Osage County Herald-Chronicle | USD 420 shuffles teaching, coaching staff

USD 420 Board of Education
Board shuffles teaching, coaching staff

DeAun Michael | Reporter

OSAGE CITY—A lengthy executive session resulted in a host of personnel changes for both the current and upcoming school years, at the Osage City USD 420 regular school board meeting on April 8.

Summer school contracts were offered to Maxine Sahlberg, Kathy Camarena, Tara Durkin, Nicole Edwards, Jeff Edwards, Kathy Reed and Laurie Fager.

James Bellinger was officially added as a high school assistant track coach and Andrew Gantenbein was hired as junior high assistant track coach for the current season because influx of track participants in both programs.

A contract was also offered to Gantenbein for the weight room coach position, who recently took over as head football coach. Marrion Smith will fill Gantenbein’s former position as head junior high football coach.

The board also extended contracts and granted tenure to Jennifer Wassemiller, Amie Lohmeyer and Angela Bergeron. Additionally, both tenured and non tenured teacher contracts were extended for the 2009-10 school year.

Resignations were accepted from Mike Ritzel as weight room coach, Derek Patterson as high school assistant football coach, Jennifer Wassemiller as assistant play director, Chris Kirkpatrick as high school girls head basketball coach, and Andrea Oliver as junior high scholar bowl sponsor.

A/V opportunities

Prior to executive an session, the board heard a presentation from Andy Lohmeyer, Technology Director for USD 420. The presentation included the technology goals in the district for the upcoming summer months. The projects include upgrading the bandwidth available at the schools, updating to a core wired network in the elementary school, replacing elementary staff computers, adding and upgrading the wireless network for K-12 and taking over the local channel 10 from Mediacom.

Lohmeyer explained the projects to the board in detail, including the option that the school has been offered to take over the local cable channel 10.

“We are just beginning to explore the possibilities channel 10 will bring to the district, but they are endless,” Lohmeyer said. “We could put football games, announcements, school projects plus so many other items on this. I’d like to see this eventually taken over and maintained by a high school class.”

The board approved the summer technology projects with funds to be taken from capital outlay.

Career and technology

Dick Allison, director of outreach programs at Allen Community College, updated the board on progress of the career and technology education programs developed in cooperation with the five school districts in Osage County and the West Franklin district.

“We feel this is going to be a real benefit to the area,” Allison said. “We did a survey in a 40-mile radius and found that construction is one of the top three employers in the area.”

The construction maintenance technology program will be held at KanBuild, Inc., in Osage City. Classrooms will be in the KanBuild cafeteria and then the students will eventually move out onto the floor for hands-on training.

Students will be accepted into the program on a first come first served basis, however, there will be mandatory entrance requirements. The program will be accredited through a nationally recognized credentialing organization, which provides credentials to students who complete the program. Those students may also obtain an Associates of Applied Science degree with some additional general education credits.

Their goal is to a take program model and extend it beyond the construction program.

“Our success in getting this grant is largely due to our partnership with the school districts and our partnership with the business and industry,” Allison said.

Budget assurance

Superintendent David Carriger updated the board on the school finance situation, which is based on state budget recommendations for the 2008-09, school year at a reduction of $33.00 per student off the base. Carriger proposed the upcoming school year will have the same per-student reduction, adding that figures will not be finalized for another month.

Carriger said the school board has done a good job of taking care of the mil rate. He felt this has kept the district in much better shape than many other districts across the state, and will enable the district to better cope with budget issues that arise in the future.

In other business, the board:

• Approved the replacement of the lighting fixtures in Homewood Gymnasiumm which will increase lighting by 30 percent. The lights will pay for themselves in energy savings in three to four years.

• discussed the superintendent search. A special board meeting will be held May 4 at 5:30 p.m. to review applications. Additional special board meetings were also scheduled for May 6, 7, and 8 at 6:45 p.m. for superintendent candidate interviews.

• heard information on the Three Lakes Collective Learning Center in Lyndon; and heard reports on Three Lakes Collective Site Councils for elementary, middle and high schools.

• approved payment of the facility fleet insurance, treasurer’s report, payment of bills, and renewing membership to the Kansas Association of School Boards and the KASB Legal Assistance Fund.

• approved the Employee Recognition Breakfast to be held May 21.

• held an additional executive session for personnel matters relating to non-elected personnel to protect the rights and privacy of individuals involved. No action was taken.