NRHEG School Board
By REED WALLER
Staff Writer
On Thursday, April 18, the NRHEG School Board will pick two finalists for the position of NRHEG Superintendent of Schools, from four semifinalists selected from 10 applicants by the consultants from South Central Services Committee.
Candidates
The candidates are:
Dr. Dennis Goodwin, Superintendent of Schools at Platte-Geddes district, South Dakota. Dr. Goodwin has one year of experience as superintendent, 10 years teaching, and 20 years business experience.
Tami Martin, Charter School Director at Cross Lake Community School. Ms. Martin has five years experience as Director, 20 years elementary teaching at Chisago Lakes, MN and Raymondville, TX, and was Gifted Cluster teacher and remedial math teacher at Chisago Lakes.
Dr. Kathleen Mortenson, District Administrator at Brooklyn Center schools. Dr. Mortenson has three years administrative experience at Brooklyn Center and 10 years at Paladin Academy at Blaine and Minnesota Department of Corrections, St. Paul. She was also Assistant Principal for K-8 at Cambridge-Isanti, and has nine years experience as special education teacher/coordinator.
Gregory Schmidt, Superintendent, MACCRAY (Maynard, Clara City, Raymond). Mr. Schmidt has seven years as superintendent at MACCRAY, seven years as charter school director at RiverBend Academy in Mankato, and four years as teacher and site leader at Mankato and LeSueur-Henderson.
The candidates were selected for NRHEG by SCSC consultants Butch Hanson, Dale Brandsoy, and Ed Waltman, based on a profile of the district’s needs and of the desired abilities of a superintendent, compiled by SCSC from a survey of NRHEG board members, students, teachers and staff, and community members.
The four candidates will be interviewed, and two finalists chosen for a second interview at a second special meeting on the following Thursday, April 25, when a superintendent will be selected.
These meetings are open to the public and will be posted on the school Web site.
Consultant Dale Brandsoy was on hand Monday evening to distribute copies of the profile and discuss the process with board members. Brandsoy will also be present at the interview meetings.
Weather make-up days
The board approved a proposal for dealing with the school calendar’s make-up days.
Student days as per calendar will be Friday, Monday, and Tuesday, June 1, 3, and 4.
Teacher in-service will be Wednesday and Thursday with Friday check-out. This will still leave one day to make up. Teachers will document additional time spent on principal approved activities. iPads will be ordered for all teachers for end of May delivery.
Paraprofessionals will also have in-service Wednesday and Thursday, with Friday for in-service or assisting teachers.
Kitchen staff will use Wednesday through Friday to clean and get ready for remodel.
Bus drivers will be forgiven one day for which they were called in, and offered two three-hour days for regular route compensation, to clean buses and get garage in order.
Staff and faculty may decide not to work these extra days, but if they choose not to, they won’t be paid for them.
“We’re not going to deny anyone the salary they contracted for,” explained Supt. Kevin Wellen, “but they can voluntarily refuse it if they want.”
Roofing project
The next part of the roofing project was approved. It had already been put off, and is being combined with another portion, for a savings of about $25,000 over the projection from five years ago.
This will leave only the Ellendale Gym to be redone, and then the district can forget about roofing for the next 35 years.
Reading Pathway/Journeys
The board heard discussion from Elementary Principal Doug Anderson and faculty members, recommending the purchase of a $118,000 textbook and materials package from Houghton-Mifflin for the Journeys Balanced Literacy program. This will be a part of the Reading Pathway program being implemented beginning this past year.
The price tag was surprising (the district normally spends about $55,000-65,000 in this area including consumables) and discussion followed considering how funds could be found for it, as well as how much of this expense would be continuing.
“Is this program iPad compatible?” asked board member Lis Kormann.
The board was assured the program was iPad and SmartBoard compatible as well.
Reading Pathway, the comprehensive literacy intervention program being implemented by the school, was outlined for the board by Diana Foster, Internal Coach of the Reading Corps.
Reading Pathway is a mapped-out instructional plan including whole and small group instruction, Response to Intervention for individualized instruction, and intensive instruction for struggling readers.
The Reading Corps is a project of AmeriCorps, the domestic equivalent of the Peace Corps, and is organized with the goal of having every child in America a “successful reader” (meaning performing to Common Core literacy standards) by third grade.
One out of five third graders in Minnesota does not read up to these standards.
80,000 children have been in this program since 2003.
NRHEG currently employs two tutors and intervention is provided 20 minutes per day, five days a week.
As of now, 71 NRHEG students have received intervention. 38 have graduated and 33 are still in the program. Of those who have graduated, 80 percent have passed the MCA reading tests.
In 2013-2014 the school will add grades K-3 to the project, and are looking forward to adding a preschool component.
“What about Reading Recovery?” a board member asked.
Reading Recovery is only first grade, and it is integrated into the program.
The purchase of Journeys materials was approved.
Technology capital purchase
Also approved was a technology purchase totaling $149,000. This package includes iPads for faculty, more SmartBoards, and a $5,000 wireless upgrade. Some of this expense is covered by donations and grant money, including a very generous $7,196 from the New Richland Foundation.