ISD #2142 News: Feb. 17th, 2011

Articles from the Cook News Herald:
Full Article(s) Links Below:
http://www.cooknewsherald.com/page1.html

ISD 2142 board sets Orr School closing in motion
Summary:
 
The ISD 2142 school board at their regular meeting Monday at 5 p.m. in the District Office officially started the closing of the Orr School. The board, at their Jan. 31 meeting, had voted to combine the students of Orr and Cook in the Cook School for the 2011-2012 school year. This motion sets the process in motion. This includes publishing a notice of the hearing to be held in the Orr School for two weeks in the Cook News-Herald, the district's official newspaper. A judge will be on hand at that meeting where residents may speak on the closing. A court stenographer will take the minutes.

Some Orr Area residents upset with this.
 
Curriculum Report By Kevin Abrahamson on potential course offerings next year
 
Update by John Henry on construction - everything on schedule
 
Board Meeting scheduled in Babbitt in the B-E auditorium to discuss the school name and mascot which has been previously changed by the school board on a unanimous vote following a positive vote by the B-E & T-S student bodies for the change. This meeting will be held Thursday, March 3, at 7 p.m.
 
Field Township board amends P & Z moratorium for feedlots, wood processing... No school  
Summary:
 
The board had passed, at a special meeting Feb. 7, plans for a Planning and Zoning ordinance with a moratorium which allowed outhouses, hunting shacks, homes, but no school. This action seemed to those present to be a direct attack on the new school that is going up there. The moratorium passed by two Field Township Board members, Tom Chapman and Chairman Keith Aho, was passed at a special township board meeting that, apparently, few township residents knew about.

Ryan Hartway was first and spoke for a group, so he had eight minutes. He questioned how much the attorney cost, which was $200 an hour, and how it was paid for. Aho replied that taxes did. Hartway spoke of the township having to go to court at the township's expense. Hartway brought up Minnesota Statute 15-6 titled Interim Ordinance (Moratorium that made it clear that interim ordinances may not be arbitrarily adopted to discriminate against specific projects. Hartway noted that Gilchrist had apparently authored Statute 15-6. A 10-day notice is required for an interim ordinance to be adopted. Hartway said that Aho and Chapman didn't notify their local newspaper, but a Tower paper that agreed with them was at the meeting. He asked Aho if the township was prepared to battle legal costs and Aho replied they were. Hartway then submitted a Freedom Of Information Act request for all e-mails from 2006 to the present, all financial records from 2006 to the present and all telephone calls for the same period.

Other comments:

Mike Enzmann, who represents Field on the Hospital Board, asked Gilchrist if he would represent the board if they were sued over this. He added he wanted to bring a lawsuit against the Town Board over this moratorium.

Gilchrist said they should consider if the township were sued with challenges for arbitrary and capricious items.

Jenny Panichi spoke of the jobs the new school would bring. She said they would "lose out big time." She added she refuses to buy the Tower publication and wondered why it wasn't in the local paper. She said she thought the entire Field Township should vote on this.

Most in the audience against this moratorium. Aho had asked for a show of hands of those against the moratorium and most of the close to 100 in attendance raised their hands. The board then amended the ordinance to include small wood processing businesses and feedlots, but not a school.

Calls for the resignation of the entire board and the repeal of the moratorium went unheeded.

2011 School Board Meeting Calendar
Click Below For The .PDF File

2011 School Board Meeting Calendar

Northeast Range High School 2011 – 2012 Course Registration Catalog

Click The Link Below For The PDF File:

