School board handles many issues at March meeting
By ALLAN TINKER
The McClusky School board moved through a variety of issues at its March 13 meeting.
The meeting, which is preceded by an open meal for the board, which may or may not have a quorum present, started with the superintendent’s report.
Supt Robert Tollefson reported on the MREC committee’s March 17 meeting with candidates for the MREC director’s position.
Deandra Viellieux has been hired to fill the para-professional position and started on March 10. She will continue her training with Lone Tree staff. She is a former daycare worker from Tiny Turtles in Turtle Lake.
Tollefson reported that a conversation with Sheridan County Commissioner Michael Axt, led to their agreement that the state’s mandate of an increase should be left to the state and the county to keep valuations at what they see is fitting. If the county does not increase the property valuation within the prescribed valuations (17-18 percent) set by the state, the state will mandate the increase. This puts the county officials in the blame seat when the county property owners get their tax bills.
McClusky School District pays 80 percent of a single policy currently for insurance for employees. This is projected to rise, as much as 28 percent. That would drive the costs from $334 to $535 or somewhere in between, depending upon the increase level. This was an FYI, with no action taken.
Principal Dan Klemisch reported on the mid-winter conference, again stating the sessions on school culture were excellent. Klemisch stated they were taught that you cannot teach a student to care about how much you know until they know how much you care.
Klemisch also presented information on a new AdvancED Workshop scheduled for April 1. Both he and Mr Fylling will attend.
The basis is to help schools engage in continuous improvement in their culture and systems within the schools.
Elementary Keyboarding is being taught by Miss Hoffman and Mrs. Faul and Klemisch reported the students seem to be enjoying learning and are making good progress. Accuracy levels are in the 90 percentile range.
