By Jaye Sudar
WALSENBURG- Re-1 school board director Lynette Kleinschmidt resigned her position Tuesday night to avoid a conflict of interest. She is taking the position of Instructional Aide at Peakview Elementary. The board declared a vacancy for District G after accepting her resignation with regret. Kleinschmidt stated that her decision was financially based, and that she looked forward to working with the students.
The meeting opened with John Rodriguez and Cindy Schneider presenting a power point program on the FBLA conference in Vail last year. She spoke about business internships and speakers for the classroom.
Peakview, with a total of 355 students at present had a smooth beginning to the year. Principal Martinez mentioned that parents need to wait for their children outside after school, rather than in the foyer. NWEA testing begins September 8th.
Gardner School′s 68 students are looking forward to a good year. The cafeteria is due to be finished by August 31st. The new custodian, Kyle Bohannon is bringing in his experience as a farrier assisting students in making coat hooks out of horse shoes.
John Mall is off to a great start with 213 students and 0 discipline referrals. Principal Siders reported they had 230 people at an enjoyable Back to School night. The online classes are scheduled to start soon. Changes at the high school include little to no homework, as studies have proven long school days and homework are detrimental to learning. Siders handed out a document on homework and how it affects learning. She hopes that it will improve test scores, help the graduation rate and grades. Brain breaks, a new learning strategy has been embraced by teachers and students throughout the district.
Athletic Director Purnell informed the board that the golf team is fantastic this year. In other sports, the coaches are still recruiting while volleyball and football are gearing up for their seasons. Rumors of drug testing for students proved to be just that. However, the board did discuss that it might be a useful tool in the future.
Superintendent Doyle was absent due to deaths in the family, so the ACT scores were not discussed. Instead, Gardner Principal Linda Bennett gave a program on the Colorado Growth Model.
In other actions, the board approved the substitute lists for teachers, secretaries, cooks, custodians and bus drivers. They hired a staff secretary, and instructional aides, as well as approved volunteer coaches, the schedule for the 2009-2010 school board meetings and the designated authority for school suspensions if the building administrator is absent. They also approved the La Veta Junior High School football players joining the Re-1 team.