Northeast Range High School 2011 – 2012 Course Registration Catalog

Reasons to Attend Northeast Range High School

• New state of the art technology center that will include computer lab, audio & visual broadcasting/recording equipment, green screens and much more
• Newly remodeled chemistry, physics and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) labs
• Interactive white board technology in every classroom
• Certified Nursing Assistant lab
• Performance auditorium with state of the art lighting and sound systems
• Remodeled locker rooms, weight room and swimming pool
• Two art rooms
• Remodeled Home Economics kitchen labs
• Updated biology lab
• Seven industrial arts education labs Mechanics. Masonry, Woods, Metals,
  Construction Welding, Lecture Facility
• College level graphics arts computer lab
• Band instrumental lessons offered
• Spanish I. II & III available
• College classes offered through ALI, Graphic Arts, Industrial Maintenance,Drafting/Blueprints, Mechanics, Masonry/Carpentry,   Intro to Computers, Forestry, Natural Resource Management, Certified Nursing Assistant
 • College classes offered through CEP College Writing I & II. History, Algebra, Trigonometry, Public Speaking, Novels, Biology. Environmental Science, Psychology, Sociology,Government, Economics

 • Be part of a new school that merges the BEST

 Home of the Nighthawks

ISD 2142 News: February 3, 2011 - Combining Provides Opportunity

Article(s) from the Cook News Herald: Feb. 3rd, 2011
http://www.cooknewsherald.com/page1.html

Orr School to close next year
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=28026&uid=68030627294#!/topic.php?uid=68030627294&topic=28024

Combining Cook and Orr for 2011-2012 saves money, provides new programs
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=28026&uid=68030627294#!/top...ic.php?uid=68030627294&topic=28026
________________________________________________________________

“The Art Teachers Who Taught You” - http://www.mesabirange.edu/assets/files/depts/library/art.pdf

Exhibit of Works by the Art Teachers of ISD 2142

ISD 2142 - St. Louis Co. School Board Moves Forward With Cook/Orr Merger

Video from News Center 6:

Link: http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/news/education/St-Louis-Co-School-Board-Approves-Merger-114980754.html

ISD 2142 News: Jan. 27, 2011 - North School Bids Going Out, Babbitt Campus Renamed Northeast Range "Nighthawks"

Articles from the Cook News Herald:
http://www.cooknewsherald.com/page1.html

Construction bids for new North School due Feb. 8
Babbitt-Embarrass/Tower-Soudan school gets new name, mascot, colors

Excellent Editorial By Gary Albertson
http://www.cooknewsherald.com/page2.html

Letter To The Editor By Jewell "Bud" Herring
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=68030627294#!/topic.php?uid=68030627294&topic=27999

ISD 2142 News, Jan. 21, 2011 - It's a GO! Planning & Zoning approves new ISD 2142 North School variance 3-1

Article from the Cook News Herald: Jan. 20, 2011 Article Links Below:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=68030627294&v=app_2373072738#!/topic.php?uid=68030627294&topic=27980

http://www.cooknewsherald.com/page1.html
Article Summary:

St. Louis County Board Of Adjustment grants variance for the ISD 2142 North School on a 3-1 vote.
Presentations by Johnson Controls: Storm water runoff would be better with the new construction than before.Many supporters and a few opponents spoke during the comment session.
The board finally came to a vote and the variance passed on a 3-1 vote.
The new school is a reality.

Related Article on the Cook News Herald:
State Auditor charges into St. Louis County reorganization fight
Article Summary:

Acting on a complaint, the State Auditor has asked for information on seven items. The district and Johnson Controls are busy answering this request, but this will take time and money. The money will come from taxpayers of ISD 2142 or from the students due to reduced educational opportunities. The Auditor apparently has no power in this matter, but is answering the complaint that was filed that apparently thinks there could be fraud.

Editor's Comment: More of the same from the same people, full article is on the Cook News Herald. Not worth more of a comment.

District News Release Concerning Variance and MPCA Permit: For a copy of the district news release click on the following link:
St. Louis County Board of Adjustment grants variance and MPCA issues wastewater permit,both for ISD 2142’s New North School

North School Variance Passes - ISD 2142 Construction Will Expand

Video below from News Center 6 in Duluth. Construction to begin next spring.

For those of you who would like to learn more about the county schools reorganization, change, process and history, good link(s) to visit are the following:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=68030627294
http://www.choose2142schools.com/ 

"The district has been working through the process and one of the last steps in the county planning process was to consider a variance request for the site," said superintendent Dr. Charles Rick.

