Graves: School leaders’ group wants SDEA to back off efforts to put teacher bill on ballot

Superintendent Joe Graves said at Monday’s meeting of the Mitchell Board of Education that the South Dakota School Superintendents Association, under Brookings Superintendent Roger DeGroot, is asking the South Dakota Education Association to back off on efforts to refer HB1234 to voters.

“I think it’s a mistake to refer HB1234,” he said, since there’s also a voter referendum in the works to ask voters to approve a 1 percent sales tax for education and Medicaid funding.

The SDEA has opposed HB1234 as being divisive for state’s teachers. The bill, adopted during the recent legislative session, phases out teacher tenure and sets up a bonus system to award top teachers, among other things.

The legislation would provide $15 million for additional compensation in high demand areas of science and math and provide incentives for teacher excellence in the classroom, Graves said.

“It’s a mistake to confuse the voters,” said Graves, who’s worried both measures could fail, leaving schools with no additional funds.

Graves also predicted that next year the district could see the end of adequate yearly progress (AYP) goals under No Child Left Behind.

Other business

The board also:

• Rejected bucket truck bids for Mitchell Technical Institute because they did not meet bid specifications.

• Approved a resolution to declare the old bleachers and gym floor at Mitchell High School as surplus property so they may be sold.

• Approved the district’s 2012-2013 membership in the South Dakota High School Activities Association.

• Approved the following personnel items:

Resignations: Cindy Gerlach, family and consumer sciences, MHS; Ruth Manson, language arts, MHS Justin Zajic, social studies, Mitchell Middle School; and Shawna Zimmerman, sixthgrade language arts, all at the end of current school year.

Aimee Dufek Schaefer, paraeducator, Longfellow Elementary, effective April 5.

Extra-curricular resignations: Danielle Erdmann, assistant eighth-grade volleyball; Julie Van Gorp, MMS jazz band, both effective pending the finding of suitable replacements.

Retirements: Linda Case, general education, MTI; Jocy Huck and Linda Wosje, paraeducators, MHS, all effective at the end of the school year; and Grant Uecker, financial aid coordinator, MTI, effective June 29.

Transfer: Wendi Schnabel, from third grade to first grade at Longfellow.

New hires: Tom Young, as head boys’ basketball coach, for the 2012-2013 school year, $4,803, plus an unspecified additional amount based on Young’s experience; Cindy Gerlach, culinary arts, FACS, MTI, $39,000 a year; Stacy Thomsen, speech and language therapist, $41,725, plus $4,610 for 20 extra contact days; and Erin Olsen, social studies, MHS, $36,000 all effective for the 2012-2013 school year; Sue Olinger, custodian, MHS, nine hours daily at $10 an hour, effective March 19.

MTI spring adjunct hires: Ron VanderHeiden, Ag 159, welding, $1,620; Jim Mahoney, Ag 252 construction, $1,800.

• Approved two golf coach ing position changes. Sean Moen, who is already the head coach of the Mitchell’s boys’ golf team, will also become head coach of the girls’ team next spring.

Mark Horan will take over assistant coaching duties for both teams next year. This year, Horan served as head coach of the girls’ golf team.

Tags: election 2012, news, updates, state, education