: Dec. 16th, 2010
http://www.cooknewsherald.com/page1.html 
Article Summary: 
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The ISD 2142 Board, at their regular meeting on Monday in the Central Office in Virginia, gave their final approval for the 2010 levy that will be paid in 2011. The levy had $583,507.43 for the General RMV Levy, down from $604,521.16 for last year. The General NTC Levy for payment in 2011 was $1,070,518.91, up from $533,120.99 for last year. The total levy calls for a total of $7,051,905.34 or up $283,575.19 or 4.19 percent from last year. The big figure in this is $5,397,879 for debt service for the building referendum.


Orr, Cotton,Tower-Soudan most costly to operate.


Students  of the 7-12 Educational Programs and students from Tower-Soudan  transferred to Babbitt-Embarrass and Cook for next year. This would, in effect, close the Tower-Soudan 7-12 high school.A motion was first made by T-S board member Andy Larson to table this item. It failed on a 4-3 vote. The board moved to transfer the Tower-Soudan Education Program for 7-12 and its students to Cook and B-E. The motion passed.
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Report shows Cotton, T-S, Orr costliest

The ISD 2142 Board, at their regular meeting on Monday in the Central Office in Virginia, gave their final approval for the 2010 levy that will be paid in 2011. The levy had $583,507.43 for the General RMV Levy, down from $604,521.16 for last year. The General NTC Levy for payment in 2011 was $1,070,518.91, up from $533,120.99 for last year. The total levy calls for a total of $7,051,905.34 or up $283,575.19 or 4.19 percent from last year. The big figure in this is $5,397,879 for debt service for the building referendum.

The board also approved a direct payment agreement to Kraus-Anderson so it won't go through Johnson Controls.

Business Manager Kim Johnson presented a report showing the cost per student for the individual schools, plus the average number of students per teacher.

The cost per student had Cook with the lowest cost at $10,650,66 and an average pupil to teacher ratio of 14.04. Cherry was second with an average cost of $10,733.40 and an average student/teacher ratio of 14.80, with AlBrook third at $10,793.30 and a pupil/teacher ratio of 13.68. Babbitt-Embarrass was $11,456.36 and a ratio of 13.37, Tower-Soudan fifth at $13,656.64 and a ratio of 10.01, Orr sixth at $12,558.44 and a ratio of 11.44, and Cotton seventh at $13,967.29 and a ratio of 10.91.
These figures were actually audited for the school year 2009 to 2010 and showed a total district cost of $25,410,338.91. The report showed administration costs at $1,503,278.09.

Prior to the meeting, during the study session, a contingent from the proposed Tower Charter School appeared before the board with a report that apparently showed Tower was the fastest growing community in the northeast. Ray Toutloff, who is a member of the Bois Forte Council, spoke of the 16 new housing units being built on the Vermilion Reservation and said another 20 were planned, plus there would be building on the lakeshore. He thought the youngsters from the Vermilion Reservation would come back to Tower if the school stayed open.

The second item to come up during the regular meeting was the transfer of the 7-12 Educational Programs and students from Tower-Soudan to Babbitt-Embarrass and Cook for next year. This would, in effect, close the Tower-Soudan 7-12 school.

A vociferous contingent from Tower was on hand to argue this. A motion was first made by T-S board member Andy Larson to table this item. It failed on a 4-3 vote. A motion was then made to approve it. Several people from the T-S proposed Charter School were on hand to argue against this. They asked that the old portion of the school, plus the swimming pool be transferred to them. The ISD 2142 Board will look into this.
Then Tim Kotzian, who was on the board of the Tower-Soudan School District when it was brought into ISD 2142, spoke. He complained he didn't get figures on the district's operation. He said he wanted them before the meeting was over. Business Manager Kim Johnson immediately went to get them while the meeting waited. She said she had given the Tower group the figures before, but here they were again. More discussion followed, both on the floor and between audience members. The board finally moved to transfer the Tower-Soudan Education Program for 7-12 and its students to Cook and B-E. The motion passed.

The board also approved selling some property along Highway 65 in Chisholm to Richard and Debra Mayerich of Hibbing for $6,000.
The dates for the board meetings for 2011 were also approved.
Probationary teachers Allison Theil was hired for .2 elementary at Cook, Cathy Ann Anderson as Title I at Tower-Soudan, and Jessica Deal as Special Ed. at Orr for .4 FTE elementary LD/.2 FTE elementary EBD/.4 secondary EBD.
Sandra Mancini was hired as instructional aide at Cherry, Jim Boutto as in- school suspension monitor for Cook, Wendy Jordan as instructional aide at Cook, and Becky Constantine as bus driver at Cherry.
Shelby Slygh was hired as the assistant girls basketball coach at Cotton.
The resignation of Cook Site I Secretary Gloria Bartlett was approved.

The meeting finally adjourned at 7:45 p.m.

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