The district requested to build on 14 percent of the land, instead of the two percent previously allowed.

For a copy of the district news release click on the following link:
St. Louis County Board of Adjustment grants variance and MPCA issues wastewater permit,both for ISD 2142’s New North School

ISD 2142 Gets Okay To 'Build Bigger' / North School Building Variance Granted

Link Below: The variance allows the district to build on 14% of the land instead of their previous 2%.
http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/news/iron-range/ISD-2142-Gets-Okay-To-Build-Bigger-114152174.html

Cliffs in C$4.9 Billion Consolidated Thompson deal

Article Link:
http://www.miningweekly.com/article/cliffs-to-buy-consolidated-thompson-iron-for-c49bn-2011-01-12

Babbitt Ice Arena Announcements: Jan. 14, 2011

Come Skate with us!

Open Skating

Monday, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Open Hockey
(14 years old & up)

Wednesday, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Babbitt Figure Skating will be taking orders for Butter Braids!! 

Watch for the hockey and figure skaters. To place an order between 1/11/11 through 1/25/11 email us at bfscbabbitt@yahoo.com or call Tammy @ 827-2411 after 6 p.m. or Terra @ 827-2274

If you would like to sign up your kids for:

Figure Skating - Terra Bird @ 827-2274

Hockey - Chad Rasmussen @ 827-9951

Please call!

Updated Schedule Listing:

3:30-4:30-Snowplow 1 & 2
               Basic 4
               Basic 7
               Basic 8

4:30-5:30 Basic 1
                Basic 3
                Basic 5

5:30-6:30 Hockey Fundamentals

6:30-8:30 Freestyle

We will be skating on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Freestyle will also
skate Sunday nights.

*Remember to have your kids where stretchy pants (no jeans for practice) and
no electronics are allowed on the ice.

ISD 2142 board reorganizes, Bruns named new chair

Article from the Cook News Herald: Jan. 13th, 2011
Full Article Link(s):
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=68030627294&topic=27962
http://www.cooknewsherald.com/page1.html

Summary:

New board members sworn in: Jody Feist of Cook, Troy Swanson of Tower-Soudan, and Lynette Zupetz of Cherry. Orr board member Zelda Bruns and AlBrook board member Bob Larson were nominated for chairman with Bruns replacing Larson on a 4-3 vote. Larson was elected vice chair. Babbitt-Embarrass board member Gary Rantala was elected clerk, and Cotton board member Chet Larson was named treasurer. That meeting ended at 5:11 p.m. and the regular meeting started.

The Cook News-Herald was named the legal newspaper for 2011.

The new south school is officially now the South Ridge School. The name of their teams is the Panthers and their colors are Black and Blue.

The big item on the agenda was the approval of the new Flex Scheduling plan for the district. This plan calls for six-period days for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday, classes start at 9:45 a.m. and go to 11:45. Then there is an afternoon class from 1:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Supt. Charles Rick said the kids and teachers are all fired up and this would start now. According to Rick, this new plan utilizes all of the district's talents and resources, allows greater choices and opportunity for all secondary students, more "hands-on" student directed education, and brings their vision of a 21st Century Education together. It will allow time to implement and carry out student advisory and personalized learning plans, allow for teacher collaboration time prescribed in the Q-comp program, and tie all four directions of the district's strategic plan together.

The final agenda item was the ratifying of the clerical contract for 2009-2011. It calls for a total of a 2 percent raise over those two years and it was ratified.

Board members all welcomed the new board members. Rantala spoke of the event last Wednesday when 54 Tower-Soudan students came to the Babbitt-Embarrass School in a prelude to next year. They discussed the new school's name and came up with three ideas. They also picked the school's colors, which will be black, blue and silver. B-E counselor Joan Kjorsvig spoke of how they came together as one. The two schools already combine for some sports.

The board planned to have a study session on Jan. 27 at 4 p.m. in the district office and a special meeting on Jan. 31. The combining of Cook and Orr will be discussed.